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Pulpfiction Books
Category: Shopping Books, Mags, Music and Video Bookstores Bookstores [Edit]
2422 Main StVancouver, BC V5T 3E2
Neighbourhood: Mount Pleasant
(604) 876-4311
- Hours:
Mon-Wed 10 am - 8 pm
Thu-Sat 10 am - 9 pm
Sun 11 am - 7 pm
- Price Range:
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$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
36 reviews for Pulpfiction Books
Review Highlights
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"Also Pulp Fiction has an amazing cross section of genres." In 7 reviews -
"...is definitely the place to go for recently published books." In 3 reviews -
"Because this is a primarily used book store, you won't..." In 12 reviews
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36 reviews in English
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Review from Melissa E.
Vancouver, BC
1/30/2012
I love this place and every time wish I had more time to spend browsing. I usually pop in when I have 10min to spare before meeting up with someone for coffee or an appointment. I think to myself "hmmm, i'll just take a look" yet always end up leaving with at least a few buys.
This time it was a used (barely) copy of Michael Bittman's How to Cook Everything. FOR $16!!!!! OMG OMG OMG!! Most exciting find of the year to date by far! I also picked up a new version of The Golden Spruce and when he couldn't find a copy of an older book, he said he would be able to get a %30 reduced copy for me by tuesday. Yes please! I also love how they have their "best finds" in the front of the store...those books that you would think are only available in the big box bookstores but are here for about half the price.
Knowledgeable, friendly and just all around super awesome, i just kinda love this place. Why bother with Chapters/Indigo when the odds of finding what you are looking for at a greatly reduced price (and while supporting local small business) is available!!?
Check it out...you won't be sorry. -
Review from Gosia Z.
Vancouver, BC
5/3/2012
I walked in, went straight to the counter and said, "I want a book that's set in medieval times". The woman didn't even blink. She simply told me an author and the general area where to find the book, and then smiled with a "what else can you throw at me??" look. ;) Very impressive.
Only downfall - for a used book place, the prices are a bit high (my book was $20 and not in the best shape). -
Review from Kari C.
1/23/2012
I've never had a favourite book store before, until now.
My brother has a comic book and graphic novel addiction, and this place helps him get his fix at a discount.
Pulpfiction is amazing. We pop in, he heads for the comics, I saunter toward the cookbooks, we regroup and compare good finds, then run away with awesome, sharable reading material to pass back and forth that didn't cost nearly as much as it should have. If only most things were this fun and easy!
They are also great for buying books, and while they definitely have a niche, their rules are a lot more straightforward and flexible than I've read/heard from other places, that are kinda vague and disorganized.
I haven't been there in a while, and now have this totally Uma Thurman In Pulp Fiction haircut going on...gotta visit soon!Listed in: Surefires
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Review from Lara K.
Vancouver, BC
4/12/2012
Very nice little book store. Prices are about what you'd expect at most places, but there is a large selection. I like horror novels and while they don't specialize in horror, it's hard to find a lot of older out of of print books, but if I want something I would check here. Staff let you browse without making you feel like a lookey-loo but will gladly help you find something if you ask. No pressure to buy. :)
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Review from Patricia G.
Vancouver, BC
5/10/2012
Great selection of books at a fair price. Staff aren't always the nicest and seem a little pretentious. Tried selling a few books there once and they said the couldn't take them because they looked used. Kind of an odd comment from a used book store.
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Review from Chauncey B.
Vancouver, BC
2/16/2012
I've made a point of being real ostentatious about my intense and overwrought sophistication book-wise every time I've come in here, and not once have any of the staff propositioned me for sex. I'm giving them 5 stars anyway, in hopes that flattery will do what smarmy gentility has not.
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Review from Sandy M.
Vancouver, BC
11/21/2011
Selling books is always a fraught experience. If a consignment store turns down your jacket, you can easily tell yourself that they're just unaware of how cool it is. When a book store turns down your favourite books, it's clear they are rejecting your education, tastes AND intellectual capacity.
So far, I've been lucky with Pulpfiction: so much so, that I've got to doubt the doubters here. Every time I've sold here, they've been fully knowledgeable about the treasures I've brought them, often pointing out gems that I'd underestimated; their price has always been more than fair.
In fact, the only bad experience I've had in selling books to Pulp happened today. Within minutes of coming through the door, I saw three - three! - books that I'd sold to Pulp - that I have bitterly missed - searched for in my shelves! I had a three book limit as I came in; I'd feel stupid buying back books I'd already sold. So I ditched my limit, bought three new - and the most out-of-print beauty of my lost three.
Hopefully over the coming weeks, I can ransom back some of the others. Which will depend on what I find in their expanded graphic novel section.
Does anyone have some good book shelves for sale? -
Review from Derek W.
9/17/2011
Haiku Review:
You won't find bargains -
Just the book you're looking for,
Plus five more great onesListed in: Haiku Reviews
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Review from Mehul P.
Vancouver, BC
2/1/2012
Great experience trading in books. They have high standards for both condition and title, so I had to donate most of my used paperbacks to the library. But it's those same high standards that make it worthwhile to pop in every now and again.
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Review from Emma G.
8/8/2011
This store is pretty much what I think all used bookstores should be like. It's packed to the brim with shelves, all overflowing with books. There's lots of room to browse and poke around.
Also, they offer a 20% discount if you buy six books or more - pretty handy if you're buying in bulk.
The man behind the counter was on the phone for a while, exhausting every resource to find a book for a customer that isn't printed in North America. He was really trying hard to find it and I thought that was very sweet.
The prices are good, especially on classic books. If you need a little inspiration, I suggest checking out the classics wall - you're bound to find something that you forgot you wanted to read.Listed in: Main Street Mainstays
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Review from Tetsuo S.
Vancouver, BC
Updated - 3/12/2012
i love this store.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/10/2011
I am writing this review after reading some of the others that were posted previously ... because… Read more »
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Review from Dina D.
Vancouver, BC
4/21/2011
Oh. You have a store of carefully selected used books that I may browse for hours until my arms are sore from the stack I've collected that I now need to purchase? And you have an equally amazing selection of recently published books that I've been wishing for and dreaming about like a ditzy schoolgirl? And when I don't see that brand spanking new book of my dreams you will order it for me and it will arrive in a timely fashion and when it does I will receive a delightful phone call informing me of this? And you will talk to me about books and almost anything, really, and act like normal people who don't want to upsell me some Twilight tie-in merch? How civilized.
As a result of these awesome qualities I've purchased seven new books there in the past three weeks, including the new DFW, Tina Fey's Bossypants, Jim Shepard's You Think That's Bad and a perfect condition used hardcover of the now Pulitzer Prize-winning A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan. Chris and the rest of his peeps know what they're doing.
I love Pulp Fiction. If you love books and are not shopping there, you probably don't really love books at all. Just sayin'. -
Review from Amanda E.
Vancouver, BC
6/17/2011
This place is amazing! It's really big, really organized, and has a great selection!
I went in the other day after eying this place for several months (but never having the time to go in when I happened to be in the area). I was looking for one book specifically though I knew it was an almost worthless gamble whether some random feminist literature book from the 90's would be in stock... and, of course, there it was, just sitting on the shelf waiting for me to buy it. sigh.
I'll be back, Pulpfiction Books! -
Review from Malloreigh M.
Vancouver, BC
11/23/2010
One year, I did all of my Christmas shopping at Pulp Fiction. I say that to indicate that all of their books are in great condition and they have an excellent selection of the writers I want to read and buy for other people. I even found one of my schoolbooks here once, and saved a mint off of the school bookstore prices.
Because this is a primarily used book store, you won't always be able to find every title by every writer, but if you go back often enough, usually eventually you will find what you're looking for.
Pulp Fiction has also recently started to shelve new paperback copies of really popular sci-fi and fantasy, because people rarely sell those back to the store. I know this is true because I have collected several whole series of trade paperbacks from Pulp Fiction.
Prices are totally reasonable. $5 paperbacks without dogears or tears? I'm not going to complain about that. -
Review from Uoren M.
Burnaby, BC
9/11/2011
Horrific, unprofessional and RUDE. The owner was awkward and picky about how my girlfriend and I approached him, how we spoke, the books we had, everything.
I brought in a box of books to sell, as the owner wouldn't take the list by e-mail.
He said he would look through and to leave him alone for 5 minutes. I browsed his store and returned to him with a compliment about his selection. He said "there's my offer" and had 8 books selected with $26 written on a piece of paper.
I asked him if he uses a quarter of the book value to determine the price (as at Macleods bookstore downtown) and he said he "just decided $26". I asked "do you look at age, condition..." and he interrupted saying "its based on what I think. And how fast I think it'll sell".
Its odd there is no criteria, and visiting on a different day may yield a different price, but I said I would keep 2 financial books, but sell the remaining 6 fiction.
He firmly stated "I didn't assess the value of them individually. Only all of them together". I asked "OK...well I don't want to sell all of them. So if I were only to have brought in these 6 which you said you want, what would you take them for?"
He placed the books in a pile, looked at us and said "Thank you" and pushed them back to us. What the hell was that? He would only take all 8 books, or none at all? They weren't even related. He stared at us coldly, inviting us to leave. We were in shock.
I said "you're crazy. Thanks for wasting our time. Screw you" and my partner said in shock "bad business eh" and left.
I will never return, nor recommend this unprofessional and awkward store. -
Review from Mathieu Y.
Vancouver, BC
3/17/2011
Pulpfiction Books has a selection above and beyond NY Times best sellers and prices below chapters. They buy books, sell used books, trade, and have a copy of just about anything fictional or non fictional you're looking for. AND if they don't they can contact you when they eventually do.
They have huge shelves full of classics, biographies, and "Beat" writing for all the counter-culturalists wanting that authentic 60's Karoac or Bukowski print. The well read staff don't pretend to have read something when they haven't. Instead, they will make you a solid recommendation for a few novels you've missed.
And that's why you would want to come to this store; to find a book you never expected to read, and then come to love. -
Review from Jessica O.
Vancouver, BC
8/17/2010
I have been frequenting Pulp for about 8 years - I remember when they had the tiny shop a few doors down - and they have never failed to make me happy. No other used bookstore in Vancouver manages to have shelf after shelf of books that I want to read, chaotically organized and yet somehow completely navigable.
I cut my teeth on their "beat" section, and I can count on their staff picks to always point me in a new direction. The prices are great as well - I never walk outta there with less than a few.
Book nerds rule. :)Listed in: My Very Favourites, Things that are good for the…
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Review from Crystal H.
Vancouver, BC
Updated - 12/1/2009
Everything I said still stands, however, on my last visit I have to admit, I was a little put off.
When I walked in, I said that I had never sold a book before and that I had a bag full of books that I wanted to part ways with. I was told that they don't buy books after 5 and that they state this in all of their written and online materials (oops, I didn't check their website!).
So yelpers - here's another place to read this, Pulpfiction Books DOES NOT BUY BOOKS AFTER 5. (You've been warned!)
But, I guess I didn't fully explain myself, because from what I can gather from their website, they do take trades anytime... and since I shrugged and said, "Well, I guess I'll just be buying books today then" I would have thought they would have mentioned their trade in policy, considering I told them I had never brought books in before...
Alas, I walked out with 6 more books to add to my pile of 12. At least I saved 20%, which is the discount you receive when you buy 6+ books.
Moral of the story: do your research before you go and when you get there, don't expect the "always happy to see you" Chapters attitude.Listed in: The Best of Vancouver's Main…, Solo In Vancouver: One Can Be…, If Life Were a Movie, Bookworms of Vancouver
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/23/2009
The verbose selection yet simple sincerity in their friendliness makes Pulpfiction Books the poem… Read more »
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Review from Vannessa S.
Burnaby, BC
9/5/2011
BROWSING
I thought I'd given up on used book stores, I just didn't have the patience anymore. I was wrong. I went in to this place and I found that it was just a temporary falling out. The books here leap out at me, the classic literature I've been meaning to read, comic books, funky looking novels coming at me at every angle, not only that, they buy books! I wish I'd known about this place sooner before I gave all my old books away. I will most certainly be back.
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SELLING
I've decided to edit this review instead of updating it so you can still see my experience my first time visiting. I was actually able to scrape up quite a few books I wanted to get rid of. I was kind of nervous after reading about some of the experiences people had selling books here. Also, I had no idea how they would be received as most of them were from my high school days. However, I walked in, explained just that and was greeted with warmth and friendliness.
The guy working there was very matter of fact, he smiled and said they're very good at turning books away. He didn't make me feel bad whatsoever, though.
I will say this isn't a place to go and sell books that you have a sentimental attachment to. He went through my pile quickly and concisely. In the end out of a rather large stack of books he chose three books, an art book, a Kevin Smith book and an X-men graphic novel. I thought it was rather strange as I had brought in several art books and he only chose one(and in my opinion not a very good one) and he took my one X-men graphic novel, but no manga. I got $11 for them, I'm sure store credit would have been better, but I needed cash at the time. -
Review from Louise G.
2/25/2010 1 Check-in Here
pulpfiction is definitely the place to go for recently published books.
I'd swear that half the people in the publishing trade use this place to augment their miserable incomes. Always a great selection of used books - including genre and cult titles - and a credible collection of recent new fiction and non-fiction.
Staff is helpful - no, not barista helpful, but bookish helpful - and they buy your good books. If you're bringing your collection of classics in - however - be sure that you're ready for a massive intellectual crisis; they are very particular about what they'll buy!Listed in: Mainly Main, Books
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Review from Christine R.
New Westminster, BC
8/26/2008
Reasons Pulpfiction rules:
1. You can get lost in the back room for hours.
2. The fiction selection is vast, especially if your taste runs to trashy or genre-themed paperbacks.
3. There's always an interesting conversation to be overheard - especially when the clerks are trying to reject what some crazy person is trying to sell them.
4. The bargain table often contains some gems.
5. The new books are usually ones that you won't find in Big Bookstores, and the staff picks are chosen by some of the most discerning readers I know.
6. If you're very nice, they'll let you look at the esoteric old books hidden by the counter, such as "marriage help" manuals from the fifties and sixties.
7. They remember who I am, and sometimes take requests.
Tip: Use of the store as a phone booth is frowned upon. You've been warned.Listed in: Books and Coffee
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Review from Alex B.
East York, ON
10/1/2010
I dont care what you say, this place knows what the kids like.
Their books are interesting and I want to buy them all.
Damn you.
I used to hit up the pulp fiction in kits too. -
Review from Mandy R.
8/23/2010 1 Check-in Here
This place is fussy about the quality of books that they sell, meaning you are buying books at used prices with the quality of every book being near-brand-new. No scruffy paperbacks with the pages falling out and the spine destroyed here. They also rarely buy (and thus sell) crappy fluff.
A lot of people have said that the service is not up to snuff, and that the staff are snobby. In my experience, the staff will treat you the way you treat them. I am almost always greeted by someone, and then if I chose to wander around alone, pay for my book in near-silence, and leave, they don't bother engaging me in conversation. However, if I have questions, if they've read the book I'm buying, if I'm looking for something specific, or if I need a suggestion, I have found all the staff members to be friendly, knowledgeable, and very easy to have a casual conversation with. When I was a "regular" (in there at least once a week), they became even friendlier with me, although as of late, I am broke and live further away, so I'm sad to say I've become a bit more anonymous in there.
Oh, and I applied for a job posting once, and didn't receive so much as a call back. Out of spite, I would love to take away a star. I won't though. I'll just say instead: WAY TO GO, JERKS. I would have been the best little book hawker you've ever seen. If you ever change your mind... CALL ME. -
Review from Vanessa G.
5/17/2010 2 Check-ins Here
Right around the corner from my home, when i need to buy a book this is where i go to first. They have always carried the books i have been looking for, so i always leave happy. Staff has been helpful when i have been looking for certain books.
I prefer going to the library these days.. but if i need a book for travelling this is where i go!Listed in: The impress a girl locales
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Review from Luisa S.
Vancouver, BC
10/20/2008
Covered in dust and bathed in bad lighting is one of the most intense literary collections. Whether your tastes run to the classics or the best-seller list-endorsed, Pulpfiction runs the gamut. (In other words, you're just as likely to find your favourite trashy Harlequin to a Camus classic. First editions are likely to be stocked alongside throwaway-style paperbacks.)
Staffed here some of the most knowledgeable and discerning readers so it's easy to feel intimidated when all you have is a bachelor's in English lit (me). -
Review from H J.
Vancouver, BC
7/17/2011
Selection has gone downhill and the staff are a little uppity and condescending especially if you are trying to sell them your books. I guess they deal with sketchy characters but I didn't appreciate the total weirdness of the way I was treated the one time I brought books in for appraisal.
Personally if you know they have something there you want - go for it. But service is pretty yucky and the stock has gone downhill. -
Review from Eva B.
1/16/2011
I admit I have only been in here once. A friend and fellow book worm recommended it to me a while back, but I don't often end up in this neighbourhood. Luckily I did while waiting to meet friends for dinner and couldn't spend too much time perusing the stacks. I fortunately left with only one book. A book that I have wanted to read for years, but have never been able to find for under $25. They sold me a mint copy for $14, what a steal. I think I will be back again to investigate further.
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Review from Hugh P.
Cookstown, ON
5/9/2011
Can't possibly improve on the other reviews here except to say: "bloody well done!" I'm in from Ontario for a visit, and now i have one more reason to return.
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Review from Kevin R.
Vancouver, BC
7/10/2010
What I love about this place is that you can buy used books that are still in great condition! I recently purchased a massive 900+ page autobiography of Henry VIII which would go for $25 at Chapters, I purchased it for less than half the price! Not to mention, it was of good quality (no dog ears) and looked practically new! I also love that they have a specific section for recently published/new books. Great neighborhood book store!
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Review from Dani H.
Vancouver, BC
Updated - 5/31/2009
I've been back several times since my snarky review and now I'm just embarrassed at myself. The times I have visited Pulp Fiction since my experiences outlined below have been exemplary. I've added several hard-to-find bits of miscellania to my book collection and the staff has been informative, gracious and kind every time.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/24/2009
Rude, rather condescending clerk on both of my visits. However, I found a good copy of "Canterbury… Read more »
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Review from Liv F.
West Vancouver, BC
8/17/2011
This is a great book shop. I regret that I've been living in Vancouver for the best part of five years and have never gone to Pulpfiction Books before. I can't imagine browsing for more than five minutes and leaving empty handed.
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Review from Domenica C.
7/18/2010
Pulpfiction Books sure is swell, yessirree. During a recent visit to Vancouver, wandering the thick, hard, sweltering streets of Main, I found myself in the bookly haven of Pulpfiction. I always enjoy Employee Picks in stores, especially when I trust the taste of the employees. I am a fan of curation, be it librarians or DJS, or DJ librarian. They have great taste here, with books of essays of Baudrillard alongside graphic novels and the classics. They have a good selection of the usual suspects - sci-fi, fiction, mystery, and everything else - but the employee picks and their new book selection is killer. I left with an autographed copy of the Cinema Sewer anthology and some Philip K. Dick, yipeee
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Review from Adelina W.
Richmond, BC
4/4/2010
Coming from Victoria where we have the MOST amazing used (and new) bookstore (Russell Books), I've been searching for something similar in Vancouver, and I think I may have found it in Pulpfiction books. I can see myself getting into a long relationship with this bookstore. Prices are reasonable. Books are organized well and are easy to shop. I could spend hours in here.
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Review from Tara T.
BC
11/14/2008
Super cool second-hand bookstore on Main with somewhat of a cult following. You can spend hours in Pulp Fiction scouring the shelves reading snippets from various different novels. Nearly every genre imaginable is located in here, and it's always fun to waste an afternoon in this bookstore's dark aisles searching and wondering what fabulous find might next pop out at you. Culturally rich, with friendly "geek chic" staff this is a must for all book junkies.
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Review from Mercedes G.
Vancouver, BC
10/25/2008 2 photos
My adoration for book stores has certainly been mentioned before but I simply cannot express enough the power of the used book, its history and inherent mystery is always enough to transport you even before you crack the cover. Pulpfiction is in this very calibre of wide-eyed wondrous bookstores filled to the tipping point with every genre you can think of. That being said, there are some rules for trading in your books to Pulpfiction. First thing's first, they do not accept Book Club hardcovers, textbooks, Harlequins, computer books, self-published poetry, damaged books, marked books, stolen books, kid's series and they quote, 99 per cent of all sports and business books. The film business withstanding, of course. This leaves room for contemporary fiction, fantasy, mysteries, psychology, philosophy, science, travel and cultural studies, classic kid's books and erotica amongst others. You can dig away for the elusive first-edition, or have a gander at the first-class collection of Pulp Fiction, known for its graphic art that first originated in the late 19th century with such stories as Zorro and Tarzan. Pulpfiction also carries a smaller selection of new books in current titles. The service is on par with genius, I believe these folks read more than the average being, I certainly would if I worked here!
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Review from Bob D.
Vancouver, BC
8/21/2010
Sold some books this week and was really impressed by the guy buying. Seeing I was clearing my place out I offered him the books that he didn't want for free but he declined and said I could make money on them another time. Really honest. Gave me good money for what he bought. Also Pulp Fiction has an amazing cross section of genres. I like their new section of hardboiled and noir classics. They carry the real 'pulp'. Great Store.
