Guide to Finding Used Books, CDs, and DVDs

Some of you might just get all your books from the library and get all your music and film online, in which case this is probably useless to you even if you do live near me. Although I'm aware coveting material goods I don't need leads to feeding the Monster, I have a weakness for hard copies of things.  Maybe once I've got everything on my list I'll regret pouring so much money into something that takes up so much space. But for now, here's what I do to save money and avoid paying for the manufacture of new things in case it helps anyone.

First, I keep a list of everything I'm looking for (this can help with clothing, too, but sometimes you need more creative freedom there), the main purpose of which is to limit impulse buying. It's also helpful for keeping track of things that have multiple discs or volumes. Just don't fall into the trap that I do where I just sit and look at the list of everything I want but don't have and start going online and figuring out how much it would cost to fill how the gaps when I don't actually have any money to do that with, which is disheartening and probably unhealthy. Don't do it. Hide the list except for when you need it.

When I have money to spend on this kind of thing, I buy things both in person and on websites. Sometimes one is cheaper than the other, but they seem to balance out overall, so it's good to check all the possible sources before you buy things. I like to use Bookfinder.com to find the cheapest price and then double check by searching Abebooks, eBay, Amazon, and Better World Books (there's also Powell's Books and Alibris, but I haven't dealt much with them personally.) If what I want isn't surprisingly cheap online (or just cheaper than half the retail price once you factor shipping charges in), I check brick-and-mortar stores first. Here's a list pertinent to the Twin Cities area:

Friends of the Hennepin County Library Bookstore (Downtown Minneapolis)--probably the cheapest option out of all of these, though a lot of the books will be in rough shape since they were withdrawn from the library after circulating for a while and the selection can be pretty hit-or-miss. Graphic novels can be found here in surprising abundance (although their last sale cleaned them out pretty thoroughly. But there are still some lurking around). They also have CDs, DVDs, and audiobooks in limited numbers. Manga is 75¢ a volume and graphic novels are $2.00 each. Prices of novels vary but usually aren't more than two or three dollars each. Sometimes they have massive sales where the prices get gradually lower over a week until you can take home a grocery bag full of books for a dollar. 

Half Price Books (varying locations)--carries a pretty nice selection of comics (graphic novels and single issues), books in general, and CDs on average. Also lots of DVDs and some cassettes and vinyl. My favorite location is the one in St. Paul, but St. Louis Park and Roseville are also nice. You can also sell media here (they offer you cash which you can then choose to spend there but it won't magically be worth more like at some stores.) If you're looking for specific books, calling ahead at the various locations and asking the staff to see if they have what you're looking for can be very helpful.

Magers and Quinn (Uptown)--Sells used and new books. Has a healthy-sized comic section and also some really nifty decorative hardback books and postcards. They also buy books and offer you a higher dollar amount in store credit than in cash.

Cheapo Records (Uptown, St.Paul)--Sells CDs, vinyl, cassettes, and DVDs. Very nice selection. The Uptown location also has a used book store with a small graphic novel section in its basement. Pricing is inconsistent (for example, I once found two used copies of the Crow soundtrack on CD--one was $6.95, one was $2.95), so check the new arrivals section and the section for the artist you're looking for before making purchases. There is also a location in Blaine, but I haven't been there yet.

The Electric Fetus (South Minneapolis)--Sells used and new DVDs, CDs, and vinyl. Also some magazines and a bunch of novelty items and accessories. If you don't expect to find it anywhere check here--they also have a large selection and sometimes you will be surprised by what turns up. Sometimes they have in-store concerts. You can also buy concert tickets for other venues here. There are also stores in St. Cloud and Duluth that I haven't been to.

Big Brain Comics (Downtown Minneapolis)--Mostly new merchandise, but they also have used graphic novels in the back.

The Source (Roseville)--Lots of old single issues of comics, no used graphic novels to my knowledge (although their new selection is pretty awesome.) They have 20% off sales on everything in the store for Black Friday, the Winter Jubilee (which is always in December on a Saturday before Christmas), plus if you see them at a convention they have coupons for 20% off anything in the store if you go the same weekend as the con.

FallCon and SpringCon (Minnesota State Fair Grounds)--they're run by the same people and each one only happens once a year. Admission is around ten dollars and the discounts you can find (not to mention the sheer variety) can be pretty incredible. I especially like Half Price Books because they reduce the cost of their manga (once they had boxes full of manga for 25¢ per volume--usually the cost is more like two to four dollars per volume, though) and sell a lot of bundles of books from the same series (I once bought all of Chobits at once from them, for example). Anyway, the amount of money you can save here in discounts is usually enough to cover the cost of admission. Plus you get people running around in costumes. AND you can get a coupon from the Source and check there afterward, too.

Once I've checked as many of the above as I can, I go back online and figure out what combination of books on my list is cheapest from which stores (keeping shipping in mind, especially when you can combine shipping costs like on Abebooks and sometimes eBay. Amazon no longer lets you combine shipping costs for used merchandise from the same seller, which is annoying as hell. Better World Books doesn't charge shipping and their profits go to good causes so they're my favorites.)