I love to read books, and since I read a lot, it does not make a lot of sense to buy books, because I would spend most of my money on brand new books. I prefer to borrow them at the library. But sometimes I like going to different bookstores just to explore some new books that I could read, or, occasionally, treat myself by buying a brand new book or two.
There are quite a few cool bookstores in the greater Dayton area, which is where I live at the moment, but one of them is more special than the others. The bookstore I am talking about, is called 2ND and Charles, and it quickly became my favorite bookstore here in the United states of America for a number of reasons that you will find out while reading this post.
How to get there?
2ND and Charles is actually a small chain with stores in a few other States, but this one is the only one in Ohio. The next closest one is situated in Alabama. Like I said, I am so lucky that I live so close to one! This 2ND and Charles is situated in Kettering, more precisely in the place, called Towne and County mall. This mall also has some other interesting stores, such as Kroger and Trader Joe’s. To get there from the city of Dayton, just drive on the Far Hills Avenue towards Centerville. Eventually, you will notice two gas stations, Shell and BP, and this is where you have to turn left and then turn right immediately. The store sign is bright orange, and therefore very hard to miss.
Once you enter the mall, you will notice some discounted books in front of the store, and they are worth checking out. Those books are usually recent editions - the store simply overstocked on them and they are now selling them for really cheap. We are talking about five dollars or less for a brand new book kind of cheap.
The entrance to 2ND and Charles and the discounted books on display.
What can you but at 2ND and Charles? And how much does everything cost?
In 2ND and Charles, you will not find just books (although the books do occupy the most of the store). You will also find different comics, clothing items, funny birthday gifts, scrapbooks, stuffed animals, CDs and DVDs, vinyls, guitars, posters, candy, electronics (such as E-book readers, headphones and tablets), funny signs, collectible items, and so on.
Look at these cute journals! How can you possibly decide which one to buy?
You can also find some funky socks at 2ND and Charles. They are on the pricey side, but the motives on them are priceless. And not appropriate for kids.
If you feel like your refrigerator is empty, you can decorate it with these funny magnets from 2ND and Charles.
Like I said, 2ND and Charles does not sell just brand new books and other items. In fact, the majority of the store consists of used books and other used items. All the used items are gently used and you could easily mistake them for brand new. And how does this store get its second hand items? They buy them from people. And what does that mean? You can sell the books (and other things) you own, to 2ND and Charles! I will tell you more about the process in the next chapter.
A small part of this cool bookstore is also dedicated to rare books and signed books. And the best part - usually, a signed book will cost you less than a new book in a regular bookstore! I still cannot believe my luck when I found a signed, limited - edition book by one of my favorite authors, Clive Cussler, for ten dollars. Yes, you read that right. In ordinary bookstores, it is hard to find a regular book for under 25 dollars. It is an used book, but it looks like new. And it is autographed.
Last time I visited 2ND and Charles, these were the autographed books that they were currently offering. As you can see, the selection is not bad at all. If you are as lucky as I was, you might as well score a signed book from your favourite author.
Prices for used items at 2ND and Charles are ridiculously low. For example, an used book will not cost you more than ten dollars in most cases, and you can find books for as cheap as fifty cents! You will usually find CDs and DVDs on sale for a dollar. Collectible items and brand new items are, of course, a little more expensive, but the price is still lower than it would be in other stores.
Selling your items to 2ND and Charles
The process of selling your unwanted things back to 2ND and Charles is easier than you might think. The hardest part for me is usually choosing which items I want to sell.
So, what things can you sell back to 2ND and Charles? Basically almost anything that clutters your home: books, DVDs, CDs, tablets, video games and video game controllers, collectible items, comics and so on. The better condition the items are in, the more money you will be able to get for them.
Collectible items are a pretty popular buyback item. So if you have some, you know what to do. If you do not want them anymore, that is.
And how does the process look like? Choose the items you would like to sell to 2ND and Charles and take them to the store. Go to the buyback corner, which is usually in the very back of the store and put your items in one of the white bins provided and then bring them to the counter. If this is your first time selling, they will ask you for your ID and you will have to provide some information about you, such as your e-mail and phone number.
You do need an ID from the United states of America, and an US phone number, to sell at 2ND and Charles, so you will be unable to sell your items there if you are in the United States of America just on vacation.
This is the buyback corner, where you can bring your unwanted items, and get some money for them!
Then, you will get an estimate waiting time and a number - this number will tell you when your offer is ready and you can see it on screens throughout the store. It will either appear under ‘in progress’ or ‘offer ready’. Wait times are different from day to day. So far, I waited anywhere between ten minutes and almost an hour.
You can leave the store during the wait (I usually go to a frozen yogurt place, called Orange leaf just next door), but you have to go back and pick up the things that the store will not buy back, by the end of the day, otherwise they will donate them and you will not get paid.
So yes, the store will not necessarily buy back all the items. They might have a lot of certain items and do not need more, the items are in a bad condition, or they are too old. I sold things at 2ND and Charles several times by now, and I found out that items that usually sell well and you will get the most money for, are newer books (2013 and newer), especially travel guidebooks and and hardback book, children’s books and video games.
So, once your offer is ready and you go back to the buyback counter, the staff member will give back any items they are not buying, and he or she will tell you two offers - one of them is store credit, and one of them is cash. And a million dollar question - should I take cash or store credit? The store credit offer is usually much higher. For example, if they offer you twenty dollars in store credit, you will usually not get more than ten dollars in cash. So if you saw something you really liked at the store, you might as well just take the store credit and get that item basically for free.
Once you decide whether you want to take the store credit or cash, you will have to sign the receipt and bring it to the front desk, where they will either put the store credit on your account or give you the cash. It is as simple as that.
A few words for the end…
If you are tired of ordinary bookstores, why not visit an extraordinary one? 2ND and Charles is that kind of place that I never get tired of visiting, because there are always so many new items I can browse through. And best of all? It cannot possibly be any cheaper!
