Book Off - Shindori, Niigata

2nd Hand Everything!

This is a combined House Off (household goods/items) and Book Off (books/media), so it’s the best of both worlds. Pulling in, the parking lot is enormous because the store shares its parking lot with a neighboring Tsutaya. The buy back/selling counter is front and center for both stores, and the process is doable even for someone who doesn’t speak proficient Japanese. The clerks take your items and give you a little ticket which they’ll call when they’re ready to quote you a price for what you’re selling. There are tons of books, magazines, DVDs, and CDs for those who want to spend their time indulging in 立ち読み (standing and reading in the aisles) while they wait or doing shopping. The sheer volume of household goods on the House Off side of the store is amazing. There’s something for everyone, and the vinyl has some gems housed away in their displays. Could you spend a whole day here? No, but you could certainly liquidate a few unwanted items and maybe pick up a few things before heading home. The staff will even throw (a few) things away on your behalf if they don’t end up buying what you brought back. The only reason not a five star review is that the store seems to be in a constant state of reorganization to accommodate new stock, so it’s a little challenging finding things sometimes.