Sell Used Items in Austin
Sell used books, CDs, vinyl, phones and games in Austin, TX. Compare local buyback shops with online prices - Half Price Books, Waterloo Records and more.
Austin is the Live Music Capital of the World, and that extends to vinyl and CDs. The city also has a strong bookstore scene anchored by Half Price Books (whose HQ is up the road in Dallas). But is selling locally in Austin worth your time?
We compared Austin’s local buyers with online platforms. For music, Austin holds its own. For books and other media, online usually wins.
What do you want to sell?
Books
Local options in Austin:
- Half Price Books (multiple locations: North Lamar, Research Blvd, South Lamar) - buys almost everything for cash on the spot
- BookPeople (N Lamar) - Texas’s largest indie bookstore, primarily sells new books
- Recycled Reads (Burnet Rd) - Austin Public Library’s used bookstore, accepts donations
- South Congress Books (SoCo) - small curated shop, buys select titles
Half Price Books is king here. They buy everything - books, CDs, vinyl, DVDs, games - and pay cash immediately. The downside: they pay 10-20% of retail value. Convenient, not lucrative.
| Local (HPB) | Online | |
|---|---|---|
| What they buy | Almost everything | Everything |
| Average price | $0.10-1 per book | $0.50-5 per book |
| Speed | Cash in 30 min | 1-3 days after shipping |
| Convenience | Drive-in easy | Ship from home |
Half Price Books for speed. Online for best price. Compare book prices →
CDs & Vinyl Records
Local options in Austin:
- Waterloo Records (N Lamar) - Austin’s legendary record store, buys used CDs and vinyl
- End of an Ear (S 1st St) - vinyl specialist, strong on indie, electronic, and experimental
- Breakaway Records (N Loop) - curated vinyl shop, buys select titles
- Half Price Books - also buys CDs and vinyl at all locations
Austin’s music culture is real. Waterloo Records has been an institution since 1982 and their staff knows music. End of an Ear is the vinyl connoisseur’s choice. Both pay fairly for desirable titles.
| Local (Waterloo) | Online | |
|---|---|---|
| What they buy | Most genres | Everything |
| Average price | $0.50-3 per CD | $0.15-3 per CD |
| Vinyl records | Austin pays well | Standard prices |
CDs: compare both. Compare CD prices →
Vinyl: Waterloo and End of an Ear are worth trying. Compare vinyl prices →
Phones & Electronics
Local options in Austin:
- Best Buy (multiple Austin locations) - trade-in for phones, tablets, laptops
- ecoATM kiosks - Barton Creek Square, Lakeline Mall; instant cash for phones
- GameStop (multiple locations) - trades phones and gaming hardware
| Local | Online | |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone 13 | $170-210 (trade-in) | $200-260 (cash) |
| Payout | Instant | 1-3 business days |
Best price? Compare online. Compare phone prices →
Video Games
Local options in Austin:
- GameStop (multiple Austin locations)
- Dragon’s Lair Comics & Fantasy (multiple locations) - board games, card games, and some video games
- Half Price Books - accepts games at all locations
| Local | Online | |
|---|---|---|
| PS5 game | $15-25 | $20-35 |
| Retro games | Limited specialist options | Standard prices |
Games: online usually pays more. Compare game prices →
Nobody Buying? Donate
- Goodwill - multiple Austin locations
- Salvation Army - across Austin
- Recycled Reads - Austin Public Library’s used bookstore
- BookSpring - accepts children’s book donations
- Little Free Libraries - throughout Austin neighborhoods
How Online Selling Works in Austin
- Enter your item - ISBN, EAN or select your model
- Compare prices - All buyers at a glance
- Pack your box - From home
- Drop it off - USPS, UPS, or FedEx on your errand run
Austin perk: No state income tax in Texas means your selling income stays in your pocket.
College Semester Ending?
UT Austin alone has 50,000+ students. Add Austin Community College, St. Edward’s, and Concordia, and that’s a lot of textbooks changing hands at semester’s end.
Compare Prices Now
Frequently asked questions
For books, Half Price Books has multiple Austin locations and buys almost everything. BookPeople is beloved but focuses on new books. For vinyl and CDs, Waterloo Records and End of an Ear are solid. For the best overall price on everyday items, online buyback typically pays more.
Usually online for books and CDs. Austin's local shops are great but selective. Half Price Books buys everything but pays low. Online buyers compete nationally and offer better prices for mainstream titles. For vinyl records, Austin's music scene means local shops can pay well for desirable pressings.
Half Price Books is the easiest option - they buy almost anything (books, CDs, vinyl, DVDs, games) and pay cash on the spot. But the prices are typically 10-20% of retail. For convenience, they can't be beat. For best price, compare online first.
Austin has USPS post offices, UPS Stores, and FedEx locations throughout the city. Many H-E-B locations and CVS stores accept UPS packages too. With Austin's sprawl, combining a drop-off with your regular errands makes sense.
Donate! Goodwill and Salvation Army have locations across Austin. Half Price Books accepts donations too. Austin has a strong Little Free Library network, especially in East Austin and Hyde Park. BookSpring accepts children's book donations.