Title Wave Books

Frequently-Asked Questions

Does my Title Wave trade credit ever expire?
Title Wave Trade Credit expires after two years of inactivity.  That means nothing coming in, or being spent from your account, in a 24-month period.  Want to keep your account active? Simply buy or trade something at least every two years.

Can I browse your inventory online?

Nope. If you are looking for a specific title, feel free to give us a call, or better yet, stop by the store and take a look!


Can I check my trade credit account balance online?

No. You may check your credit balance in person at any of Title Wave's service counters, or you can call us and speak with someone at the Book Intake Counter.  Call our main number at 907-278-9283 ext 104. 

    
How many different subject headings do you have?

It can be fun to lose yourself in a bookstore, but when you're looking for something in particular, we want to make it easy to find your way around. At Title Wave you will find over 1,600 individual subject headings, with each shelf clearly labeled so you can quickly spot the section you need.


Do you ship books?

Customers are welcome to call us for specific titles, and we're happy to ship books anywhere in the world. If you're visiting Anchorage and would like to make your selections at Title Wave in person, we're glad to ship them home for you; just ask a bookseller for details! Please note that we are NOT able to ship anything to correctional facilities.


What is your price structure for used books and other items?

Nearly all of our used books and other items are priced at LEAST 50% off the publisher's price for the same item, and most of our prices are discounted 60% to 90% off the new price.


What's your return policy?

Unless a book or media product has damage that was not noted by us when the item was priced, all our merchandise is sold on a non-returnable basis. Any item can be offered to our used book intake counter for sale or trade (subject to our condition rules and current inventory needs) whether it was originally purchased at Title Wave or elsewhere.


I represent a nonprofit organization. How do you handle donation requests?

Title Wave is committed to promoting literacy and reading in our community, and we want to
donate our books and gift certificates to groups with the same goals. All the information you
need can be found on our Donations page when you click the blue button.

Do you offer an student / teacher / military discount?

At Title Wave Books, our everyday prices are so low that EVERYBODY gets a chance to buy great used books, music and movies at discounts far below prices offered by new bookstore, even AFTER subtracting an educational discount. As a result, our low prices are the same for everybody.


Do you sell gift certificates?

Title Wave offers gift certificates in any amount you'd like! They make the perfect gift for birthdays, holidays, graduations, and special occasions for readers and book-lovers of all kinds. Gift certificates are available in the store, or call us - we're happy to mail gift certificates directly to the lucky recipient.


I'm an author. Can I do a reading or signing at Title Wave?

Title Wave has returned to our roots as a used bookstore, and we stock very few titles that are brand-new. For front of store signings and events, please email us at info@wavebooks.co.


Do you carry new books?

Very, very, very few. These are mostly Alaska-related titles that we never want to be without, but which do not come in often enough as used books to stock our shelves. Although we often have used copies of recent bestsellers and new releases (and at a 50% discount!) we carry a carefully curated selection of new books in general subject categories.


I heard you offer hardback bestsellers at just $4.99. Could that be true?

Title Wave Books pioneered the "What a Deal!" bargain bestseller concept and our customers love it! These are popular titles (hardcover and paperback alike) that we see in such large quantities that we can buy 'em cheap and sell 'em cheap. We offer hundreds of bargain bestsellers at just $3.99 and we put out stacks of new titles every week!     


What are "Dollar Discs"?

Dollar Discs are a lot like our "What a Deal!" bargain bestsellers. They are CDs and DVDs that we're overstocked on, or which may not meet our strict condition standards for our regular inventory. We sell hundreds of full-length albums on CD for an amazing 99¢ each - that's like getting the entire album for the price of just one song as a music download! DVD Dollar Discs start at just $1.99 and unlike those annoying rentals, you can keep these movies forever!


Are you hiring?

Although our staff turnover is incredibly low, we do have openings from time to time.
When we are hiring, the first place we look is our applications file, so if you're interested
in a career at Title Wave the best way to get started is to submit a completed employment
application in person. All the information you need is right here on our Employment page.

Can I leave a request for a specific item I'm looking for?

Sorry, no. We have so many wonderful books coming in every day that it's impossible for us to catch particular titles. Be sure to check our "New Arrivals" section at the front of the store, where most (but not all) of our newly-received books stop before moving to their home section.


I'm moving, or I changed my mind. Can I turn my trade credit back into cash?

We'll happily give you the option of accepting either trade credit or cash on the day you bring your items to our Book Intake Counter. However, once you've selected trade credit and it's been placed on your account, you can no longer "exchange" it for cash. If you have credit on account that you won't be able to spend for whatever reason, you can transfer all or part of that credit to a gift certificate for a friend or family member, or you can donate credit to one of the schools or nonprofit organizations that maintain accounts at Title Wave for their use in purchasing books.


Is Title Wave Books a national chain?

Nope! Our first and only location is right here in Anchorage, although there are other, unrelated stores in several cities around the country which share some variation of our name. Title Wave Books opened in January of 1991 in a small space in a crowded strip mall across from the Sears Mall. We expanded twice, and in 1996 we moved to the former McKay Hardware building on Fireweed Lane. We quickly outgrew that space, which had seemed so enormous just a few years before. In 2002 Title Wave moved to our present Northern Lights Center location with more than 17,000 square feet of used books, movies and CDs, plus the fabulous Yak & Yeti Himalayan Cafe right next door!


How come you don't take more of my books when I bring them in?

We'd like nothing better than to accept every single item from every single customer, but the fact is there are just too many great books in the world! Even with our enormous store and incredible turnover, some titles are offered to us faster than we can sell them, and we become overstocked. Sometimes, the copies folks bring in just aren't up to the condition standards we set for the benefit of the customers who will ultimately select the books from our shelves, and we have to say "Sorry, but no thanks."

Whenever we can, our buyers will accept even marginal items at a lower "courtesy price" just to keep you from having to haul unwanted items back home. We also donate tens of thousands of books every year to the Friends of the Library and other nonprofit book-related organizations, helping make sure that almost everything gets to somebody who can use it, even if we can't.

What do you do with the books you can't use?

We don't have the space to hold unwanted items.  Anything that is left at the end of the night will be discarded.  We try to donate as much as we can, but due to space limitations, we do have to throw some things away.  To ensure this is done as little as possible, we ask that you take back any unused items.