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Donate Books by Mail

From anywhere in the United States: box them, ship them, done. One human in Albuquerque opens every box — and actually wants what’s inside.

Ship to

New Mexico Literacy Project
14204 Marquette Dr NE
Albuquerque, NM 87123

Any carrier · no appointment, no email first, no forms · US shipments only

How to ship books cheaply: USPS Media Mail

  1. Any sturdy box. Pack books flat, fill gaps with crumpled paper so nothing shifts.
  2. Say the magic words: “Media Mail.” At any post office counter, or choose it when you buy a label at usps.com. It’s the special book rate — the cheapest way to move printed matter in America. A small box of paperbacks usually costs about as much as a fancy coffee; a full banker’s box, less than a large pizza. It’s slower than regular mail; books don’t mind.
  3. Use full postage. I can’t accept postage-due boxes — they bounce back to you.
  4. Optional: drop a note inside with your cell number and I’ll text you a thumbs-up on arrival — plus the story of the books, if you want it to travel with them into the archive.

Media Mail fine print, honestly stated: it covers books, vinyl records, CDs, DVDs, cassettes, VHS, film reels, and sheet music. Magazines and newspapers technically don’t qualify because they carry ads — ship those USPS Ground Advantage, or recycle them locally and mail me the good stuff. Cameras and other electronics ship Ground Advantage too (any carrier is fine for everything, if you don’t feel like optimizing).

What you can mail: essentially everything

The same one-stop rule as my Albuquerque drop box: books of every kind (textbooks, encyclopedias, paperbacks by the box), plus DVDs, Blu-rays, CDs, vinyl in every speed, cassettes, 8-tracks, reel-to-reel, LaserDiscs, VHS and Betamax, home-movie reels, slides, big-box PC software — and cameras of every era, film or digital, working or not. If it plays, spins, prints, or shoots, it’s welcome. Any condition, any quantity, unsorted is fine. US shipments only, please — international customs paperwork defeats the whole point.

The straight answers

New Mexico Literacy Project is a locally owned for-profit operation — one person, me, Josh. Mailed donations are not tax-deductible, I never buy books, and shipping is donor-paid. In exchange you get the thing the big chains can’t offer: a guarantee that a knowledgeable human looks at every single volume before deciding what happens to it. If you’re in the Albuquerque metro, don’t pay postage — use the free 24/7 drop box or free pickup instead.

Mail-in questions, answered

Can I really mail you books from anywhere in the US?
Yes. Any state, any carrier — USPS, UPS, FedEx. Ship to New Mexico Literacy Project, 14204 Marquette Dr NE, Albuquerque, NM 87123. No appointment or heads-up needed; boxes are opened the week they arrive, by me personally.
How much does it cost to mail a box of books?
You pay the postage, and USPS Media Mail makes it the cheapest freight in America: a small box of paperbacks usually ships for about the price of a coffee and a pastry, and even a full banker’s box typically costs less than a large pizza. Ask for “Media Mail” at any post office counter or select it when you print a label online.
What condition do the books have to be in?
Any condition — truly. Highlighted textbooks, ex-library copies, missing dust jackets, water-stained paperbacks, entire mixed boxes nobody has sorted. I check every volume; what can’t be resold or rehomed is responsibly recycled. Nothing I receive goes to a landfill.
Can I mail CDs, DVDs, vinyl records, or cassettes?
Yes — and USPS Media Mail legally covers them: books, vinyl records, CDs, DVDs, cassettes, VHS, film reels, and sheet music all qualify. Magazines and newspapers technically do not (they carry advertising), so ship those by USPS Ground Advantage — or recycle them locally and mail the good stuff. Cameras and other electronics are welcome too; they just ride Ground Advantage instead of Media Mail.
Is mailing you books tax-deductible?
No, and I say it plainly: New Mexico Literacy Project is a locally owned for-profit operation, not a 501(c)(3), so there is no deduction. What you get instead is certainty — a real person opens your box, evaluates every title, and gives each one its best next life instead of a same-week pulping.
Will you let me know my box arrived?
If you want that, yes: drop a note in the box with your cell number and I’ll text you a thumbs-up when I open it. If your note tells me where the books came from — a parent’s library, a classroom, fifty years of westerns — that story travels with the books.
Do you buy books or reimburse shipping?
No. I never buy books and shipping is donor-paid — that’s what keeps the whole operation free on every other end. If you’re looking to sell rather than donate, my site’s selling guides point you to the right venues honestly.
Why would anyone pay postage to give books away?
Because the alternatives feel wrong. Curbside recycling turns a library into mush; big donation chains pulp whatever doesn’t sell in a few days; and hauling boxes around town costs more in time than Media Mail costs in postage. People who mail me books have usually decided the books deserve one careful human look before anything else happens — that look is exactly what I do all day.

The box is the whole job.

New Mexico Literacy Project · 14204 Marquette Dr NE · Albuquerque, NM 87123

Questions first? Text 505-250-3804 or email [email protected] — en español también.