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Don’t Move Your Books

Movers charge by the pound. Books are the heaviest thing you own. There is a better exit.

Every moving checklist ever written says the same thing in polite language: cull the books. Here’s the impolite version of why. A standard small moving box packed with books weighs about as much as a full suitcase, and a full-service interstate mover prices every pound of it — often more per pound, one state over, than USPS Media Mail charges to ship the same box clear across the country. You are paying professional-athlete rates to relocate paper you may never reopen.

The usual alternatives all have a catch: the donation chains pulp what doesn’t sell in days, the library sale wants them pre-sorted and clean, and the recycling bin feels like a small betrayal. Here is the no-catch version, from one person in Albuquerque who wants them — any condition, any quantity, unsorted.

Moving out of (or within) Albuquerque

Easiest case — the books never touch the truck. Free metro pickup: schedule it for the week before moving day and I haul everything from the garage or the curbside pile. Or use the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE on any late-night packing run. Books, media, the works — if it plays, spins, prints, or shoots.

Moving anywhere else in the US

Mail them instead of moving them. USPS Media Mail is the special book rate — slower, dramatically cheaper, and made for exactly this. Box the books you’re not keeping, take them to any post office (or print a label online), and send them to:

Moving-week mail-in — ship to

NMLP (moving-week mail-in)
14204 Marquette Dr NE
Albuquerque, NM 87123

Any US state, any carrier · full postage please · no appointment, no forms

The full how-to lives on the donate-books-by-mail page — what Media Mail covers, what ships Ground Advantage, and the optional note-in-the-box that gets you an arrival text.

The honest fine print

NMLP is a locally owned for-profit — one person, me, Josh — so donations aren’t tax-deductible and I never buy books. What I promise instead: every box opened by hand, every title checked (including against my first-edition reference), everything resold, rehomed, or recycled. Nothing landfilled. Your books get a second reader instead of a second mortgage on the moving bill.

Moving-and-books questions

Is it really cheaper to mail books than to move them?
For full-service interstate moves, usually yes — movers price by weight, books are the densest common household item, and USPS Media Mail is the cheapest freight in America (a full banker’s box typically ships for less than a large pizza). For a DIY truck the math is closer, but the labor isn’t: every box you don’t load, carry, and unload twice is a box you never think about again.
What should I do with my books before a move out of Albuquerque?
Don’t pay to relocate books you won’t reread. NMLP runs free pickup across the Albuquerque metro — schedule it for the week before the truck — and the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE never closes during the packing frenzy. Any condition, any quantity, no sorting.
I'm moving somewhere else in the country. Can I still send you my books?
Yes — that’s the point of this page. Mail them from any US state to New Mexico Literacy Project, 14204 Marquette Dr NE, Albuquerque, NM 87123. You pay the postage (ask for Media Mail at any post office); I open every box by hand, check every title, and nothing is landfilled.
What if some of my books are valuable?
Check before you pack: the free First-Edition Checker reads a title or a photo of the copyright page and tells you which printing you have — identification only, no prices. Keep what matters to you; send the rest.
Can I mail DVDs, CDs, and vinyl along with the books?
Yes — USPS Media Mail legally covers books, vinyl records, CDs, DVDs, cassettes, VHS, film reels, and sheet music. Magazines and newspapers technically don’t qualify (they carry ads); recycle those locally. Cameras and electronics ship Ground Advantage.
Is this tax-deductible?
No — New Mexico Literacy Project is a locally owned for-profit operation, so donations aren’t tax-deductible. What you get is a lighter truck, a cheaper move, and the certainty that a knowledgeable human dealt with every volume.