Used bookstore. Albuquerque. Run by one person.
Looking for a book?
Text me.
Text the title and author to 702-496-4214. I'll check what's on hand. I might have it.
If I don't, I'll write it down. Hundreds of new books come through every week from estate cleanouts. If yours shows up, you'll hear from me.
I'm one person. I might be at an estate, on the road, or sorting in the warehouse. Texts get answered when I'm able — sometimes in an hour, sometimes the.
Free to ask. No spam. I read every text.
Last verified May 2026 · Original research by Josh Eldred
The honest version
I run a used-book operation out of a warehouse on Edith. The bulk of what I sell comes from Albuquerque estate cleanouts — somebody's grandmother passes, the family doesn't know what to do with 800 books, they call me, the books come here. Then they get sorted, listed, sold, and the cycle starts over.
Hundreds of books come in every week. I sell what I can, donate what I can't sell, recycle the rest. That means I genuinely never know exactly what's in stock right now. I have around 5,000 listings active on Amazon plus shelves of unsorted incoming estates. The catalog moves daily.
So when you text me a title, I do three things:
- Check the active inventory. If it's listed, I'll quote you the price and condition.
- Walk the warehouse if I think it might be in unsorted intake.
- If I don't have it, I write it on a want list. When something matching shows up in an estate, I text you.
That's the whole service. I'm not a book finder, an antiquarian, or a sourcing agent. I'm one person with a warehouse full of books and a phone, and I'm willing to look.
What I usually have
Estates skew toward what people read and kept on shelves for decades. Here's roughly what comes through.
Likely on hand right now
- • Used fiction — literary, mystery, sci-fi, romance, classics
- • Older non-fiction, memoir, biography
- • Cookbook collections (whole shelves at a time)
- • Religious and spiritual books
- • Children's books, picture books, YA
- • Southwest authors, regional history, NM-related
- • Older textbooks (5-15 years out from current edition)
- • Reference: dictionaries, atlases, field guides
- • Hardcover sets and series (Hardy Boys, Britannica, etc.)
Less likely — text anyway
- • Brand-new bestsellers — those don't usually come through estates yet
- • Current academic textbooks (rare)
- • Comic books and graphic novels — some, not steady
- • Ultra-rare first editions — happens, not predictably
- • Foreign-language books — Spanish yes, others sometimes
- • Self-help books from the past 5 years
- • Coffee-table art and photography books
- • Vintage paperbacks, pulp fiction
When in doubt, text. The worst that happens is "no, sorry."
How a text-the-bookseller search actually goes
You text
Title and author to 702-496-4214. A photo of the cover works fine. Add edition or year if it matters.
I check when I can
Active listings, warehouse shelves, whatever just came in. I'm often out at cleanouts — turnaround can be a couple hours or a couple days. I always get back to you.
I text back
If I have it: price, condition, photo. If I don't: I tell you and ask if you want it on the want list.
You decide
Pickup, drop-off, or shipping. Pay when you have the book in hand. No deposits, no holds beyond a couple days.
About the want list
If I don't have your book and you say "watch for it," your title goes on a list I keep. It's not fancy — it's a notebook with the title, your phone, and what you'll pay if it's a book I'd otherwise list higher. When books come into the warehouse, I check the list before I list anything for sale.
Things I want you to know about the want list:
- It's a real list. I check it.
- I make zero promises about timing. Could be a week. Could be never.
- You can text "still looking?" anytime. I'll honestly tell you if I think it's likely or not.
- Common titles (used fiction, cookbooks, kids' books) usually surface within a month or two. Anything specific or older — I'll be honest about the odds.
- If you find it somewhere else first, just text me and I'll cross it off.
What this isn't
Setting expectations honestly is the whole point of this page. So:
- ✗Not Powell's, AbeBooks, or Biblio. Those are the right call for true antiquarian work, signed first editions, anything where condition is critical and price-to-the-dollar matters. I sell honest used books at fair prices. I'm not a specialist.
- ✗Not a book finder service. I don't have a network of sellers. I have a warehouse with what comes through Albuquerque estates. If your title doesn't come through, it doesn't come through.
- ✗Not certified appraisal. If you're trying to value a book for insurance or sale, I'll tell you what I'd pay for it, but you should talk to a real appraiser for anything serious.
- ✗Not a bookstore with regular hours. The warehouse is a sorting and shipping operation, not a retail floor. I can meet for pickup; I don't have shelves you can browse.
- ✗Not free. The search is free. The books cost money. Prices vary. I'll always quote before you commit.
Common questions
How fast will I hear back?
It depends. I'm one person. Some days I'm at an estate cleanout for eight hours, other days I'm in the warehouse near my phone. Sometimes I answer in an hour, sometimes the or two. If a couple days pass with no reply, send a follow-up — I might have missed it. I always answer eventually.
Can I send a photo of the cover instead of typing the title?
Yes — actually preferred for older books where the title's faded or you remember a cover but not the exact name. I can usually figure it out from the photo plus a few words about the genre or era.
Are your prices fair?
Usually fair-to-Amazon, often a little under for common used titles. I'd rather underprice and move books than overprice and watch them sit. For rare or signed books I check real recent sales (not asking prices) and quote honestly. No upselling, no haggling games.
Do you ship?
Yes — anywhere in the US. Media mail is cheap; I'll quote shipping with the price. Local pickup or meet-up in Albuquerque is easiest if it works for you.
What if I want a bunch of copies for a book club or class?
Text me how many you need and how soon. For book clubs of 5-12 people I can often pull together matching used copies if you give me a week or two of lead time. Same for English department reading lists — give me the title and the headcount.
What's your return policy?
If the book isn't what I described — wrong condition, missing pages, bigger flaws than I noted — bring it back and I'll refund. If you just changed your mind, I'll usually take it back as a credit for the next book; just talk to me.
Is texting really better than calling?
For book searches, yes. I can answer text faster than I can answer the phone (especially mid-cleanout), and you have the title in writing so neither of us misremembers. Calls are great for estate cleanout walkthroughs. Texts are better for "do you have a copy of The Milagro Beanfield War?"
One text. I might have it.
No promises. No spam. Just a person checking shelves and writing things down.
Text 702-496-42145445 Edith Blvd NE, Unit A, Albuquerque, NM 87107. I'm a for-profit business — no grants, no tax burden, no bureaucracy. Just books finding new readers. Donations are not tax-deductible.