Storage units full of books are surprisingly common around Albuquerque. Someone stored a library “temporarily” ten years ago and never came back. Someone inherited a unit and doesn't know what's inside. The monthly bill adds up and the decision gets pushed. Here's how to end it efficiently.
First, Calculate the Math
A 10x10 storage unit in Albuquerque typically costs $100–$175/month. Over a year, that's $1,200–$2,100. Over five years, $6,000–$10,500.
Unless you have a genuinely exceptional collection (significant first editions, rare Southwestern material, scarce antiquarian), storage is costing you more than the books are worth. The math is rarely close.
Step 1: Do a Walkthrough Before You Commit
Before hauling anything, go to the unit and do a visual audit:
- How many boxes? (Count them — ten? fifty? two hundred?)
- What general categories? (Fiction? Reference? Mixed estate?)
- Any water damage or mold? (Smell matters. If you smell mustiness, that's a serious flag.)
- Are the boxes intact, or have they collapsed?
- Approximate age of the material — are these paperbacks from 1995 or leather-bound books from 1895?
Take photos. Lots of photos. Text us the photos — we can usually tell you within an hour whether it's worth our trip.
Step 2: Check for Mold and Water Damage
If the unit has had water intrusion, mold may be present. This matters because:
- Mold-damaged books are often unsalvageable and sometimes unsafe.
- A few moldy books can contaminate an entire unit's worth of other books.
- Mold can cause respiratory issues — handle carefully, masked.
If you smell mustiness, assume mold until proven otherwise. Isolate clean material from suspect material.
Step 3: Identify Likely Valuables
Look for:
- Hardcovers with dust jackets.
- Leather-bound books (including Easton Press, Franklin Library).
- Signed or inscribed copies.
- Southwest, Native American, New Mexico history, pueblo art.
- Art and photography books, exhibition catalogs.
- Cookbooks from before 2000.
- Children's books in good condition.
- Anything that looks old (pre-1950).
Step 4: Call Us Before You Donate or Throw Out Anything
We cannot overstate this. Thrift stores routinely receive donations worth thousands of dollars from people who didn't know what they had. We've bought books at Savers for $2 that were worth $500. Don't donate a storage unit blindly.
Call or text 702-496-4214. Send photos. If there's significant material, we'll come to the unit and evaluate in place — no need to move anything.
Step 5: Efficient Disposal
After evaluation:
- Valuable material — we buy for cash on the spot.
- Mid-value material — we'll often buy it as part of a lot deal.
- Low-value material — we can haul and donate on your behalf to the New Mexico Literacy Project (you get a donation receipt, the unit gets emptied).
- Unsalvageable material — we can coordinate disposal or recycling.
Our Most Common Storage-Unit Story
Someone inherits a unit they didn't know about. The family figures it's probably junk. They call us as a last resort before calling a hauling service. We open the first box. Signed first-edition Edward Abbey. Next box: Ansel Adams portfolio. Next box: Mid-century cookbook collection with 1961 Julia Child first edition. The final check exceeded the family's expectation by 20x. They stopped paying the storage bill that afternoon.
We are not saying this will happen to you. We're saying: look before you throw anything out.