Estate libraries and large collections
A whole room of books is not a problem for us. It is the job we are built for, and it is still free.
Large collections get their own day
Ordinary pickups ride on our Monday and Friday routes. A big job should not have to. We keep Wednesdays clear for large collections, so an estate or a whole library gets a dedicated trip with the right vehicle and enough hands, rather than being fitted around ten other stops.
Tell us the scale on the form and we will call you to arrange a Wednesday time. Large jobs get a booked slot, not a wide window.
The situations we see most
Settling a parent's house
Often thousands of books built up over decades, and usually on a deadline set by a realtor or a closing date. We are used to working alongside estate sale companies and clearing what is left after the sale.
Downsizing
Moving from a house to a condo or a retirement community. The books are usually the last thing anyone deals with because they are the heaviest. We can take them the week before the move.
A lifetime collection
A teacher, a pastor, a professor, a lifelong reader. These collections are often better than the family assumes, and they deserve someone who will actually look through them rather than skip-bin the lot.
What makes a large job different
- You provide the boxes. We do not carry spares, so please have everything packed before the day. It is the one thing we need from you.
- We bring enough people. A full library is not a one person job and we do not expect you to help.
- We work to your deadline. Put the date on the form. Closings and move-outs get priority routing.
- We take the whole thing. Including the boring shelves nobody wants, so you are not left with a partial pile and a second problem.
- Photos help enormously. Three or four phone pictures of the shelves let us size the vehicle and the crew correctly. Email them to pickups@tampabaybookpickup.com.
If you are the executor or the realtor
Call 813-586-0766 rather than using the form. We can usually give you a same-week window, and we can coordinate directly with whoever holds the keys. We have worked around estate sales, open houses and closing dates before, and we understand that the books are rarely the most urgent thing on your list.
One note for executors: if the estate needs a charitable deduction for tax purposes, speak to its accountant first, because we cannot provide that paperwork. Here is what happens to the books.
Only a few shelves rather than a whole house? Our book removal service page covers smaller jobs.
Questions about large pickups
When can you come for a large collection?
We keep Wednesdays clear for large pickups. Ordinary collections ride along on our Monday and Friday area routes, but an estate or a whole library needs a dedicated trip with the right vehicle and enough hands. Tell us the scale on the form and we will call you to arrange a Wednesday time rather than giving you a wide window, because a job that size needs someone on site to let us in.
Is there a maximum number of books you will take?
Not in practice. Several thousand books is a normal job for us. Tell us the rough scale on the form and we will bring the right vehicle and enough hands.
Do you bring boxes for large collections?
No, and this is the one thing we ask of you. Please have the books boxed before we arrive. We do not carry spare boxes, and a few thousand loose books is not something we can load safely or quickly. Grocery stores give away banana boxes for free and they are close to perfect: strong, the right size, and with handles. Liquor stores are the other good source. For an estate, start collecting them a couple of weeks ahead.
Can you work to a closing date or a move-out deadline?
Yes, and please tell us the date on the form. Estate and real estate deadlines get priority, and because large pickups run on their own Wednesday slot rather than an area route we have more room to work to your date.
Do you handle the shelving too?
We take the books, the discs and the games. Furniture and shelving are outside what we do, so you will want a junk removal service or an estate sale company for those. We can usually suggest one.