Old editions welcome for review
Clear the shelf without carrying the boxes across town.
Tell us the subjects, approximate age, condition, and number of textbooks. We will review the request and arrange pickup when the collection is a fit.
Textbook pickup at your door
Where to Take Old Textbooks
Students, families, and teachers can request free pickup for old textbooks instead of leaving heavy stacks in storage or throwing them away.
Request a Free PickupOld textbooks are difficult to place
Textbooks can become unwanted after a semester ends, a student changes courses, a teacher updates classroom materials, or a family finishes homeschooling. New editions arrive frequently, and ordinary donation locations may not have space or demand for specialized academic books. At the same time, a stack of textbooks is heavy enough to make drop-off inconvenient.
CNY Book Rescue accepts pickup requests from students, families, teachers, and other authorized sources. We consider textbooks alongside fiction, nonfiction, reference books, and other book categories. Acceptance depends on subject, age, condition, and the collection as a whole, so include useful details in the request form rather than discarding the books automatically.
Standard pickups within our normal Central New York service area are free. Coverage extends from Herkimer County to Cayuga County and includes Syracuse, Utica, Rome, Auburn, Oneida, Herkimer, Liverpool, and many surrounding towns.
What happens to collected textbooks?
Each collection is sorted after pickup. A textbook that is older may still be useful to an independent learner, a family, a collector, or someone who needs background material rather than the newest assigned edition. Depending on condition, demand, and suitability, collected textbooks may be resold, donated or passed along, or responsibly recycled when continued use is not practical.
No particular outcome can be guaranteed for an individual textbook. Workbooks filled with answers, books with missing pages, water damage, mold, or severe deterioration may have limited reuse potential. Honest information about condition helps us evaluate the pickup request.
Box the textbooks when practical and note where they will be collected, such as a porch, garage, office, or classroom-accessible location. CNY Book Rescue accepts donated materials only and does not buy textbooks or provide appraisals. The goal is to make clearing unwanted textbooks easier while giving usable books a chance to remain in circulation.
Questions
Old textbook pickup FAQ
Where can I take old textbooks in Central New York?
Instead of transporting them, submit a pickup request to CNY Book Rescue with your location and a description of the textbooks.
Do you accept outdated textbook editions?
Older editions can be considered. Acceptance depends on subject, age, condition, demand, and the overall collection.
Can teachers request classroom textbook pickup?
Yes, provided the requester owns the books or has authority from the school, organization, or property owner to transfer them.
Do you buy used textbooks?
No. We pick up donated books and do not purchase textbooks, make offers, or provide monetary compensation.