FAQs
Have any questions? Please let us know.
General Questions
All of the above! We use these terms interchangeably. We mostly call them “totes,” when we’re talking about them aloud, but with a name like Totally Crate!, we decided to use “crates” on our website as often as possible. (We’ve even been known to call them “boxes” on occasion!) You may also notice that we decided to refer to our different sized crates with different terms: the smallest size is a “Book Bin,” the medium is a “Common Crate,” and the large is a “Titan Tote.” You may rent them either bundled in thoughtfully-curated packages or individually ‘A-La-Crate!’ All sizes come in multiple colors so that you can color-code your belongings as needed.
Because Crately Tote sounded ridiculous. Plus, we rent reusable totes and crates, and we are totally great! Chalk it up to our mom humor! We think we’re pretty punny.
There isn’t one! Our crates are low cost, convenient, hassle-free, eco-friendly, and sturdier than cardboard boxes – and they’re cheaper too!
You can order online from us 24/7. We strive to return all emails, calls and texts within 24 hours. Deliveries and pick-ups are as scheduled, typically between 10am-6pm Sunday-Friday. If you need a delivery outside of the times available, please contact us.
Yes! You may text our phone number if you prefer not to call – in fact, we prefer it, too! Our line is locally monitored by the Totally Crate! team, so you’ll always be communicating directly with us. Feel free to reply to our update texts anytime.
You will be charged 80% of the price upon checkout. Don’t worry, we won’t leave you guessing on the rest! After your order is received, we will email you an invoice for the remainder, which is due at least 24 hours in advance of your delivery time.
We are located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and serve the central New Mexico area. (No other states for now – sorry!) See Locations for specifics.
We do not (currently) have a storefront – all of our products are stored in a secure warehouse that is not open to the public, for safety reasons. We do have plans to take over the world, though (if Pinky doesn’t beat us to it, Narf!), so we’ll make big announcements when we expand.
Carefully! Use scarves, towels, extra plastic or cloth bags around your items so that they’re cushioned from bumps. You could also purchase extra packing materials like packing paper, dish separators, etc. through our ‘A-La-Crate’ options when you book with us!
We will happily take your clean, gently used household goods to one of our charitable organization partners if you selected a product that includes that service at the time of checkout. You’ll also have the option to add on (for free) a limited number of Community Cares Crates specifically designated for you to fill with donations that we will deliver to one of our community partners. If you have already placed an order and would like to add a Community Cares Crate, please contact us.
If you are part of a non-profit organization who could benefit from the use of our crates for charitable purposes, please contact us. We’d love to help!
We are not a moving company, but we can recommend some crate (erm, great) movers to help you. Movers love our crates because they stack nicely and are easy to move!
Renting
At least 2 weeks in advance is advised to ensure we have enough crates for your moving needs. If you are hoping to get them within 72 hours, contact us and we will do our best to accommodate your request. Please note a Rush Order Fee may apply.
Our packages are based on cubic footage of a household that has a moderate amount of items. If you are a maximalist and have lots of belongings, you may need to add an additional ‘A-La-Crate’ stack or two. Check out our Space Calculator located at the bottom left of every page on our website.
Most rentals start at 2 weeks and can be extended weekly for a charge. It’s best for your wallet if you return them within 2-8 weeks!
When you place your order, you have the ability to choose your delivery and pick-up dates. If you are not ready to return them at the end of your rental period, you can contact us to see if we have availability to extend your rental.
Moving? We’ve put together Home Packages just for you! Our recommend rental lengths are:
- 1 Bedroom: 2 weeks
- 2 Bedroom: 3 weeks
- 3 Bedroom: 3 weeks
- 4 bedroom: 4 weeks
Need crates for something else? We offer rentals starting at just one week, perfect for special occasions:
- Event Stacks (yes, all five options)
- Classroom Stack
- Incrateable Spring Cleaning Decluttering Stack
You pick the delivery date and time as well as the pick-up date and time, so schedule your rental for as long as you need. If you find you need extra time, don’t worry about it – contact us to reschedule your pick-up.
Absolutely! We do charge a $50 re-delivery fee but we can pick them up with your original order for free.
You will be charged 80% of the price upon checkout. Don’t worry, we won’t leave you guessing on the rest! After your order is received, we will email you an invoice for the remainder, which is due at least 24 hours in advance of your delivery time.
Is this totes great or what? Yes, it’s Totally Crate!
Deliveries/Pick-Up
Yes. We cannot deliver or pick-up without access to your home or business. We wouldn’t want them to roll away if left unattended! Please have an adult present. If we are unable to deliver or pick-up, we will have to reschedule and a $50 re-delivery fee will be assessed.
It is not expected, but we will not say no. Don’t expect extra service, though, because we already go the extra mile for you!
- Not normally! Your initial delivery and first pick-up have already been calculated into the package price when within our service area.
- Additional deliveries and pick-ups may incur a $50 fee. (Like, if you decide you need more crates, dollies, or bubble wrap or want to return part of your order early.)
- Those whose move includes pick-up and/or delivery outside of our service area will incur an additional fee based on round-trip mileage and time spent delivering. (For instance, a move from Santa Fe to Albuquerque would incur a $90 fee for delivery, but pick-up would be included.)
Yes, for an extra fee. We will charge $15 per flight of stairs, per delivery, when no elevator or ramp is available.
All ZIP codes within Albuquerque and select surrounding areas. For specific locations, see our Locations page.
Yes. Call us to reschedule! Our policy is that you will not get a refund if you return them early, but if it is a ridiculous amount of time early, talk to us. We’ll see what we can do!
If you’d like a portion of your order picked up early, we’re happy to accommodate based on scheduling availability. Please note additional drop-offs or pickups may incur a $50 service fee.
Products
Yes!! Visit our shop to order! They’ll be in the ‘A-La-Crate’ section.
- In general, light-weight items should go in the larger crates and heavier items should go in smaller crates. We recommend lifting the crates periodically as you pack to make sure you don’t overload them in weight or hurt yourself when they’re full.
- Storage Space Volume of each crate:
- Small (Book Bins) – 0.6 cubic feet
- Medium (Common Crates) – 1.7 cubic feet
- Large (Titan Totes) – 4 cubic feet
- Small (Book Bins) – 13.8″ x 8.9″ x 8.8″
- Medium (Common Crates) – 19.8″ x 13.6″ x 11.8″
- Large (Titan Totes) – 26″ x 19″ x 14″
- Smally Dolly – For Medium Crates – 20″ x 14″ x 6″ (Can also be used for 2 small crates side by side)
- Poly Dolly – For Large Crates – 26″ x 19″ x 11″
- Available For Purchase:
- Traditional bubble wrap and an eco-friendly bubble wrap alternative, honey-comb packing paper
- 100% recycled packing paper
- Cardboard wardrobe boxes
- Zip-Ties (single use or reusable)
- Laundry bags
- Quilted vinyl glass and plate storage kits
- Crates, when we have a surplus
- Dollies including crate dollies, handtrucks, furniture dollies, stair dollies, and convertible dollies
- Mattress carrying bags
- Moving blankets
- Moving straps
- Available For Rent:
- Laundry bags
- Corrugated plastic wardrobe boxes (coming soon!)
- Quilted vinyl glass and plate storage kits
- Mattress bags (reusable poly tarp with handles)
- Moving straps for lifting
- Handtrucks, furniture dollies, stair dollies, and convertible dollies
- Extra crate dollies made for crates
- Extra crates
- Moving blankets
Yes! While we like our puns, we know securing your belongings is no funny business. Each crate can be secured with zip-ties, hook & loop strips, or even string to ensure they do not accidently pop open before arriving at your new home. Zip-ties are the most tamper-evident solution, though if you don’t need this level of security, we encourage you to use something more reusable and sustainable.
Nothing alive, nothing dead, nothing illegal!
We sanitize them in between uses, but if we need to clean up gross messes or sticky residue from using your own labels, then you will be charged an incidental cleaning fee. See our incidental fees sections for specific pricing.
We clean all of our crates with an eco-friendly sanitizer after every use, and we use a stronger all-purpose cleanser (one that’s still eco-friendly) for messier messes!
Yes, as long as they’re not adhered to our products!
Don’t worry! We won’t leave you hanging. Remember, this company was started by moms who value organization, so all of our rental crates have sleeves for labels. We’ll also send laminated, reusable labels with every rental, plus a wet-erase marker for easy updates.
Please note: an additional fee may apply if we have to remove labels, sticky residue (eww!), or permanent marker (GRR >:-\) from our products.
- We offer numerous ways to give back to our community. Our Incrateable Donations & Subscriptions consist of 3 options:
- Community Cares Crates are specific crates designated to collect specified types of goods that we deliver to designated community partners. These can be added to rental packages at checkout.
- Incrateable Donations are an add-on or part of rental packages that include pick-up of a designated number of crates filled with clean, gently-used donation items we will take to a charitable organization of your choice or to one of our partners.
- Incrateable Donation Subscription is a monthly service similar to trash or recycling pick-up, but helps you declutter without pressure, and is better for our community! Upon subscribing, you will receive a crate (or more than one!) to fill with gently used goods. We’ll swing by once a month to exchange any full crates for empty ones. Then, we’ll take the goods to one of our community partners for charitable donation. We’re always looking to expand our community partnerships and are open to suggestions!
- If you would like to become a community partner, please contact us! We’d love to explore ways to help you.
Ok, I’m convinced. This is Totally Crate!
Incidental Policies and Fees
We don’t blame you, our crates are pretty and handy, but you will be charged for every crate you keep. See “incidental fees” below for specific fees. If you intend to buy one, though, we do sell them!
You will be charged for each destroyed crate. Keeping with our Reduce, Reuse, Recycle mantra, we suggest keeping the melted crate remains and displaying it as a cool trophy! See “incidental fees” for specific charges.
Check behind the dryer near the lost socks for the missing crate. But, if you don’t find it, you will be charged for each lost crate. See “incidental fees” for specific charges.
We’ve already accounted for the time it takes to sanitize every crate between every order, but if you leave the crates EXTRA messy you will be subject to a charge of $20 per hour for every EXTRA hour of cleaning required. And be warned, we are meticulous and detailed, so we take our time cleaning and sanitizing each crate.
- $25 – Small crates (Book Bins)
- $35 – Medium crates (Common Crates)
- $45- Large crates (Titan Totes)
- $125- Smally dollies
- $165- Poly dollies
- $70 – Wardrobe boxes
- Download full incidental fee list
*These prices are higher than products available for purchase ‘A-La-Crate.’ This is because our ‘A-La-Crate’ pricing reflects stock specifically designated for purchase.
$20 per hour for extra cleaning. We normally clean and sanitize each crate after each use, but if we have to go above and beyond to clean extra gross messes in our crates after your use, you will be subject to this fee.
Other Billing Questions
Yes! We try to be upfront and transparent about the total cost to you. You can budget for your move with confidence knowing you will be paying the exact list price.
The cost shown is the final cost to you! It already includes tax and delivery for those who live within our service area! The only extra fees you may see are for rushed orders, deliver or pick-up outside our area, delivery or pick-up involving stairs without an elevator or ramp available, a rescheduled or missed delivery resulting in a second delivery date and time, missing or damaged crates, or if the crates require extra cleaning above and beyond our normal cleaning procedures.
No, because we will not be handling your belongings at any time. But if you rent a moving truck, or hire professional movers, they can offer insurance for your goods during the move.
If you call and give us notice of your cancellation at least 48 hours before your reserved delivery date and time, we will be able to cancel your order and refund any deposits paid. If you cancel less than 48 hours prior to delivery, you may still be charged the $50 delivery fee to compensate for the time spent prepping your order.
We will refund a package deposit if a package delivery is cancelled with at least 48 hour notice. We will not refund any charges for crates received and returned early. See “What if I Need To Cancel My Order?” above.
Nope. We do our best to help guide you to the right size package. You can use our handy Space Calculator (at the bottom left of every page on our website) to help you choose the smallest package that suits your needs. You can order online or contact us if you need more!
Our policy is that you will not get a refund if you return items early… but don’t hesitate to contact us if you have special circumstances and we’ll see what we can do!
Check your emails and texts from us – we will have communicated with you.
- If your order has already been picked up, it may have been an incidental fee. Your order may have had a missing item, or maybe we encountered a damaged item or an extra dirty crate.
- If you missed a pick-up from us and have not yet rescheduled, then you have been charged for an extra week. Please be sure to schedule pick-up within this week to avoid another charge.
Contact us if you have questions!
You will be charged 80% of the price upon checkout. Don’t worry, we won’t leave you guessing on the rest! After your order is received, we will email you an invoice for the remainder, which is due at least 24 hours in advance of your delivery time.
All my questions have been answered!