Best Things To Buy At A Pawn Shop, And Things To Not Buy

Discussion in Stores Reviews, Comments & Complaints started by hades_leae • Jul 9, 2016.

  1. hades_leae

    hades_leaeActive Member

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    I'm sure many of you who are reading this now has been to a pawn shop in the past. I have been to many, and have found shopping there for products should be limited to certain things.

    These days, I only go for used tools: reason for that is because tools are basic. I don't need to pay a lot of money for a brand new hammer, it's just a hammer. I would consider jewelry, but I'd rather purchase that brand new.

    I don't go for things like movies because they'll offer you deals like get 5 for $10 dollars, and the dvds some times are really scratched and one of those movies you bought might not even work..

    Does anyone else agree or disagree?

    What would you buy and not buy at a pawn shop?
     
  2. MissLibby

    MissLibbyMember

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    I've only been to a pawn shop a few times and I don't think I ever bought anything. I don't know about any others, but I wasn't real impressed with the pawn shop that's in my area. The items seemed kind of overpriced to me and I didn't see anything of interest anyway.

    I agree with hades_leae. I would never buy games or movies at a pawn shop because they might not work right. Pawn shops probably would be a good place to buy tools (maybe not power tools, because they might not work either) and hopefully they would be priced affordably.
     
  3. ProNine

    ProNineMember

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    To be honest though, tools, jewelry, and DVDs are really the best stuff one can buy at a pawn shop. New jewelry in itself isn't really new. It just get molded from one shape to another using older jewelry. Also, as you said, tools are tools no matter what, so why not save some money. As for DVDs, while it's true that some might be ruined, you can still check the quality of the disks and if you're that worried, even bring a portable DVD player with you. I'm pretty sure it's not that big of a deal. I wouldn't buy vacuum cleaners though. You'd never know what they tried to get up through that thing. Also, I might shy away from some electronics like computers and TVs. You'd never know what's wrong with them until it's too late.
     
  4. My3Sons_NJ

    My3Sons_NJMember

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    If you do your research and have a good eye, the best things that you can buy at a pawn shop are items that have either intrinsic historical or collector value. Obviously, with pawn shop owners like what is shown on 'Pawn Stars', the owner/operator of the pawn shop will have a very good idea of an items value but for the 'mom and pop' shops, you may be able to get a rare firearm, book or other memorabilia at a discounted price.
     
  5. explorerx7

    explorerx7Active Member

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    Pawn shops may probably be a good source for collectible items. However, you should take care to determine the authenticity of the goods because you may find that you could be saddled with a reproduction. I wouldn't buy appliances from a pawn shop because there is no surety that these items would have been thoroughly checked for useful value.
     
    #5Jul 10, 2016
    Last edited: Jul 10, 2016
  6. filmjunkie08

    filmjunkie08Active Member

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    Stay away from the lawn mowers. I bought one after they started it up and let it run for a moment. However, when I used it on the lawn where it had to run for 15 minutes or longer it began cutting out. The pawn shop refused to take it back and I have had problems with the mower ever since. Ugh.
     
  7. sidney

    sidneyWell-Known Member

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    I think watches and jewelry are the things that you can safely buy at the pawnshop, since they are not prone to malfunction as compared to the other items. Stay away from electronics though, because you'll never know if they have any hidden defects or if they will conk out shortly after you've purchased them.
     
  8. Zyni

    ZyniWell-Known Member

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    I haven't done much buying, selling, or trading with pawn shops, but I think it's hit or miss with things like this. Our daughter recently moved out and needed a lawn mower. We traded some old speakers that we weren't using for one. The owner told us what was wrong with it. He was going to fix it but charge more. My husband knew he could fix it, and it was only a few bucks for the parts. It works great now. It was a great deal for us.

    I have to agree with this. It could be gross, or it could just be problematic for someone with allergies (like if the previous owner had cats).
     
  9. Gena

    GenaMember

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    Can someone explain how pawn shops work to me? I always hear about them and know you can get 2nd hand stuff there, but how does it work? How do they sell the items so cheap?
     
  10. alvinsalls

    alvinsallsNew Member

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    Any electronic thing is risky to buy. Some cool collectible items are always an option. Watches are great because watches either work or they don't so there's no miss with them.
     
  11. Lisa Davis

    Lisa DavisActive Member

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    Jewelry is always a good bet at a pawn shop. It's so much cheaper than retail and you can usually negotiate with them on price. Tools are also a good buy but it's best to make sure they work before you leave the store. There are some things that I wouldn't dare buy. DVDs, CDs, and games are a no-no unless they are willing to test them before you leave the store and the price is decent. I also would never buy musical instruments. They usually always seem to be in really poor shape and banged up by the time that they make it to the pawn shop.
     
  12. rz3300

    rz3300Active Member

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    Well I am trying to think back to all of my pawn shop experiences, and while there are not that many overall, I do have some pretty good items to show for them. I have had luck with jewelry, like @Lisa Davis@Lisa Davis mentioned, and they usually have good deals there. I also was able to get a bike for pretty cheap, and the thing is still in my garage and still running. I guess it probably depends on the store itself, but there might be some universal safe bets.
     
  13. Diane Lane

    Diane LaneWell-Known Member

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    I would and have purchased jewelry at pawn shops. I agree, you can usually get some good deals, and the ones near me are always having sales on the jewelry. In addition, they have layaway programs, if you're interested in that sort of thing.

    I would stay away from electronics, mainly because I know how the pawn shops work to price them. The ones here go on eBay and look for what the items are selling for, but they seem to aim on the high end of the spectrum, so the prices I see marked on them usually aren't any lower than what I could buy them for on eBay, where I could see a lot more details about the make and model, as well as sometimes learn more about the individual product, and compare that with usually many others I might choose to purchase instead.

    As far as DVDs/Blu Rays/Boxed Sets, I've had good luck with them. The shops here won't buy them if they're too scratched up, and they will accept returns/exchanges, at least they have in the past, although perhaps that was because I was a known customer at that time.
     
  14. rickymuus

    rickymuusNew Member

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    I like to buy furniture from pawn shops and then flip them for my own use or earn an extra buck. I avoid electronic items as they are highly likely to be faulty. Pawn shops can save you a lot of money!
     
  15. hades_leae

    hades_leaeActive Member

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    You take something in there and they will make you an offer to buy it. Example:

    Ipod touch 64GB might cost $300 dollars in the retail store.

    You take one to a pawn shop and they look at the condition to see how good it looks, if it looks really good, they might offer you $200 for it and sell it at $250 dollars, which is a good deal for an Ipod that is used but still looks brand new. They make their profits.

    If it has scratches on it, they might offer you $100 dollars, and then try and sell it for $175, but if someone comes in and offers to buy it for $150 dollars, they might take it if they know they are still getting profit.

    It's all about deals and profits. They might have too much of something in stock, so they will mark down prices, but still be in profit. You just have to look those deals.

    I knew one pawn shop that had so many PS2s which are old now, they were selling each of them for $20 dollars. They just wanted to get rid of the,.
     
  16. Zyni

    ZyniWell-Known Member

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    People often sell stuff to pawn shops when they are desperate for money, so the shop owner gets these items for peanuts. Some shops only pay 10-20% of what an item is worth. Even after marking the item up, they still make good money due to getting things so cheaply. You have to shop carefully though and know what stuff is supposed to cost. Some places mark stuff up way too much, and it's barely (if any) less than what the item would cost new. If I see retail prices on used items, I leave.
     
  17. MarshCat

    MarshCatNew Member

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    I have never bought anything from a pawn shop and don't really have plans to do so. Personally, I find them depressing. I do like buying things used, however, and regularly go to yard sales, Goodwill, other second hand stores and flea markets.

    On the other hand, I have considered taking some things to pawn when I needed cash. My experience has not been great with that, though. I had a musical instrument that I thought might be of some value, but the pawn shop wouldn't deal with them. I ended up selling it on Ebay for about $120. I had a pair of real gold earrings that they made an offer for of around $15, and I ended up selling those on Ebay too for more money.
     
  18. steph84

    steph84Active Member

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    I haven't been to a pawn shop in years. I once sold a ring that my dad gave me when I was in high school. I only got $7. I probably should have kept it, but it just sat in my jewelry box. I should have kept it till the price of gold was booming. I have never thought to shop at a pawn shop. My local pawn shops don't have much. They just have a lot of jewelry.
     
  19. Pat

    PatWell-Known Member

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    I purchased a ten speed bike at a pawn shop once and a laptop computer without any problems. I was told once by a lady that has lots of money that she gets all of her Christmas jewelry from the pawn shop at a good price and no one knows that it comes from the pawnshop. The jewelry is cleaned before she gives it as a gift
     
  20. MarshCat

    MarshCatNew Member

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    This is why I haven't taken in my engagement ring and wedding ring. I have been apart from my ex for over a year and can't find a reasonable buyer for the rings. They are not extremely valuable, but they aren't cheapos either. Unfortunately, the price of gold is not fantastic right now, and the market for my kind of stone/setting is not booming either. While I would have taken even $300 at one point (I started trying to sell around $1000), it is better off in my drawer at that low price because the market will change eventually. It always does.