Pawn shops

[ttown]

I've been into a couple pawn-shops recently and i've noticed the prices on well-used stuff is pretty much near the retail price.

Is there some unadvertised discount on the price-tag that I'm not seeing?

Or are you supposed to haggle the price down 50% from the tag?

What's the deal? I've been into 3 within the last 6 months -- and I've yet to see a customer buy anything.
How do they stay in business?

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: ttown

I've been into a couple pawn-shops recently and i've noticed the prices on well-used stuff is pretty much near the retail price.

Is there some unadvertised discount on the price-tag that I'm not seeing?

Or are you supposed to haggle the price down 50% from the tag?

What's the deal? I've been into 3 within the last 6 months -- and I've yet to see a customer buy anything.
How do they stay in business?

According to my wife (15 yr police veteran), pawn shops are usually fronts from drug/gambling/organized crime.

 

[pontifex]

i dunno about the original question but my uncle will buy every gun they have for sale, fix them up if needed, and sells them on gunsamerica. he has an FFL so he can do this.

he must get good deals if he can do this.

 

[I Saw OJ]

I've noticed that too, I went into my local pawn shop and saw used beat up stuff that was often times higher priced that retail.

 

[ShotgunSteven]

The local pawn shop sells their beat-up guns for as much or MORE than the cost of buying the same gun new.

 

[mrrman]

they are way overpriced...went to one today looking at guitar amps...its cheaper to buy them brand new

 

[Shadowknight]

Some things are priced too high, some aren't. I got my Playstation at a pawnshop. It was $90 with two controllers, no packaging or instructions, but who cares about that? Buying it brand new at the store (at the time) was around $140-$160 (can't quite remember) and you only got one controller. So, all in all, I got a pretty good deal at the time. The same store had VHS tapes of movies (before DVD had really taken off, it was about '97 or so) for about $5. It just depends on the store, really.

 

[nakedfrog]

Gotta haggle.

 

[thepd7]

Originally posted by: ttown

I've been into a couple pawn-shops recently and i've noticed the prices on well-used stuff is pretty much near the retail price.

Is there some unadvertised discount on the price-tag that I'm not seeing?

Or are you supposed to haggle the price down 50% from the tag?

What's the deal? I've been into 3 within the last 6 months -- and I've yet to see a customer buy anything.
How do they stay in business?

Yep, it's all about the haggling.

 

[angminas]

Some of it is, they expect you to trade your worthless crap for their worthless crap, instead of actually paying all that cash. Pawn shops contain a wide variety of prices, quality, and selection. They can be a great source of quick income, or they can grind you into the dust. Caveat ATOTer.

Pawn shops are great for buying entertainment media, cheap weird tools, used hunting and camping equipment, and neon beer signs. Once in a while you can find a great collectible cheap- I bought a Sega CDX at a pawn shop for $30 ($100ish on eBay last I looked). I've also found several decent $1 caseless CDs. Never buy ANYTHING from Soundesign.

If you're the type to ask for a manager when the bathroom's dirty, avoid pawn shops. If you're the type to ask for bulk discounts at yard sales, go to pawn shops.

 

[MrFire8808]

Haggle.. My local pawn shop had a 1500 price tag on a Les Paul, got it for 800.

 

[DefDC]

Yep. Haggling is the way to go. I bought a VCR back in the 90's, asked for about 40% off and to throw in that tackle box! (A nice one, at that!)


FWIW, the theory behind pawn shops is being a source for credit for people who can't get credit elsewhere. That's why they give you pennies on the dollar. You aren't SUPPOSED to SELL your stuff there. It's just collateral for the loan you're getting.

 

[Roguestar]

We have a similar type thing in the UK, even though we don't have Pawn shops; a chain called Cash Converters that'll basically buy your old tat for pennies and flog it to some poor chump for £££.

I saw a laptop in there last year, PII 300Mhz, 2GB HD, 64MB RAM.

£1,200 :shocked:

 

[BabaBooey]

Originally posted by: MrFire8808
Haggle.. My local pawn shop had a 1500 price tag on a Les Paul, got it for 800.

<-----------------Raises the B.S. flag...




Pawn shops can vary,all the pawn americas around here are a joke but every now and again you can find a deal here and there.

And the person who made the comment about the mob and drug dealers cause his wife is cop.....you and or your wife watch too much T.V. ..:laugh:

 

[MrFire8808]

Originally posted by: bababooey

Originally posted by: MrFire8808
Haggle.. My local pawn shop had a 1500 price tag on a Les Paul, got it for 800.

<-----------------Raises the B.S. flag...

It's pretty beat up, still plays and sounds wonderful though. 800 Was a good deal, nothing outragous for the condition it's in.

 

[Jules]

with corn nuts?

 

[Jules]

http://www.kewego.com/video/iLyROoaftJZO.html

 

[gwrober]

Originally posted by: bababooey



<-----------------Raises the B.S. flag...




Pawn shops can vary,all the pawn americas around here are a joke but every now and again you can find a deal here and there.

And the person who made the comment about the mob and drug dealers cause his wife is cop.....you and or your wife watch too much T.V. ..:laugh:

Don't laugh, I've watched cops drag pawn shop owners out into the street for fencing and drugs. So it is true....I was in Jacksonville and Little Rock on several occasions, and watched it go down. I was personally involved in getting a pawn shop in Jacksonville closed down, for fencing. Mostly because the stereo stuff he was selling came out of
MY truck!

 

[AgentJean]

better deals can be had online then at a pawn shop.

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: bababooey

Originally posted by: MrFire8808
Haggle.. My local pawn shop had a 1500 price tag on a Les Paul, got it for 800.

<-----------------Raises the B.S. flag...




Pawn shops can vary,all the pawn americas around here are a joke but every now and again you can find a deal here and there.

And the person who made the comment about the mob and drug dealers cause his wife is cop.....you and or your wife watch too much T.V. ..:laugh:

You're pretty naive then. Most things in pawn shops are hot. Why do you thing there are so many CD's with no cases, car stereos, console games, tv's, tire rims...because these things can be easily carried out of people's houses and cars. She would make arrests at those places on a daily basis. If a pawn shop opens in your neighborhood, you can pretty much expect theft rates to skyrocket.

 

[rudder]

Originally posted by: MrFire8808
Haggle.. My local pawn shop had a 1500 price tag on a Les Paul, got it for 800.

Which someone probably pawned for $200.

 

[Safeway]

Originally posted by: bababooey

Originally posted by: MrFire8808
Haggle.. My local pawn shop had a 1500 price tag on a Les Paul, got it for 800.

<-----------------Raises the B.S. flag...




Pawn shops can vary,all the pawn americas around here are a joke but every now and again you can find a deal here and there.

And the person who made the comment about the mob and drug dealers cause his wife is cop.....you and or your wife watch too much T.V. ..:laugh:

Actually, my dad bought a Gibson Les Paul Studio for $250 at a pawn shop about 5 years ago. It was in excellent condition. I listed it for him on Craigslist, and it sold for $1000.

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: gwrober

Originally posted by: bababooey



<-----------------Raises the B.S. flag...




Pawn shops can vary,all the pawn americas around here are a joke but every now and again you can find a deal here and there.

And the person who made the comment about the mob and drug dealers cause his wife is cop.....you and or your wife watch too much T.V. ..:laugh:

Don't laugh, I've watched cops drag pawn shop owners out into the street for fencing and drugs. So it is true....I was in Jacksonville and Little Rock on several occasions, and watched it go down. I was personally involved in getting a pawn shop in Jacksonville closed down, for fencing. Mostly because the stereo stuff he was selling came out of
MY truck!

did he know it was stolen? i mean, how can you know if the stuff someone brings in is stolen or not?

is it still considered fencing if you don't know the goods you are buying are stolen?

 

[Safeway]

Originally posted by: Fritzo

Originally posted by: bababooey

Originally posted by: MrFire8808
Haggle.. My local pawn shop had a 1500 price tag on a Les Paul, got it for 800.

<-----------------Raises the B.S. flag...




Pawn shops can vary,all the pawn americas around here are a joke but every now and again you can find a deal here and there.

And the person who made the comment about the mob and drug dealers cause his wife is cop.....you and or your wife watch too much T.V. ..:laugh:

You're pretty naive then. Most things in pawn shops are hot. Why do you thing there are so many CD's with no cases, car stereos, console games, tv's, tire rims...because these things can be easily carried out of people's houses and cars. She would make arrests at those places on a daily basis. If a pawn shop opens in your neighborhood, you can pretty much expect theft rates to skyrocket.

It depends on what pawn shop you go to. A chain like Cash America or Top Dollar is fairly legit. They even post nicer items on eBay now.

As for your belief that all pawn shops are the devil ... you are the naive one. Sure, pawn shops occasionally get in hot gear, but by no means is the pawn shop's primary income source from the items they sell in the showroom. No, the showroom is just to get rid of collateral and make some money back if a person defaults on a loan. Pawn shops get 75 to 90% income from loans and payday advances.

I, too, have family that are police officers. Over 70 years combined service.

 

[Safeway]

Originally posted by: pontifex
i dunno about the original question but my uncle will buy every gun they have for sale, fix them up if needed, and sells them on gunsamerica. he has an FFL so he can do this.

he must get good deals if he can do this.

The only thing some pawn shops do is screw up with gun sales, and lose their license. One such location in Dallas had been buying guns from people for dirt, but paying in cash, and keeping the guns in a separate hidden room. If an illegal Mexican or a felon came in, and asked for a gun, they would show them the hidden gun storage, and charge out the ass. I mean, $2500 for a $400 pistol.

They made hella money doing it, but alas, an undercover police officer busted the operation.