Pawn shops

[j00fek]

its just a junk heaven

 

[snowdogg187]

Most pawn shops are complete crap. They screw ppl when they buy the crap then they screw ppl when they sell the crap. What a great business plan.

 

[Safeway]

Originally posted by: snowdogg187
Most pawn shops are complete crap. They screw ppl when they buy the crap then they screw ppl when they sell the crap. What a great business plan.

Keep thinking that. The general public is ignorant when it comes to pawn shops.

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: 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.

I've never heard of a "chain" pawn shop, and we have no such thing around here. Pawn shops in our city consist of dumpy store fronts with iron bars on them and gang members hanging out in front. I don't understand how I'm naive- people and owners arested on a weekly basis, stolen merchandise recovered---what am I not understanding?

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: Fritzo

Originally posted by: 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.

I've never heard of a "chain" pawn shop, and we have no such thing around here. Pawn shops in our city consist of dumpy store fronts with iron bars on them and gang members hanging out in front. I don't understand how I'm naive- people and owners arested on a weekly basis, stolen merchandise recovered---what am I not understanding?

that not all shops are like the ones you see?

i have been to maybe 30-50 diffrent shops. while i would agree the mahority (say 75%) are nasty and questionable. a good number are nice places.

there is 2-3 large chain shops (can't remember the names). but they are clean and honest.

 

[49erinnc]

I think it depends on what you're buying, where you buy it at and your haggling abilities.

I bought my first electric guitar/amp at a pawn shop. Basically, I didn't let him know that I wanted the amp which was priced cheap so we haggled a bit for the guitar and I got him down some but not to where I wanted him to be at. And when he wouldn't budge anymore, I said "Well, if I also buy this amp, how about coming down some more for me?" He did and I wound up with a great deal on the combo.

You can't go in there willing to pay the sticker price or of course you're gonna get screwed over. And the more crap you buy at once, the better deal you'll get. And if you can't get the deal you want, walk out and come back in another week or two. If the item is still there, then you'll probably be able to get them down more.

 

[Safeway]

No chain pawn shops? That is weird. I've probably been to 300 different pawn shops, and yes, a majority of them are crap. But, even the crappy ones attempt to be semi-honest. Sure their prices are occasionally out-of-this-world ($450 for a 30GB iPod Video), but at other times, you will get deals of a lifetime.

As for crime, the only crime I've seen is a pawn shop getting held up by robbers.

 

[sandorski]

The way Pawn Shops operate will certainly encourage/result in acquiring Stolen Property. Most Pawn Shops will certainly have legitimate merchandise, but I'd wager that if one looked hard enough one would find Stolen items in every Pawn Shop on the planet.

 

[Safeway]

Originally posted by: sandorski
The way Pawn Shops operate will certainly encourage/result in acquiring Stolen Property. Most Pawn Shops will certainly have legitimate merchandise, but I'd wager that if one looked hard enough one would find Stolen items in every Pawn Shop on the planet.

Did the opening of eBay result in increased thefts or encourage theft of property?
Did the opening of half result in increased thefts or encourage theft of property?
Did the opening of Craigslist result in increased thefts or encourage theft of property?
Did the opening of Swap Meets result in increased thefts or encourage theft of property?
Did the opening of FS/FT result in increased thefts or encourage theft of property?

Answer these questions, and you will see that your conclusion is invalid.

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: Safeway

Originally posted by: sandorski
The way Pawn Shops operate will certainly encourage/result in acquiring Stolen Property. Most Pawn Shops will certainly have legitimate merchandise, but I'd wager that if one looked hard enough one would find Stolen items in every Pawn Shop on the planet.

Did the opening of eBay result in increased thefts or encourage theft of property?
Did the opening of half result in increased thefts or encourage theft of property?
Did the opening of Craigslist result in increased thefts or encourage theft of property?
Did the opening of Swap Meets result in increased thefts or encourage theft of property?
Did the opening of FS/FT result in increased thefts or encourage theft of property?

Answer these questions, and you will see that your conclusion is invalid.

Did you seriously just compare online auction sites to a hole in the wall pawn shop in a rundown part of the city?

Riddle me this...if somebody is desperate enough for cash that will steal somebody elses property to hock it for cold hard cash, do you really think they are patient enough to wait for an ebay auction to end?

 

[JDMnAR1]

I have found some excellent deals in pawn shops, and enjoy checking them out. Of course pawn shops, just like any other retailer, are YMMV as to how the price their stuff and the deals you can find. The biggest difference is that, in the case of pawn shops, selling stuff isn't generally their primary source of revenue. In fact, some stores I have frequented inflate their posted prices intentionally, the idea being that the original owner will eventually come and pay the loan to get their goods back, only to have to pawn it again the next time they need cash.

 

[NogginBoink]

Pawn shops make a lot of money by lending in addition to selling.

You get a loan using that diamond ring as collateral.

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: Safeway

Originally posted by: sandorski
The way Pawn Shops operate will certainly encourage/result in acquiring Stolen Property. Most Pawn Shops will certainly have legitimate merchandise, but I'd wager that if one looked hard enough one would find Stolen items in every Pawn Shop on the planet.

Did the opening of eBay result in increased thefts or encourage theft of property?
Did the opening of half result in increased thefts or encourage theft of property?
Did the opening of Craigslist result in increased thefts or encourage theft of property?
Did the opening of Swap Meets result in increased thefts or encourage theft of property?
Did the opening of FS/FT result in increased thefts or encourage theft of property?

Answer these questions, and you will see that your conclusion is invalid.

Possibly, on all accounts. If a Seller can not verify their Ownership of the Property being Sold, the possibility exists that the Property is not theirs to begin with. Thieves will be drawn to any avenue where they can safely Sell their ill gotten goods.

That's not to say that all items in the pawn Shop are stolen or that Pawn Shop owners knowingly Sell stolen goods, but even the careful Pawnshop owner won't be able to always tell Stolen from Legit.

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: Safeway

Originally posted by: sandorski
The way Pawn Shops operate will certainly encourage/result in acquiring Stolen Property. Most Pawn Shops will certainly have legitimate merchandise, but I'd wager that if one looked hard enough one would find Stolen items in every Pawn Shop on the planet.

Did the opening of eBay result in increased thefts or encourage theft of property?
Did the opening of half result in increased thefts or encourage theft of property?
Did the opening of Craigslist result in increased thefts or encourage theft of property?
Did the opening of Swap Meets result in increased thefts or encourage theft of property?
Did the opening of FS/FT result in increased thefts or encourage theft of property?

Answer these questions, and you will see that your conclusion is invalid.

Ebay- Yes. Stolen merchandise runs rampant on Ebay.
Half Result- no idea what that is
Craislist- Yes- stolen merchandise is common
Swap Meets- doesn't really apply because it's a temporary event
FS/FT- No, because it's a small registered community.

Pawn shops give a place for thieves to easily and quickly dump their items with no questions asked. Do a Google search for pawn shop crime and look at all the problems out there. Here's the first few hits:

Tampa Organized Crime sting
<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache<img src=---i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif--- border=---0--->2rgCM3bqGQJ:www.bradycampaign.org/xshare/pdf/research/AGS-delear
.pdf+pawn+shops+crime&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=us">Pawn Shops selling illegal firearms</a>
Ft. Lauderdale Police: Pawn Shops and Property Theft Linked

That's just the first few hits. I can't believe any of you would walk into a pawn shop thinking "By Jove...this good proprietor must have obtained this car stereo from a downtrodden gent that wished to sell his dated merchandise and obtain a more modern equivalent!" Bah. More than half of that stuff was ripped out of people's cars, garages, storage units, and homes. Much of the remaining merchandise was sold by desperate people needed money for rent/drugs/etc. The remaining fraction is going to be the legit stuff. I can get detailed police dept. studies if you wish.

 

[Saulbadguy]

I used to buy SNES copies of Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy III for $5 and sell them on ebay for 50-60. Pawn Shops are fun sometimes. Usually just overpriced junk and financing for morons.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: Saulbadguy
I used to buy SNES copies of Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy III for $5 and sell them on ebay for 50-60. Pawn Shops are fun sometimes. Usually just overpriced junk and financing for morons.

yeap. they are being replaced by "payday advance loans" places. sure i want a loan for %500. pfft.

 

[Saulbadguy]

Originally posted by: waggy

Originally posted by: Saulbadguy
I used to buy SNES copies of Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy III for $5 and sell them on ebay for 50-60. Pawn Shops are fun sometimes. Usually just overpriced junk and financing for morons.

yeap. they are being replaced by "payday advance loans" places. sure i want a loan for %500. pfft.

Funny how those just started popping up. A sure sign of the times to come.

 

[Safeway]

Originally posted by: Saulbadguy

Originally posted by: waggy

Originally posted by: Saulbadguy
I used to buy SNES copies of Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy III for $5 and sell them on ebay for 50-60. Pawn Shops are fun sometimes. Usually just overpriced junk and financing for morons.

yeap. they are being replaced by "payday advance loans" places. sure i want a loan for %500. pfft.

Funny how those just started popping up. A sure sign of the times to come.

Yea, Cash America pawn shops are being converted into Loans and Jewelry only places.

 

[MotionMan]

Ever since I saw Pulp Fiction, I can't go into pawn shops anymore (at least not without making damn sure that someone on the outside knows I am in there).

The coolest pawn shops are in Las Vegas: false eyes and teeth, prosthetic legs, wheelchairs and the like. Gamblers will pawn ANYTHING.

MotionMan

 

[xanis]

The trick is haggling I would assume.

I used to live next to a pawn shop about 10 years ago and they seemed to do a decent business.