Fast Cash At The Pawn Shop
Filed Under Creative Ways To Make Money, Fast Cash, Pawn Shop | 1 Comment
I love a good pawn shop, and I love making fast cash at pawn shops! This is my go-to method when I need some money, and I’ve learned some tricks to get me even more money along the way! The idea of pawn shops goes back for centuries and millions of people have gotten the fast cash that they provide to help make ends meet.
If you’re considering going out and pawning your stuff, be sure to read this article all the way through. I’ll share some tips that have gotten me more money for each item that I’ve sold. I don’t have any facts to back up how much more I’ve made, but after you’ve sold enough stuff it’s easy to tell when you’re getting a much better deal.
Don’t forget that pawn shops are great for buying cheap stuff too. If you’re strapped for cash, but need some new tools or a bicycle, it makes much more sense to head to a pawn shop. You may even be able to trade for it and not have to spend a dime!
There are three tricks to help you get the most for your stuff at a pawn shop. You have to know what they usually buy, how to improve its condition, and a bit of bartering skills to get yourself paid as much as possible. Before you head out the door, check pawn shops online to find the ones in your area. Figuring out which ones are close to you, and which ones are competitors is important (more on that later).
What Do Pawn Shops Buy?
Most pawn shops will buy anything. Which also means that they sell everything. I actually went into one pawn shop in Mesa, Arizona and the dude behind the counter offered to sell me the entire pawn shop! There are some things that are going to get you paid much more than others. This applies to just about every pawn shop on the planet as well. These things are-
- Jewelery
- Tools
- Bicycles
- Musical Instruments
- Weapons
- Electronics
The reason these are the things that are the highest paying is that they are always in demand. Guitars will never go out of style, and neither will bicycles or jewelry. Pawn shops make their money selling these things, and you’ll make money selling them as well.
Keep in mind that there are some high-end versions of these things that some pawn shops won’t take. If you have a million dollar diamond ring, or a ‘57 Les Paul, they’re probably going to tell you to find somewhere else to hawk them since they’re so expensive and they don’t have that kind of cash on hand. Another thing that many of them do, which may throw a wrench in your gears, is offer consignment on large ticket items like this. Obviously, this isn’t going to help you much if your rent is due tomorrow and you’re two hundred bucks short. If you live in a big city, odds are that there are hundreds of places that you can sell your stuff and you should be able to find one that’ll offer cash for it. You can look into jewelry stores, jewelery pawn shops, Guitar Center, other pawn shops, or even throw it on craigslist to get the cash you need!
“Reconditioning” Your Stuff
This is a trick that I’m pissed took me so long to figure out. Many times, you can spend a couple bucks to get something cleaned up and in better shape to get yourself more money from the pawn shop. The best example is guitars, I’ve pawned three guitars over the years and all were about the same quality and price when new, but one of them got me paid $150 dollars more than the others. Why? Because I cleaned it up really well, restrung it, and tuned it. It cost me about $4 for the guitar polish and $7 for the strings. I paid $11 and got $150 extra! That’s a smart investment.
Anything you pawn should be treated this way. Do you think your local pawn shop is going to clean up those screwdrivers you’re heading down there to pawn? I don’t think so! Will they pay you more if they come in nice and shiny? Probably! Clean equals quality in the minds of many shoppers and pawnshop owners.
Sometimes something as simple as a cord can dramatically hurt the price that you’re paid. Take video game systems, for example. If you go to sell your Xbox and it’s missing the power cable, you certainly aren’t going to get all of the money that you could if you went to the store and spent a few bucks on a new one.
Do Some Negotiation
Keep in mind that the price they offer you for your stuff isn’t a set-in-stone number. You can barter with them, and you should. It can be the difference in getting a fair price and getting nearly nothing for the things you’re pawning. Most pawn shop dudes are going to make an educated guess on what they should pay you, and you have to keep in mind the “relative” cost. This means that even if you paid $500 for something that you aren’t owed anything close to $500 for it. You have to consider what the pawn shop will be able to sell it for, and that they have to make money on it as well.
If the pawnshop employee is being difficult and not willing to barter with you, tell them that you’re heading to “fill in competitor’s name here.” If you have things that are of value and they’ll be able to sell quickly, they’re going to change their tune and be much more willing to work with you on a price. This has always been the most effective negotiation tool for me.
To sum it up; research your local pawn shops, gather up the stuff that they pay the most for, clean it up, and put your negotiating hat on. Get out there and get paid!
Thanks for reading,
Lydia
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One Response to “Fast Cash At The Pawn Shop”
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Lydia, As a pawnbroker for over 30 years I can tell you that your advice is nothing short of brilliant. Were you a pawnbroker in a previous life?
One other thing should be mentioned. That being, if you prefer not to sell your personal property and you can repay the money in a short period of time you may want to consider taking out a pawn loan instead of selling the merchandise outright.
However, if you feel there is a chance you may not be able to repay the loan you are better off selling and will usually get a greater value than what is offered for a pawn loan.