Your local pawnshop is more than just another store in your community. Since ancient times, pawnshops have been a valuable resource for people in need of fast cash, a safe and secure short-term loan, or when they need a place to find top-quality merchandise for a fraction of retail. If you are considering pawning or selling one of your valuables to your local pawn shop, this guide is for you. Keep reading to find out how to get the most for your items, as well as how to get the most out of working with your local pawnshop.
First: Do your homework
Every pawnshop is unique, even shops in the same community. So, before you visit your local pawnshop, look them up online. Check out their website and look for online reviews. If their site is well-built and looks like it is updated frequently, that’s a good sign that the people behind the shop love what they do and will be great to work with. When you read reviews, consider not only the reviews of the shop, the merchandise, and their loan terms, but also their customer service. Any good pawn shop will likely have customers raving about their outstanding service.
Selling to your local pawnshop
Selling your unwanted valuables to your local pawn shop is a quick, safe, and convenient way of clearing space in your home and getting some cash in hand. You will be able to turn your items into cash in minutes without dealing with selling in person or online, dealing with shipping, haggling, or other inconveniences. For the best experience selling an item to your local pawnshop, follow these steps:
- Gather your valuables – while there is no guarantee that your local pawn shop will buy everything you would like to sell, there is no limit to the number or the types of items you may bring to your pawnshop to sell. Before you visit your shop, gather what you would like to sell and examine the items carefully.
- Gather accessories, extras, and peripherals – your local pawnshop will be more likely to buy an item if it comes to them complete. For example, televisions with their remote controls, laptops with power cables, digital cameras with batteries, and memory cards are more attractive to your local pawnbroker than the same items without their accessories.
- Research the market value of your items – after you’ve gathered what you’d like to sell, find out as much as you can about the current market value of your items. You can do this by looking up recently completed sales on auction sites or other virtual marketplaces. Knowing your item’s typical rate will give you an idea of what you might expect at your local pawnshop.
- Clean your item and make it more appealing – make it easy for your local pawnbroker to say “yes” by cleaning your item and making it look as presentable as possible. The better it looks, the easier it will be for your pawnbroker to resell. This will work in your favor when it comes time to negotiate on a price.
- Have realistic expectations – your local pawnshop is a business. To survive, your pawnbroker needs to make a profit from every item in their shop. To that end, expect anywhere between 35% – 60% of the current market value.
Pawning
When you need a safe, quick solution to financial emergencies, your local pawn shop is there for you. Pawn loans are one of the safest forms of loans out there. There is no credit check involved, and pawn loans do not go on your credit report. Also, because they are generally smaller loans, there is no danger of overspending or getting caught in a vicious financial cycle, as often happens with other sources of loans, such as payday advance stores or cash advances on a credit card.
Additionally, if you are not quite ready to part with your valuable, a pawn loan can be just the solution, as it will allow you a chance to get your item back. In this way, an item of value can be a source of cash repeatedly, which many people find to be a lifeline in case of emergencies. Some things to keep in mind when pawning include:
- A pawn loan is collateral-based – this means that your loan is secured by the value of the item you pawn. When you take out a pawn loan, your item goes into the care of your pawnbroker. If you cannot repay your loan, your item becomes your pawnbroker’s property, which they will then try to resell.
- If you repay your loan in the agreed-upon repayment period, usually around 90 – 120 days, you get your item back. If necessary, you can repeat the process.
The guidelines for pawning valuable are similar to the ones for selling. However, some additional tips to getting the most out of your local pawn shop when you need to pawn are:
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions about loans – your local pawnbroker should be happy to address any concerns you have about the interest rate, repayment periods, and the like. A good pawnbroker will never pressure you to sign on a loan if you are not comfortable, or if you do not completely understand the transaction or its terms.
- Don’t be afraid to negotiate or walk away – if your pawnbroker is unwilling to consider terms that are more feasible for you, or if the conditions are unfair, don’t be afraid to walk out and try at another pawn shop.
As you can see, getting the most out of your local pawn shop when you need to sell or pawn comes down to you doing your due diligence and keeping in mind that you are working with real people who are members of your community. At Azusa Pawn, we want to do anything and everything we can to help our neighbors. If you are in the San Gabriel Valley area, visit Azusa Pawn today to see how we can help you!