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Firearms and pawn shops
cash777
Member Posts: 213 ✭✭
Never having been in one or pawned anything yet [:)] Once having pawned a handgun or any item does this person have a length of time before it can be sold. Does anyone have any experiences with these shops. Better prices, higher about the same as gun shops? Ever found any good deals. I never thought to check them out. How do they work? Thanks, Dave
Comments
Many pawn operators will price a gun based on condition, like gun stores do. Others are interested in turning the stuff over rapidly, and probably make more money than the ones who are holding out for top dollar. You have to cruise them and get to know how each one does business. There are bargains to be had.
All pawn operators are in the business of making as much interest money as possible on the loans they make. Also, the loan amount will never exceed their 'buy oughtright' price, because when they lend money on a gun, they assume they are buying it. That's because most pawned firearms are never picked up. I knew one pawn operator who had around 400 guns on display, and as many as 5,000 out-of-pawn guns in storage upstairs. He would periodically wholesale the guns, in lots, to FFL's as far away as Texas. In the back room, he once showed me file cabinets that he had that were full of pistols. Several were full of CZ27's alone. I think I started getting dizzy.[:p]
They are great places to find deals on tools, esp. power tools...and sometimes guns...I've bought more than a few items from an associate that owns a Pawn Shop...but I wouldn't want to have to be in a position to sell him stuff because he'd break it off in me....
Pawn Shop Owners are typically wealthy people, and that ain't cuz their stupid...
Pawn Shop Owners are typically wealthy people, and that ain't cuz their stupid...
Very true, but some will feign ignorance when a shyster is trying to sell a Model 42 Winchester with a broken firing pin for $100. [:p]
Pawnshops are like any other business, some are knowledgable and professional, some are shoe clerks. I know little about guitars, so I tend not to deal with them much.
Frequent the place every week or ten days and get to know the guy. Occasionally buy something and let him know what you look for. It will pay off in the long run.
I got friendly with one local shop owner, & mentioned that he only had low quality guns, while I was looking for better ones. He said, "I sell the GOOD ones on Gunbroker." After that, he would get out the "good" ones that he hadn't sold on Gunbroker to show me (& they hadn't sold because his asking price was too high).
Stopped at another shop a few weeks ago. Again, just low end guns. I asked the clerk if he had any WW2 guns in the back. He asked what I was looking for, then said the owner had a lot of them in the safe, but would only get them out for serious buyers. I said, I'm serious. He said, they start at $2,500. I said, OK. He went in the back, talked to the owner, said it would take an hour to get them out of the safe, I needed to come back. I said, I'll let you know. Obviously, the owner is not a serious seller.
Neal
Again, that's only if you really need the cash. When I was broke, (logging, -long story) I pawned a few items that got me gas money to get back to work. Or, diapers so the kids didn't poop on the rug[;)].
I pretty much found that pawn brokers make bankers look like saints.
Typically, they lowball what's coming in and highball what's being sold. If they don't have a ton of inventory the prices go up. If they have too much the prices go down. One of the things pawn shops do is keep a high amount of inventory. That is to keep you looking at stuff and in their shop. Eventually, you'll feel obligated to buy something. It's a proven marketing strategy. some shops do the upscale thing and are all clean and high class looking. That too is a marketing strategy to lure in higher end buyers. The trick for them is to find the fine line where your market brings and buys stuff.
Colleges are excellent because someone always needs beer money.
Pawn shops usually mark stuff up but they want to sell it too. So, if you frequent one a few times you'll see what's still there. Make a ridiculously low offer on it and he'll highball it. Work together from there. Don't flinch or he'll get the best of you.
Generally filled with overpriced junk. I have bought a few guns at pawn stores but can't say that I got any deals. Marlin 336 .35 Remington for $300, and a Romanian single shot training .22 rifle for $125.
Local store has a 1918 dated DWM luger for $788. Not a bad price but I already have a Luger so I won't be buying. So acceptable prices do turn up but rarely deals.
Now while I've not bought many firearms I have gotten a lot of other stuff- coins, tools, DVDs, etc. at pawn stores. I find if you have cash money in hand they usually will be more ready to deal than if you are just talking 'in theory'- I got a box of used Super Nintendo games (which I still play from time to time for the kick of it). 20 games. Asking price was $100. I asked him if he was willing to deal, he said, no. So I reached in my wallet and held up $90 and said, "I have $90 cash. You sure? Because I'm betting you didn't pay $90 for these." He changed his tune real quick when he saw the cash money.