Pawn stores don’t precisely have actually the greatest reputation. In lots of people’s minds they’re seedy and a little frightening, run by creepy-looking dudes, and filled up with hopeless clients. But those pawn shop stereotypes aren’t grounded in fact, in accordance with Birnholtz.

Pawnshops “are maybe perhaps maybe not the happiest destination on Earth,” Birnholtz admitted. Nevertheless the industry has washed up its act in present years. “I genuinely believe that the degree of professionalism and cleanliness and service has enhanced actually considerably within the pawn industry in the last 30 or so years.”

Head to a pawn shop today, and you’re likely to get your self in a clean, well-lit shop, stocked with quality utilized product. Some are also embracing Instagram to market their luxury items. Plus the proven fact that pawn stores are full of components of dubious provenance? It is simply not real, in accordance with industry teams, whom state not as much as 1% of things individuals attempt to pawn become taken. Genuine pawn shops check ID and make use of law enforcement to ensure the things they’re selling aren’t stolen home.

It is perhaps not like everything you see on Pawn Stars

Rick Harrison from Pawn Stars examines a bit of precious precious precious jewelry.

Pawn shops may possibly not be the dens of vice some think these are typically, but they’re also not exactly like that which you see on television shows, such as for instance Pawn Stars. The mega-popular Channel that is history program pawn stores to the limelight and helped normalize pawning, Birnholtz stated. The scenes you notice regarding the show, nonetheless, are unlikely to play away in town pawn store, which can be more prone to be stocked with gold jewelry, electronic devices, and gently utilized instruments that are musical uncommon rock memorabilia or Star Wars collectibles.

Pawn Stars is “not always representative of exactly exactly exactly how many people use pawn stores simply because they deal in actually, really specific products,” Birnholtz said. “They’re a shop that is big most likely decent margins, for them to manage to pay a pile of cash for many unique things. Whereas most pawn stores can’t do this.”

Pawn offers vary — a great deal

A pawnbroker and a client | PawnGuru

Every pawn online payday loans Massachusetts no credit check shop would offer to loan you roughly the same amount of money for the same item in a perfect world. In fact, that’s maybe not how it operates. The typical distinction between the best and cheapest bid for similar product at different pawn stores had been 258%, in accordance with information collected by PawnGuru in 2015.

That vast disparity in loan provides had been one explanation Birnholtz created PawnGuru. Instead of spending a day visiting various pawn stores to obtain the deal that is best (or unknowingly settling for a low-ball offer), individuals is now able to look online, share the product they would like to pawn (or sell outright), and obtain quotes right back from neighborhood pawn stores. “That provides individuals the ability to negotiate with numerous stores at the same time to find out what type is truly planning to let them have the most useful deal,” he said.

It is possible to pawn just about anything

Interior of a pawn shop | PawnGuru

Firearms and silver may be a number of the more typical products individuals consider pawning once they require some money, however in concept, you can easily pawn most situations. You merely have to find a pawn store that thinks it might be in a position to offer your material. Various stores focus on several types of things, which can be one explanation to look around utilizing PawnGuru. Don’t assume all shop may be thinking about just just what you’re offering or have the ability to provide you with a price that is fair.

Although pawn shops want in any such thing of value they could sell, some eventually kinds of things do have a tendency to fare better than the others. “I would personally say that jewelry, musical instruments, and game systems — plus high-end electronics that aren’t phones — do well, whereas electronic add-ons and electronic devices which go obsolete actually fast don’t do therefore hot,” Birnholtz stated.