Finding deals at a pawn shop: What you need to know

Buying items from a local pawn shop is often a great alternative to big branded retail shops as they can offer some great advantages. The key advantage is that the prices tend to be lower in pawn shops and you can often find items that are more unique or hard to find, so there’s always a great deal to be had especially at GEM Pawnbrokers.

Know what you want and do the research

If you want to buy something in particular from a pawn shop, it is worth doing some homework first, so you know what you are looking for in the item and have an idea of its value. Have a look online at what the pawn shop has available and the prices that they are selling the items for.

This enables you to have the knowledge to hand to discuss the product and negotiate on price.

Be prepared to negotiate

Although pawn shops set their prices low to get a quick turnover of their stock, there can still be some room for negotiation on the price if you are prepared to make the effort.

You should examine the item carefully before you make an offer on it and if you notice any damage or imperfections you can use this as a reason for your lower offer. This is what pawn shops do all the time when they purchase items from people.

You should, as said above, know the value of the item so you can offer a realistic price for it and don’t be tempted to offer a lowball price. Taking cash is also useful as there will be no transaction fees for the pawn shop and cash is always needed to purchase new stock.

You should also know when to walk away from the negotiation if you are not getting what you want. So set yourself a limit of what you can afford based on the value of the item and don’t go over it.

Finding the best pawn shop

Choosing the right pawn shop to purchase from is also important as you want to deal with one that is reputable and can be trusted. One way of finding this out is by reading customer reviews to see their score rating and what people have said about customer service.

At GEM Pawnbrokers we have been operating for over 70 years in the New York City and have 24 conveniently located branches making us one of the largest pawnbrokers in the area. We have built our reputation on trust and have strong community ties that make us the pawn shop of choice.

Visit one of our branches to see what we have available or shop online in our store to get yourself a great deal.