Pawn shop shopping

Pawn shops vary a LOT.

I'm pretty sure the rules vary from state to state too, so I will speak in generalities...

I rarely shop pawn shops, because I have dealt with them on the other side of the coin.

they buy, (really cheap) or own after default on payments, stuff from poor folks.

then resell it at a couple times what they have in it.

most are owned by people that I would not consider as socially responsible as you or I.

yes, great deals can be found. most of the merchandise (there are scoundrels) is in good shape, because they only buy or loan on good stuff) they pass on a lot of merchandise.

doubtful as to a test drive, but then again, each one is different in how the owner plies his trade.

I would ask around and find someone who has dealt with the pawnbrokers in your area.

bad news travels fast.

good luck...

Yeah, there could be an honest pawn broker, somewhere.

Have you taken a look at the used cameras available in local camera stores? I googled for some in Portland and it looks like there may be a good selection of stores to choose from.

So... you're saying it is unethical to buy from pawn shops?

They're pretty heavily regulated, nobody is forced to use their service -- where does the dishonesty come in?

After reading the responses here I did a little reading around and I don't get where the problem is.

I'm serious with these questions, not trying to justify anything. I've never used a pawn shop so I don't know.

There seems to be a lot of pawn shops -- what would happen if they all closed shop? What would the impact be?

Portland has some good camera stores with absolutely shitty service. The only one I was really willing to do business with closed. Seriously, I doubt they're any more ethical than a pawn shop.

I'm just saying be careful...

these are not naive people you are dealing with.

they are regulated for a reason.

No problem, so long as you know the worth and condition of what you are looking at.

That's really true of buying anything used, from anywhere, isn't it, roger?

I bought a bike from Goodwill the other day and took it by the local bike shop for a look over to see if it was worth the price. They noted a few things that could be "improved" but nothing seriously wrong with it -- they thought it was a bargain for the price. I did this because I don't know anything about bikes. I do know a bit about cameras though.

Do pawn shops tag the items with prices or do you say "How much?" and they say "$XXX.xx"? I know I'd be more comfortable with price tags.

A lot will tag a lot won't nearly all pawn shop prices are negotiable. They have sometimes up to 200% markup to play with.

Just think of pawn shops as the evil step brother of Goodwill, and you will be ok...

So does that mean I should try to negotiate?

Hey! Do they ever do trades?

I have some ultra cool photo gear (not cameras) that I'm not using anymore.

Well.... every resale shop/person is the evil brother of Goodwill and related charities!

pawn guys loan shark, and deal in weapons.

I kinda like my local bike reseller.

no guns or diamonds in his back room.

I've never been close enough to a pawn shop to go into one. I think I would be a tad frightened. I do like second hand shops. I have so many great articles of clothing from thrift shops. Where I live now, some woman who is my size keeps sending her stuff . . . all from Talbots or Pendelton . . . to the shop that raises money for the local VA hospital and the hospice.

Well I've been to a jewelry store and I think most of them probably have guns somewhere to protect from robbery.

And I've been Wal-Mart and they have guns.

Yes, I understand that it is a type of loan-sharking but people willingly seek out the service.... kinda like those pay day loan places.

I agree that it is a bit intimidating. That's why I'm trying to find out what to expect.

I love resale, thrift, charity and consignment shops. I also love Craigslist and considered using them to find a camera. But I don't like to go to stranger's houses, especially dragging Mo along, and I want to be able to find the person and have a few assurances about my purchase -- that doesn't happen with Craigslist.

How Pawnshops Work

On this site you can watch some of the episodes from Pawn Stars to get a feel of how it all goes down:

http://www.history.com/shows/pawn-stars

not sure about Oregon, I didn't spend enough time there to notice, but here in no man's land, there are some big pawn places that are in neighborhoods that are better than the seedier small ones in the hood. they advertise with fancy signs and encourage more upscale purchasers. they also do pay-day loans.

this is probably a better kind of place for a rookie.

yea always negotiate, and don't be shy about it or they might figure you for a sucker.