April 2021 by Miss Flora The Writer
It really depends on who you talk too. They check ebay for the prices. (To buy from you or to sell in their store, I'm not sure which.) You'll probably be better off selling on Craigslist or on Facebook Marketplace. You'll get a decent price and the people you meet would probably be more honest.A friend of mine even came by to sell a step ladder, and their manager suggested $13. The teller buying misheard for $30 and bought my friend's ladder for it. There's really not much quality control beyond "whether or not if I'm feeling generous today," and not much effort being put in beyond "whether or not if I like the person I'm talking too at the moment."Nicely organized is NOT the words I would use for this store, but that gives it it's charm I guess. If you like rummaging through neat discoveries, you'll find something cool. Lots of tools, dvds, video games and electronics like printers, computers and laptops. Just know that everything is over priced and you'd probably find a better deal elsewhere. I think the best advantage of buying at a pawn shop is seeing what you're getting in person, versus buying on ebay and hoping it will be nice. (But you have that same experience on craigslist/fb marketplace.)A few years ago, I was helping my mom take care of my elderly aunt who had dementia. This was before she passed away. After paying the bills to keep the house warm, there wasn't a single dollar to our name until the next pay day. My aunt and little sister needed to eat.I brought a perfectly good acoustic guitar that used to be my grandpa's. It was beautiful and played well. I feel like it would have been a great gift. I wanted to sell that last memento of my grandpa that we had so I could feed my aunt and sister. I was treated coldly, they made fun of my grandpa's guitar, called it disgusting and grubby, and said that if they bought it, it might contaminate the rest of their stock.I'm half Native and on the autistic spectrum, and I have trouble recognizing people. The teller was white. Not sure if that means anything or not, but just keep this in mind if you want to try buying or selling here. I went back home and I cleaned it up (it was fine?) and a few days later I tried again. I was refused again. Mind you, they have rusted, oily tools, dvds with missing covers, and laptops and keyboards with crumbs and grime on them.I had to call a food pantry program to get food for my aunt and sister, but the family did not eat well that weekend. Since I have a peanut/treenut allergy, I decided that I wouldn't eat for that weekend, because food programs typically give out peanutbutter as a staple.Again, it really depends on what you're selling, what time of day it is, and who you're talking too. Go in the morning before they've had a bad day, and go either at the end of the week (when they know they get to go drinking that night) or at the beginning of the week when they don't have things to complain about. Make sure your stuff is 100% clean and dress nicely, and always bring a receipt. If you're selling a computer, bring the whole shebang: a mouse, a keyboard, speakers, a monitor and the tower. Even if it's a laptop, bring a keyboard and a mouse anyway if you can. If you have tool parts, (drill bits, for example,) you'll need the tool that it goes with. (The drill.) You can always go in and ask but if they don't like you, they'll say no. Don't bother with selling cameras or cellphones.Be personable and keep going in regularly so they start to like you, and work your way up from small things to larger things so they get used to buying from you. Just remember that at the end of the day, you're not going to get a good deal either way.
