Question about Pawn Shops

Roufuss

Roufuss

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To you all that do alot of pawn shopping, where do you generally score your best deals?

For instance, here in Tampa Bay, we generally have a large chain of pawn shops called Cash America - I've got 4 of them in Saint Petersburg alone.

They don't have the greatest selection unless you get lucky, and the prices vary wildly. No haggling , either, the prices are pretty much set in stone according to who runs the store.

I've been thinking of searching out some independently owned pawn shops, as I seemed to have hit a brick wall today - got sick of looking at rows of Turok and Madden 2004.

I remember back in the day I found a ton of good deals at these places - these days, not so much.

So the question is, where do you guys have better experience - pawnshops owned by a chain, or the smaller ones that are privately owned?
 
Chain pawn shops are where I go to on Tampa-side of the Bay. Cash America tends to have very standard prices where Value Pawn looks like it's copying EBs prices (without the price drops). EZPawn and Cash America are usually where I luck out.
 
I go to Cash America, Value Pawn, and EZ Pawn. I have been able to haggle with Cash America all the time ($4 Mario Sunshine is a recent example). I think chains are better because it is easier to return items (I have to return a bum Diddy Kong Racing) and independents in Tampa are usually overpriced. When you haggle with Cash America, I always walk away if they do not take my offer, 9 times out of 10 they say fine after I turn my back and sell it to me. I do think that the Cash America's on 19 are picky (theres 2 I think), but come to Tampa and do the Fletcher, Nebraska, Hills, 56, Busch loop (all you Tampa people know what Im talking about) and guarentee youll strike gold at at least one pawn shop (a $15 Dynasty Warrior 5 - which I didn't buy - is a recent example).

Check my games list to see what I have found at pawn shops.
 
[quote name='Otherguy676']I go to Cash America, Value Pawn, and EZ Pawn. I have been able to haggle with Cash America all the time ($4 Mario Sunshine is a recent example). I think chains are better because it is easier to return items (I have to return a bum Diddy Kong Racing) and independents in Tampa are usually overpriced. When you haggle with Cash America, I always walk away if they do not take my offer, 9 times out of 10 they say fine after I turn my back and sell it to me. I do think that the Cash America's on 19 are picky (theres 2 I think), but come to Tampa and do the Fletcher, Nebraska, Hills, 56, Busch loop (all you Tampa people know what Im talking about) and guarentee youll strike gold at at least one pawn shop (a $15 Dynasty Warrior 5 - which I didn't buy - is a recent example).

Check my games list to see what I have found at pawn shops.[/QUOTE]

Do you know if that Dynasty Warriors 5 is still there and what shop it is?

Slip me a PM me about it, just in case.

The one on 34th Street N and 9th Avenue didn't want to haggle at all... he wanted $5 bucks for a Resident Evil guide for Gamecube, I offered two, and he was like "But the guide retails for 14.99, you're already getting a deal".
 
[quote name='Otherguy676']I go to Cash America, Value Pawn, and EZ Pawn. I have been able to haggle with Cash America all the time ($4 Mario Sunshine is a recent example). I think chains are better because it is easier to return items (I have to return a bum Diddy Kong Racing) and independents in Tampa are usually overpriced. When you haggle with Cash America, I always walk away if they do not take my offer, 9 times out of 10 they say fine after I turn my back and sell it to me. I do think that the Cash America's on 19 are picky (theres 2 I think), but come to Tampa and do the Fletcher, Nebraska, Hills, 56, Busch loop (all you Tampa people know what Im talking about) and guarentee youll strike gold at at least one pawn shop (a $15 Dynasty Warrior 5 - which I didn't buy - is a recent example).

Check my games list to see what I have found at pawn shops.[/QUOTE]
Oh so you're my nemesis ><
I do the same run. Fletcher to Nebraska to Busch. >
 
well.. i don't have any "chain" pawn shops near me just mom and pop.. .. but generally to get the best selection go right when they open on weekdays.. (i like to go mid week.. like wednesday or tuesday.. ) that way you avoid the "saturday rush" which is when everyone goes to look for things after the yard sales.. also go as soon as they open.. as they normally stock right before they open. (from my general experience) and the best thing to do with pawn shop hunting is to check often and buy things at their prices before you start haggling (you'll have better luck if you do it this way).. and sell some things back if they'll take them.. (as much as i hate doing it.. i get a pretty good return on dollar WWF 64 games at eb .. like 3 dollars a piece and they'll take up to 5 at a time so thats an easy 15).. i hate flipping.. but they like that i give them product so they are more likely to cut prices for me.. but again.. the best chance you have is to go to a smaller area (if its close by) and check pawn shops around there .. and also find the ones that are close to the jails (as they always have stuff pawned there because of people that needs to get bailed of jail)
 
Angellic LuLu, are you the one who bought the Persona 2 awhile back (Value Pawn)? I went home to get my wallet (cant believe I forgot it) and when I came back it was gone.
 
[quote name='Otherguy676']Angellic LuLu, are you the one who bought the Persona 2 awhile back (Value Pawn)? I went home to get my wallet (cant believe I forgot it) and when I came back it was gone.[/QUOTE]
Nope. Never got Persona. I usually only buy games I need/want. I'm not a huge collector/wheelerdealer.
 
there are a couple run of the mill shops where up and down the Ohio river on the West Virginia side. Picked up an AV converter for five systems for $15. Also picked up 3 DVDs for 20 recently. One of them (RE: Apocolypse) was in poor condition, but he sprayed some Pledge on it (Anicent Pawn Shop Secret? I thought it would hurt the disc) and told me to pick another. He proceeded to give me RE: Apoc for free and works perfectly.

Good deals like this happen all the time at these shops, and the prices are usually not too badly inflated. Seems these people are actually trying to make money and want to help customers.... what a new and frightening approach to marketing....
 
[quote name='The Truth']there are a couple run of the mill shops where up and down the Ohio river on the West Virginia side. Picked up an AV converter for five systems for $15. Also picked up 3 DVDs for 20 recently. One of them (RE: Apocolypse) was in poor condition, but he sprayed some Pledge on it (Anicent Pawn Shop Secret? I thought it would hurt the disc) and told me to pick another. He proceeded to give me RE: Apoc for free and works perfectly.

Good deals like this happen all the time at these shops, and the prices are usually not too badly inflated. Seems these people are actually trying to make money and want to help customers.... what a new and frightening approach to marketing....[/QUOTE]


i have problems sometimes that the pawn shop thinks something is worth way more than the stuff is worth (especially when you're looking for older games).. but .. at a pawn shop out of area (in Hendersonville, NC) I found Mario Tennis, Mario Golf for 3 dollars each..

but yeah for the most part they want to sell the products they have so the prices are low.
 
There is a pawn shop 1 street over from where I live, prices are ok but games selection is pretty bad. I have bought a few dvds and a couple memory cards from them thats about it.
 
I used the route Otherguy676 showed me, and I managed to score Dynasty Warriors 5 for 15 even (no tax), Tekken 5 for 13, and MGS 2: Substance for ps2 for 10.

Not a bad haul, overall.
 
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