A lot of things come into pawn shops pretty regularly, but what about snow globes? Find out if your local pawn shop will take in your snow globe or not.
The Appeal of Snow Globes
Snow globes are one of those unique items that, to be honest with you, I love to see come through the pawn shop doors. (Yes, yes, many of you probably think that I’m weird now… that’s okay.) I think they are great, but what about other pawnbrokers? Do they typically get excited about snow globes? Do pawn shops buy snow globes? Will they make a loan on one if you bring it in? It’s a fair question to be honest. It’s also one that is not so easy to answer unfortunately, but we will do our best, and if you get to the end, you will also know how to get the most for yours! (Oh, did I just give it away??)
With something like snow globes, you’ve almost really got to find the right pawn shop to get excited about them. Take me for instance; when someone comes in with a snow globe in good condition, as long as it looks interesting, I will almost always make an offer on it even if that particular snow globe doesn’t sell for much on eBay. But, keep in mind that I’m just one pawn broker out of many, and pawn shops all around the country operate completely differently from each other. Pawn shops aren’t like Walmart or something where each individual location operates in the exact same way. In fact, it’s often taught to find any two pawn shops in the same area that operate identically.
So, when it comes to something like a snow globe, you are going to have to do some investigation if you want to find a pawn shop that will take it and pay you a good amount of money for it.
How To Find Pawn Shops That Buy Snow Globes
Now, normally I would say to just Google “Pawn shops near me” and call all of the pawn shops down the list to see which of them would take your globe. However, this is a little different. It’s not like we are talking about welders here where pretty much every pawn shop is going to operate off of the same basic guidelines when making offers on them. A snow globe is unique, and often times, uniquely appreciated by the individual owner slightly differently than one might expect.
So How Should You Talk To The Pawn Shop Differently When It Comes To Taking Snow Globes? Instead of calling the pawn shops and just saying “Hey, do you take snow globes” I would ask a slightly different question. What you want to get at is if the pawn shop is at all excited about the snow globe. Do they seem like they are really interested in it, or just giving you a very monotone response? For instance you might ask “Hey, do you guys deal with snow globes often?” Or “How would you feel about someone bringing in a snow globe?” You want to give the other person on the call some room to explain to get excited about what you are going to take to them and if they don’t, I would keep calling until you find a weirdo like me who really wants to see it!
How To Get The Most For Your Snow Globe At A Pawn Shop
Now, with this in mind, I would make sure that you take everything you can for the snow globe. You’ve got to keep in mind that they are a collectible, and as such, things like the box, paperwork, and certification (or letter of authenticity) will matter. Not only will it matter, but what condition those other things are in will make a BIG difference. While just having the original box is better than no box at all, if your snow globe is a desirable collectible, having the box and paperwork in excellent condition can really add to the value! So, find all of those other items if you can, and dust them off. You don’t have to get crazy with it, but make them look a little cleaner than I am sure they are right now. The same goes for the globe itself of course. There’s still no need to go crazy here, but at the very least, dust it off. If you want, and it has a wood base, you could even take a little furniture polish to the base and make it shine nicely as that will almost always improve your offer.
Remember That Pawn Shops Are Looking At Your Snow Globe Through The Eyes Of A Customer
When you are taking things to a pawn shop, you may just be making a loan on them with the intention of getting them back at a later point in time. However, unfortunately, not everyone is able to get their items back. Because of this, the pawn shop has to look at the items that you are bringing into them as if they will be buying them (and therefore having to sell them to someone else) even if you are just making a loan with the full intention of getting it back. So imagine you were going to buy this snow globe… Would you want it to look all dusty and dingy? Probably not. After all, who wants someone else’s dirty and unwanted nick-necks in their home, unless they know something the other person doesn’t of course. No, when you buy something to take home, you want it to look as new as possible and the pawnbroker is going to look at your snow globe in a very similar manner.
Now, of course, they often have to clean the items that they put out for resale, so that’s nothing new to them – but if you can eliminate that step for them and give them the impression that you really cared about this snow globe, you often times stand to get a few extra dollars if you play your cards right.
Did You Know?
Snow globes were first invented in France in 1878 by a pharmacist who wanted to create a paperweight with glittering snow. The first patent for a snow globe was granted in 1889 by an Austrian named Erwin Perzy who used semolina flakes as snow.
