So maybe you’ve got some great leather and you just so happen to be in need of a short term loan to help you get through a rough spot. We’ve all been there. The question is – do pawn shops accept leathers for loans? The answer is – some do.
Really some pawn shops do a lot of business with apparel. This surprises a lot of people because they don’t normally think of a pawn shop as a place for clothing items and that’s understandable.
Other pawn shops don’t touch it, but will still deal in leather. And then there are pawn shops who won’t work with any of it.
While that can make it tough to find a pawn shop that deals in leather, they are out there.
Typically speaking though, they won’t take just anything so keep your expectations reasonable.
There are some things you should be sure of before you take your item down to the pawn shop and let’s take a look at what you should be thinking about before you head to your local pawnbroker for a loan.
Is It Authentic Leather?
There are a lot of fake leathers out there. They’ve gotten very good at making synthetics these days. It’s easier to work with for the manufacturer as well as being much cheaper than real leather in many cases.
You’ve got to make sure that whatever items you are looking to pawn are actually made from real leather and not a synthetic of any kind.
But just being made out of real leather isn’t enough some times….
Is It A Branded Leather?
Some pawn shops only want to deal with what is known as ‘branded leather.’
That has nothing to do with the material itself but rather who made it. They want to see if come from a brand, like Harley Davidson Motorcycles for instance.
A ‘Harley Leather’ will typically have a higher resale value than a similar jacket made by a lesser-known manufacturer.
But It’s Still ‘Conditional’
Just like anything else you take into a pawn shop, you’ve got to make sure that what you have is in very good condition.
That means you should check for any knicks, cuts, snags, or rips before you take it down in most cases. If you find any significant damage you can probably bet that they will as well and may not take your item because of it.
At the very least, if the leather is damaged you will certainly be offered less because of those defects.
Last But Not Least…
Is it a common size? Most pawn shop will be directly reselling these items and therefore want them in the sizes that most people would be buying them in. Think medium and large as two common sizes that are widely accepted.
If it’s a XXXXL or a XXXS you may find that the pawn shop will be less interested in it – but not because anything is wrong with it. It will just take them longer to find a customer who would buy it from them.
But The First Step Is
Call – just call ahead and make sure that your local pawn shop deals with leather apparel before you inspect it too much.
A lot of pawn shops don’t work with that type of merchandise, so it is especially important to check before you go.
If they do take them in, consider cleaning up whatever the item is and maybe even condition it so that the leather is in the ebst possible condition when you show it to them.
Thanks so much,
The Head Nerd
Mandy Dormain started working for Pawn Nerd in 2020. Mandy grew up in a small town in northern Tennessee. But moved to New York for university. Before joining Pawn Nerd, Mandy briefly worked as a freelance journalist for several radio stations. She covers politics and economy stories.
