When you are shopping at a pawn shop you almost never know what you are going to find. It’s just the nature of the business – pawn shop tend to have a very large selection of all kinds of merchandise, big and small. It’s what makes them really unique to be honest.
When it comes to something like gold or a diamond it almost doesn’t matter how old it is, it will always have value.
Because of that you will almost always find gold and diamonds for sale in pawn shops.
In fact, gold and diamonds are often what pawn shops are known for.
That doesn’t go for all items though. Things like electronics are typically ‘age sensitive.’
Once a laptop or TV is a few years old, they aren’t nearly as desirable as they once were.
Because of that, most people don’t know if their local pawn shops even deal with electronics at all – but most normally will.
What Kinds Of Electronics Are In Pawn Shops?
The type of electronics that a pawn shop will carry will depend greatly on the pawn broker. Not all pawn brokers are comfortable dealing with every type of merchandise out there.
However, if the pawn shop you are visiting does take electronics, the most common kinds that you will find will be things like Laptops, TVs, and tablets (iPads, etc.)
There are some pawn shops that deal with other kinds of electronics such as GPS units, iPods, desktop computers and more – but that will depend on location and what that pawnbroker feels comfortable loaning on.
If you want a quick summary of what you might normally find in a pawn shop you should read “What Can You Sell At A Pawn Shop.”
Remember, what a pawn shop loans against they will typically sell as well.
For most pawn shops, the rule is 2 years old or newer. They simply don’t want to deal with old, outdated technology so they won’t take in old electronics if they can avoid it.
That means the electronics that they do sell will typically be newer and in good condition.
If there is a pawn shop that carries older electronics, you can normally expect to find it at a very reasonable price. Pawn brokers know that the value of technology moves daily it seems and won’t charge an arm and a leg for something that is older.
Are There Warranties Offered?
That depends completely on the pawn shop. Some do offer warranty periods on their merchandise, some don’t.
When it comes to electronics, there typically isn’t a warranty. You make sure it works in the store and then that’s the end of it.
The reason for this is pretty simple – electronics are easy to break. It’s easy to drop them or have them fall off something. You can accidentally bang it around on the car ride home.
Really there’s all sorts of ways to damage electronics and it’s not fair to the pawn broker to be liable for how you treated something on the ride home with it.
But – that’s not always true. Even though they are really easy to damage some pawn brokers will still offer some kind of warranty or return period on them.
The rule of thumb is to be sure that you ask before you buy. After all, you don’t want to have to return something and then find our that you can’t.
The Nerd’s Experience
To be honest – it’s easier for us to sell electronics on eBay than it is in store. If you really want to find a deal on something, consider asking the pawn shop for their eBay store name (if they have one.) That’s probably where you are going to find your golden nugget of a deal.
That will about do it…
If you have any questions or comments, please leave them in the comment field below and I’ll be happy to get back to you as soon as possible.
Thanks again,
The Head Nerd
