Do you have a desktop computer that you no longer need or want? If so, you might be wondering if you can pawn or sell it to a pawn shop. In this article, we will answer some common questions about pawning or selling desktop computers and give you some tips on how to get the best deal possible.
Do Pawn Shops Take Desktop Computers?
The short answer is yes, most pawn shops will take desktop computers, assuming that you have all of the parts, it’s somewhat recent and nothing appears to be too badly marked up or damaged. They are much more likely to take in your desktop computer if it is one of the newer All-In-One desktops where there is no separate tower but instead, the computer and the monitor are all built into one unit.
If you aren’t sure what we mean, you can take a look at the iMacs and see how they are built. That is the all-in-one look that we are referring to here. The all-in-ones are much easier for pawn shops to work with and store. In addition, there are a lot more buyers out there for a newer, stylish all in one than there are for the older style desktops with separate towers that you have to lug around.
If you want to know if your local pawn shop will take your desktop computer, the best way to find out is to call them and ask. Not all pawn shops operate the same way. They are all typically owned by small individual business owners and they have their own rules on what they will and will not take in for the most part.
How Much Do They Pay?
How much a pawn shop is willing to pay you for your desktop is going to depend on a lot of factors. Some of these will be pretty obvious to you but some won’t. For instance:
- How new is it
- What kind of hardware does it have
- What kind of physical condition is it in
- Is it a PC or an iMac
- Does it have all of the parts
Once they are able to look at and determine these factors, the next most likely thing for them to do is look up the desktop on a site like Amazon or eBay and see what similar models are selling for used. Of those two choices, they are much more likely to reference eBay since eBay acts as a live second-hand marketplace and you know exactly what things have sold for in the past as opposed to just seeing what someone on Amazon is hoping to sell one for.
Once they’ve determined that value, in all likelihood, they will offer you between 40-60% of that price. Of course, it will be closer to the higher end if you are just selling the computer outright versus making a loan against it and trying to get it back at a later point in time.
Tips For Pawning A Desktop Computer
Pawning or selling a desktop computer to a pawn shop is a lot like pawning or selling a laptop to them as well. There are some basic things that you will want to do to make their life easier and hopefully get you some more money in the process.
- Remove passwords – If you have passwords protecting your administrator account, it’s not a bad idea to remove them altogether if you are going to be making a loan against it. If you don’t want to remove it completely, then at least make sure that you have it available for the pawn shop as they will require it should you end up forfeiting the loan if you weren’t just selling it outright.
- Consider doing a factory reset – If you are going to be selling your desktop computer to a pawn shop, it’s probably a good idea to just go ahead and do a full factory reset on it. That way you will know that your personal information is off of the computer and in addition, it saves a little work for the pawn shop upfront, which is something that they will normally appreciate.
- Clean it up – The next big thing that you will want to make sure you do is clean your desktop up. Remove any large marks that you can and try to have it in as close to new and shiny condition as is possible. This ultimately makes the computer easier to sell and that’s an appealing factor to a pawn shop.
- Have all of the parts – When you take your desktop into the pawn shop, make sure that you have all of the parts and pieces. That includes the monitor, cords, keyboard, mouse, etc. If you are missing these parts then you might not get as much money for your computer or they might not take it at all.
Following these simple tips should help you get the most out of your desktop when you take it into the pawn shop for either a loan or to sell it outright.
