If you are wondering how much a pawn shop will offer to pay you for a Nintendo 64 system in good condition, then you will want to read this article!
How much do pawn shops pay for N64’s? Well, that’s going to depend on a couple things, but before we really start digging into this topic, there are a few points that we need to cover.
First a foremost, not all pawn shops accept Nintendo 64’s, or any video game systems for that matter.
I know, it sounds crazy right? It’s the truth and while I don’t understand why a pawn shop wouldn’t take in something that has the kind of demand that video game systems do, let’s talk about the reality of why this is even a thing.
What a lot of people don’t understand at first is that pawn shops are owned by thousands of small business owners.
Pawn shops aren’t like stores such as Target or Lowes. They don’t have global policies that all pawn shops follow, and there certainly is no black book that specifies exactly what a pawn shops should take in from their customers.
Each pawn shops is owned by a pawnbroker – that is the person licensed to do business in their state, issue pawn loans, and collect interest based on those loans.
Every pawnbroker has their own ideas about what is a good thing to accept for a loan, or to buy for resale, versus what is not.
Special editions of the Nintendo 64 will typically be worth more money and therefore pawn shops will pay more for them.
How To Find A Pawn Shop That Buys Nintendo 64’s
So before we talk about the price of a Nintendo 64 at a pawn shop, the first thing that we need to discuss is how you should go about finding a pawn shop that even takes them in to begin with.
I would venture to say that most pawn shops will accept N64’s, but I’m sure the last thing you really want to do is show up at a pawn shop that doesn’t take them and waste the trip and your time.
To avoid that situation, you will have to do a little homework first.
The easiest way to find pawn shops that take in things like Nintendo 64’s is by going to Google.com and searching the phrase “Local pawn shops” or “Pawn shops around me.”
Google will return a list of results along with the names of the pawn shops, their phone numbers, addresses, and possibly even reviews.
Pick 3 or 4 of the returned results and give them a call. Pawn shops won’t mind if you ask them if they take a certain item because if they don’t, you are saving everyone a little time by calling ahead.
While you are on the phone with them, what you want to know specifically is the following:
Do they take Nintendo 64’s for both loan and sale? If not, which do they do?
What do you need to have with the system for them to accept it? (that way you can make sure you bring everything with you.)
What do you need to have personally in order to do business with them? (A state ID, just a picture ID, etc.?)
Getting The Most Money Possible For Your Nintendo 64 At A Pawn Shop
Now, with all of that preliminary information covered, let’s talk about actually getting the most money possible for your Nintendo 64 at a pawn shop.
The first thing that you will want to do is to make sure it all works properly. Make sure the system powers on, plays a game, and that the controllers work just like they should.
If you’ve accidentally spilled pop in your controller, now would be a good time to clean it out. Rubbing alcohol works really well for this.
Additionally, you will want to make sure that the system itself is in good condition. Clean off any significant marks. If there is animal hair or fur in the vents, now is the time to get all of that out of there.
Don’t submerge your system in water to clean it off, but just rub out the marks if possible.
The idea here is to make it look as new as possible. When a pawn shop inspects the items that people bring in, one of the things that they are looking at is the condition.
The overall condition of an item will greatly impact its ability to be resold, and how easily that item can be resold. If your Nintendo 64 is really rough, a pawn shop will probably pay less for it than the same system in like-new condition. So spend a few minutes cleaning it before hand.
Also, make sure that you take all of the various cables and parts with you to the pawn shop when you go. If you are missing things like cables and controllers, a pawn shop will be less likely to take your system in, and if they do, they will likely offer you a reduced amount for it.
As you can see, a Nintendo 64 in great, tested condition just sold on eBay for less than $50. So keep in mind, that pawn shop need to be able to make some kind of profit on the items they sell and will almost always offer you sell than what they are selling on eBay for. Of course, the upside of that is that you get cash in hand, right away!
The Value Of Nintendo 64’s At Pawn Shops
Now, finally, we get to what you’ve really been waiting for this entire time.
What is the bottom line value for a N64 at a pawn shop? Well, at the time of this writing (early 2016) it’s not uncommon for Nintendo 64’s in fantastic condition to sell for a little under $50 on eBay, with the cords and controller.
With that in mind, a pawn shop will probably offer you between $15-$30 for your system, depending on if you are making a loan on it, selling it, and what kind of condition it is really in.
Of course, if you have additional parts such as extra controllers, additional games, etc. then you might expect to be offered a little more for yours.
Lastly, as time goes on, the value of a Nintendo 64 will likely fall. I would guess that rate to be right around 10% a year, so be aware of that if you are reading this several years from now.
