Sometimes you run into a situation where you need a little quick cash and aren’t sure what to do. Well if you have a chainsaw that you aren’t currently using, you can probably get a quick loan or sell it to a pawn shops for a decent amount of money.
Of course, the next major question is to know just how much a pawn shop will give you for your chainsaw and to be honest, that’s going to depend on a lot of factors as most things do in the pawn industry.
The first big thing that you’ve got to consider is of course what brand the chain saw is.
Obviously there are some brands that are going to be much more desirable and worth considerably more than others and in that sense, chainsaws are really not that much different from virtually anything else that pawn shops might typically deal with.
That having been said, the next major consideration is what kind of condition the chainsaw is in.
Pawn shops are going to be real excited to make you a loan against a chainsaw that is really roughed up or extremely used. However, if the chainsaw is in good shape, even if it’s older, a pawn shop is going to be much more open to loaning you a good amount of money against one.
Of course, the chainsaw should run well but that goes without saying, doesn’t it? Same with the chain – it should have a chain in decent condition. Something with a broken or missing chain won’t be nearly as desirable to your local pawn shop by any stretch of the imagination.
Pawn shops will pay more for higher quality brand chainsaws and are often happy to take them in.
How Much Do They Pay
How much a pawn shop is willing to pay out on a chainsaw will depend on a variety of factors. Some of which we have already covered but we can look at them in a little more detail.
Brands
The brand of the chainsaw is going to make a huge difference in what kind of offer you get for a loan or a sale on your chainsaw. Obviously the professional and more expensive brands are going to bring more money than the cheaper or house brands. Here are some examples:
Stihl
Stihl chainsaw are a very well respected and professional line of power tools that pretty much everybody loves. Of course there are a large variety of models that they make but you can typically expect to get between $40-$100 on a Stihl chainsaw for a loan and possibly a little more on a buy.
In areas of the country that are more rural, you might expect to get an addition 15-25% above that.
Husqvarna
Husqvarna are a lot like Stihl in the respect that have as a quality brand of chainsaws. And a lot like Stihl, they have a wide range of models that they make and each will bring a different amount of money to some extent but again you can expect to get anyplace between $40-$100 with a 15-25% premium in more rural parts of the country.
Echo is still a decent consumer brand of chainsaw, but it’s not considered a truly professional brand like Stihl or Husqvarna. Here you are going to be looking at something closer to $30-$75 depending on the model and condition.
There is still a premium in more rural parts of the country but not as extreme as the premium brands. Expect between 10-15%.
Poland & House Brands
Brands like Poland or other house brands such as Craftsman won’t bring nearly the same amount of money as a professional, premium brand chainsaw. You can often expect to get between $15-$40 for these lower cost chainsaws.
It’s not that the chainsaws don’t work but rather that they aren’t often as powerful or as reliable as the more professional brands and therefore just don’t bring the same type of money because quite honestly, if someone is looking for a quality used chainsaw, they will almost always buy the Stihl or Husqvarna over something like a Poland or Craftsman.
Don’t expect much of a premium for these chainsaws in rural areas. They just don’t have the reputation or respect to justify it.
Tips For Pawning Your Chainsaw
If you are going to pawn your chainsaw, here are some types that will help you get the most money possible out of it.
Make Sure It Has Gas Or Bring Some – A pawn shop will want to test out the chainsaw and make sure that it starts and runs well. If you don’t have gas to start the chainsaw up, the pawn shop will have no idea if it runs and if so, how well it runs. In fact, they may turn the chainsaw down.
Clean It Up – Be sure to clean off old or excessive wood dust or chips and have it in presentable condition. When a pawn shop looks at a chainsaw, that’s exactly what they are doing – look at it. So clean it up, dust it off, rub it down with a rag and maybe a little soapy water but make sure it looks as decent as possible.
Bring The Case – If you have a carrying case for the chainsaw as most do come with them, make sure that you bring it will you as long as any tools or oil that may have come with the saw originally. These things will definitely work in your favor assuming everything else is right.
