When it comes to the types of items that you will find in pawn shops, they are greatly varied but you will almost always find pawn shops have musical instruments. Clarinets are of course no exception.
That having been said, pawn shops are experienced buyers and seller of things like clarinets and will often know what they are looking at as soon as they see one.
It’s for that reason that you can almost always trust that you are in good hands when it comes to selling something like a used clarinet to a pawn shop – they deal with them all of the time and know what it is, what they sell for, what the common problems with them may be and will almost always give you a really fair, honest value for your used clarinet.
That having been said, determining the value of a clarinet can depend on a lot of things and if you aren’t sure how much you can expect to get out of your used clarinet at your local pawn shop then let’s just go ahead and take a moment now to talk about it.
By the end of this article you should have a much better idea of how to research how much your clarinet may be worth to a pawn shop and what you might be able to expect to get out of one when you go to sell it.
Like most things, the condition of your clarinet is going to be a big factor in determining how much a pawn shop will pay you for it.
Condition Matters
When it comes to things that come into pawn shops, condition is almost always a huge factor at play but it is particularly important when we are talking about musical instruments.
Because defects or imperfections can poorly or negatively affect the tone or musical quality of an instrument when played, the condition of your clarinet is going to go a long way as to determining just how much you may get out of it.
In addition, repairs to musical instruments can add up quickly and if there are problems or pieces on your clarinet that are broken or otherwise need repair, that is really going to negatively impact how much a pawn shop can afford to pay you for your clarinet.
So be honest about the condition of your item…
Does it need new pads?
What kind of condition is the cork in?
Do all of the keys move smoothly, easily and return to their top positions quickly?
Do all of the pieces fit together properly?
Do you have the case and everything you need?
Make & Model
Like other things that come into the pawn shop, the make and model of the clarinet are going to be important factors in determining how much a pawn shop offers your for your piece.
For instance, there are very good clarinets makers out there who produce really fantastic instruments but they also produce what is known as “Student” clarinets – or cheap clarinets that are used primarily for learning on.
If you have one of these student clarinets, you may find that your instrument isn’t worth a huge amount of money to begin with.
On the other hand, if you have a really valuable, professional clarinet, you may find that the pawn shop will offer you a really good price for it because they know how desirable it can be to the right person.
Price Comparison
So with those things in mind, what most pawn shops will do is look up the make and model of your clarinet on second hand websites like eBay or Amazon to see what clarinets in similar condition and completeness sell for online.
Once they know what that value is, they will typically offer you 40-60% of that price. You have to understand that they can’t offer you 100% of what they sell for online because they still have to make some money on it – after all, that is what they are in business for.
But it’s also a really fair deal for you because they then assume all of the headache of listing the clarinet, packing it, shipping it, dealing with all of the questions and customer support issues, etc.
You on the other hand just want out with a stack of cash in hand and it’s going to be a fair price based on the actual current market value of your item.
