Choosing Beautiful Jewelry

Three Things You Didn't Know You Could Buy At Pawn Shops

28 September 2019

Bertha Garza

Ask people about what they think they could find at pawn shops, and chances are they'll mention jewelry, electronics, and musical instruments. Truth is, you can find almost anything that has value at a pawn shop, including some items that you wouldn't expect to see among the rings and stereos.

Power Tools

If you've ever wondered why there are reports on the news of thefts from work trucks of tool boxes, tools themselves, and other construction items, it's not because people thought the items were neat — it's because those items could be pawned for cash. Of course, pawn shop owners are savvy and keep an eye out for stolen items (they stay aware of police reports regarding stolen tools and call the police if anything suspicious shows up at the shop), but people do legitimately pawn their own tools. Maybe the tools were the only things of value they had, or maybe they wanted to get rid of the tools and decided to get some cash for them. The result is that you can get some good deals on tools compared to the prices at home improvement stores.

Used Guns

People do pawn guns. If you buy a firearm from a pawn shop, keep in mind it should not be a private sale and should be subject to any background checks and waiting periods required by your state. If you do buy a firearm at the shop, ask about what carrying cases are available. While open carry is legal in many states, it's nicer to have a carrying case that fits the firearm to help transport it home.

Woefully Underpaid Items

The sad fact about many pawned items is that they were pawned in times of great need. That means a lot of them may have been pawned for smaller amounts of money than they could have commanded. This is not necessarily because the people at the pawn shop wouldn't pay a lot, but because the person selling didn't want to take out such a huge loan. Remember that pawn shops are technically loan shops, too. Someone may have come in, needing only a small loan (maybe they needed only a small amount and worried they'd end up spending the extra money if they accepted a huge loan) — but then they never retrieved the item. That means you can find some very valuable jewelry, musical instruments, or other items in those display cases.

You could have a pretty interesting afternoon exploring a pawn shop like Whittier Loan & Jewelry. Stop in and see what happens to be on offer that day.

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