High prices at pawn shops

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whm1974

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Ok I went to a pawn show yestiday morning. They had four handguns and a bunch of rifles/shotguns. I took a look at the handguns and I thought they were overpriced.
Here is what they had:

1. Russian nugget revolver - $129
2. eypten Hewin - $249
3 S&W model 10 w/ 2 in BL - $289 (I think)
4 S&W model 586 4 in BL - $379

Is it just me or are these guns overpriced for used guns? The Hewin was kind of beat up with part of the rear sight missing. The 586 was nice but I'm not buying at that price.

Are all pawn shops this bad or just the ones I've been in? Where is a good gun shop in or around Madison County IL?

-Bill
 
It's a pawn shop

Think about why people go to pawn shops in the first place. If they had anything of real value as collateral, they could get a bank loan with a much more reasonable interest rate. as often as not, people go in with junk they're trying to sell, can't get anything for it, see something shiny, and "OOOOOOH!!!" The impulse control they never had fails to kick in, and they've bought something.

That said, sometimes you can get a great deal at a pawn shop, if you ACTUALLY know what you are doing, and looking for. Since you know too much about guns, theyre not going to snare you on those. My first handgun, an East German Makarov, was purchased from a pawn shop for $150.
 
That said, sometimes you can get a great deal at a pawn shop, if you ACTUALLY know what you are doing, and looking for. Since you know too much about guns, theyre not going to snare you on those. My first handgun, an East German Makarov, was purchased from a pawn shop for $150.
Click to expand...

$150 for a used gun is reasonable. However charging almost the price of a brand new one is robbery. Not to mention that the Hewin was petty beated up, but I might of brought it if it was priced right.

-Bill
 
I have found some excellent deals at pawn shops over the years. You do have to be careful, because some things are overpriced, but there are deals to be had if you are patient. I recently bought a like new SP101 for $290 at a pawn shop, and I've bought a S&W model 19 for $150, a Ruger 10/22 for $75, and a stainless GP100 for $165.:D
 
Thanks gggman. When I was at the pawn shop I didn't look at the long arms, so they might have had reasonable prices on those.

Bill
 
The pawn shops here in Utah are generally overpriced. I've seen used 10/22s for $199, and Marlin .22 autoloaders for $150. But it must work, because they stay in business.
 
The days of finding hidden treasure for a song at pawnshops are gone. Most of them are computerized and have access to databases of "blue book" like info on all sorts of items, including firearms, musical instruments and cameras. Time was you might find a real gem for a fraction of its value, but it doesn't happen often these days. More often it's the opposite: they know it's worth $x so they price it at $2x. Keep in mind who their usual clientele is.

- 0 -
 
Those look like typical retail prices to me. Store owners need to make money and they have higher overhead than home FFL dealers so they usually have to charge more to stay in business. I remember when I had an FFL and went to gunshows. People would offer to sell me their used guns but they refused to take one penny less than what they paid for them at the gun shop. I could not make them understand that A: their guns were now used and B: I could buy those guns new for less than what they wanted and C: I needed to make a profit to stay in business so I needed to buy for less than what I got when I sold. These same people probably griped about storefront dealers asking $129 for the gun they saw in Shotgun News listed by a large distributor at $89. Some people don't know the difference between WHOLESALE and RETAIL.

Shop around. It's a free market system. You can buy, negotiate or go somewhere else.
 
One of the things to remember is that a shop's asking price is just that.

It's often possible to talk them down quite a bit. Not always, but sometimes.

A lot depends on whether their sales goals are met, what they paid for an item, etc.

Also, paying cash helps a lot.
 
I have seen prices along the lines of a used lorcin for $250, and similar pieces of crap priced at over 2x their brand new value at a local pawn shop. and talk about customer service, extremely rude. that was the one and only time I will waste my time at a pawn shop.
 
I've bought what I wouldn't consider to be "gems" at a pawn shop. One was a .30-30 Model 94 and the other was a .22LR Model 74. Of course, they were overpriced and buying both of them might have helped get the price down. If you ask me, the mexicans in there just wanted to sell. I paid about 60% of asking price.

However, if there is one thing I've learned from looking for guns pawn shops is that most likely you will see nothing special and it'd be a waste of money OR you could just buy it somewhere else if there's something you like. But, if you see something you like, either priced right or they take your lower offer, it can be rewarding.
 
It used to seem that when I went to pawn shops I got some good deals I mean a few years ago I got some great deals, like a Win 1300 Defender Shotdun for 150.00 that looked new with no wear blued with synthetic stock,, but then again I stopped at a few this weekend that where really proud of thier guns, I mean a beat up Win 1300 defender shotgunblued with synthetic stock for $239.00, or the einfield Mk4 for $159.99, I can get the Mk4 for under 100.00, and the Win 1300 new for right around 239.00.. Ohh and did I mention neither had been cleaned and looked NASTY......
 
Knowing the Blue-Book value and being able to accuratly determint the appropriate condition should give you an idea of what it's worth.
Whenever I find something in the pawn shop, I usually offer half of the asking price or less than the BB price, and negoiate from there.
Yes the shop needs a profit, and you can pretty well bet they only paid 25% of the value. Be prepaired to walk away, use your poker face; as soon as they see the drool they know your hooked.
Many pawn shop operators act like ???????s, it's just the nature of the buisness offering insulting prices for what you want to sell, and outragious prices for what they want to sell, to a market of often questionable people.
 
Bah, that's nothing.

There's a beat to heck Mosin Nagant 91/30 around here that I found at a pawn shop. They figure it's worth $400 bucks.

No, that's not for a six pack. That's for ONE 91/30. It's got a hex receiver though.
 
I have found some good deal on my guns in pawns shops
Colt 1991a1 commander like new $360, model 13 3inch $175, model 19 2 1/2inch $200, Colt Detective Special 3rd gen NIB $325, Browning Hi power Capitan NIB $400, saw a NIB Sig 229 .40 cal NIB for $450 had no need for it though. I also have seen some really BAD SYITA prices on a Colt 1991A1 GM that was about 85% for $700 or the Colt python 4inch nickel for $850. But the worst prices is a local Gun store and the Saxet gun show with all of them Dealer/Collectors who buy CMP guns and resale them at 200% profit but that's another thread
 
Are you sure those are pawned guns? The Nagant revolvers and Helwan's have (fairly) recently resurfaced at the major SGN sort of distributors. The model 10's and 586/686's are often available from the same sources as police trade ins. Sounds like in addition to a pawnshop, they may also be operating as a traditional reseller - and since even wholesale is more than they'd pay for a pawn, their prices are also higher, more in line with what you'd expect from a retail gunshop than a pawnshop.
 
pawn shops

ok u can try traders on 3rd street in alton..he is a little high but usually has a big selection...or buy from gunbroker and pay an ffl to do the transfer....there are several ffl's only charging 10 dollars to do it
 
I went into a pawn shop here in Salt Lake a week or so ago, looking for a recurve bow my buddy told me was there. No bow, but I did see a 10/22 that had quite a bit of wear. They only wanted $285 for it.

You can get pretty good deals at a lot of pawn shops, and most of them expect to haggle, but even at half the asking price, there's no way it was worth it. You just have to scratch your head sometimes.....
 
Are you sure those are pawned guns? The Nagant revolvers and Helwan's have (fairly) recently resurfaced at the major SGN sort of distributors. The model 10's and 586/686's are often available from the same sources as police trade ins. Sounds like in addition to a pawnshop, they may also be operating as a traditional reseller - and since even wholesale is more than they'd pay for a pawn, their prices are also higher, more in line with what you'd expect from a retail gunshop than a pawnshop.
Click to expand...

I think these are pawned guns. If they are a reseller, then they didn't have avery good seletion...

-Bill
 
I only go to pawnshops if I want a good laugh. You think their prices on guns are ridiculous? Check out their camera gear and lenses...
 
Every pawn shop that I have ever been in want's top dollar for every handgun that looks like it was thrown from a fast moving car during a chase.

:rolleyes:
 
You just gotta figure that some are high by nature, and others are usually high but can sometimes be reasonable. After looking thru hundreds of "selections", I found

an unfired Russian SKS w/ 30 round mag for $119 OTD

Unfired Marlin bolt .22 mag laminated stock with scope and sling for $90

Over/under Beretta 20 ga in like-new condition for $475

Unfired Remington 700 Sendero 7mm mag with Leupold QD mounts, Leupold VXIII scope, Harris bi-pod, sling, and flip caps for $800

Remember...if it's a screaming deal, the guy ahead of you is gonna pick it up. You gotta go to the shops on a frequent basis.

If you're not really interested in the gun, don't make them pull everything off the rack.

I know the guys in the shops here so they cut me great deals.

Don't be a jerk and whine about the prices. Nobody's twisting your arm. Take cash and make an offer. If the dealer accepts it, buy the gun. These guys know I don't jerk them around, so they treat me with respect and I return the favor.

It's a free country. You don't have to buy and they don't have to sell.
 
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