TimboKhan
Member
Guys,
Before I post the meat of this thread, let me just say that I am not claiming to be an expert, and I welcome any strategies that you may have. My experience in this field comes from working at a pawnshop for a little over a year (with Rockstar.Esq), and also from shopping for guns at pawnshops for longer than that.
Buying guns at a pawnshop can yield some fantastic bargains, if you know what your doing, are persistent, and patient. The first thing you need to understand is pricing. Some pawnshops will have knowledgable gun guys in them, and generally speaking, they will be pretty proud of thier prices, but if you understand how they buy the guns, it gives you a good amount of wiggle room. At the pawnshop I worked at, our rule was to give 60% of bluebook price at whatever percentage of condition we felt the gun was in, never to exceed 90%. Now, I have no idea if this is the standard percentage or not, but I would be surprised to find that any pawn shop, anywhere, was paying more than that. Then, working within the margin, we needed to make at least 30% over that buy price to sell the gun, although we typically made more than that. So, basically, the first thing you will want to do is look at the price and chop at least 10-15% off that price. Guys can and do make mistakes and end up paying way, way too much for a gun, and occasionally you will see some outrageous prices on guns. You need to be able to recognize what an outrageous price is, and when you do, don't even bother trying to negotiate it down, as it is unlikely that the shop will sell it to you at a loss, and they are basically looking for a sucker to walk in.
Depending on the shop, look at the tags. Some shops (like the one that I worked at) gave a great deal of information away on the tags, some give nothing but price. One of the most important pieces of info that you can find is when the gun was put out for pawn. Generally, the longer a piece of stock has been sitting there, the more flexible on price the shop will be, and this actually applies to EVERYTHING in the shop, not just guns. Remember that outrageous gun? Well, if it has been sitting there for 2 or 3 or 4 years, it becomes more and more likely that the shop will sell it at a loss, as they have had plenty of time to make money to cover that loss. This is where persistance pays off. Find a price and stick to it, and then just drop in and ask on a regular basis if they are ready to sell it for that. Maybe it will work, and maybe it won't, but the longer it sits there, the more likely it becomes. Generally, a shop will not sell at margin if the gun is new to the sales floor, so if the tag gives away that information, you have a pretty good bargaining chip. Some shops (like mine) even had what they paid for the item on the tag, albeit in code, and its generally not that hard to figure out the code! If they do this, you have a major barganing chip on your hands! A quick note on time: Pawnshops will be MUCH more likely to sell things at slashed prices at the end of the month when they are trying to meet qoutas. Don't just shop at the end of the month, as you will likely miss some deals, but make sure you do get in there the last week or so of every month!
Next, find a guy that you like at the pawnshop and try to deal with him or her. If possible, get in good with the manager. Pawnshop personnel have good memories for faces and names generally, and eventually you will be recognized on sight. This familiarity helps you far more than it hinders you. If an employee likes you, they are FAR more likely to sell you a gun at margin, or at least argue with the manager to do so, than they will to some a-hole that pretends to know everything and treats them crappy. Be friendly, be conversant, and try to establish a rapport with that one employee. Eventually you will know all the employees, and that just helps you out even more. I know Rockstar.Esq and I had guys that we talked to consistently, and those guys always got the benefit of being nice and friendly to us, even when they didn't get their way. The miserable bastard that looked down his nose to us? We would never move an inch to help him, even at the expense of a sale.
The rapport extends past occasional good deals: My dad frequents 3 or 4 pawnshops on an almost every other day basis, and he is in good enough with 2 of them that they actually let him in the back to look at guns that aren't even on the floor yet! As it happens, my brother in law is the district manager for these stores, but even before that happened, dad was allowed in the back. If your like my dad, and you are an active buyer (say, 10 or more guns a year) and you are in good with the employees, you may actually get a phone call when something good comes in. Rockstar.Esq and I used to deal with a guy we called the Walrus who was a Colt collector. the Walrus was a super nice and knowledgable guy who was reasonable in his expectations about price, and it got to the point that if a colt was coming out, we just called him and held it in the back till he came. Sometimes he bought, sometimes he didn't, but the point is, it happens. We even called him about a lady that was wanting to sell a fairly rare little pocket colt, and as far as I can remember, she did sell it to him, or at least they met up privately and he looked at it.
Finally, be patient. The bigger the city is that you live in, the wider variety of guns you will see. My town is a mid-sized town (Fort Collins, for those that know it), and I have seen everything from Hi-Points to Les Baers come through the shops. Recently (within the last 2 weeks), a Les Baer AR-15 sold at a shop for 1350.00. Thats a lot, but considering that gun sells new for a tick over two grand, its a hell of a bargain. Aside from rare guns or oddities, chance are pretty good that if you live in a decent sized town, at some point what your looking for will come down the pike. Also, remember that most shops have pretty fair layaway programs!
Allrighty, thats all I will write for now, as I have to get to class! Rockstar.Esq, I know you will read this, so add something to it or correct me if I am wrong!
Before I post the meat of this thread, let me just say that I am not claiming to be an expert, and I welcome any strategies that you may have. My experience in this field comes from working at a pawnshop for a little over a year (with Rockstar.Esq), and also from shopping for guns at pawnshops for longer than that.
Buying guns at a pawnshop can yield some fantastic bargains, if you know what your doing, are persistent, and patient. The first thing you need to understand is pricing. Some pawnshops will have knowledgable gun guys in them, and generally speaking, they will be pretty proud of thier prices, but if you understand how they buy the guns, it gives you a good amount of wiggle room. At the pawnshop I worked at, our rule was to give 60% of bluebook price at whatever percentage of condition we felt the gun was in, never to exceed 90%. Now, I have no idea if this is the standard percentage or not, but I would be surprised to find that any pawn shop, anywhere, was paying more than that. Then, working within the margin, we needed to make at least 30% over that buy price to sell the gun, although we typically made more than that. So, basically, the first thing you will want to do is look at the price and chop at least 10-15% off that price. Guys can and do make mistakes and end up paying way, way too much for a gun, and occasionally you will see some outrageous prices on guns. You need to be able to recognize what an outrageous price is, and when you do, don't even bother trying to negotiate it down, as it is unlikely that the shop will sell it to you at a loss, and they are basically looking for a sucker to walk in.
Depending on the shop, look at the tags. Some shops (like the one that I worked at) gave a great deal of information away on the tags, some give nothing but price. One of the most important pieces of info that you can find is when the gun was put out for pawn. Generally, the longer a piece of stock has been sitting there, the more flexible on price the shop will be, and this actually applies to EVERYTHING in the shop, not just guns. Remember that outrageous gun? Well, if it has been sitting there for 2 or 3 or 4 years, it becomes more and more likely that the shop will sell it at a loss, as they have had plenty of time to make money to cover that loss. This is where persistance pays off. Find a price and stick to it, and then just drop in and ask on a regular basis if they are ready to sell it for that. Maybe it will work, and maybe it won't, but the longer it sits there, the more likely it becomes. Generally, a shop will not sell at margin if the gun is new to the sales floor, so if the tag gives away that information, you have a pretty good bargaining chip. Some shops (like mine) even had what they paid for the item on the tag, albeit in code, and its generally not that hard to figure out the code! If they do this, you have a major barganing chip on your hands! A quick note on time: Pawnshops will be MUCH more likely to sell things at slashed prices at the end of the month when they are trying to meet qoutas. Don't just shop at the end of the month, as you will likely miss some deals, but make sure you do get in there the last week or so of every month!
Next, find a guy that you like at the pawnshop and try to deal with him or her. If possible, get in good with the manager. Pawnshop personnel have good memories for faces and names generally, and eventually you will be recognized on sight. This familiarity helps you far more than it hinders you. If an employee likes you, they are FAR more likely to sell you a gun at margin, or at least argue with the manager to do so, than they will to some a-hole that pretends to know everything and treats them crappy. Be friendly, be conversant, and try to establish a rapport with that one employee. Eventually you will know all the employees, and that just helps you out even more. I know Rockstar.Esq and I had guys that we talked to consistently, and those guys always got the benefit of being nice and friendly to us, even when they didn't get their way. The miserable bastard that looked down his nose to us? We would never move an inch to help him, even at the expense of a sale.
The rapport extends past occasional good deals: My dad frequents 3 or 4 pawnshops on an almost every other day basis, and he is in good enough with 2 of them that they actually let him in the back to look at guns that aren't even on the floor yet! As it happens, my brother in law is the district manager for these stores, but even before that happened, dad was allowed in the back. If your like my dad, and you are an active buyer (say, 10 or more guns a year) and you are in good with the employees, you may actually get a phone call when something good comes in. Rockstar.Esq and I used to deal with a guy we called the Walrus who was a Colt collector. the Walrus was a super nice and knowledgable guy who was reasonable in his expectations about price, and it got to the point that if a colt was coming out, we just called him and held it in the back till he came. Sometimes he bought, sometimes he didn't, but the point is, it happens. We even called him about a lady that was wanting to sell a fairly rare little pocket colt, and as far as I can remember, she did sell it to him, or at least they met up privately and he looked at it.
Finally, be patient. The bigger the city is that you live in, the wider variety of guns you will see. My town is a mid-sized town (Fort Collins, for those that know it), and I have seen everything from Hi-Points to Les Baers come through the shops. Recently (within the last 2 weeks), a Les Baer AR-15 sold at a shop for 1350.00. Thats a lot, but considering that gun sells new for a tick over two grand, its a hell of a bargain. Aside from rare guns or oddities, chance are pretty good that if you live in a decent sized town, at some point what your looking for will come down the pike. Also, remember that most shops have pretty fair layaway programs!
Allrighty, thats all I will write for now, as I have to get to class! Rockstar.Esq, I know you will read this, so add something to it or correct me if I am wrong!
I can see it now. Dress up as a street bum or pan handler. Stand right outside the shop. When someone walks up to the door with a gun, "Hey bud, after they give you their best offer, come out and I'll give you more." 
