I work at a pawn shop in northern US, ama.

where do you work

>>733938486
A pawn shop.

How much can i get for a fresh log of shit?

>>733938342
Do you ever know whats is gonna come through the door

>>733939134
Zero

>>733939572
Honestly no, it's just like the show in the sense I see random cool shit all the time.

Do you have Battletoads?

>>733939880
No, nor do I know what that is.

>>733939932

>newfag

>>733940038
Somewhat. Tbh it's hard to consider myself a fag at all considering how disturbing this site is most of the time.

But it does also entertain quite a bit so I keep coming back I guess

>>733938342
What's the most common item, other than smart phones, pawned where you work?
How often does some idiot try to pass something that's obviously stolen?

>>733940665
Most common things are power tools, guns or jewelry. We actually stopped doing phones a while ago due to the amount of bricks we ended up with (even after calling carriers to verify clean sn's)

Stolen stuff unfortunately comes through all the time, we have regular cat burglars who bring tons and tons of stolen jewelry, usually if we see them enough times in a month or so we gradually start paying them less and less for their gold just because we can tell it's stolen.

>>733938342
signal wow!

What's the absolute strangest thing anyone's ever brought in?

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>>733941247
That is definitely a tough one. Tbh I'd have to go with a lot of things that came in from an old couple who moved down from Alaska, and had all kinds of cool hand crafted stuff from the native Alaskan Eskimo tribes. Tons of carved mastadon ivory figurines, polar bear claws, walrus tusks, whale bone spears / knives, weighted bolas, and even a full sized polar bear pelt.

Tried to post a pic related but my file sizes are too large.. figurine incoming soon

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>>733941247
Here's one of the cooler figurines, quarter for scale>>733941247

Dog?

>>733942620
No dog.

>>733939572
Zozzle. Good stuff.

>>733938342
how do you cope with the existential dread of the unknown and unavoidable instance we know as death?

>>733942732
I hear this shit every day from retard customers, trust me it's not good stuff.

>>733942818
Tbh I'm not sure if I do cope. The only comfort I find in death is knowing that I won't be the first or the last to have to experience it.

>>733940205
>and then he admitted to his sick addictions, to a crowd of censored faces.

>>733942969
Wouldn't exactly refer to it as a sick addiction, I just enjoy watching the anonymous chats and sometimes taking part.

You won't find me in any of the rekt or gore or weird porn threads.

>>733938342
do you enjoy your work?

>>733943134
i can't find you in any of those anyways "anon"
unless I am the leet haxxor. Which .maybe

>>733938342
Do you enjoy consistently underselling individuals for their priceless family heirlooms and stored bullion during their times of distress?

>>733943270
>>733943270
Eh that one's debatable tbh. I enjoy chatting with a lot of the old retired guys that come into the shop from time to time, gun enthusiasts such as myself, hot chicks that come it, etc. Most people hate the customer service aspect of it but that's probably the only part I enjoy.

The work itself is (while the items are interesting sometimes) bland, and it's easy to make mistakes because some of the loans can get kind of complicated. Plus there's a lot of red tape and legalities involved with pawn shops in general so you really have to be careful how you handle certain situations.

People who come in for loans are almost always pissed off because they have no money, and have to give up their shit to get it. I never pay them enough (50% of used value) and that pisses them off even more. It's unfortunately not uncommon to have to kick someone out of the store who's acting like a fool.

Not to mention dealing with people who have either had their shit stolen by thieves, or (in recent heroin-related incidents) their own children.

>>733943450
Who knows, it's probably possible

>>733938342
How do I get the best deal when pawning something?

>>733943716
Nah I don't take any kind of pleasure in 'ripping people off' so to speak. But I have to keep my margins where they are to keep the boss happy, to a certain extent.

Tbh on stuff like bullion, our numbers aren't even that bad. We buy at 85% of spot and sell at 115% of spot which in my mind isn't exactly raping people.

The way I see it, if people want full retail value for their shit, they're more than welcome to sell it themselves. eBay and Craigslist aren't going anywhere. If people want cash money right here, right now for their shit, they can sell it to me for what I'm offering. I won't twist anyone's arm or try to take advantage.

>>733943902
There is no best deal, the numbers are what they are.

Though I will say, if you're dealing with a larger shop, try to work with the most inexperienced employee and pawn some weird shit like a historical rifle or some obscure speciality tools.

We got burned on a pawn of an old German 8mm Mauser not too long ago that one of our newer employees was under the impression was worth about 600 bucks. Turns out upon further investigation (after the loan forfeited) that it didn't have the correct stock and it was missing the flip iron sights, which essentially killed all of its collectable value. We loaned the guy more than the gun was worth.

What is the cheapest thing you bought and what is the most expensive?

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>>733943824
What's your normal buy rate for gold/silver? Fixed percentage of spot? (Other metals (Pt, etc) same?)

Do you see unusual metals for jewelry at all? I imagine rarely if ever.

>>733944689
>>733944164

Sorry, didn't see your answer. (Thanks)

>>733944479
Cheapest thing I buy usually is sterling silver jewelry. People bring it in all the time thinking it's worth something because they paid 500 dollars for some piece of shit Pandora bracelet or something, when the actual silver in it is worth less than $3 in melting weight. Bought a silver ring yesterday for 75 cents, rounded up from 73. Wasn't even worth the paperwork if you ask me.

Most expensive thing I've bought was a ~2.5 CT cushion cut vvs1 diamond for $5500. Coming in at a close second was a lot of silver bars, 350 ounces total (two 100 oz bars and three 50 oz bars) for 5150.

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What would you pay for this ? Made in Italy

Do you Have Battletoads?

>>733944164
85's not terrible. I wouldn't buy at 115 though.

Ever get things that you find out later are dangerous or unsafe to keep?
>pic related

Or are somewhat borderline (e.g. Vaseline glass, not dangerous per se, but questionable)

>>733944689
>>733944689
It's pretty fixed, I mean we'll round up a bit to make a deal happen if needed.

Haven't personally seen any super unusual metals, though if it's not gold or silver or something I recognize, I don't even know truthfully if I'd recognize an extra-foreign metal if I saw one.

I see a lot of cheap stuff made out of copper or brass, sometimes iron.. and sometimes I do see metals I can't identify, but if it's not precious, I'm not buying it and I usually don't need to delve much further after making that determination.

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>>733945375
Oops.

>pic related by a retard

>>733938548
ha

>>733945300
No idea, my boss is the one who appraises art. He's like a cartoon rich person, been around the world to hundreds of other countries his whole life, can spot most of the stuff and know what it is off the top of his head.

He's also a really good bullshitter though so you never know.

>>733938342
How much do you know about this top secret installation in the pic?

>>733945375
Nothing particularly that I can think of, no. Tbh there's a lot of shit we turn away, if I saw something that looked like that i wouldn't think twice before passing on it.

>>733945520
Not much other than that a map in Battlefield 4 is based off the area in pic related, which is why I saved it.

Fuckin love that game.

>>733945300
Made in italy? Not an italian figure, looks like tourist garbage shipped somewhere else. 5 dollars.

>>733945392
You wouldn't know any of the obscure ones unless someone told you. I've seen Rhodium, Platinum and Palladium (e.g.) but they're almost indistinguishable from polished silver. Meteorite iron can be tested.

I guess answer is "no" :)

>>733945827
> I've seen Rhodium, Platinum and Palladium (e.g.) but they're almost indistinguishable from polished silver.

>almost indistinguishable from polished silver.

It's awkward that I have to be the one to tell you that you need glasses.

>>733945375
>>733945375

>I wouldn't buy at 115 though

Shit I wouldn't either. Nor did I think anyone would until I started working here. We can't fuckin keep the silver in stock ever. It flies out of the case faster than it goes in. Especially the dollar coins like Morgans and Peace Dollars, we sell those for 20-30 each all day long and I know 4 old dudes that literally buy everything I have when they come in. It's mind boggling.

Do you have battletoads?

>>733945671
How WOULD you deal with something you took in that (after you'd accepted) turned out to be radioactive or otherwise sketchy?

Vaseline glass is probably a different case; radioactive but entirely safe to handle. Looks like any greenish-yellow 1920s glass. Worth a pretty penny to anyone who recognizes it, VERY easy to id, with UV light.

>>733946426
Tons of them, in all different colors too

>>733938342
why did you kill 006?

>>733946537
Tbh I have no idea. Find out if it could be easily (and cheaply) disposed of in the proper manner, if not just throw it in the dumpster and hope for the best probably.

I'm sure my boss would know what to do.

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>>733946006
u wot m8?

>>733946673
Because 7 8 9.

>>733946769
Why is Sean Bean always kill?

>>733945827
>Indistinguishable from polished silver

Maybe if you don't have a nose. Silver always smells like silver.

>>733946839
Cuz bean

When drug addicts come in to sell their stuff, do you give them a lower price, because you know that they're desperate?

Also, do you give lower prices to niggers because they are dumb?

>>733946951
Addicts, yes. When I know they're selling their (most likely someone else's) shit for a fix, I'm much more inclined to rip them off. Not because I like it, not to make my already filthy rich boss richer, but to possibly save them from an overdose.

Niggers, no. They raise the biggest stink and get irate more quickly when they think they're being ripped off. Them being dumb actually counteracts my ability to rip them off because they always pay way too much for their shit.

Was working with this one monkey the other day who spent

>Twel hunnit dollaZ

On his subs/amp system, looked them up and found I could buy the exact same shit on eBay brand new for less than 700 w free shipping, which means in turn I could only loan him 250. After I offered him that he pretty much chimped out and called me a retard and left.

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>>733946873
In bulk, older and with typical oxidized material, absolutely. Flatware and coins are very distinctive, by smell, weight and wear patterns.

OTOH, I've seen rhodium and platinum jewelry side-by side with (freshly cleaned) silver, and visually they were quite similar. To my eye anyway.

Do you guys buy gift cards? Do you buy new tools in the box or only used ones?

>>733938342
do you work with a really annoying dude named sterling

>>733940977
I own a Cash for Gold in Ohio, be really careful making a statement such as this. It is pretty much to get yourself a receiving stolen property charge. It is a direct omission of the fact that you purchased merchandise that you suspected was stolen.

>>733947642
He's definitely not mistaken about rhodium, platinum and silver looking very similar. In fact just about any piece of white gold is plated in rhodium as a final step.

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>>733947547
Seems legit.

Hope you got out of computer purchases right?
I work in IT, and think used computers are worthless, as new computers are relatively cheap. Macs worth a little more, but used Mac repair shops are more reliable than pawn shop.

sorry, rambling. i saw old computers in old pawn shop, and thought they were wasting their time, or they have the stupidest customers

>>733947547

Yeah we buy gift cards. No merchandise credit cards, and only if the code on the back isn't scratched off.

If we're talking hand tools, we prefer them new in the box unless they're high end or specialty tools. We take used power tools as long as they're name brand.

Do you work at a small independently owned pawnshop or one of the big name ones? I work for a big company owned one and I fucking hate the job.

>>733947826
Laptops, maybe. If they're working, and at a small fraction of their value new. In direct proportion to the age of their batteries.

>>733947926
I made a fortune over three years buying Lowe's Merchandise credits. Now they are completely non transferable which kind of spelled the death of that industry. I do pretty well just buying Visa gift cards off idiots here and there believe it or not. 70% and run them through a POS.

>>733947769
Rhodium is also used to prevent getting eczma from rings. Some common metals, like chrome and nickel, can trigger allergies that deteriorate into eczma. The reactive metals are sometimes used in alloys during repairs and modifications.

>>733947356
lol thanks. that's interesting.

>>733947642
Maybe in Ohio, I know every state is different with their pawn laws so idk about mine.

Either way, if I had to turn away everything I 'suspected' was stolen we wouldn't be in business. Unless I've confirmed the customer as a thief in the past (which I will refuse service to) I have to take the people at their word.

I mean, some tweaker looking chick shows up with a box of Grandma's old jewelry and says grandma died, (even though grandma probably just got robbed) how the hell am I supposed to turn that away?

>Sorry, but based on the way your fucked up and blemished face looks right now, I'm jus going to assume this stuff is stolen and deny you service so you can take your shit to the shop down the road and sell it there instead.

Most of the guys I think are burglars 'flip houses' for a living and are always cleaning out forclosures. Just because I think they stole the shit doesn't mean they did, and you won't catch any accusations from me without hard evidence.

Innocent until proven guilty, right anon?

>>733947826
When it comes to electronics if any kind, I pay a very firm 25% of used value. I only take newer laptops, and believe it or not they sell pretty quickly. After the holidays at one point I had about 8 laptops available at one time, they're all gone and now I can't keep them on the shelf unless they're high end and expensive.

Example, I bought an Asus laptop that's around 900 new for 100 bucks the other day because they were selling used for round 400. I put it on the shelf for 300, I made plenty of money, and someone gets a good deal on a rather expensive computer.

>>733948324
this is how my local pawn shop got closed
tbh if you willingly take a what looks like a bad deal you deserve it.

>>733948324
You are correct in the way you are framing this, but this is the standard, trust me I know these laws all to well. This is also a Federal standard not a state one. The question that would be posed to a jury is this.

After reviewing the circumstances that MR. PAWN had, would a REASONABLE person find that it was PROBABLE this item was stolen. Never openly admit that you paid someone less for an item on the premise that the item was stolen. This makes you a fencing operation.

>>733948127
It's locally owned and operated and I still kind of hate it lol. Maybe it's the line of work. What do you work for like a cashland or something?

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>>733948244
>>733947769

THANKS!
Didn't know rhodium was used for that.

I'll definitely see about Rh plate if I ever end up making stuff from Fe/Ni meteorite.

>>733948324
In other words, cover your ass and make sure Boss is the one who gets caught holding he bag.

>>733948605
Again, I don't know anything other than what the customer tells me, which I choose to believe because I'm a trusting person.

But thanks for the tip, anon.

>>733948644
Ezcorp. Is mainly hate it because of the mentality of the customer is always right. I turn shit over all the time, like 25inch TV's, old shitty laptops, etc. Problem is, if they know how to use the internet, they find corporate number, complain and strong arm us into buying/ pawning their shit. Then 6 months later on inventory day we get in shit because we can't sell all these bullshit they make us buy or give pawns for that people drop.

>>733948593
I'll agree to that.

>>733948910
If you ever find yourself standing before a jury, put shoe-on-head for 10% sentencing discount.

>>733948556
yes, i guess so.
but that same asus, 1 year later, as a factory refurb, from an authorized vendor website, with a warranty and maybe 90 days tech support, could probably be bought for $350. so your customers are stupid, but good for you from profitting from them, buying a potentially stolen laptop,

Is there any reason for an individual to use a pawn shop as opposed to like ebay or craigslist if you don't need money right away?

>>733948947
God that sounds frustrating as hell, especially when the person making you take the shit isn't the one that has to deal with selling it and looking at it every day til it sells.

I'm so glad my boss isn't like that, hes there enough to know that the customers are fucking retards just as well as I do.

This is one business where the customer is NOT always right, in fact, the customer is never right and is not to be trusted with anything that I can't verify for myself. People are always trying to get over and take advantage, the idiots in charge of your corporate office should know that better than anyone.

OP
How do you evaluate the value of a gun? Gunbroker sold listings? What percentage of estimated value do you generally pay?

>>733949082
Everything is potentially stolen when you look at it that way. Hell, how can you guarantee the big box store you bought it from didn't steal it from the supplier before they sold it to you?

Takes a long time for court cases to go through..

>>733949082
now I am just talking about computers in pawnshops. other stuff you sell, non electronics (No warranty, sketchy backgrounds, no idea how well previous owner treated it, difficult to test in shop fully or return if defective, etc) a pawn shop is reasonable, especially for used musical instruments, i guess.

but nowadays, everybody can google an item, including completed sales on ebay, and have a decent idea of real value, so many people can avoid stupidly overpaying for stuff, but maybe those people who research may not be your target customer???

>>733949126
Smaller chance of being ripped off/raped/killed I suppose. If that's worth anything to you.

>>733949126
If you're just selling something outright and want to get the most money you can for it, no, not at all.

If you want it back then yes, you can just get a collateral loan on it, and when you pay me back what I loaned you plus a few bucks in interest, you get your shit back.

Its fucked up though, I think, how many people I deal with on a regular basis who either just don't want to go through the hassle of selling it themselves, or are too scared to like meet people from Craigslist.

>>733949249
>how can you guarantee the big box store
because I can return it, or charge it back to visa mc, and I have some recourse against corporate, whereas my local pawnshop, not so much.

but I dont mean to trash pawn shops, I was just commenting on futility of used computers from pawn shops

What do you recommend seasoning a steak with besides just salt and pepper?

>>733942599
Amateur antiques collector here. Those ducks can sometimes be super valuable, believe it or not.

you in mn?

>>733949327
At our Cash for Gold store, people want money the same day, Good luck selling a used size 8.5 engagement ring on craigslist.

>>733949249
Big box stores that make a habit of selling stolen merch tend not to stay in business long.

Unless they're in China and can afford the bribes.

>>733949082
You clearly dont understand the kind of people that go through pawnshops....

>>733949145
Is terrible. And yes in this business the customer is almost never right. Most of the time I can turn someone off. My boss encourages it too but when they call we are fucked. Corporate is just fucking useless, when we get the emails about someone calling we can't dispute it at all. They are fairly lenient though. My coworker told someone to fuck off and flipped them off on camera. And I once told one idiot that at least I'm a grown up that can pay his bills and doesnt depend on a pawnshop. Got reported, my boss laughed and all was good

>>733949176
Ye GunBroker is a big one, tbh at this point I've seen most guns by now and know roundabout how much they're worth, though I am subscribed to several mailer catalogs that keep me up to speed on new sales and stuff, cause that shit is one thing the internet won't tell you about.

I make it a point to hit up the local gun shops once a month or so to do some price checking and shoot the shit with the dudes that work there.

Other than that there's a few online resources other than GunBroker. Buds guns and Armslist are other big ones, though they're not as reliable.

>>733949405
How much do you charge in interest?

>>733949176
Sorry, forgot to answer the part b. Percentages are anywhere from 50-75 percent depending on what it is and how fast I think I'll be able to move it.

>>733945784
Actually it's worth in the ball park of $2k+ and is silver and gold plated/painted

>>733949528
yes, i was mostly talking about fair market value on used instruments at a pawn shop. stolen or untraceable jewelry with "who gives a fuck" provenance, bought for melt value, yes that is where pawn shops rule.

i mean, most of those ghetto rats are gonna come back to "unhock" for that 10K gold necklace, right?

>>733949666
post a link to where this HAS sold online anywhere in the ballpark of what you are stating and I will gladly purchase it from you for a reasonable rate. Beyond that your idea of value may differ greatly from the current market. When is the last time you saw someone out to buy something like this?

>>733949473
Hey man I totally get it, but the deals are there if you so choose.

>>733949405
For people who aren't "gun enthusiasts" like yourself, that live in the sketchier parts of town, I imagine safety would be a legitimate concern.

>>733949478
lawrys season salt, or a steak rub from your local grocery store (and no lawrys is not just for poor fucks, lawrys is a so cal tradition for us over here)

>>733949478
Go to your local grocery store, go to their seasoning section, find anything that says 'maple' or 'brown sugar' or both on it, and apply liberal amounts to both sides as well as s&p

>>733949525
Nah

>>733949514
It's actually hand-carved out of mastadon ivory

>>733938342
What's the weirdest thing someone has brought in?

OP do you get resentful of your boss? Merely for the fact he lives an easy and interesting life while you do all of the work? Have you ever considered opening a competitive pawn shop?

>>733949562
At least your immediate superiors don't have their heads in their asses, that's nice lol.

>>733949562
>You clearly dont understand the kind of people that go through pawnshops
actually I do..
(*cough * coughm *niggers, spics, dagos ghetto rats, ex cons, and stupid people wishting to get rid of "possessions", because there life is so ruined they have absolutely no creit)).

i just was surmissing that it is time for pawn shops to get out of computer resales, as the market goes old obsolete so quickly, and there is NO SHORTAGE of cheap computers from a zillion other better sources

>>733949759
Not saying that's what I'd sell it for but there's always auctions. I know better than to sell anything at a pawn shop besides crap you don't mind taking a nasty loss on lol

>>733949608
Rather not make direct quotes on interest I don't want to dox myself somehow cause I know all the states are regulated.

I will say if I loaned you 100, to get it out in less than 30 days you'd owe 112. It's not horrible

>>733949666
Op here, unfortunately silver and gold plating generally don't mean shit. 9 times out of 10 it costs more to strip the plating off than the metal is actually worth.

>>733950116
Lmfao this isn't meant to be stripped for gold

>>733949759
Agree with this anon, people with artwork and statues are generally on a different planet when it comes to the value of their pieces. Just because you paid x for it doesn't mean it's worth x, or even close to it.

Tbh I think it's kind of sad, I feel like stuff like this is just plummetting in value because no one can afford to spend hundreds of dollars on statues of random shit anymore.

>>733950220
Like I'm sorry that made me laugh hard...it's like pawnshops will literally tear anything apart to get more gold and silver

>>733949809
It certainly is, I wouldn't recommend meeting weirdos from the internet even if you ARE packing.