We continuously see new folks walk through our doors everyday and we always do our best to help educate people on how a pawn shop works. In support of that, today we’d like to share with you Parlour Pawn’s 10 Essential Tips for Pawn Store Customers so that you don’t have to worry if you are getting what you want and if you are indeed getting the best deal the next time you walk in through our doors.
1. Know the Value of your Product
Knowing the value of your product lets you figure out if you’re getting the best deal. Do some shopping online or in our store for similar items. Knowing what your product is worth always means you get the best deal because you will know what you are bargaining with. Remember: You are selling a used item that the Parlour must be able to then resell in our store. This means that you should not expect to receive full retail price for any items that you bring in to sell or pawn.
2. Get Other Quotes from Competition.
Yes, we went there. Take your product to our competition and get some quotes. We are so absolutely sure we give the best deals in town that we welcome you going to other pawn shops and having your item checked out. This is also a great way to let you know you are getting the best deal in town.
3. Make Sure you have all the Pieces and Remotes for your Product
If you are pawning or selling an electronic or multi-piece item you always need to make sure you have all of those pieces. Without them you might not be able to receive maximum value or we might not be able to purchase the item at all.
4. Inspect your Product for Bare Wires, Cracked Cases and Missing Pieces
Just as important as having all of the pieces to your product, for us to be able to make a purchase your item needs to be in good working condition. Sometimes something as simple as a crack in a case can drop the value of an item significantly.
5. Ensure you Always Have a Piece of Traceable Government Issued ID
We need to protect ourselves and what we buy or pawn so that we can make sure we protect our customers from theft and different types of fraud, and for this we must check your ID. Parlour Pawn actually works very closely with the RCMP to ensure all products in our store are legitimate.
6. Know your Market
Before selling or pawning your item, try to imagine the person that will want it. For example, it is much easier to sell hockey cards in Canada than the US, just as it is easier to sell an air conditioner in the summer than the winter. As a general rule, selling something in season will always get you a better deal then out of season.
7. Test your Product Before Packing it up and Bringing it to Pawn
Nothing is worse then thinking you have a great product that you’ll be able to pawn or sell and get some easy cash, only to take it all the way into the shop and find out it doesn’t work and have to cart it all the way back home. You know that we’ll check it over thoroughly but save yourself some grief and give the item a good once over before bringing it in
8. Call Ahead to see if the Pawn Shop will be Interested in Purchasing or Pawning your Product
Sometimes you might wonder if Parlour Pawn will even be interested in your item. Pick up the phone and give us a call! We really we don’t mind at all. In fact, if it can save you a trip then by all means drop us a line and we’ll see what we can do. By the way the number is (506) 384-0853
9. Be Prepared that Some Product Needs to be Researched and Tested
We’ve got some really knowledgeable people at Parlour Pawn but unfortunately they don’t necessarily know everything about everything. Sometimes we will need to do some research and testing on certain items that come in. This can also be beneficial to you, as sometimes we’ve even found items that are more rare then we first thought. This of course means more money in your pocket. Research is a good thing!
10. Gold is Always the Easiest and Quickest Transaction
Gold actually has a market price and it’s something that we track and follow very closely. This means that we can appraise and make an offer on gold extremely quickly. If you’ve got some old gold or jewellery laying around, just bring it in and see how fast and easy it is!
Like GI JOE says, “Knowing is half the battle”. Hopefully these tips will allow you to be better prepared for your first pawning experience. Stay tuned for more great tips and if you have any questions please shoot us a message in the comments below or come on in and chat with one of our pawn agents who can help you get the most out of your stuff!