Buying tools from Pawn Shops

[RalphInCA]

I have noticed that many of you buy tools from pawn shops.

Since pawn shop inventory is kind of hit or miss, do you make it a habit to visit your pawn shops regularly, so you don't miss a deal, or do you just hit them when the mood strikes you?

 

[SMKS]

It all depends on your local pawn shops. When I was buying a lot from them, I stopped in once per week. Often I didn't find much, but once per week is often enough that new items put on the floor might not have sold yet.

 

[KEH]

I go far too often. You never know what you will find. Yesterday I went in one I had't been in recently and found 10 Wizard sockets. I have had a Wizard 1/2 drive ratchet for years, so decided I may as well build a set, since I already have a 1/4 drive set. For those who don't know, Wizard was Western Auto's brand, now out of business, made for WA by Indestro, long since bought out. Had to make a trip to another town yesterday and stopped in 2 pawn shopt to look for the missing sizes, came up dry but got a Cornwell 3/8 ratchet, which I didn't have. Like I said, you never know.

KEH

 

[5lima30]

I check them about every 2 weeks or so.

 

[Silver6.0]

There's one about 2 miles from my house. So far ive been there 3 times in over a year. The one and only thing I did buy so far was a pancake air compressor which was like new and over half the cost of new.

 

[ishiboo]

I've been to our local ones a couple times and stopped going. You guys must be lucky - everything ours had they paid the people 15% of the value and were asking 200% of what it was worth for it. Plus, the stuff was all beat to hell and back.

Far better luck on Craigslist for me!

 

[creativecars]

Just as mood and opportunity strikes. Most times I just walk through and dont find anything that I would pay their price for, but recently they had a 6 drawer craftsman bottom and a 3 drawer mid box that was kind of beat, an older HD 7" grinder and a 6,12,24 volt battery charger. Got it all as a package deal for $110.00. Have not found anything since.

 

[1930artdeco]

There are some shop near where I live. The only concern I have (and I may be misguided/misinformed) is that I want to make sure they are not hot. I understand that people hock things there but that is my concern, I just don't want to support crime. Although I did buy a batt. charger from a tool store for my electrolysis tank.

Mike

 

[rj440]

I've been to our local ones a couple times and stopped going. You guys must be lucky - everything ours had they paid the people 15% of the value and were asking 200% of what it was worth for it. Plus, the stuff was all beat to hell and back.

that's the story where I am too

 

[RalphInCA]

There are some shop near where I live. The only concern I have (and I may be misguided/misinformed) is that I want to make sure they are not hot. I understand that people hock things there but that is my concern, I just don't want to support crime. Although I did buy a batt. charger from a tool store for my electrolysis tank.

Mike

Perhaps I am naive, but I thought there was some sort of system in place that ensured pawned items were not stolen.

 

[NUTTSGT]

There's none locally, atleast not in town. The closest one that I know of is 30 miles away and I rarely go to that town. If there was one locally, I'd probably hit it up once or so, depending on the cash flow/prices.

 

[crewchief888]

all depends on how much "disposable" cash i have in my pocket.

i dig around in the $1 bins for tool truck and other name brands, and have pretty good luck.

 

[LutzTD]

Perhaps I am naive, but I thought there was some sort of system in place that ensured pawned items were not stolen.

not many things have tracability, their obligation is simply to ask, "where did you get it" if you say "I stole it" then they dont buy, otherwise not much protection for the next guy who buys it. But it works both ways, If it is hot and you buy it, then there is still no way to ID it.

the shops around me are the 15/200 type also. and they are indeed beat to death......

 

[mncountrydoc]

I hit mine up once a month nothing to great yet

 

[Full Size 66]

Perhaps I am naive, but I thought there was some sort of system in place that ensured pawned items were not stolen.

There are systems and checks for HOT items. However the police will tell you themselves "the checks are a stop gap", they help when the police investigate burglary. The shop staff can run numbers but if there is no police report on the item it comes up CLEAN... I have bought some tools there before but I tend to stay away for these reasons. There are great prices and deals but it is buyer beware

 

[davo727]

I dont go often but recently I needed a motorized hand shear for metal roofing and a right angle drill so i went to 8 pawn shops in one day and got both items in dewalt brand that were new for 1/2 price.

 

[odelay01]

I am on a first name basis with the guys in two pawn shops here in town. They will even call me up when something good comes in. I have found some pretty good stuff over the years at prices that can't be beat.

 

[cowboy73]

I dig in the bargain bins occassionally. I did buy a CP745 1/2" impact gun a while back for $30 from there.

 

[nosnerd]

our local pawn shop asks stupid money for stuff......

 

[brownbagg]

a lot of tools in pawn shops are stolen, you can tell which ones even if they come up clean. these would be the type tools that a shop will buy and not a mecahnic. like a 4 foot torque wrench, or an hvac vaccum pump.

yes I have bought them,

I got a receipt and if i didnt buy them the next guy will. I cant help it if the shop did not write the serial number down.

I bought a concrete whirlybird floating machine one time. I knew it was stolen before i bought it, but the deal was too good. and if i have a receipt and nobody had the serial numbers it was legally mine.

I know that sound a hole but it i didnt buy it the next guy will and overhead will make or break you on a job

 

[yost69]

a lot of tools in pawn shops are stolen, you can tell which ones even if they come up clean. these would be the type tools that a shop will buy and not a mecahnic. like a 4 foot torque wrench, or an hvac vaccum pump.

yes I have bought them,

I got a receipt and if i didnt buy them the next guy will. I cant help it if the shop did not write the serial number down.

I bought a concrete whirlybird floating machine one time. I knew it was stolen before i bought it, but the deal was too good. and if i have a receipt and nobody had the serial numbers it was legally mine.

I know that sound a hole but it i didnt buy it the next guy will and overhead will make or break you on a job

I don't blame you. Also I don't think any less of you. You are not the one that stole it.

We had about 20 sets of scaffolding stolen off the current job site recently. I know it ended up in a pawn shop somewhere. I don't blame the person that bought it. But if I ever find out who took it they are in for a world of hurt.

 

[Ksullivan]

The pawn shops around here hold everything they buy for 2 weeks before they will put it on the floor. I guess if you haven't figured out someone stole something from you in 2 weeks they figure your outta luck. I agree with everyone else's statements about prices! I was in there and they have some stuff that is equivelant to retail pricing.... Craigslist seem's like the way to go.

 

[1steve]

My pawn shop days started in the early 90's when i moved to Tennessee from California. My best friend got me going to pawn shops and i was hooked. Back then we would plan a trip to Memphis on a Saturday. The trip was 3 hrs away so we left early enough to be at the first one at opening time. I say first one because there was so many we had it mapped out where each one was, two routes was of choice. The two routes of attack, and i will add either route we chose was impossible to go to all of them in a days time. From one pawn to the next wasting no time, no break for lunch till the last one closed. Back then you could buy Snap on Mac Matco shop equipment etc etc for pennies on the dollar. Many many times we left Memphis looking behind us just waiting to get pulled over for theft. Now twenty plus years later you could not pay me to go to a pawn shop. One word EBAY, that ruined it for us. Don't get me wrong there are still good deals possible out there but isn't worth my time anymore. GL, sorry for rambling.

 

[EOC_Jason]

Mostly just swing by when I'm needing a particular tool, or need to replace a missing socket. What is convenient is that I can buy a rusty crappy old Craftsman socket for $1, then on my way back I stop by the Sears Hardware and exchange it for a shiny new socket.

If / when I have free time I'll try to swing by the pawn shop just to see what they have, you never know... Though it's tough resisting temptation on things you don't really need even though they have a good price on something...

 

[Norcal]

our local pawn shop asks stupid money for stuff......

This is a problem w/ some shops, they want way too much money for used chit I check a local one every once in a while & buy if there is something useable at a decent price, did find one in Houston I liked on FM 1960, but I am not there anymore.

 

[brownbagg]

there are pawn shop on every corner here, some mainly deal only in gold, some only in guns. you got some honest ones and some that will buy anything.

after awhile you know which ones has the stolen tools.

one day on a job, a young boy ran across the job and ****** the circular saw. we chase him into the pawn shop. pawn shop said it was his, unless you had a serial number and police report, the saw belong to him. cops wouldnt do anything 'claim it on your insurance"

we figure we was out of town contractors and pawn shop was local business so cops going side with local

 

[thenephilm]

I've gotten some really nice deals at a few of the local pawn shops. Just bought a new milwaukee fuel drill/driver that was literally brand new and half the price, bosch rotary hammer, dewalt deck screw gun, and most recently a brand new IR pneumatic cut off tool. I try to go at least once a month to check.

 

[PoolGuy444]

I check the pawn shops at least once a week. Sometimes twice. I like one chain here in town. There are 4 total. I have bought almost all of my tools and tool accessories from them. There can be some great deals. There's also a bunch of overpriced junk.

 

[Lkdelta]

most of the pawns around here are just buying and selling gold and silver

Getting harder to find a supply of tools to even look at

 

[Jarhead0408]

Here's my schedule for hitting up Pawn Shops.

2- Every week without fail. Good high quality stuff. Score EVERYTIME. Most times 40+ tools for $20 or less. Sockets, pliers, ratchets, the whole nine yards. Plus I get the frequent customer discount. Every now and then after I've paid for the stuff they'll see something they haven't put out yet and toss some freebies in there!

2- Every 2-3 weeks, Occasional score, one with dirt cheap prices one kind of average prices.

2-Every 6-7 weeks. Not much selection, never is. Decent prices though.

1-Every 6 months. I don't even know why I go their anymore. It *****, no selection. Horrible prices. Went there today doubt I'll ever go back.

And best of all, every-now-and-then I'll get "The Tingle" whenever I get it I know their's gold inside. And I'm not talking about the cheap chains and rings behind the glass. Like the time I found a Williams S-52 for $3.88 + tax! That was a sweeeeeet day!

 

[PetesPonies]

I must visit the wrong shops. I have never seen an item in a pawn shop that was for sale at a price that represented ,fairly, what was being sold. In other words, too damn expensive!

 

[RVDan]

I used to go to my local pawn shops monthly, but they've all cranked their prices up to around 75% of retail, which is way too high. They look up an online retail price and expect that's what we actually pay new. That's completely wrong, craftsman tools are all half price at some point during the year, other brands can be 60-70% off when sale time comes. Even most of my snap on stuff I bought on sale, in sets that came with bonus tools, I've never actually paid the $32 retail for a #2 Phillips.

Once in a while they don't have a clue, I bought a $300 crown stapler for $40 a while ago.

 

[D rock]

To me CL is much better. Here pawn shop stuff looks like it has seen better days and is as much or more than new.

 

[Jason280]

I have a local shop that I visit 2-3x per week, sometimes more. Some of the deals I have gotten there are simply unreal, and entirely too good to pass on. The problem is, though, the shop has recently changed owners, so the deals may be coming to an end. I will say, though, they are still realistic on their prices. For the most part, they look at eBay and price according to what similar items actually sold for, not necessarily what the "Buy it Now" price is.

 

[LSU]

My pawnshop visits vary greatly.

Sometimes I'll go in three or four in one day and then it will be months before I go in another one. If I'm on the road and I see an out of town pawn shop, I'll stop in. For some unknown reason my out of town pawn shop stops are all disappointing. Can't explain why the out of town pawn shops never seem to work out.

Here is my pawnshop routine.

I start with my Iphone. On it I have downloaded the Ebay app and I can access the local CL's.

If I find an item I like and I'm interested in buying it I will talk with the counter guy and ask if the price is firm. My experience is Cash America has a "base price" which usually varies day to day (I think because CA has a very good computer system which tracks the products better than Joe Blow's Pawn). I find that CA will usually reduce the price but what I usually do is ask the guy to check the computer (this might require the manager) and see if this is the best price.

While I'm doing this talking I usually am checking Ebay and CL to see what a like item is selling for. If an item is close to the end of the bid time and I want something to negogiate with I'll reference the Ebay ad and tell the counter guy - "Look I can get this on Ebay for X dollars and you want Y." I'm nice about it but I've found that sometimes this is helpful.

I also ask "this price includes tax, doesn't it?" For some reason this seems to work.

The Ebay and CL's searches have prevented me from overpaying for items when I get the itch to buy something.

I also find on buying tools it helps if you have a good idea what new stuff sells for retail. Sometimes I'll see used power tools for sale at a price much greater than stuff sells for new. Worse than that, I sometimes see people buying them for that inflated price.

If you've never considered stenciling or marking your tools, a quick visit to your local pawn shop will convince you that you need to buy a stencil and paint your name on everything.

I've made some great pawn shop buys. The big boys (Cash America) don't encourage buying stolen goods but I think it is inevitable that some of the stuff is stolen.

When I see tools I often think it is the workers on large construction sites who have stolen the tools or not turned them back in. I also think many times the smaller guys (sheetrock guys, painters, concrete finishers, roofers, handymen) buy and sell pawned tools because it is cheaper in the long run than renting the tools.

One final thing - think about when the local pay day is in your area. (Every Friday, 1st and 15th day of the month?) Tools go into pawn usually when folks are short on cash. Figure out (you might have to pawn something to do this) how long something can stay in pawn. Then count the days till something comes out of pawn and goes on the shelf.

I find that right before Christmas is a great time to shop the pawn shops because folks are selling stuff to buy Christmas presents.

 

[SMKS]

At my local pawn shops the rule is generally that anything with a price tag is overpriced. If they take the time to put a tag on it, they're asking too much. The good deals are on the tools they just throw in the big bins.

As far as stolen items, the shops here supposedly work with the police and report the serial numbers of all items that have them, as well as descriptions of the items. But, if people don't know the serial numbers of their items, then nothing can really help them recover it.

Around here, the real place for stolen goods are the flea markets. At those places, people just bring in junk and the places buy it from the people. Since there's no loaning of money involved, they aren't regulated at all.

 

[PetesPonies]

I'm glad to see I'm not the only person that felt this way and got the ball rolling here Hey, Ilike deals, no love deals. Its just I never found one at a Pawn Shop. I'm sure there are deals out there is you visit enough times etc.

 

[TerpnGator]

From 2009 to the beginning of 2012 the pawn shops in a town close to me were JUMPIN!! Just the bad economy I guess. I got some great tools at a great price. It did affect me from time to time that it seemed I was profiting from someone else's misfortune.

 

[Hobbit]

I check a string of favorite shops & thrift stores on a regular basis like a buck checks it's scrapes. Ask the Pawn shops if they pull merchandise every day or on a certain day of the month.

 

[Paulkenosha]

The one pawnshop by me that actually buys tools is crazy on price. They only seem to have truck brands (snapon,mac,matco,cornwell), but there prices are generally quite a bit higher then just getting it new off the truck/website. I made a comment the one time I went in there how he was asking 2x the retail on a few bluepoint ratcheting wrenches, he said make an offer and I did and he started saying how cool they were and how convienient the ratcheting part was and blah blah blah.... long story short they dont know anything at all about tools, were just charging high prices for beat up handtools because they said snap-on, mac etc. I still go here and there if i get bored to see if they have anything they are willing to actually deal on.