Pawn shop sticker shock

[Arne73]

I thought I'd check out a pawn near here yesterday. Mostly beat power tools and incomplete sets of specialty tools. Anything with a 'name' seemed to be inflated, for example a Mac internal pipe extractor showing lots of wear and missing 2 of the 6 pieces was 49.00. I found a box of screwdrivers/sockets/wrenches and dug out some Craftsman bits. I got a couple sockets and a #3 phillips for $6. Not a real bargain...
They had a couple 1/2" SO ratchets a SL710, and a newer looking one (forgot the #) and an older square looking ratchet. Prices were $50, 60 and 70!
I think I'll stick to flea mkts and garage sales.

 

[Brad54]

Same problem here. "Well, we get 50-75 percent of new price." For tools I dug out of a box? Not from me, you don't.

-Brad

 

[737mechanic]

I have noticed that it is hard now-days to get a good deal at pawn shops. Last time I was in one I was looking at a Milwaukee chop saw that was beat to hell and they was asking $150.00 and a new one was about $200.00. I asked what there bottom dollar was and they told me it was marked on the tag so I promptly walked out and will never return.

 

[mrholeshot]

Our local pwan shops are outragous. I went to a Yard Sale this morning at 7 and the guys prices were higher than what they cost new. I asked "are you kidding?" He smartly replied "I'll get what I want". I left there with nothing (very rare) as did several people that got there at the same time. I looked for about 15 minutes and there were about 20 other people there. He didn't collect a dime. An example of what he had... Newest style Craftsman (non pro) 3/8 drive standard ratchet. 15 dollars

 

[Coach James]

I've never seen "Great" deals in a pawnshop. Maybe it's due to me living most of my life around Ft Bragg.

A friend of mine wanted a box fan and went to a pwanshop to "get one cheap." He paid $3 more than the cost of a new one at Mao Mart.

Coach

 

[rockchucker]

All of them have been watching too many "Pawn Stars" episodes. Getting all starry eyed. I have noticed the same and it is TOTAL B.S.

 

[boybacon]

I picked up a 4 piece Snap On pliers set (diagonal cutters, needle nose, adjustable and slip joint) for $30.00. And a gear wrench 8 piece set with socket adapters and driver bits for $10.00. And for $14.99 I got a Craftsman Standard Combination Wrench Set in metric, 12 wrenches total. I can find some good bargains, but it seems about 90-10 on overpriced vs. bargains. Oh, these were from Pawn America in Wisconsin, a chain pawn store.

 

[brian90505]

It's worth it to keep looking though... Once in while you find someone selling tools who does not know what a Snap-on is.

 

[Lookin4'67Galaxieconv]

All depends on the pawn shop. Some are ridiculous...and some have good deals.

 

[msmith]

I've always found them to be high on everything, not just tools. A waste of time, IMO.

 

[bonneyman]

It's worth it to keep looking though... Once in while you find someone selling tools who does not know what a Snap-on is.

It's all in the journey for me. One good deal makes up for a month of finding nada.

That said, me thinks pawn shop "deals" are becoming rare. Lately my normal haunts have had less and less useable stuff. Estate sales are where the action is!

 

[rockchucker]

100% agreed. ^

 

[wantedabiggergarage]

Around here, most of them are high. Besides that, I get to hear all the bad and some of the tricks they use to get around selling stolen stuff.

 

[geaugafletcher]

They're really just a cog in the bad decision machine that keeps people poor.

 

[Falcon67]

I noticed that here. Have a friend sponsor by a chain of pawn shops. Damn, their used stuff is high buck.

 

[Danglerb]

People don't end up in a pawn shop because they are smart, its a sucker trade on both ends, selling to them, or buying from them.

My old hobby was collecting vintage computers, and that put me in a lot of junk, scrap, and surplus joints. Most of those guys are experts at buying and selling things they don't know the value of, which means you will almost never get a real bargain. Plenty of the time they have a crazy idea about how valuable something "might" be, and don't give a rats behind if you buy it or not. A lot of them see customers outside the "trade" as suckers to be exploited to the max.

 

[Lookin4'67Galaxieconv]

Got all this from a pawn shop a couple weeks back for $5

 

[NUTTSGT]

I haven't been to a pawn shop in years. I'd imagine it's like everything else right now, trying to get money out of nothing for a big score. I'd avoid them till the last part of the month. All the lowlifes that have money and make bad decisions will be buying in the first part of the month, as they "get paid" on the first of the month.

 

[mkirkpatrick]

The pawn shops around here a lot of time are more miss than hit. I have only scored one buy that I thought was a real deal. 25 1/2 inch drive craftsman metric sockets from 8mm to 36mm and a KD hose clamp pliers for 15 bucks. I have since been back to that shop, they have HR stuff for more than new now. Go figure. I think pawn shops are hit and miss and to get a good deal you have to be in the right place at the right time.

Mike

 

[impulse922]

i think most of the deals to be had are at the shadier pawn shops. The last pawn shop i went in was really nice.. too nice for a pawn shop. They wanted something like $120 for some well used blue point wrenches. I lol'd and left.

They did however, have a TON of power tools at ~10% below retail with "free" dirt.

 

[Packard V8]

I check the local pawn shops once a month to keep up on market value. I've never bought anything at their asking price. I've learned it costs nothing to make an offer. Once in a great while, they'll take it.

However, as stated above, the action is always at estate sales and yard sales. Today, I went to one which advertised tons of tools. The guy did have tons of china/taiwan junk. I found one slightly rusty Mac, one New Britain and one Craftsman wrench. I wouldn't have carried the rest the length of the block to my truck if they had been free. There were three of the red Kennedy small mechanic's boxes with tray which could have been had for cheap, but they cost too much to ship and I have absolutely no use for them.

I also went to the annual auto parts swap meet at the fairgrounds. More overpriced rusty junk than ever. The tool sharks put all the good stuff on eBay.

jack vines

 

[mtkst19]

i went to the pawn today on my way back home from buying an older gp "on car" pneumatic spring compressor and the air gun manual version w/ detachable heads.

everything @ the pawn was over inflated per the norm. an example is $100 they wanted for a c-man box full of junk tools. was 3 beat to hell older ratchets i would have bought just to have (hinsdale, williams and another) , but was maybe box and all tools combined 25 bucks tops and that's assuming the box is worth 15. to me, only thing of interest was the 3 ratchets that id pay 5 bucks or all of them.

however, i did score a new britan 36mm 12 point chrome socket for $1. thus, the deals it seems to me are in the lesser known brands.

 

[supertooljunkie]

I went to one particular pawn shop about every two weeks. The first time, I hadn't been in there in almost a year. Bought 15-16 combo wrenches. Half being Proto, the rest Fuller, Billings, and P&C. I bought 40-50 sockets, Proto, Thorsen, Snap-on, C-man, all USA. I got a pair of Fuller 6" slip joint pliers and paid $20.
Went in three weeks later and bought 60-70 sockets. Mostly C-man metric. I made two sets of 1/4" 4mm-13mm with no skips. Built a set of 3/8" 6-19mm, no skips. Several 1/2" mm sockets and duplicates to the most used and got out for $15. Last time I went in, the guy new me, but wanted $15 for 20-25 mostly C-man sockets. I tried to get him to come down. I talked about the other deals I had gotten from him. No deal, he wouldn't take less. I walked out and haven't been back for 4-5 months.
Got 6 brand new Urrea flare nut wrenches, 3 mm, & 3 SAE for ten bucks at a pawn shop up the street a week or so ago.

 

[crewchief888]

ive never found pawn shops much of a place to get a deal.
everyone ive been in wont accept a resonable offer either.
seems like all they have is beat up, missing parts, and want nearly retail prices on tools.
want a $15 DVD player? they got tons of em.

 

[Wrenchette]

I had gone to one in north Austin not long ago that had a Kobalt 1/2 impact, the cheapy blue one for $59.99! They are like $30 new at Lowe's. Everything else was twice of new retail as well. I just laughed and walked out. I guess their biggest business is loans.

 

[SMKS]

I get all my tools from the local pawn shops. It is hit or miss, but usually good deals around here. I usually pay 30 to 80 cents for sockets, and $1 for wrenches. Sometimes they want $2 for big wrenches.

The only thing is you can't pick out any Snap-On, Mac or Matco. Once I had 16 sockets, all Proto, SK and Blackhawk, except for one Snap-on. He saw the Snap-on and said $15. I asked how much without the Snap-on and he said $10 out the door. So I got 15 sockets for $10.

They are familiar with quality brands like Proto, Williams and the others, they only ask ridiculous prices for the truck brands.