Pawn Shops (Fredericksburg: crime, loans, neighborhoods)

[LovingSAT]

Has anyone bought items from local Pawn Shops? What did you buy, were you pleased? Is the price reasonable? I am thinking jewelry, does anyone have any feedback?

[ShaneSA]

I've bought yard tools and bikes. No jewlery. You have to shop around and make sure the prices are good for used stuff. Jewlery may be a differnt story.

[Pagandad]

Love pawn shops.. bought 3 GPSs since Ive been here al around $40-50 (lock your doors even for a second, even in broad dayight in your own friggin driveway folks!.. and this means the swine swiping them are getting $20 or less pawning them.. sad)
Aso great places for video games.. way way cheaper than gamestop used games, though hardly the selection b ut occasionally you get lucky. And got a decent vacuum for $30 when mine suddenly crapped out.

[Primo]

You are only supporting crime when you shop at Pawn Shops. 95% of the stuff in there is stolen. THe city should pass an ordinance effectively banning them. Require anyone pawning something to have the original receipt to prove it is actually these.
If pawn shops every closed or were REALLY regulated, property crime would really drop in SA. Pawn Shops are nothing but an ATM machine for lowlifes.

I am sure Maj Mad Max can chime in on the process in place that SAPD has with pawn shops. They are suppose to review serial numbers of known stolen items with what is pawned. But, i am sorry, this doesnt really work with lawn tools, hand tools, and brand new stuff that is shop lifted and then pawned.

[Spock's Beard]

Originally Posted by LovingSAT

Has anyone bought items from local Pawn Shops? What did you buy, were you pleased? Is the price reasonable? I am thinking jewelry, does anyone have any feedback?

My experiences on SA pawn shops:

For electronics they're over-priced and often priced at or just slightly below retail for used HDTV's and such. For something with no warranty and without you knowing WHY someone pawned it (sometimes people pawn junk to get rid of it) that's just too much like gambling.

For electric guitars (one thing I've hit pawn shops for since in other cities they can be gold mines for decent gear) 90% of all electric guitars in pawn shops in this city are bottom-end entry-level junk that's worth less than their weight in firewood. Good ones are priced at or near retail for new ones. The best guitar I've ever seen in a pawn shop in SA was a Les Paul Standard Traditional. New, one costs $1800. The pawn shop wanted $1300 for it in spite of torn-up finish on the back (apparently it was owned by some cowboy with those big redneck belt buckles which just trashed it).

For bikes; avoid. Most are probably stolen. The better the bike, the less likely it belonged to the guy pawning it.

For watches: One pawn shop on Fredericksburg Rd was asking $2000 for a fake Rolex. I know it's fake because of the brown box that comes with fakes and how the date window pretty much didn't magnify at all. Plus on close inspection it didn't have the laser-etched Rolex crown at the base of the crystal face. I tried to tell them it's a fake but they insisted it was legit.

[wCat]

By LAW....a Pawn shop owner HAS to ask where the item came from and if it was stolen. Not all of them do it....and some just take the word of the smuck that stole it. But...if an item turns up in their shop that was stolen, they pay big fines.

Stay away from the smaller shops and go with the franchises. They tend to stick to the laws. They have standards of who they deal with and what they require in purchasing of accepting a pawn item to hold.

BTW - if you purchase an item that is stolen, and you are found in possession of it, you can also be charged. Another reason to go with the bigger stores. You may pay a little more, but it's worth the peace of mind not being part of a theft ring.

[Spock's Beard]

Originally Posted by wCat

By LAW....a Pawn shop owner HAS to ask where the item came from and if it was stolen. Not all of them do it....and some just take the word of the smuck that stole it. But...if an item turns up in their shop that was stolen, they pay big fines.

Stay away from the smaller shops and go with the franchises. They tend to stick to the laws. They have standards of who they deal with and what they require in purchasing of accepting a pawn item to hold.

BTW - if you purchase an item that is stolen, and you are found in possession of it, you can also be charged. Another reason to go with the bigger stores. You may pay a little more, but it's worth the peace of mind not being part of a theft ring.

Remember a couple of years ago on the news where a woman had her $8000 trombone stolen and pawned? Remember the pawn shop refusing to give it to her unless she paid them for it even though they knew it was stolen and she was the victim of that theft, then shipping it off to Japan after selling it online? If you remember the story, the cops never came and comphiscated it from the pawn shop in spite of everyone knowing it was stolen. The pawn shop sold it, made a profit, and the woman got screwed.

[bresilhac]

In addition to selling stolen merchandise pawn shops and their respective owners are something else. They are bottom feeding scum who exploit people who are having a tough time. Loan sharks is what I call them. Many people in poorer neighborhoods who are having tough times financially find it necessary to do business with these lowlifes because they need the lousy $30 they can get for hocking their television to pay an electric bill or even buy food.

That's why I'll never set foot in a lousy pawn shop to buy anything. Because of the basic premise of the business. And that is to rip people off by giving loans on items to people and charging outlandish interest rates for the privilege. I agree. These sleazy operations should be banned and their owners prosecuted for fencing. And if ruthless, excessive exploitation were a crime they would be guilty of that too.

[DexterCat]

Originally Posted by Spock's Beard

Remember a couple of years ago on the news where a woman had her $8000 trombone stolen and pawned? Remember the pawn shop refusing to give it to her unless she paid them for it even though they knew it was stolen and she was the victim of that theft, then shipping it off to Japan after selling it online? If you remember the story, the cops never came and comphiscated it from the pawn shop in spite of everyone knowing it was stolen. The pawn shop sold it, made a profit, and the woman got screwed.

did the woman report it stolen? if so, did she give police the serial number of the instrument?

did she register the instrument at all?

if not, oh well boo hoo so sad. this is why you register EVERYTHING you buy thats of any value to you. my tvs? registered. my computers? registered. cars? registered and filed with the police as well.

if you dont register it, its he said she said and the cops wont do anything.

[DexterCat]

Originally Posted by bresilhac

In addition to selling stolen merchandise pawn shops and their respective owners are something else. They are bottom feeding scum who exploit people who are having a tough time. Loan sharks is what I call them. Many people in poorer neighborhoods who are having tough times financially find it necessary to do business with these lowlifes because they need the lousy $30 they can get for hocking their television to pay an electric bill or even buy food.

That's why I'll never set foot in a lousy pawn shop to buy anything. Because of the basic premise of the business. And that is to rip people off by giving loans on items to people and charging outlandish interest rates for the privilege. I agree. These sleazy operations should be banned and their owners prosecuted for fencing. And if ruthless, excessive exploitation were a crime they would be guilty of that too.

do your homework before you go. if you go to a pawn shop and see that everything is close to retail, just leave. if you go to one that has reasonably priced items, you can be assured that if you go prepared, you can get the max amount for your goods.

the best ones are the ones that price everything close to retail, yet use the internet to price items as used. confront them on it. make them look the fool. at the very least, if there are people in the shop youll probably make them think twice before buying anything... if they even hang around.