Why Pawn Shops are a Better Alternative to Classifieds

Gold, particularly gold jewelry, and other valuables can be an excellent source of money in a time of need. But what’s the best way to sell gold and electronics for cash? While it might seem beneficial to sell it on Craigslist or eBay, enabling you to keep all the profits to yourself, this method comes with some inherent risks. Here are just a few of the reasons why your local pawn shop is a better option than using the classifieds.

Get Your Cash, Fast

One of the biggest benefits of using a pawn shop to sell electronics and jewelry is that you get paid immediately. You just can’t beat the fast cash, especially if you’re in a situation where you need the money right away! With the classifieds, on the other hand, you’ll have to take pictures, write the ad, and then wait for a sale. You might then have to deal with people trying to haggle you, people coming by and looking at it but not buying it, and just difficult people in general. Depending on whether you have priced the item appropriately and how strong the market is, it could take days, weeks, or even months before you see any money! From jewelry to electronics, pawn shop associates are experts at quickly coming up with a valuation for your items making the sale quick and easy.

Minimize Your Risk with a Loan

Sometimes you need money, but you really don’t want to permanently part with your valuables. Maybe you’re in a tight spot, but you only need the extra money temporarily. Can you imagine telling a prospective buyer that you’d like to buy your stuff back in a month? I doubt that’s going to happen! When you sell your items, you’re selling them forever, but when you pawn them, you have the option to repay the money and get your items back. A pawn loan works the same as selling your items, but with the option to get it back within 90 days by just paying it back. At Alma School Pawn and Gold, we’re extremely flexible as well with many options available if at the end of the 90 day term you’re not ready to fully pay back the loan.

The beauty in this is there’s no obligation to pay back the loan. We’re just giving you 90 days to decide whether you want to reclaim it. If not, no worries! That’s okay too, but sometimes it’s nice to know you can get cash for gold and valuables without losing them forever.

Benefit from the Pawnbroker’s Experience

Odds are you haven’t had to sell your valuables before and are simply inexperienced about the whole process. This inexperience can possibly cost you money if you price it too low, or delay you actually getting your cash if you price it too high. A common mistake is to price things too high, reflecting the price you paid when they were new rather than their current used value, and as a result not getting any hits. Other newbie mistakes are describing items inaccurately, not realizing what something is, and so on. All of these delays can cost you money in the long run, either by making you wait for cash you need right away or by reducing the amount you would have and should have gotten for your valuables.

Develop a Beneficial Relationship with Your Pawnbroker

Perhaps you hope this will be the only time you have to sell jewelry and other valuables. Unfortunately, it’s hard to predict the future, whether you find yourself needing money again, or perhaps even find yourself in a situation where you can buy and resell valuables for a profit. Getting to know your pawnbroker is a good thing if you find yourself back there again. If you’ve developed a friendly relationship with them, if they’ve dealt with you before and know that you always bring high-quality items to the table, they might be more willing to negotiate or work with you.

Avoid Dealing with Customers

Technically speaking, you could say that if you’re selling to a pawn shop, the pawnbroker is your customer. But for simplicity’s sake, what we mean here is that you don’t have to deal with strangers. No need to field questions, deal with pushy people, or brace yourself to field lots of requests to take a lower price. You’ll have to deal with one person and one person only: your pawnbroker. If you’ve developed a relationship with them, as was already mentioned, this will be even easier!

Stay Safe and Secure

Last but not least, selling your valuables to a pawn shop enables you to stay safe and secure. Selling online can be risky business, not only for the reasons already mentioned, but also because it puts your physical safety and financial security at risk. Perhaps not everyone who buys things from classified listings is a criminal, but it’s enough of a risk that sites like Craigslist and eBay warn against financial scams, and many cities are starting to provide parking lots with video surveillance where buyers and sellers can meet to exchange items because of this risk. Dealing only with your pawnbroker ensures that you’ll stay safe from selling-related scams and physical harm.

A Pawn Shop You Can Trust

Selling to a pawn shop may be faster, easier, and safer, but it still pays to find a pawn shop you can trust. If you’re interested in getting cash for valuables such as jewelry and electronics, stop in and visit us at Alma School Pawn to see why we’re the trustworthy alternative to selling via the classifieds.