FINDING HIDDEN TREASURES...

The old saying, "One Man's Garbage is Another Man's Treasure" has never been more true than when it comes to Pawnshops. Not every pawnshop has the treasures you are looking for. It may be that they did have it at one point. As with all things its sometimes as simple as being at the right place at the right time.

Jewelry, electronics, musical instruments, golf clubs, are some of the things that can be found in some rare cases real choice items make it into the shops.

For whatever reason, the items are there and they are quality items. Why, for a few reasons, when the broker agrees to an item, he is looking at the item as an item he will have to sell later. He must ensure that the item will yield his original investment plus a percent over that cost to cover the operating costs that it took to keep the item.

When on the hunt for hidden treasure in pawnshop's jewelry section there’s one thing to remember. There is no such thing as new jewelry (which is one reason most people don't shop at pawn shops.) The Gold in your wedding band or on your Gold ROLEX™ watch is at least a thousand years old.

The number one thing most people don't know is that when a pawnshop gets gold, diamonds, or any other color stone out from a loan or a purchase from a customer. The shop sometimes sells the gold or diamonds to a "wholesaler" which in turn, melts the gold and sells it to the big name companies. They then sell it to the consumer at about a 25% mark up of what the current gold price is.

This does not mean that a pawnshop will give you this price for your ring because a pawnbroker is in business to make money. The same goes when selling the gold remember, they can go to a wholesaler and get that amount. When you go to a pawn shop and buy gold expect to pay around $7.00 to $12.00 per gram depending on the style.

When looking at ELECTRONICS the treasure is not so hidden, its actually everywhere. This is simple, all kinds of electronics are cheap in a pawnshop. The primary reason is that retail prices are always dropping and pawn shops will do most anything to insure that the merchandise does not stay in the shop for too long. Keeping electronic inventory low is a losing game. This especially goes for personal computers, with the constant change in processor speed, and the numerous makers in the market, prices drop every month. This is where the consumer can really win.

Next time you are looking for a gift for a loved one or a present for the golfer in your life, CHECK OUT A PAWNSHOP and save a buck or two or three.