Pawning? 5 Free Ways to Get a Higher Price

When you pawn an item, whether as a short-term loan or an outright sale, you want to get the best price for your stuff. And unlocking the potential value in any item depends largely on that item's quality, provenance, popularity, and market. But what can you do for free to help get a better price? Here are a few valuable but free steps anyone can take.

1. Research Your Stuff
With the help of the internet, information is at the average person's fingertips, which makes researching before selling is easier than ever.
Try to learn what you can about how to identify quality in things like jewelry or firearms, who manufactured your items, and any special characteristics that might give them additional value to buyers. The more in-depth the history you can provide for certain goods, the more you may get for them.

2. Choose the Right Shop
Pawnshops, like any other business, specialize in different categories of items. While they all tend to have many of the same items for sale, each is known for a little different inventory. Check out more than one pawnshop to see what they buy and where their focus is.

Check the store's signage and take a look at their inventory. See what price ranges they carry in inventory similar to what you want to sell.

This includes both the types of goods — such as musical instruments — and the price range you want to get for yours, such as high- or mid-range priced instruments. The dealer knows their clientele, so this will help you take advantage of their built-in market.

3. Clean Your Items
Whether your item is new, old, broken, or in good repair, take some time to give it a little scrub before arriving at the pawnshop. Research the most appropriate methods for cleaning each piece according to its materials and manufacturing instructions. There are many at-home tricks for cleaning most things, so you might be able to do a lot just with a few household items.

4. Pick the Right Time
A pawnshop might take certain items all year, but the market for these may change depending on many factors. Winter sports equipment isn't usually much in demand during the summer. More students are likely to need computers and mobile devices when school starts and then be selling them when it ends. And prime wedding season might make your diamond ring more valuable.

Think about what people are (or are not) looking for right now, then use this to decide which items you might sell first. If possible, waiting until just before the prime season to sell an item might get a much better price for the same thing.

5. Mind Your Manners
Finally, go into the shop with a good, calm, and positive attitude. Be kind and polite with those around you. Selling your stuff can be stressful, certainly, so this can be challenging. But something as simple as being nice to others can result in everyone being more helpful in the long run.
In addition, don't feel the need to explain your financial situation (or other details) to anyone. View this as a business transaction, maintain professionalism, and negotiate realistically. You might make yourself stand out from the crowd.

Where to Start
Want more tips to help you get the best sale price for your stuff without spending any additional money? Start by visiting with the pawn pros at 2 J's Pawn & Gun. We'll offer the assistance of our years of experience working with all types of sales and many price levels. Call today or stop by to learn more.