If you’re in the market for a pawn shop, it can help to take time out of your day to research the places you’re interested in. This helps avoid bad deals and negative experiences.
Whether this is your first time using a pawn shop or, as a frequent shopper, you want to take another look at their local pawn shops, anyone can benefit from a few simple methods of vetting these businesses.
Here are the best strategies:
Online Reviews
Online reviews can be a helpful tool in figuring out which pawn shops are best.
Reviews often swing towards the negative, as most people will only leave a review if something has bothered or offended them, so these should be taken with a grain of salt.
However, an abundance of positive reviews can provide a good look at the pawn shop. After all, it must’ve been a very positive experience if people were inspired to review.
To be extra sure the reviews are authentic, go ahead and check out the accounts that have posted them. If the account has multiple reviews posted across businesses in the area, then you can trust they have a good understanding of what’s quality and sub-quality in the community. If they have only one review, the experience was likely exceptional enough to warrant their time. If they post scarcely and in different writing styles, you may have cause for concern.
Look for a Website or Social Media Presence
Not all pawn shops will have a personal website. However, most will have an online presence besides a Yelp page, whether it’s their own website or a social media presence on Facebook or Twitter. How they interact with people online can be a telling sign of how they operate their business. For example, are they willing to compromise in order to see you walk away happy?
Avoid pawn shops that fight with their customers online about their experiences. You don’t want to deal with a business that makes you feel bad about having a poor experience, or who is unwilling to give ground in order to satisfy the customer.
Call the Pawn Shop
Though it’s a little unconventional, you can always call ahead and speak with the employees to see if they’re up to your standards. Ask them questions about their business and how to go about selling, buying, or pawning an item for a loan. If you have plans to sell or pawn objects, ask what you need to bring or what additional information they want about the item. If you’re trying to buy something, ask as many questions about the item as possible.
If they’re willing to help you out, then they want your business and are typically willing to give you a good deal. This is a sign of a quality pawn shop: one that wants your business, wants you to walk away happy, and wants you to return with more business. Anything less should make you second-guess visiting their location.
