Craigslist has become very popular as a digital place to sell and buy used goods for the last 24 years, but there are plenty of reasons to stick with a traditional brick and mortar pawn shop.

Looking to sell? Then here’s why you should choose a pawn shop.

Better Negotiating

Whether it’s Craigslist or a pawn shop, you’re expected to haggle and negotiate. However, you’re far more likely to come out on top at a pawn shop. To the buyer on Craigslist, you’re trying to get rid of your stuff, and to the pawn shop owner, you’re relinquishing your sellable goods. When you negotiate with a Craigslist buyer, the situation also comes with the cost-sunk fallacy.

Avoiding the Cost-Sunk Fallacy

Typically, negotiations for a Craigslist listing happen while you’re meeting (likely in a public place, such as a store’s parking lot) and, at that point, you’ve already driven out to meet them half-way. They expect you to sell even if it’s a little less than what you want. In this situation, they’re probably the only person that corresponded or the only one that followed through. You’ll feel that getting selling your stuff now is better than having to go through the process all over again.

With a pawn shop, you can take your stuff away and go on to the next pawn shop in hopes for a better deal, and the owner knows this. If they really like what you’re selling, they’ll offer you a better price if you’re not yet satisfied with the number you’ve been given.

Safety

While there are many legitimate buyers and sellers on Craigslist, the anonymity of the digital interface lends itself well to scammers and theft. As a seller, you may not run into as many problems as a buyer might, but your potential buyers might insist on giving you a bad check, attempt to run off with your stuff, or meet at a sketchy location.

Don’t Wait for a Buyer

With a pawn shop, you don’t have to wait for the right person that wants what you’re selling. Though the pawn shop does take a bit of the cut, it pays for itself by removing the hassle of waiting, checking your email, and corresponding with someone that might just ghost you at the end of it anyway.

Selling Niche Goods

Depending on what you’re selling, the target audience you’re looking for might not be looking around your area’s Craigslist. On top of that, it’s a difficult platform to sort through and your ad could get buried under plenty of newer ones if you’re not proactive in re-listing every so often.

Buyers at pawn shops can call ahead and ask for particular items, making it a lot easier to find a specific item – especially if they have to expand their radius far out of their own city in order to find it. If you think your stuff might appeal to a smaller audience, don’t wait on Craigslist for those people to randomly find your ad.