What the offer depends on
- Resale value. What the same item sells for used, in your area, right now.
- How fast it sells. Popular brands and current models sell fast; niche items wait on the shelf.
- Condition and completeness. Scratches, missing chargers or boxes lower the offer.
- Loan or sale. Shops often pay a little more to buy an item outright than to lend on it, because they can sell it right away.
Gold: work out the metal value first
Gold is priced by weight and purity. 14K gold is 58.3% pure gold (marked 585), 18K is 75% and 10K is 41.7%. The metal value is weight in grams divided by 31.1035, times purity, times the spot price per troy ounce. A pawn loan will be lower than that metal value. Use the gold pawn calculator with today's spot price.
Electronics, tools and instruments
Look up recent sold listings for the exact model. The pawn offer is usually a fraction of that, and lower for older models. Bring the model number, accessories and proof of purchase.
Compare offers
- Ask two or three shops for an offer on the same item. Many cities have dozens of shops; see pawn shops by state and city.
- Ask for both the loan offer and the purchase offer.
- For a loan, compare the total to redeem, not only the cash: run the numbers in the pawn loan calculator.
More tips in how to get the best price.
Questions
Is there a standard percentage pawn shops lend?
No law or industry rule sets one. Each shop decides based on resale value and risk, so offers vary between shops for the same item.
Why is the offer lower than the gold price?
The spot price is for pure gold in bulk. Jewelry is an alloy, the shop has to refine or resell it, and it must cover the risk that the loan is not repaid.