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Pawn shop guides

How pawning works, how to get a fair offer, and how to buy used with confidence. Plain answers, no loan rates, no hype.

Engraving of a guitar in its case on a pawn shop counter while the clerk hands back a ticket and cash Guide No. 01 How pawn loans work Your item is the collateral: the appraisal, the pawn ticket, paying it back, extensions, and what happens if you don't. Engraving of a wristwatch on a shop counter between a blank tag and a tied stack of cash Guide No. 02 Pawn or sell? When a pawn loan makes sense, when selling outright is better, and the questions to ask before you decide. Engraving of tagged items on a table: a watch, a ring, sneakers, a guitar, a drill, a phone, a game controller and a laptop Guide No. 03 What do pawn shops buy? Gold, watches, tools, electronics, instruments and more, with how many listed shops have proof for each. Engraving of a hand holding a gold ring next to a jeweler's loupe, with tagged rings and a chain on a black pad Guide No. 04 How to sell gold at a pawn shop Karat stamps, weight, the spot price, melt value vs resale value, and how to compare offers. Engraving of one shopper playing a used electric guitar and another checking a cordless drill in a pawn shop Guide No. 05 Buying at a pawn shop How to inspect and test used items, check serial numbers, ask about returns and layaway, and negotiate. Engraving of someone wiping down a laptop at a kitchen table next to a drill in its case, a charging cable and a box Guide No. 06 How to prepare items to pawn or sell Clean it, find the charger and box, reset devices and sign out of accounts, bring ID, and call ahead.

City guides

The cities with the most pawn shops in the directory, each with its independents and chains, the shops that buy gold (with proof), Sunday hours and where shops cluster.

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Pawn shops by state Sell gold Shops by item Open Sundays

Want numbers? See pawn shops by the numbers.