Many people buy and sell guns at pawn shops. This can be a great place to do business. Not only can you make a lot of money on selling any firearms you don’t want anymore, but you can get a great deal if you are in the market for a specific type of gun.
If you haven’t done business with a pawn shop before, there are a few things you need to know. Let’s take a look.
Tips on Buying at a Pawn Shop
Before heading to any pawn shop, make sure you know a little bit about its reputation. If its local to your town, you probably know people that have gone there. Ask your friends and people you know about their experience going to that pawn shop. It’s good to get a recommendation from someone you know especially if you haven’t been to that specific pawn shop before.
At the store when you find a gun you are interested in, do a quick Google search. You’ll be able to find out online what the resale price is of that gun. That way you won’t be overpaying and can negotiate with the owner of the pawn shop if you need to. Don’t be afraid to barter about the price. That’s the best benefit of buying at a pawn shop…getting a smart deal.
Feel free to ask the pawn shop owner any questions you might have about the firearm. They might know who the previous owner was, some history about the gun, and how often it was used.
Look over the gun closely. Make sure there isn’t any obvious signs of wear or damage on the gun. It shouldn’t rattle or have any loose parts. If the pawn shop owner allows it, take the gun apart and check out all the pieces. Check to be assured that it’s not loaded because you should also dry fire the gun to make sure the trigger mechanism works properly. Obviously, you should ask the pawn shop owner before you do this.
When all of that checks out, it’s time to decide if you want to buy it. Keep in mind that going to a pawn shop on a regular basis will allow you to develop a relationship with the owner. They may be able to call you in advance the next time they get a gun in that you might be interested in.
Selling Your Firearm
If you are selling your firearm at a pawn shop and not “pawning” it, the best advice is to know in advance the price you are hoping to get from the piece. Do you research. A couple of good websites are PriceMyGun.com and FirearmsPriceGuide.com. Find out exactly how much the resale value of the gun is and go a little higher than that. The pawn shop is going to offer you less than you want to get for the gun because they want to make as much money as possible.
Don’t be afraid to take your gun to a few different pawn shops in order to secure the best sale price.
ONLY PROBLEM IS THAT A PAWN SHOP & A DEALER CHARGE YOU TOO MUCH FOR THEIR SERVICE. ex.$100.00 + FOR DOING THE PAPER WORK EVEN IF THE GUN ONLY COST $125.00 IN THE BEGINING, THEN THE TAX.
Honest gun dealers will not charge you a fee for doing paperwork and running a background check.. some will charge a $25,00 fee for paperwork and that when you pass the background check goes towards the price of the firearm. the reason for this charge is that you should know if you will pass the background check. It takes time to run a background check after checking your paperwork as this time could be used to process someone else’s paperwork. a $100.00 is too much to charge someone. I would leave anyone who charges that much.