"You mean I have to bring it IN??"

[vikingchyk]

We sometimes purchase laptops, depending on condition.

Probably once a week I get someone calling who wants to sell a used inkjet printer (worthless) or they think they can get a couple hundred dollars for a ten year old computer. I usually laugh at them.

What'll ya give me for a 15 year old Compaq laptop? Windows 95, c'mon, vintage! What about a 5 year old Toshiba laptop?

I need a new laptop The monitor on the Toshiba is starting to go, and it's too slow - I priced replacing just the LCD,and it's the same price to buy the same whole model on ebay - tip that it's probably time to think about a new one. My computer is worth ~$85 That's painful, when it was over $1,200 new...

[Raveni]

Hell, anymore, most companies don't even care where you get the actual software from as long as you have legal licenses for it.

Very true, I license some software for my business, and the only install media I have is an old 3.2.1 demo disk that I have to install in DOS and then upgrade to 4.2 for each computer I install it on. Company doesn't care (though I should probably ask for a real install disk someday), as long as I pay for the liceseses.

[PepperElf]

We sometimes purchase laptops, depending on condition.

Probably once a week I get someone calling who wants to sell a used inkjet printer (worthless) or they think they can get a couple hundred dollars for a ten year old computer. I usually laugh at them.

Well... there ARE some decade-old computers you really can get that kind of money from. And I don't mean giant mainframes but collector items. Like a Mac Lisa or something like that

[DGoddessChardonnay]

I like the one in Las Vegas where the old man has this conversation regularly:

Broker: I'll give you $200 for it.

SC: How about $350?

Broker: $180

SC: $350

Broker: $160

SC: You're going the wrong way!

Broker's Grandson: You should have taken the $200!

SC: ......OK $200.

Broker to Grandson: Write him up

You're talking about Pawn Stars on the History Channel . . .love the old man. BTW, did you know that he was born right here in NC? He's originally from Lexington (left home at 17 to join the US Navy and retired after 20 years and later started the shop in Vegas w/his son Rick, IIRC. But I digress, as usual.)

But of course we all know that SC's aren't that bright . . .the funniest ones on that show are the ones who want thousands of dollars for something that's worth maybe a couple of hundred and can't get it through their heads that, especially with the antique coins and other collectibles, that condition HAS A LOT to do with the item's value.

they'll bring in, for example, a raggedy movie poster and expect thousands but only get offered maybe a couple of hundred based on condition. And then want to complain to the camera that they were being screwed . . .plueeze people.

[emax4]

I watch Pawn Stars and Hardcore Pawn too. We all know that customers won't listen, but I love when the brokers have to explain to people that they need to make money on it as well, not become a charitable organization for the customer.

I read Rick Harrison's book "License to Pawn", and he's got some eye-opening facts about the pawn business in there. Their shop is open 24 hours, so you don't see the crack whores and people that OD at the 24 hr window.

[Redbeard]

I used to manage the jewelry department of a pawn shop and got calls all the time asking what they could get for their stuff sight unseen. What a nuisance.
I think one of my most memorable calls was a man who wanted to know how much he could get for his ring. I told him that it all depended on the ring, kind of metal, weight, if it had a gemstone/s, what kind of gemstone/s and so then I asked him what kind of ring it was... His reply? "It's round."

The jewlrey idiots....I remember them well.
"So..it's not real gold? Oh...can you give me $20 for it, then?"
"Oh, man..no, I don't want to sell it, my wife doesn't know that I've pawned her wedding ring and I'll want it back"
"I know it has a $19.99 price tag on it from Wally world still, but you should give me , like, at LEAST that much because of sentimental value, ya know?"

[An Haddock]

Well... there ARE some decade-old computers you really can get that kind of money from. And I don't mean giant mainframes but collector items. Like a Mac Lisa or something like that

I do have a Macintosh SE staring at me to my right as I type this.

I think it's watching me.

Waiting.

Waiting.

[Krysalis]

I do have a Macintosh SE staring at me to my right as I type this.

I think it's watching me.

Waiting.

Waiting.

I have a Vic 20 with original tape drive and an Apple // >>; Maybe not too much from either, but at least they would have some nostalgia value. Linus of Linux got his start on a Vic-20, regardless...

[wolfie]

As for unrealistic prices, I've seen the other side of the story. Some pawn shops ("Trash Perverters", I'm looking at you) have absolutely NO knowledge about some types of merchandise (typically the hardware/tools section). I've seen non-refillable fire extinguishers for sale that had traces of white powder inside the nozzle (i.e. had been used, and were worthless), 1 pound disposable (campstove) propane cylinders for sale at $5 that didn't "slosh" when shaken (again, used and worthless) - at a time when "Canuckistan rubber donut" sold them for $3 new (and full).

I was taking a machine shop course, and on browsing one TP outlet saw packages of 10 narrow-diamond shaped carbide inserts at $12/box. Didn't buy them, but later at another outlet saw the same kind at $5/box. Needless to say, I bought all 5 boxes, and made up my own holder for use on a lathe. A couple months later, someone managed to break the last insert on the CNC lathe. I told the instructor about seeing the $12 boxes that were the same insert type I was using on the regular lathes, and it turned out that my inserts would work (not exact match, but good enough) on the CNC machine. He said that if they were still around, get them and he'd reimburse me. Sure enough, they were still there, and I got them. Checking a catalogue, those inserts cost over $10 each through normal channels. I suspect that someone had "sticky fingered" a bunch at work, and sold them.

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

Sometimes my mother or brother will ahve one of those Pawn shows on when I'm walking by, and god help me sometimes I linger and watch for a moment. But I usually can't stand it because of course the good TV comes largely from SCs and people trying to wrangle huge sums for their junk.

It's ALWAYS something like this:

*Item is appraised for say...$500 retail value*

Broker: I'll give you $200 for it.

SC: How about $350?

Broker:....How about $225?

Now we all know how this should work. You reach a middle ground on the price (if you are a lucky customer).

SC: How about $350.

Broker: I can't do that. I can do $225.

SC: $350!!

Me:

That's not how it works, asshole....don't insist on a high value like that!

I hate those shows. I shouldn't stop to watch.

I was watching an episode awhile back and a guy had something, I forget it what it was but it was rare and they brought an expert in who declared it to be genuine and worth about $10 000.

Then then negotiation began:

Pawn store guy: So how much you want for it?

Customer: How about $10 000?



Ok buddy, you FAIL on two counts:

1. The pawn shop has to be able to make money off it too, giving you max value for the item does not benefit them at all.

2. Typically an appraised value is the MAXIMUM amount you could ever expect to get for something from a very interested buyer, NOT a guarantee that every one of these items anywhere on the planet will sell for $10 000.

[Merriweather]

Ok buddy, you FAIL on two counts:

1. The pawn shop has to be able to make money off it too, giving you max value for the item does not benefit them at all.

2. Typically an appraised value is the MAXIMUM amount you could ever expect to get for something from a very interested buyer, NOT a guarantee that every one of these items anywhere on the planet will sell for $10 000.

Plus, often the quoted value is what it might be expected to get in a very specialized auction, aimed at tjust the right buyers - and for that, you'd pay probably a thrid or more of the cost in auction fees to get that.

[Lovecats]

I have a Vic 20 with original tape drive and an Apple // >>; Maybe not too much from either, but at least they would have some nostalgia value. Linus of Linux got his start on a Vic-20, regardless...

Vic 20. Wow, does that take me back. Our first computer was a vic 20. Could only be on it for a short time cause it got too hot and it didn't come with a monitor so we had to connect it to the tv. Got a commodore 64 next with a monitor.

[EricKei]

Plus, often the quoted value is what it might be expected to get in a very specialized auction

Yup. The experts almost always seem to qualify their statements with "at retail" or "at a high-end auction"...

Then again , there wouldn't be much of a show if all of the customers actually LISTENED, now would there?

[Aria]

I once sold a game for a LOT more than I paid for it, on Ebay. Final Fantasy Tactics, it went for over a hundred dollars.

Then they re-released it 6 months later for 30 bucks a pop. I bet that poor guy was pissed...

[emax4]

I once sold a game for a LOT more than I paid for it, on Ebay. Final Fantasy Tactics, it went for over a hundred dollars.

Then they re-released it 6 months later for 30 bucks a pop. I bet that poor guy was pissed...

That seems to be a strategy. I remember that I got an iPod Shuffle at work that someone didn't want. This was the original stick-of-gum shape and size when they first came out. Knowing that Apple was going to release a newer updated version with a different shape and size (the clip-on version), I was able to advertise sell it at a premium price a week before the new version came out. If you're already in the know or keep abreast of the trends and items coming out, you can use it as a strategy to push out the stuff that will be slightly outdated.

The sucky thing is that when the newer stuff DOES come out, there are those uninformed sellers who still insist on selling their stuff at the previous price when the newer stuff can be had at the same price. Sometimes there are benefits to buying slightly older stuff, but not often. I bought a Mac Mini where the CPU could be upgraded, but the next newer version had it's CPU soldered and would be more difficult to remove and swap.

Sadly, the pawn shop I know of in Pittsburgh still has used items with high prices, and those prices can get newer, warrantied items instead.