How to Sell Jewelry to a Pawn Shop

Selling jewelry to a pawn shop is easy. All you really need to do is to take the jewelry to a pawn shop, tell the pawn broker that you'd like to sell her the jewelry, and take whatever money she offers you. What's far more difficult, however, is getting a good deal from the pawn broker and making sure that you don't get taken advantage of. It's possible, though, with a little preparation and forethought, to sell jewelry to a pawn shop and maximize your return in the process.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Choose a safe, reputable pawn shop. If you go to a questionable pawn shop to sell your jewelry, you'll likely end up with a questionable deal. Use online using tools like Google Maps or CitySearch to find pawn shops in your area and read customer reviews to get more information. Also, make sure that the pawn shop is in a good neighborhood. If it's located in a crime-ridden environment, odds are that you should choose another place to sell your jewelry.

2. Do your homework for pricing your jewelry. If you already have an idea of the market value of the jewelry you're selling, then you can skip this step. Otherwise, you'll need to do some legwork. If you think that the jewelry is relatively expensive then you ought to take it in to a jeweler and get a professional appraisal of your jewelry's value. If it's a less expensive piece, then it's probably best to simply look online, find similar pieces of jewelry for sale on sites like eBay, and come up with an estimate of the value of your jewelry.

3. Prepare yourself to haggle or bring someone with you to do your bargaining for you. If you're a shy, reserved person then it might be difficult for you to get down into the nitty-gritty of bargaining with the pawn broker over the value of your jewelry. If you feel like it will be hard for you to haggle, bring a friend or family member who is more able to assert himself in situations like this one.

4. Be prepared to take a serious devaluation. Pawn shops can't offer nearly as much money for most jewelry items as those jewelry items would retail for in a jewelry store. So, bear in mind that you probably won't get anywhere near as much money for your jewelry when you sell it to the pawn shop as you originally paid for it.

5. Make your jewelry as attractive as possible to maximize your return. Polish your jewelry, remove any tarnish and clean it up as much as possible. Doing so will increase the amount of money you're likely to get from the pawn shop.

6. Refrain from acting desperate for money, regardless of how desperate you may be. Pawn brokers realize that they can offer less money to people who are desperate---and they also realize that many people who come into the pawn shop to sell jewelry are hurting for cash. So, try to act casual and, if you're asked why you're selling the jewelry, simply tell them that it hasn't been getting use or that it no longer fits your wardrobe, never tell them that it's because you need money.

Tips & Warnings

• If you aren't happy with the price one pawn shop offers you, don't give up. Instead, go to other pawn shops to see if you can get a better offer.
• Pawn shops offer extremely low values for jewelry in comparison to other methods. Before you decide to sell your jewelry to a pawn shop, consider other options like jewelry stores and online auction sites.

Resources

• CitySearch
• Google Maps
• eBay

[ashcraft]

on 8/27/2009 Very good tips. Thank you! 5*

[DiscountTickets]

on 8/26/2009 These are such great tips on selling jewelry at a pawn shop.

[lilolladystuff]

on 8/26/2009 Good tips for pawning jewelry. Thanks.

[vikki9]

on 8/26/2009 While it might be helpful to sell items to a pawn shop, purchasing anything from one is an energetically poor idea because you don't know how the item has been imprinted.

[babblebubble]

on 8/26/2009 For somoeone like me, who has always failed miserabley at this task, your article is very helpful. Thanks!