1. How Much Is That Doggy in the Window?
Plan on walking into the pawn shop with your negotiating gloves laced up already?
Think again, champ.
Before you set your heart on negotiating a hot deal, be sure to ask the obvious question – “Is the price on this item negotiable?”
While the guys behind the counter at a pawn shop typically expect a bit of back and forth haggling on most items, the fact of the matter is that there are some items that are just so unique or high-value that there simply isn’t room to budge.
2. Start High
Want to snag a sweet deal on a used turntable?
Just like poker, it’s wise to ‘keep your cards to yourself’ in negotiations, too!
If $100 is the price you’d be happy paying, start by asking if they would take $75 for the item.
This allows for bargaining room, and allows you to appear as though you are being flexible when you agree to consider an asking price higher than $75.
3. Know Your Comps
Ensuring you’ve educated yourself on what the market is actually valuing an item at at any point in time is a crucial step to becoming a strong negotiator.
Interested in one of our rare guitars?
Researching online or asking experienced professionals in a music shop for an estimate of how much the piece should go for allows you to come to the bargaining table with the right facts.
4. Money Talks
As the saying goes, cash is king.
Being able to shell out some cold, hard cash holds much more value than a promise to pay at a later date.
5. Know Your Limits
It’s no fun for anyone when you get caught up in the heat of the moment and over-promise on just how much you can actually pay for an item.
Before you step foot into a negotiation, it’s important to take a moment to genuinely decide what the maximum you’ll pay for the item is, and how much you can truly afford to pay.
6. R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Plan on blowing your lid if the deal doesn’t go your way?
You’d better not.
If you aren’t confident you can’t keep your cool while negotiating at a pawn shop, it’s better to just avoid the situation all together.
Everyone deserves a little respect.
If the decision maker at the pawn shop declines an offer that they feel is too low, they reserve the right to do so, and that doesn’t give you the green light to raise your voice, use profanity, or make threats.
At the end of the day, negotiating a deal should be fun for everyone involved – you get a steal on an item you’ve been pining after, and the pawn shop owner gets to sell some of their inventory.
Buying items from a pawn shop truly can help you save a pocketful of cash, but in the same right, it should only ever be done with respect.