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Post by Red Impact on Jul 1, 2011 18:46:32 GMT -5
I like the show for the history, but sorta hate everyone involved in it (especially the kid of the owner). I also never understood why someone would pawn something off for $2k that is worth $6k or so. Unless you need the money tomorrow to save your house or have a hell of a cocaine habit I'd much rather wait and put it on auction. I think the auction houses only take a 10% cut, not a 66% cut. It depends on the house I believe. Sotheby's, for example, takes 20 percent from the first 100K and 12 percent on everything above that. Beyond that, you also have to consider that an item being worth, say, $6000, doesn't mean it's going to be sold for that. It could sell for $4000, it could sell for $8000. It also very likely depends on the item. An auction house willing to take a cheaper item might have higher cuts to make ends meet for them. And you're always going to be at the mercy of the seller, and they don't want to overpay either. They say 30 percent on the show, which might be what the house near them charges, but yeah, if I had a really expensive item, I wouldn't sell it to a pawn shop.
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Mozenrath
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Post by Mozenrath on Jul 1, 2011 21:17:46 GMT -5
There's also the fact it might take a long time to sell the item if you hold onto it, so it's taking up your time and storage, along with worrying about damage coming to the item, or more of the object being found, making the price drop. If you sell it to them, you are taking a loss, but you're also skipping a lot of risk and getting your cash now.
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salTy
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Post by salTy on Jul 5, 2011 5:55:02 GMT -5
I watched a few episodes before I got sick to my stomach watching them screw people out of their valuables. It's unfortunate that most people don't realize pawn shops are just a scam and that they could easily get true value for an item selling to a collector on this lovely invention known as the internet It's not really being screwed if you're told what an item is worth, told what price someone is willing to pay for it, and are able to walk away at any moment. As for getting the "true" value of an item online, it's not actually that easy. Even collectors want to get good prices. But I do agree, if you have an item of any real worth and don't have to have the money immediately, then I don't know why you'd go to a pawn shop. Agreed, but I still hate seeing it, which is why I couldn't last more than a couple of episodes. What others see is someone running a business. What I see is ignorant people being taken advantage of. I'd like the show a whole lot better if they just did the history portion and not the part where they buy items for less than 50% of their total worth.
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Post by Orange on Jul 5, 2011 10:46:53 GMT -5
It's not really being screwed if you're told what an item is worth, told what price someone is willing to pay for it, and are able to walk away at any moment. As for getting the "true" value of an item online, it's not actually that easy. Even collectors want to get good prices. But I do agree, if you have an item of any real worth and don't have to have the money immediately, then I don't know why you'd go to a pawn shop. Agreed, but I still hate seeing it, which is why I couldn't last more than a couple of episodes. What others see is someone running a business. What I see is ignorant people being taken advantage of. I'd like the show a whole lot better if they just did the history portion and not the part where they buy items for less than 50% of their total worth. Well, that'd take the "Pawn" out of "Pawn Stars" though ;D I don't see it as people being ripped off though, they have the choice of either selling it themselves or going through an auction. If they want to take it to a pawn shop, knowing the pawn shop will buy it for considerably less, than that's not the store's fault.
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Post by Big Daddy Bad Booking on Jul 5, 2011 11:02:31 GMT -5
Agreed, but I still hate seeing it, which is why I couldn't last more than a couple of episodes. What others see is someone running a business. What I see is ignorant people being taken advantage of. I'd like the show a whole lot better if they just did the history portion and not the part where they buy items for less than 50% of their total worth. Well, that'd take the "Pawn" out of "Pawn Stars" though ;D I don't see it as people being ripped off though, they have the choice of either selling it themselves or going through an auction. If they want to take it to a pawn shop, knowing the pawn shop will buy it for considerably less, than that's not the store's fault. The one thing that INFURIATES me is how people will really try to upscale what junk they have, thinking its valuable, but when the cold harsh reality comes, they're in total denial.
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Goldenbane
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Post by Goldenbane on Jul 5, 2011 13:49:27 GMT -5
I'm flabbergasted with the amount of love the "Old Man" is getting in this topic. Everytime he appears on screen and opens his sorry ass mouth, I just want to punch him out.
A typical enchange with the "Old Man" that I've seen go something like this:
Customer: "Yes, I have the complete collection of vintage Masters of the Universe toys...including the rare 'Europe only' toys like Lazer Light Skeletor and He-man, Megator, Titus, and the mega rare 'Eternia playset.' Everything is in it's original package from the 80's and I looked it all up...a collection like this goes for $10,000.00."
Old Man: "Uh huh. And what are you looking to do with it today?"
Customer: "I'd like to sell it...I'm looking for about $6,000.00, please."
Old Man: "I better get an expert...."
Expert comes in for no reason, craps himself over the awesomeness of the customer's collection, varifies everything customer said, gives brief history of He-man, blah blah blah, tells customer collection is really worth about $50,000.00"
Customer: "Oh...well...can I get $30,000.00 then, please?"
Old man: "I can give you $20.00"
Me: "f*** YOU OLD MAN!"
Now, this particular example never actually happened, but I feel like things similiar to this happen a lot. Rick is almost as bad, but he's admittably a little better. Both of them just piss me right off, so I prefer American Pickers and that other restoration show to these assholes.
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Post by Orange on Jul 5, 2011 13:57:45 GMT -5
I'm flabbergasted with the amount of love the "Old Man" is getting in this topic. Everytime he appears on screen and opens his sorry ass mouth, I just want to punch him out. A typical enchange with the "Old Man" that I've seen go something like this: Customer: "Yes, I have the complete collection of vintage Masters of the Universe toys...including the rare 'Europe only' toys like Lazer Light Skeletor and He-man, Megator, Titus, and the mega rare 'Eternia playset.' Everything is in it's original package from the 80's and I looked it all up...a collection like this goes for $10,000.00." Old Man: "Uh huh. And what are you looking to do with it today?" Customer: "I'd like to sell it...I'm looking for about $6,000.00, please." Old Man: "I better get an expert...." Expert comes in for no reason, craps himself over the awesomeness of the customer's collection, varifies everything customer said, gives brief history of He-man, blah blah blah, tells customer collection is really worth about $50,000.00" Customer: "Oh...well...can I get $30,000.00 then, please?" Old man: "I can give you $20.00" Me: "f*** YOU OLD MAN!" Now, this particular example never actually happened, but I feel like things similiar to this happen a lot. Rick is almost as bad, but he's admittably a little better. Both of them just piss me right off, so I prefer American Pickers and that other restoration show to these assholes. I kind of like The Old Man, but if I ever went to the shop I'd hate to deal with him for the reason you gave. He's incredibly stubborn and seems like a pain to deal with. He's kind of funny though If I had to give an ordering system on who I enjoy the most, it'd go like this, Rick Chumlee Big Hoss Old Man
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Goldenbane
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THE G.D. Goldenbane
Posts: 7,331
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Post by Goldenbane on Jul 5, 2011 14:16:50 GMT -5
I'm flabbergasted with the amount of love the "Old Man" is getting in this topic. Everytime he appears on screen and opens his sorry ass mouth, I just want to punch him out. A typical enchange with the "Old Man" that I've seen go something like this: Customer: "Yes, I have the complete collection of vintage Masters of the Universe toys...including the rare 'Europe only' toys like Lazer Light Skeletor and He-man, Megator, Titus, and the mega rare 'Eternia playset.' Everything is in it's original package from the 80's and I looked it all up...a collection like this goes for $10,000.00." Old Man: "Uh huh. And what are you looking to do with it today?" Customer: "I'd like to sell it...I'm looking for about $6,000.00, please." Old Man: "I better get an expert...." Expert comes in for no reason, craps himself over the awesomeness of the customer's collection, varifies everything customer said, gives brief history of He-man, blah blah blah, tells customer collection is really worth about $50,000.00" Customer: "Oh...well...can I get $30,000.00 then, please?" Old man: "I can give you $20.00" Me: "f*** YOU OLD MAN!" Now, this particular example never actually happened, but I feel like things similiar to this happen a lot. Rick is almost as bad, but he's admittably a little better. Both of them just piss me right off, so I prefer American Pickers and that other restoration show to these assholes. I kind of like The Old Man, but if I ever went to the shop I'd hate to deal with him for the reason you gave. He's incredibly stubborn and seems like a pain to deal with. He's kind of funny though If I had to give an ordering system on who I enjoy the most, it'd go like this, Rick Chumlee Big Hoss Old Man In some ways...Chumlee is kind of the opposite of the old man. In some of the dealings I've seen, it feels like a customer could come in with an old piece of chewing gum they peeled off the sidewalk a second ago, and Chumlee would pay them 70 bucks for it. (Usually Rick steps in everytime I see Chumlee dealing with people...but maybe that's just me.) I will admit though, that when the Old Man isn't dealing with customers, he's ok and can be funny (like when he sees a restored car or that time they hooked up all those phones in his office to constantly ring)
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Post by marvelocity on Jul 5, 2011 15:06:43 GMT -5
I like this show, but I'd like it even more if it wasn't for the fact that there isn't a likeable person in the entire cast. Rick and Hoss are blowhards. Chum is, I feel, phony stupid, and Old Man is just mean. I guess it's pretty consistent to what you'd find in any pawn shop though.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2011 15:11:06 GMT -5
I like the show, I only watch it when nothing else is on though not by me
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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2011 15:20:48 GMT -5
I like the show, I only watch it when nothing else is on though not by me That picture is perfect. Sums up about 80% of the shows transactions. I hate how little the people usually get, but like it was said earlier, they don't have to be there. But I still try to catch the show whenever it's on.
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Goldenbane
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THE G.D. Goldenbane
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Post by Goldenbane on Jul 5, 2011 15:26:20 GMT -5
I like the show, I only watch it when nothing else is on though not by me That picture is perfect. Sums up about 80% of the shows transactions. I hate how little the people usually get, but like it was said earlier, they don't have to be there. But I still try to catch the show whenever it's on. To be fair though, every once in a rare while some of the people that come in deserve to be ripped off. I remember an episode with a guy who brought in a legit letter from Paul Revere. They had it tested and all that stuff...and this guy was totally straight. Rick asks him what he wants for it...and the idiot says "Duh, a guitar." Now, I know that all the stuff surrounding Paul Revere is myth, blah blah blah...but he was/is still a legendary figure in early American history. If this loser had gone to the right people, he could have gotten 20 dumb ass guitars for that letter! Instead he pawns it off for one of his choice. I hope one of the strings snaps and whacks him in the face!
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Post by Orange on Jul 5, 2011 15:36:27 GMT -5
I like the show, I only watch it when nothing else is on though not by me That's awesome, and highly accurate
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Post by Red Impact on Jul 5, 2011 17:19:09 GMT -5
I'm flabbergasted with the amount of love the "Old Man" is getting in this topic. Everytime he appears on screen and opens his sorry ass mouth, I just want to punch him out. A typical enchange with the "Old Man" that I've seen go something like this: Customer: "Yes, I have the complete collection of vintage Masters of the Universe toys...including the rare 'Europe only' toys like Lazer Light Skeletor and He-man, Megator, Titus, and the mega rare 'Eternia playset.' Everything is in it's original package from the 80's and I looked it all up...a collection like this goes for $10,000.00." Old Man: "Uh huh. And what are you looking to do with it today?" Customer: "I'd like to sell it...I'm looking for about $6,000.00, please." Old Man: "I better get an expert...." Expert comes in for no reason, craps himself over the awesomeness of the customer's collection, varifies everything customer said, gives brief history of He-man, blah blah blah, tells customer collection is really worth about $50,000.00" Customer: "Oh...well...can I get $30,000.00 then, please?" Old man: "I can give you $20.00" Me: "f*** YOU OLD MAN!" Now, this particular example never actually happened, but I feel like things similiar to this happen a lot. Rick is almost as bad, but he's admittably a little better. Both of them just piss me right off, so I prefer American Pickers and that other restoration show to these assholes. I don't get it, why is there "no reason" for them to call an expert in that surely exaggerated hypothetical? Because the customer said they looked it up? If I walked up to you and told you I had an $80,000 antique chair that I was willing to sell for $10,000 would you take me on my word? Calling in someone to verify that the person not only has what they say they have, but that it's worth what they say it's worth is just good business. It'd be naive to take them at their word just because they said they did the work, and it'd be the mark of an idiot running the shop. It's not like they're going to be experts on every possible thing that comes into the shop. Even in your own example it proved that calling in the expert was a good idea, because your hypothetical customer who "looked it up" was a whopping $40,000 off. But yeah, they do offer low on collections, sometimes to baffling levels. I'm certainly not going to defend them for offering 1/8 of the expert's price on an item if they do so. However, I do think there is a certain logic to it, though. For starters, if you have a 250 piece collection, you have to determine if you can get more selling them individually or as a group, and honestly, that can be a lot more work than people think. You have to catalog everything, they'll take up space in your storeroom for 30 days, and even then, you have to wait for someone to come into your shop willing to buy the items for the price you're putting on them, and that could take years. Selling something isn't as cut and dry as people make it out to be. Collectors aren't going to show up the next day with 50K in cash to buy them. Further, there's something people don't often realize about the collectables market. When you sell jewelery, you can look up to see what the price of the metal per troy ounce is. What's the inherent value of a baseball card or an action figure? Half a penny of cardboard for the card, and a few pennies of plastic for an action figure. If you go to a bank to trade in gold for money, there's a good chance you'll get some response. If you try to trade action figures for money, you'll most likely be turned down. The value of those items are exactly what a person is willing to buy them for, and not a penny more. If someone says "I estimate these to be worth $50,000" then what they're really saying is "In perfect conditions, if you find a buyer desperate enough and with enough disposable. At an auction, you might get anywhere between $20,000 and $60,000 for that item, it all depends how much someone is willing to pay. And don't think that these prices aren't variable. I bought a ton of basketball cards as a kid, and often times bought the Beckett book to look up prices. You know how many times I was offered cash for my card collection? Zero times. If I ever did sell them, you can bet that it wouldn't be for anywhere close to what the book said they were worth. If they buy something, they don't sell it for what the experts say it's worth, they'll sell it for a percentage of what the experts say it's worth.
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Post by Red Impact on Jul 5, 2011 17:29:41 GMT -5
Also, don't get me wrong, I can understand being disgusted if someone says a item is $50,000 and they offer then $12,000 or something like that. But if that's what people don't like... why are the American Pickers off the hook?
At least people in the Pawn Shop bring in their items. The pickers often show up to people's houses unannounced, root through their stuff, and buy items for as low as they'll get. They'll buy a scooter for $200 that they can sell for $5000 if they could. At least with the pawn shop, you have a chance to research what you're selling, with them, you're being hard sold on the spot with items you didn't even know you had.
I think they're even worse for ripping people off. They almost never buy items for half of what they're selling it for, and often times people don't even have the chance to think about selling it.
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Mozenrath
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Post by Mozenrath on Jul 5, 2011 17:58:21 GMT -5
Also, don't get me wrong, I can understand being disgusted if someone says a item is $50,000 and they offer then $12,000 or something like that. But if that's what people don't like... why are the American Pickers off the hook? At least people in the Pawn Shop bring in their items. The pickers often show up to people's houses unannounced, root through their stuff, and buy items for as low as they'll get. They'll buy a scooter for $200 that they can sell for $5000 if they could. At least with the pawn shop, you have a chance to research what you're selling, with them, you're being hard sold on the spot with items you didn't even know you had. I think they're even worse for ripping people off. They almost never buy items for half of what they're selling it for, and often times people don't even have the chance to think about selling it. With Pickers, they don't have a pawn business or anything, this is the ONLY source of their income, so they have more riding on it. Additionally, they also have to restore the items and that is man hours in materials. I get both of them, really.
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Post by Red Impact on Jul 5, 2011 18:10:05 GMT -5
Also, don't get me wrong, I can understand being disgusted if someone says a item is $50,000 and they offer then $12,000 or something like that. But if that's what people don't like... why are the American Pickers off the hook? At least people in the Pawn Shop bring in their items. The pickers often show up to people's houses unannounced, root through their stuff, and buy items for as low as they'll get. They'll buy a scooter for $200 that they can sell for $5000 if they could. At least with the pawn shop, you have a chance to research what you're selling, with them, you're being hard sold on the spot with items you didn't even know you had. I think they're even worse for ripping people off. They almost never buy items for half of what they're selling it for, and often times people don't even have the chance to think about selling it. With Pickers, they don't have a pawn business or anything, this is the ONLY source of their income, so they have more riding on it. Additionally, they also have to restore the items and that is man hours in materials. I get both of them, really. In Pawn Stars, the shop is their only source of income. Both get items and resell them, and both often have to do work with the items they get. So they're in pretty similar situations, except that the pickers travel all the time.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 11, 2011 23:37:56 GMT -5
OT: I <3 Chubby Guy from American Pickers and Bald Latin Dude from Operation Repo
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Post by Orange on Jul 12, 2011 0:11:43 GMT -5
OT: I <3 Chubby Guy from American Pickers and Bald Latin Dude from Operation Repo I swear that Operation Repo dude could pass for Gabriel Iglesias ;D
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Post by Toom E. Guci on Jul 12, 2011 0:30:20 GMT -5
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