Viewers of Antique Road Show and other types of programs are constantly in search of one of those rare high-value items that are just collecting dust in the attic.

If you know how to sell to a pawn shop, you can avoid that endless search and find something valuable to bring in the money you’re looking for. When searching out the right Plantation, FL pawn shop, be sure you bring in the right kinds of items.

Here are four tips to ensure your trip is well worth the effort.

1. Don’t Waste Their Time

Stop by a pawn shop before you bring in your item. When you lug around the thing you’re trying to sell, you not only risk damaging it but also risk wasting the pawn shop’s time. When you bother them with items they have no interest in or market for you’re not going to enjoy the result.

If you bring in a good item to a pawn shop that has little interests in it, they’re not going to give you what you think the item is worth. When you’re faced with getting rid of a valuable item for next to nothing or holding out for the perfect price, you could get frustrated. It’s likely you’ll let the item go for much less than it’s worth.

Don’t waste your time either. You need to go around and visit a few different Plantation, FL pawn shops. When you know what shops are selling, what they have too much of, and what they don’t have enough of, you’ll be able to predict what they need.

Rather than offering an item that they know they can’t sell. Go look for a shop that doesn’t have what you’re offering. You get a much higher price when you’re offering something they have a low supply of with a high demand.

2. Decide On Pawning Or Selling

Before you head out the door, make sure that you know whether you want to pawn or sell your item. If you’re going out to a pawn shop, why sell an item when you could do it yourself online for more? The idea of pawning your item means that you have the option to get it back later.

Pawning is much more flexible than selling. Once you sell an item, it’s in someone else’s arms forever. There’s no turning back.

Talk to the pawn shop owner if they seem like they want your item. They can educate you but you’re better off educating yourself on the differences before you go in. Your decision to sell or to pawn should be based on how quickly you can pay back the pawn shop.

When you pawn something, you get what basically amounts to a loan. If you’re not good at paying back a loan, reconsider whether you want to sell it outright or not.

Sometimes the cash is really what you need.

3. Everything is Negotiable

When it comes to pawn shops and jewelry stores, no prices are written in stone. Since gold and jewels are the types of assets that go up and down in value all the time, shops pay higher prices when gold is at a high value. Even if gold is up, check around and see if there’s a shop that gives you a higher price.

Visit a few shops and have your items appraised when you’re dealing with jewelry, gold, diamonds, or other items of that type. Check the value online and see if you can find a buyer if you’re not pleased with what you’re getting from pawn shops. If you’d prefer to work with a pawn shop, quote the price you’re offered online when you go into the shop.

If you’re dealing with an asset like art, have a dealer or a gallerist give you an estimate.

No matter what you’re trying to sell, getting an estimate in advanced gives you a base to start from. If you could get $10,000 for an item, you know what risks you’re taking when someone offers you $5,000.

Haggling is common in the world of pawn shops. When you’re selling something, negotiate and be firm with what your lines are. If you don’t get what you want and you know there’s a buyer out there, don’t be afraid to walk out the door.

4. Bring In Good Items

If you’re trying to get someone to buy an item, you shouldn’t bring in the worst you have to offer. Instead of trying to sell things you don’t have value for, sell things that you know are valuable and that other people want. Think like a shop owner and you’ll soon realize that they only want items that they know they’ll be able to get rid of.

When you offer high-end watches, like Rolex, or firearms, you can expect to get around 3/4 of the market value for them.

Things that are already inexpensive, like appliances, video game consoles, or tools won’t yield very much. There are items that have lost value over time, like fur coats, that simply aren’t worth the effort for most pawn shop owners.

With each item, bring in a good story about them. If there’s an emotional attachment, then you’re more likely to get a good loan on your pawned item. If you’re in a taxing financial situation and have a really great item on hand, then you’re going to get a good return on it.

Repeat business also plays into things so if you build a relationship of bringing in good items, expect a good return.

Learning How To Sell To a Pawn Shop Takes Effort

If you don’t learn how to sell to a pawn shop, you’re going to be in for a steep learning curve. Selling to pawn shops requires you to be savvy and know what you’re holding onto.

Check out how pawn shops work in Florida before you make the trip.