Pawn Shops - found lots of Kramer musicyos

[Twisteramps]

Went to several Pawn Shops in the NW Arkansas area... noticed one horribly disturbing trend:

SIX pawn shops had Kramer Pacers for sale. The ones that are under $99 NEW at musicyo.com. One place was selling one for $299, rest ranged from there to $189. One store had a freakin' Focus6000 ESP made Kramer for $149 w/original floyd rose, but it was pretty beat. Still was a better guitar than one of the near $200 Musicyo models!

Thought about telling these bozos that fact, but screw it - most pawn shops are filled with bozo drones who know as much about a guitar as they do a shotgun. I take that back, most know more about shotguns.

Pete

[LouSiffer]

Re: Pawn Shops - found lots of Kramer musicyos

I agree Pete. They literally offer pennies on the dollar, then they ask the new price or more for the piece. I have a pawnshop near me that has a LP Studio. They are asking $1150 foor it. Shit, I can buy them new for that. Yeah, I could ask the guy and deal with him ,but, if someone puts their price that high to start with....its not worth my time. When I see a price that is absurdly high, I just pass on by.

Another pawnshop in my home town has some guitars on hangers that heve been there since I was in high school. That was over 16 years ago. And they are still asking the same prices for those guitars. I guess they figured if they hang on to them long enough, the antique factor will kick in and they will eventually get what they want.-Lou

[Newc]

Re: Pawn Shops - found lots of Kramer musicyos

There's also a trend among the Pawnbroker's Association to get new guitars as regular stock because of the "mythical tales" of some superstar buying his first guitar at a Pawn Shop, as well as the "sweet Pawn Shop score"
I fail to see how this marketing idea is supposed to pan out, personally, because the whole purpose of buying a guitar at a Pawn Shop is to simply repay the Pawn Shop the $150 they loaned the guy when he came in with the $1500 guitar and couldn't get it out, not for them to go into the Musical Instrument Dealer business or to screw one guy when he pawns it and another guy when he buys it.

[buzzsaww]

Re: Pawn Shops - found lots of Kramer musicyos

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to screw one guy when he pawns it and another guy when he buys it.

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this is what pawn shops have always existed for [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[jgcable]

Re: Pawn Shops - found lots of Kramer musicyos

Pawn shops certainly screw musicians but when you think about it, the musician was probably screwed before he walked in the pawn shop door.

[zeegler]

Re: Pawn Shops - found lots of Kramer musicyos

Pawn shops are shitholes. I have gotten decent deals at pawn shops before, but I was lucky. These days, the rule is, they sell garbage for way more than it's worth.

[StukaJU87]

Re: Pawn Shops - found lots of Kramer musicyos

[ QUOTE ]
Pawn shops certainly screw musicians but when you think about it, the musician was probably screwed before he walked in the pawn shop door.

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Agreed John.

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I fail to see how this marketing idea is supposed to pan out, personally, because the whole purpose of buying a guitar at a Pawn Shop is to simply repay the Pawn Shop the $150 they loaned the guy when he came in with the $1500 guitar and couldn't get it out,

[/ QUOTE ]

Newc, how would a pawn shop make profit if they sold something for exactly what they paid for it? [img]/images/graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img]

[pro-fusion]

Re: Pawn Shops - found lots of Kramer musicyos

I have to think that eBay has put a real hurtin' on the pawnshop business. I mean, unless you desperately need you next heroin hit *right now* or the sheriff's about to show up at your front door with the eviction team, why would you sell to a pawnshop for pennies on the dollar?

I've only sold a couple of 'plywood special' guitars to a pawnshop, simply because they weren't worth shit and I didn't want to deal with the hassle of eBay for that small amount of money.

[PowerTube]

Re: Pawn Shops - found lots of Kramer musicyos

I've seen a serious reversal in pawn shops over the past few years. It used to be that they had no idea what they had unless it said Gibson or Fender on the headstock. You could totlaly steal Jackson/Charvels, Kramers, Ibanez, etc...

Now they all have a copy of that "Used Guitar Blue Book" or whatever, so they go for maximum profit. And don't even get me started about how a Forth Worth Charvel is a "USA Model." Of course, my local Guitar Center does the same thing.

[Chuckracer]

Re: Pawn Shops - found lots of Kramer musicyos

Pawnshops are depressing to me. Everything in there is a representation of someone down on his or her luck, and signifies a last ditch attempt to remain above water. Probably futile.

I haven't seen a good deal from a pawnshop in years. Most of them, in my experience, go straight to ebay's completed auctions for pricing, then add 30% for the moron factor.

Waste of time in my opinion.

[442w30]

Re: Pawn Shops - found lots of Kramer musicyos



They make money on 30% loans bordering on usary and then selling the collateral for retail. Even if they sold it for what they had in it, they still made twice what it's worth from the guy struggling to keep his stuff for a few months.

They are the ones that sell stuff on eBay now. If they have a decent guitar they sell it on eBay.

I went to a pawn shop in town and saw it was all junk guitars. I looked to the back and saw a Gibson RD artist that was trashed. I asked how much. They said it just came out, but was going on eBay - for me $650! The thing was beat and they gave $50 tops for it. Name brand stuff doesn't even hit the floor anymore - straight to the 'bay.

[buzzsaww]

Re: Pawn Shops - found lots of Kramer musicyos

Same thing in Denver anything remotely decent goes straight to fleabay or carrguitar. I swear that guy's has got to have connections to every shop in town.

[FATKAT]

Re: Pawn Shops - found lots of Kramer musicyos

You can still catch a great deal at a pawn shop if you go in often.
About 6 weeks ago I missed a Mesa Dual Recto head for $400.00, saw it in the morning about 10:00 went home to get money to buy came back 3 hrs later it was gone (a member here got it & fliped it the same day).
It helps if you go in often and maybe buy some little stuff here and there. When you get to know some of the people sometimes they will deal with you but you never know what you will find.
I look, make an offer if they have someting I want, they take it or not or counter my offer or if the item don't sale I make the offer again later.
But it is true they use e-bay to price or sale items. In my town I hear one of the pawn shops has a deal with a local music store for some of the better guitars they get first buy chance befor it goes out on the floor.

[The Eristic]

Re: Pawn Shops - found lots of Kramer musicyos

[ QUOTE ]
You can still catch a great deal at a pawn shop if you go in often.
About 6 weeks ago I missed a Mesa Dual Recto head for $400.00, saw it in the morning about 10:00 went home to get money to buy came back 3 hrs later it was gone (a member here got it & fliped it the same day).

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Sorry 'bout that. Not to rub it in (just further proving your point), but I actually got it for $375 including tax. I got my Custom Shop Soloist from the same shop for $250, and an ADA MP-1 for $60. I sent my friend there once to pick up a mint-as-hell American Standard strat w/ case and literature for ~$375.

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In my town I hear one of the pawn shops has a deal with a local music store for some of the better guitars they get first buy chance befor it goes out on the floor.

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That's Emory's shop on Main Street. I've made pretty good headway with him, though. If you want anything in particular, I can probably get it off him for significantly less than what it's tagged. I got a custom Roscoe LG-3005 from him for $500, and my CLEAN USA BCR for $350 including tax.

[Flametop]

Re: Pawn Shops - found lots of Kramer musicyos

Keep the owner hooked up with a twelve pack every now and then (along with your cell number)and you might get a heads up on a deal when it comes along... [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]