Originally Posted by
Amani576
Oh, I have no delusions about how they work. I know they're just trying to make money. And it's too obvious some times that people who really should do their research don't and really get lowballed in doing so. I guess my problem, atleast with them, is their attitude. They can be complete dicks sometimes. Or they'll bring someone in, have them evaluate the item (like a gun or sports memorabilia), give em' a value, and then they'll offer 1/8" of that and say "Oh, they were just getting excited". They call those people friends, yet if they were my friends and I saw them say that about me, I'd be mad as hell at them for saying something like that about me on national TV.
Iuhno, it's interesting what's brought in, definitely, but the guys themselves can be hard to watch sometimes. And the people who are selling them really need to realize there are better places to sell than a pawn shop (Especially when you don't really NEED to sell the item).
Cool. Its late and I cant sleep - I got a little preachy, there. Thanks.
Ive never really seen them being "dicks to customers," although they are harsh to each other... some of which is played up for the script. Most often the expert values given for items are what the experts have seen them go for, or what they believe they would sell for
at auction.
Also, more often thannot, the expert is the pawn broker himself.
I used to know a pawn broker, and he knew what things were worth off the top of his head. He was amazing, really.
Often, it was intuitive, based on yeas of experience. But when he was in doubt, he had learned to deal in minimum buy prices, simply as a matter of expediency. Guitars bring this much, a gun that much, coins another price. He made his offers based on that.
On PawnStars, they accentuate the unusual. But, most of what they do is mundane and fairly common place.
The point is made often that the PawnStars are not in the business to make other people money. If you want the experts price, then you will have to consign it to an auction, or sell it some other way. Sometimes that comes across as stark, but it
is honest.