WickedThump

For the past couple weekends I've been checking out bikes at the area's pawnshops. There're a lot of great deals on bikes. Mountain bikes are in the majority, but there're some road bikes too. I was looking at a very basic Gary Fisher mountain bike in fantastic shape for $90, thinking at this very moment somebody was spending a higher amount on a decidedly inferior Walmart bike. Perhaps pawn shops aren't a source for flippable bikes, but those looking for raw material for a builder should take a look.
My best pawnshop score was a '90 (I think) Peugeot, 60cm, Campy equipped, for $60. I gave it to my daughter's freind for helping with some work I needed doing.

randyjawa 

I have never had much luck with finding decent bicycles in Pawn Shops. Most of my bikes have been found using these Bike Finding Procedures and I find a lot of bicycles.

wrk101

Pawn shops here are a bust as well. They all have figured out how to use the internet, and quickly research values (then ask for a figure above that value). I am seeing more of this internet value search at thrift stores as well. I had a discussion on a bike at a nearby Salvation Army, bike was way overpriced. I mentioned it to them, and was told they looked it up on ebay. I asked whether they looked at successful completed auctions, or just asking prices. They did not know the difference.

WickedThump

Nice site. Bookmarked.
For any sort of used stuff, yard sales are usually the best source of bargains where the seller has no clue to value.

WickedThump

I think thrift stores are getting smarter about pricing, plus their employees get first pick of everything. I can't recall ever seeing a bike that wasn't discount store junk in one.

roccobike

Pawn shops aroung Raleigh aren't worth the gasoline to go see what they have. I went to one that had a nice, 7 or 8 year old Specialized MTB with a SID shock. At the time I was looking for a hard tail. I figured I'd make them an offer of $300, negotiate from there and grab the hardtail. I went in to the shop and was told the price was $900. At that time I could buy a new GF Hoo Koo E Koo for $1000 and dual suspension Specialized FSR XC Comp left overs were going for $1150. You guessed it, I went with the FSR XC Comp and laughed at the pawn shop and their used junk. Other attempts at buying from pawn shops around here have been no better.
One of the local pawn shops posted a used MTB on ebay with what I thought was a high starting price. They received no bids.

letenn 

The pawn shops I have been too seem to charge full retail price for used items. I don't get it.

OldsCOOL

That's why dickering must be part of the purchase strategy. They expect it and put the price up there to start the process.

I learned that on Pawn Stars

Chris W.

A few years ago I picked up a Rocky Mountain road bike with tri color 600 for $35.00....that was the only good deal I've had at a pawn shop. That particular shop went broke...Now days the pawn shops prices are over the top...

Cheers,
Chris

speedy25

All the pawn shops I have been in have the crap that the walmart buyers ditched.

Only good deal I found was a VERY good road bike that was still worth 1K at a garage sale. I got it for my daughter. Even though it was too small for me I did ride it and it rode VERY nice. Wish it was my size.

Chuckk's comment sums it up very well.

Good luck in bargain hunting.

-SP

flash2070

I did quite well at a Pawn Shop about six months ago. I saw an ad on CL from the Pawn Shop for a 1985 Trek 620 (blue). The bike was in immaculate condition. The guy wanted $400 for it. He had another road bike in the shop (the Trek was outside on a lift with a cardboard sign on it), so I pretended that I was looking at the one inside, and could care less about the crappy gas pipe Trek outiside. Lol! The one inside was a nice Fuji Sports 10 that needed to be cleaned up, but was in very good condition. I befriended the guy and was able to get it for $150 cash out the door! It was sold a while ago on Ebay. it was a beautiful bike, but I'm not into touring bikes at the present moment. I went back the following week for the Fuji, and got it or $40.00.

I also did score a Miyata 610 ($30.00), and two immaculate Schwinn Super Sports (his and hers) $50.00 each from 1971, at my local thrift store close to work. I think my scoring days are gone, as Carlito (an employee there) is getting first pick because he told me that he was selling them on CL. He was only doing mountain bikes, but he got smart, and I'm pretty sure he's taking the road bikes too, as I have not score anything in more than three months! I practically go there every day during my lunch break. I know that Carlito is going to call in sick one of these days, and I will score on him and have the last laugh! :-)

Flash

Rabid Koala

I have never bothered much with pawn shops. I was in one a year or so ago to look at guns, they had an electro-forged Schwinn something with the front freewheel system, they wanted over $300 for it.

There is a fairly new franchised thrift store near my work, I stopped in there the other day and found just what I had expected - Walmart crap priced insanely high.

puchfinnland

We got a second hand sports store in my town, I laugh every time I go in.

used bikes are normally sold on
a local ebay type,-huuto.net
a local creigslist, keltainen porssi
or a for sale website,

most of which are very cheap and easy to post things,

back to the secondhand shop,
yea the guy wants to make money, thats his job.
but double the price of a used bike one could find on the net?
his bikes are not always in perfect condition either.

It eats me up because he has a childrens roadbike with campy stuff on it and he wants some crazy 600€ for it
He has been sitting on it for 3 years, I go in and ask him what is the price "this" year and its always the same.

Im thinking of taking 5-6 easy sell city bikes in good condition up there and telling him
"I can flip these bikes in a month,or I can swap them with you for that bike"
he most likely will say "Deal if I throw 300€ on top of the 6 bikes"
he is just going to sit on that bike for another 3 years!

while my 8 year old gets bigger and bigger.

amandadun

I always get nifty little accessories from Amazon, check out amazon, theyre like the biggest pawn shop!

Gravity Aided

I live in a medium sized city, and have 1 pawnshop that is good for deals, out of about 6 . Nothing fancy , just some nice old bikes from time to time . Trades can be the secret with pawnshops . Especially with good branded bikes you don't like or don't fit you , that aren't good enough to put on the internet .

Stealthammer

Pawn shops are hit-or-miss depending on where you are in the counry. In smaller urban areas I have found few deals because the owners try to get as much as possible for a bike regardless of its actual value, but in larger urban areas often they are as interested in moving the bike to make room for the next one and they will be more open to dealing or marking the bike with a reasonable prices. In certain urban areas though you have to be much more wary of stolen bikes being sold that move quickly, regardless of how vigilant the police are.

In Las Vegas for instance, any one of several pawn shops north of the Stratosphere (although not Rick's store) or just off the strip, may well have a $2-3000 bike marked at $2-400 at 9:00am, that was sitting on top of a tourist minivan at Mandaly Bay or Treasure Island last night. Sometimes it may be gone in an hour, but often it will be a day or two for someone in the neighborhood to put enough of their crack budget aside to be able to afford it, so it sits right there in the front room. I've seen Kleins, Litespeeds, Guerciottis, LeMonds, Pinarellos, and Bassos selling for $3-400 or less, right along side low-end to mid-priced Treks, Fishers, Specializeds, and Cannondales.

Personally, I was very careful what I bought from pawn shops when I lived there, but I did get a kick out of seeing a homeless crackhead riding around on a Yeti or an Ibis.

Hoss Cartright

I think we all know that Pawn shops make their living by basically preying on the weak, and I find the employees at pawn shops to typically to be arrogant know-it-all jerks who ask way too much for junk that they buy for pennies on the dollar. So for me, I don't waste my time in those places. And in defense of pawn shops, they are not twisting anybody's arm when they buy the stuff people are selling. And if they can flip a beat-up WalMart bike for more than it costs new, more power too them. There is a clientele for this or they wouldn't be in business, it's just not my cup of tea.

The last time I was in on one of these discussions it was about paying the asking price at Yard sales and on the CL and how there are still smoking deals out there when you are prepared to jump on them.. It then turned into a discussion about how it is morally wrong to prey on someone who is selling something too cheap, even when you pay their asking price.
And I have a bunch of bikes that I have bought dirt cheap. As I have said before - "Pawn shops make guys like me look like the Pope." hmmm?
Personally, I do better in the Yard sales, the CL on occasion and the LBS used bike selection. Now that the LBS knows me and that I am a source for a fast easy cash sale, they actually call me when they get a bike they think I might be interested in. Establishing this relationship has been the best pay-off for me in the long run.

In fact, I bought this like new 1980s all Campy Simoncini Special Professional for $325.00 at the LBS. It was on consignment, so imagine.. I paid their price and certainly they made a profit as well.



This 1987 Cannondale Team Comp is also all Campy and was a trade-in at the same LBS. Bought this for $225.00 and it is a keeper.

Gravity Aided

I guess it all depends on your local pawn shop.
I have not found such to be the case with mine .
But I like garage sales and church sales as well .