20 Pawn Shop Employees Describe Things People Think Are Valuable But Are Worthless

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mattstaff
Jul 12, 2019 5:00 PM EDT

Pawn shop employees are trying to help enlighten any hopeful people out there looking to make some money off the pawn shop, that their stuff might in fact be worthless. You don't want to find yourself all kinds of excited about some old family heirloom only to realize that it was worth the most while sitting around the place gathering dust. 

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  • 01
    askreddit Text - Ego_Floss 22h 1Award swarovski crystal aint worth shit.
    via u/TheRedWarrior137
  • 02
    Text - runed_golem 20h I used to flip computers and people could not understand that their used, broken computer is not worth the $500 they originally paid for it.
    via u/TheRedWarrior137
  • 03
    Text - HyruleJedi 23h Baseball autographs after like 1935. Willie mays ted williams mickey mantle... yeah they signed thousands of things. Often lowers values of their cards iirc
    via u/TheRedWarrior137
  • 04
    Text - BoxofLazers 21h Most second hand electric guitars are significantly less expensive than they are when brand new, even if it is a major brand like Gibson or Fender. People would get offended at the offers we would make them because they didn't understand what a retail markup is and they didn't realize that most guitars lose 50% of their value the moment you purchase them.
    via u/TheRedWarrior137
  • 05
    Text - FireAndBees 19h I work at a hobby shop, not a pawn shop, but we buy and sell collectibles. Top vote goes to comic books and Pokemon cards. I've literally had people come in with garbage bags full of crumpled comic books from 20 years ago that look like they were buried in a swamp, expecting thousands of dollars for them. Likewise, Pokemon was the hottest media franchise in the world when it came out. Everyone had them. Many still do. Lots of new cards are actually worth more than the old
    via u/TheRedWarrior137
  • 06
    Text - ItsaChipmunk 23h Pawn shop employee here, just a friendly reminder that no one wants to buy your great- grandmothers China set.
    via u/TheRedWarrior137
  • 07
    Text - Much_Difference 21h Not exactly this but similar: I worked in a used book store for years. We offered cash and store credit for trade ins. Sooo many people couldn't grasp that if we are selling a book for $3, it meant we would buy it for way less than that. They'd haul in a box of trash expecting a grand payday. They also didn't understand that a book being a mega best seller or on an Oprah list or made into movie years ago made it less valuable for us. If 10mil people bought the book in
    via u/TheRedWarrior137
  • 08
    Text - CheckmateNeet 20h Pawn shop employee here. Get a ton of people bringing TVs in thinking they're going to get 100+ dollars, but the market is so oversaturated, you're most likely gonna get less than 50 even for your 60" TV
    via u/TheRedWarrior137
  • 09
    Text - tilvalhalla_ 21h Auctioneer here- The longaberger baskets and China. Both had their time in the spotlight, now they need their time in the trash. Very few dishes are worth any money any more. Furniture at auction/resale is a must. High quality furniture for low prices.
    via u/TheRedWarrior137
  • 10
    Text - raisins_no 22h Anything from The Franklin Mint, or similar companies. We would get so many porcelain dolls, and "collectible" plates.
    via u/TheRedWarrior137
  • 11
    Text - PmButtPics4ADrawing 1d Not a pawn shop employee but I flip things, and one thing that a lot of people misunderstand is comic books They're usually not worth more than a couple bucks unless you go really far back, like 50s/early 60s. Even then they need to be in excellent condition; a few scuffs around the edges and a bit of fading can easily make a $1000 book worth $50.
    via u/TheRedWarrior137
  • 12
    Text - SaraAB87 23h Fad toys like beanie babies that everyone thought would be worth a ton of money. If the thrift stores are full of piles of it, it is worthless. If the pawn shops are full of it, its also worthless. If everyone thought it was going to pay their retirement, its worthless. Clothing, I know most pawn shops don't sell clothing, but clothing is NOT worth what you pay for it once you remove the tags. Also most clothing that you think is worth money is not. Most mall brand clothing t
    via u/TheRedWarrior137
  • 13
    Text - thehogdog 23h State Quarters full set. So many grandma's think a full book with all the state quarters there aRe priceless. Worth exactly as much as 50 x .25.
    via u/TheRedWarrior137
  • 14
    Text - UYScutiPuffJr 23h Not a pawn shop employee but I'll share what the guy I went to told me...I priced out some coins and a watch for my dad's estate, and the watch, ven though it was in excellent condition and from 1905 was worth like $125. The coins were basically worthless. He told me "go skip these across a pond if you want to get any enjoyment out of them"
    via u/TheRedWarrior137
  • 15
    Text - snazzytaint 23h I've got an attic full of old Star Wars toys that I played with when I was a kid. Every time a new movie came out before Disney bought the rights, there would always be a huge uptick in toy sales. Some of the stuff I have from the late 70's and early 80's is worth a little, but I've heard all the later released toys are practically worthless barring a few rare exceptions. The stuff have might net a couple grand at best. Not the investment I thought it would be when I was y
    via u/TheRedWarrior137
  • 16
    Text - Routine_Condition 1d Jewelry. Especially diamond rings. Yeah you paid thousands, its worth considerably less. Longaberger baskets. The next state over there is defunct basket making company whose HQ is a giant basket. They were a thing for a while, similar to Beanie Babies, until the bottom fell out of the market. People were buying these things as a long term investment but they are practically worthless now. People think they still have value.
    via u/TheRedWarrior137
  • 17
    Text - AuthorizedVehicle 18h Old TV's A guy I knew would advertise that he bought old TV's. Old people would call him and let him into their houses to get the TV. It was just a ploy to get into their house. He would then look around and offer them lowball prices for any antique "bric a brac" that he spotted, like 50¢ for Hummel statues. He'd buy their TV and dump it somewhere, and make a mint selling their actually valuable things.
    via u/TheRedWarrior137
  • 18
    Text - snewing 1d Pawn shop employee here. There's a lot but one that stands out to me right now are watches. Brands like Fossil, Michael Kors, Citizen, etc cost you over $100 at stores like Macy's but typically sell them for about $40 (even in like-nev condition). When something goes from New to Used, the value of said item goes down a lot.
    via u/TheRedWarrior137
  • 19
    Text - Sneakys2 23h Fine art. Every once in a while, someone finds an Old Master drawing, etc in their attic, but for the most part it's mostly junk by amateurs. Also, just because family lore claims a painting is by such and such a person, without concrete documentation that claim is worthless. Edit: as a PSA, don't take fine art to a pawn shop. If you have any inkling that a work of art is worth something, go to an auction house or professional appraiser.
    via u/TheRedWarrior137
  • 20
    Text - coyotestark21 ld I sell things online and one thing people never eem to understand is that just because YOU paid a certain amount for something doesn't mean it's actually worth anywhere near that.
    via u/TheRedWarrior137

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