It’s not often that we see a perfect crime ouroboros, but when we do, it just feels like some kind of cosmic joke. To wit: two people were arrested this week for trying to sell stolen video game consoles and some other stuff back to the guy they’re accused of stealing them from. [More]
pawn shops
Man Arrested After Police Say He Stuffed An AK-47 Down His Pants
By 5.28.15
The AK-47 is many things, but it is definitely not a small and discreet weapon. That’s why it’s not surprising that a man in Florida was arrested after trying to shove one of the assault rifles down his pants in a pawn shop, evidently thinking that this was something he would be able to get away with. [More]
1-In-4 Americans Turn To Payday Loans & Other High-Cost Financial Products
By 10.29.14
When discussing the topic of payday loans — or other high-cost, short-term financial products like auto-title loans and check-cashing — there can be a tendency to treat them like something that only a small percentage of Americans use. But a new report from the FDIC confirms that 25% of us have turned to one of these potentially predatory services in the past year, and that this rate has not been going down. [More]
GameStop Bonus: Trade In Video Game, Get Your Fingerprints Uploaded To National Database For Free
By 8.1.14
Trading in an old video game isn’t that complicated. Once you finally figure out what you did with the box (it’s under the old coffee mug) and get the cat hair off the disc and put the two together, it’s just a matter of bringing it down to your local GameStop and getting your pennies back so you can buy another game. But in one city, GameStop now won’t just collect your old games — they collect your fingerprints along with them, too. [More]
Needy Oenophiles Pawning Prize Bottles Of Wine For Cash
By 8.20.13
Eight years ago, it seemed like everyone in New York City was operating a hedge fund, and many of those suddenly rich folks splurged on necessities like rare bottles of wine. Then things went sour and these briefly wealthy types had to relocate the contents of their wine cellars to a storage unit. Realizing that cash-in-hand may be more helpful than bottles of wine they may never drink, some are using their prize wine collections as collateral on short-term loans. [More]
Man Rents Computer From Rent-A-Center, Immediately Pawns It
By 6.7.13
When you need cash quickly, selling or pawning something that you own can be a good option. Generally, though, you want to make sure that it’s something you actually own, and not something that you just got from Rent-A-Center. [More]
Why Does GameStop Need My ID To Accept A Trade-In?
By 1.3.13
A lot of consumers are concerned — and not without reason — that their personal information is being passed around like bottle of cheap wine around a campfire. At the same time, it feels like more retailers are asking for this sort of information on everything from purchases to returns. [More]
Where Do The 1% Pawn Their Pricey Goods When They Need A Quick Loan?
By 3.8.12
Remember that bank executive who worried he wouldn’t be able to afford to send his children to an exclusive private school and afford his family’s summer rental home in Connecticut? Maybe he should consider a high-interest loan from one of these pawn stars for the wealthy. [More]
Would You Do Your Holiday Shopping At A Pawn Shop?
By 12.9.11
Smart shoppers look everywhere they can think of for a good deal. But does that include heading to the local pawn shop to see if they can scrounge up a good bargain when looking for holiday gifts? [More]
Louisiana Outlaws Cash For Trading Used Goods More Than Once A Month
By 10.19.11
In order to combat the rising threat of metal theft, Louisiana passed a law that prohibits anyone who trades used property more than once a month from conducting that transaction in cash. This should cut down on metal vultures stripping down the infrastructure to turn it into money for their drug habit. However, this also means you can’t really hold a garage sale more than once every 30 days without some burdensome restrictions. [More]
This Pawn Shop Is Very Up Front With Its Feelings About Crack Smokers
By 9.26.11
Last week, we brought you a marketing ploy by one Albany pawn shop looking to expand its customer base by giving spurned mothers a way to get back at their exes. Now, Consumerist reader Brady sends us a photo of a Georgia shop that is trying to limit certain people — namely those who smoke crack cocaine — from entering. [More]
Treat Your Baby's Mom Nice If You Live Near This Pawn Shop
By 9.21.11
Getting revenge on an ex can be tempting, and this pawn shop in Albany, NY, seems to be tapping into that desire for comeuppance in its new storefront marketing campaign. [More]
Start Your Christmas Shopping In August At This Colorado Pawn Shop
By 8.26.09
This sign spotted outside of a pawn shop in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, raises all kinds of questions. Such as: now what for Christmas? Now hiring for Christmas? Now buying artificial conifers for Christmas? Now cleaning out our warehouses for Christmas? We need more clarification, EZ Pawn.
Florida Used Game Shops Required To Take Traders' Thumbprints
By 6.1.09
If you’re trying to sell or trade used games in Florida, expect to be treated like a registered sex offender or a diamond fence. The state legislature passed a law in October that classified video game trade-ins as pawn shop items, requiring businesses to take thumb prints and in-depth personal information from customers. Thew NewTimes Broward-Palm Beach reports a county sheriff is cracking down on game shops to make sure they follow the law.
Looking For Great Deals? Try The Local Pawn Shop
By 9.6.08
Pawn shops are becoming an unlikely source of great deals thanks to the ongoing non-recession thing, according to CBS. Where else can you turn pop’s old watch into last month’s overdue rent check? We always see pawn shops as a half-step up from dumpster diving, a semi-acceptable sad-land where each abandoned item comes with a free story and a frown.
