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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Chandler In Las Vegas, post: 1172964, member: 10068&quot;]My experience with pawn shops is primarily online through ebay and with sterling silver. Pawn shops generally negotiate 50% of melt for sterling as it is a simple weigh and calculate transaction. They already know the person is in financial straights and it is usually take it or leave it transaction. Pawn shops, and the ones that hide behind a jeweler&#039;s name, build in the discount for the ultimate purchase. They will usually list for melt +10% for sterling as they want to make their profit quickly and simply. </p><p><br /></p><p>Here is the best part: they rarely do research, take horrible pictures and many times mis-list pieces. I bought a Red and Burton candy cup for melt + 20% which turned out to be an 8&quot; Reed &amp; Barton Francis First pedestal bowl/ tazza. As for rare pieces, they are just lumps of silver to most and are listed as fork or spoon or somesuch. </p><p><br /></p><p>Also, if you combine a pawn shop&#039;s desire to quickly move merch for a profit, with the general public&#039;s distaste for other people&#039;s monograms and engravings, I have had great success lowballing engraved pieces from pawn shops. I have one lovely sterling bowl engraved &quot; To Aunt Agness on her 80th Birthday&quot; which I happily cover with candy when I put it out. Back engravings are the best. I collect to expand my entertaining tools and put my purchases into service. </p><p><br /></p><p>So scour bad photos and lame listings on ebay, check to see that they are a pawn/jewelery co, and watch the auction closely. Oh, and snipe, always snipe. </p><p><br /></p><p>My 2¢[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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