Buying Gear at a Pawn Shop?
Apr 3, 2018 10:41:07 #
billnikon
Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont
jwn wrote:
When my gear was stolen, I called canon and notified then, they said they would just refuse service on the item, would not notify me or the insurance company. it was over $10,000 in cameras and lens, all purchased direct from canon.
Canon is not responsible beyond selling you equipment and not servicing your equipment once they know it was stolen. They are a camera company, not a watch dog for stolen camera equipment.
Apr 3, 2018 10:47:04 #
inbigd wrote:
Would you have concerns about buying cameras. lenses etc. at a pawn shop because of the chance that the item(s) might have been stolen then sold to the shop?
The pawn shops I use do a daily report of all items that they take in to the local police department, w/serial information. They also can check a list put out by police on stolen goods. They also buy and sell, or make straight loans. In Oregon, pawn shops operate under the provision of the State Banking association for operation, hours they must be open (bank hours) etc. Highly regulated. In fact I do the eBay listings for a couple of local pawn shops and know them well.
I frequently buy pawn items for sale, and have never had a problem. They are also very amenable to reasonable (good) offers. All our stuff on eBay is fixed price or best offer.
Most people won't, so I do. I also frequent the Goodwill national auction site called Shopgoodwill.com. Some risk because they have no real knowledge of product, but auction prices reflect that.
The rewards way overcome the risks in the last two decades. Film gear and very good legacy lenses. I've not lost any money on pawn or Shopgoodwill auctions, but I buy against the risk. Very low.
Apr 3, 2018 10:52:11 #
mizzee
Loc: Boston,Ma
Not for me. I'd go used or refurbished from a reputable camera retailer. I don't think a pawn shop will do much for you if something goes wrong, or the camera fails shortly after you buy it.
Apr 3, 2018 10:53:02 #
I use to make a pawn shop run every 2 weeks to see if they had anything to come in. There across from my job sometimes I would check more often and would get good deals, and one shop would sell me cameras at the price before they mark the price to sell. It good to know the salesperson and what you want.
Apr 3, 2018 12:10:36 #
hookedupin2005 wrote:
There is a D850 on Craigslist for $1,000.00! I would not touch it with a thousand ft. pole!
I would at least look at it. It could simply mean the seller inherited a camera from a relative who has passed, and wants to sell it as soon as possible. And furthermore, the seller may not understand camera resale value; most non-photographers don't have a clue. That is why estate sales can sometimes lead to great opportunities for amazing bargains. Everything must go within a short period - to pay out inheritors, pay for moving and funeral expenses, etc.
Apr 3, 2018 12:22:46 #
To me you should just as big of a concern about the item being stolen buying from a unknown private party. At least with the pawn shop you have a receipt and a place to go back to.
I like to wander through pawn shops - my better concern is most of the things I've seen are outdated and overpriced
I like to wander through pawn shops - my better concern is most of the things I've seen are outdated and overpriced
Apr 3, 2018 12:43:22 #
Yes. In Feb. I bought a Nikon 28-300 VR and it was stolen from our outside mail box at work, I filled out a police report but have heard nothing from CMPD or USPS on my loss claim. Most police have a data base that is linked to the pawn store camera/lens serial numbers that they take in so it may or may not be a stolen item?
Apr 3, 2018 12:50:29 #
I wouldn't be concerned about that, but I would be much more concerned about being sure that all functions on the camera worked properly.
inbigd wrote:
Would you have concerns about buying cameras. lenses etc. at a pawn shop because of the chance that the item(s) might have been stolen then sold to the shop?
Apr 3, 2018 13:19:48 #
Apr 3, 2018 17:51:44 #
dennis2146 wrote:
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but aren’t we all prohibited by law from buying stolen property, KNOWING it might be stolen? Don’t fences who deal in stolen property go to prison?
Dennis
Dennis
If it came to criminal charges (and that's a long road), it would be incumbent on a prosecutor to prove that you knew the goods were stolen. Buying from a licensed pawn shop usually means that you are held harmless.
Apr 3, 2018 17:53:38 #
hookedupin2005 wrote:
There is a D850 on Craigslist for $1,000.00! I would not touch it with a thousand ft. pole!
I live in the Detroit area, and there's a D850 listed for $1K (maybe the same one?). Don't know if it's the same one, but I wouldn't go near it.
Apr 3, 2018 18:27:18 #
sirlensalot
Loc: Arizona
Depends on who you know at the pawn shop. Most problems belong to the shop. If they hold it for the 30 days then sell it, it is yours legally. It's actually safer than craigslist or offerup.
Apr 3, 2018 19:37:41 #
sgt hop
Loc: baltimore md,now in salisbury md
no,I bought a nice pocket camera , a Nikon, in a pawn shop about 3yrs ago......still using it....no problems....
Apr 3, 2018 22:40:45 #
inbigd wrote:
Would you have concerns about buying cameras. lenses etc. at a pawn shop because of the chance that the item(s) might have been stolen then sold to the shop?
Not worried about pawn shops I buy most of my tools for cabinet shop there and bought many Nikon lens there cheap a lot of legacy glass for 25.00 to 100.00 dollars because they think they don't work on digital...you need not worry about camera everything they buy and take on pawn has to wait 2 weeks to 30 days before they can sell it . They have to submit reports every day to local authority's , if they come up stolen then they they lose it TO police officers....
Apr 3, 2018 22:42:47 #
pdsilen
Loc: Roswell, New Mexico
I wouldn't worry about whether or not the merchandise was stolen. It's the pawn shop's responsibility to research pawned merchandise to see if its stolen or not. The police investigate pawn shops on a regular basis. And if you do buy stolen merchandise from a pawn shop, the pawn shop's liable not you. I personally have bought some very good lenses from pawn shops. and I've gotten some very good deals. With the advent of cell phone cameras, pawn brokers don't move photo equipment very quickly.
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