Pawn Shops See Business Spike for Diamonds & More

The Telegraph Herald Online and Reuters are reporting that all across America, pawn shops have seen spikes in their business due to tougher economic times. We here at the San Diego Luxury Pawn Shop Report would certainly concur with that report, especially when it comes to diamond jewelry and items made of gold or other precious metals. Read more

Pawn Shop Sales Point to Recovery?

WALB News in South Georgia is reporting on a new trend that we have also seen occurring in San Diego; that is, signs of an economic recovery are showing up at some pawn shops. The report from the peach state rightly mentions that pawn shop activity is often a good indicator of the economic pulse because many people use them like banks for loans or cash advances. Read more

Quick Tips: Getting Cash for Your Gold Bling

Cash for gold isn’t just a hot trend in San Diego. Shoppers around the country have been trading in their gold bling for quick cash. In an article recently published by The Denver Post, the newspaper lists the following tips for when selling your gold jewelry:

—Unless the piece is of a high-quality maker, such as Cartier or Tiffany’s, you’re looking at scrap gold pricing. Forget what you paid for it.

—Remove gemstones from your gold jewelry unless they’re too small to sell separately.

—Know the price of gold the day you’re going out to sell. The New York gold markets close at 1 p.m. Pacific time, so sell your gold in the afternoon.

—Weigh your gold jewelry in bulk. Keep similar karat gold together. You might get a better price.

—Do the gold math. Know the 100 percent value to see if offers are fair to you.

—Get gold buying offers from several stores, whether jewelry or pawn shops.

—Avoid online gold buyers. Unless you’re selling in high volumes, you’ll not likely get a better price.

—Never let strangers view gold jewelry at your home. Consider a bank and safety deposit box for security.

—Walk away if you don’t like the gold buyer’s offer. Gold is constantly on the move.

Save My San Diego Pawn Shop

The Macon County News has just reported on a situation that concerns pawn shops in every state and the people these pawn shops serve. What is causing all the concern, and indeed anger, is U.S. Senate Bill 500, which would virtually wipe out the pawn business. Read more

Getting Rid of Pawn Shop Stereotypes

Throughout San Diego county and in cities around the country, many people have negative perceptions of pawn shops. In Illinois, The Daily Northwestern reports that Windy City Jewelry & Loan Ltd. is tired of the stereotypes and is working its hardest to defy them. In their article the newspaper talks with the store’s manager Bruno Wilson. Unlike the image people often have in their heads, Wilson’s shop is clean and neat, and no one can enter without first being buzzed in by an attendant. Read more

California Gold Scams On The Rise

John Asbury for The Press-Enterprise of Riverside writes that gold scams are on the rise in California. Asbury gives one example of how a a woman was approached to buy a gold bar outside a Southern California Wal-Mart, she thought she was getting a bargain. Instead, she ended up with a polished hunk of metal. Read more

Beverly Hills Pawn Shop Sees Surge

This year business is up for California pawn shop owners, an indication of how much tougher this season has become for some. According to the LA Times, Collateral Lender (a well-known Beverly Hills pawn shop) has seen a 20% surge in customers over the last three months or about the same period the stock market tanked. Read more

Your Confidentiality & Security

With increased business being conducted by buyers and loan providers of gold, jewelry, diamonds, and watches, consumer concerns have been raised regarding personal confidentiality, as well as public security. In response to these concerns, and to clear up any potential confusion, we at the San Diego Luxury Pawn Shop Report thought it would be good if we laid down the kinds of security and confidentiality polices that your jewelry buyer or pawn shop should have in place. Read more

Top 5 Tips: Selling Used Silver Flatware

Here are your top 5 tips to remember before selling your silver flatware in San Diego.

1) Identify whether it actually is made of sterling silver, and not just silver plated. If it is genuine sterling silver flatware, the word “sterling” will be on the flatware. That is, unless it is an antique manufactured prior to 1860. Read more

How San Diego Pawn Shops Work

Featured at the website HowStuffWorks.com is a good article about How Pawn Shops Work. The article rightly points out that pawn shops don’t really deserve the “shady” image that many people hold of them–often due to the way Hollywood depicts them as fence operations for stolen goods. For centuries, pawn shops have been the quick and convenient way for people to borrow money. Read more

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