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[Burning Thunder]

hey, you get the help that you pay for! LOL!
Hopefully someone else knows what you are talking about!

--BT

[Joseph]

Well J~J...

From what I've been seeing on the ol' tube lately, seems pawn shops are the 'in' thing right now!

Am sure with the old boots, saddles and gold teeth from the miners and such -- them stores would be filled with just what you're looking for in your neck of the woods!

Worth a shot, eh?!

Good luck!

[Jonathan~Janzen]

True, but the shape of electronic devices in pawn shops is always questionable. But it's worth a try! Thanks for the help.

[Burning Thunder]

ROFL!
What are you talking about! ALL the 25+ year old electronics are in PERFECT condition!

LOL! JK!

--BT

[Joseph]

Well I've seen pretty decent shape instruments in pawn store and warehouse outlets...

But inre: shape

If it doesn't look like a keyboard; if it doesn't play like a keyboard -- It's probably not a keyboard...More likely a guitar or amp or something else entirely different!

Good tip there, yo!

Am just saying....

[Burning Thunder]

Revision: I did not mean to say that pawn shops are a bad place! In fact, I like them!
Peace Out!
--BT

[thebugleboy]

Most pawn shops will give at least some sort of warranty.  I have found some great deals, but some shops (many) are very high on prices.
Shop on!!!
BB

[Joseph]

While the old adage: "Buy low, sell high!" is the modus operandi of commerce, it's certainly not written in stone...

Meaning, there is window of bargaining and wiggle room that is allowed/permitted to go on between buyer and seller and vice versa.

The guys on 'Pawn Stars' in Las Vegas are always showing purchasing things for the best, lowest price they can get something.  They, as far as I've been watching, never have shown selling and/or reselling any items. 

The family on 'Hardcore Pawn' in Detroit show both sides of their business.  They pawn/buy things yes.  But they also show when somebody wants to purchase an item, the buyer and seller can dicker over a price that is reasonable for each.

In the pawn business, cash is king, credit is queen, and trade is the prince/princess of it all.  So if say something has a price tag of $100 on it, doesn't mean that it can't be bargained down to less than that.  Taking in/moving out product is what keeps everyone in business.

And you don't have to be in a store environment to do it either.

When I lived in South Texas, a visiting galpal from Dallas wanted to go across the border and see the Mercardo - the Mexican marketplace. 

We looked around and enjoyed the goat meat tacos, mescal-laced margaritas, and what not...

Nothing on the inside interested her; but on a little table stand outside were some caballeros selling Aztec ceramics.  She liked one of the bigger pieces. Thought it would look good in her garden. The young guy was asking $10 US. 

I said it was too much, so we thanked them and moved on. 

The guy picked up the piece she was looking at, and followed us.

In his Mexican accent -- "$8, senor, senora?"  "No, gracias."

"$6, senor, senora?"  "No, gracias."

He continued to follow us; incrementally dropping his price, but she nor I were buying.

Finally, as we got to the edge of the International Bridge to head home...

"Okay, $1, SENOR, SENORA?!"  "Sold!"

Giving him the George Washington, he laughed: "You drive a hard bargain, senor!"

"Hey, you still made a profit!"

In almost perfect English with no accent, he confessed: "Yeah, these things cost fifty cents at a warehouse on the edge of town.  But a guy's gotta make a living somehow.  And I wasn't going below a dollar."

As we shook hands, galpal gave him an extra $2 for the story, his efforts, and laugh for the day!

We passed on the chicklet girls selling their packs of gum for a buck; but it was all good!

Bottom line: If you see something you want -- Dicker!  Can't hurt!  And usually works!

Buenos Suerte, Amigo!!

[thebugleboy]

Cash is king, and the approach I like is to show what my best deal is elsewhere, and ask why I shouldn't go ahead and take the other shop's deal.  That's my last resort tactic.  Usually I do better just making a ridiculous offer.  Many will let me know right off though, what they have to get for an item to still have a profit.  I like finding the rare gem that has gone unnoticed and will sell for a song just to get it gone.  Never overlook the shop that's about to fold.  I hate to see a shop go,  but one of our music shops auctioned everything for great savings last year.

BB

[Jonathan~Janzen]

I once got pretty a nice refractor telescope at a garage sale. They were asking $50.00 for it, but my mom said $50.00 too much (Which is an excelent price for any telescope, considering they seel those really cheap plastic ones at Wal-Mart for about $75.00, but my mom wasn't going to spend/let me spend anything over $20.00) The lady who was selling it said, "How about $30.00?"
"I'm sorry, but we're not going to buy it." My mom said. I tried to convince my mom that I would never be able to find another telescope at this kind of price, but she wouldn't have it. We browsed around a little bit more, then we got ready to leave. As we were starting to leave, the lady said, "You can have it for $10.00, but that's my final offer!"
My eyes got really wide. I stared at my mom, begging her with my eyes. Finally, she said, "Ok, I guess we'll take it."
I was ecstatic. I got a telescope for $10.00! Even if it was one of the worst telescopes out there, I still got a good price for it! I went home that night, and looked at the moon, and it is quite an amazing little instrument. I could make out every little detail of the craters, the shadows, everything! It was one of the best bargins I've ever seen.

[Burning Thunder]

Thats the spirit!
One man's clunker is another man's hot rod, as I always say!
--BT

[Jonathan~Janzen]

Or in the words of my great uncle Rodney, "One man's car is another man's personal movie theater!" lol. Yup, he got this old car at a junkyard and turned it into a movie theater, with surround sound, and a 48 inch screen. Vactions are never boring!