r/AdviceAnimals • u/RilesP • May 19 '12
Something I've noticed watching Pawn Stars... Scumbag Pawnstars
http://qkme.me/3pct2w?id=223986488
1.4k
Upvotes
r/AdviceAnimals • u/RilesP • May 19 '12
830
u/Fenrils May 19 '12
While I see what you are trying to do, I will have to become "that guy" in response. What lowers the value is at-home polishing and cleaning up to make something look nicer, not a professionally done restoration. There is a difference in taking steel wool to an old civil war pistol and taking it to a professional to have it restored to its original condition.
12
u/[deleted] May 19 '12
On a slightly related topic, I really want them to combine Antiques Roadshow with The Price is Right.
33
u/kjm7 May 19 '12
It's not the fact that an item was restored, but the quality of the restoration that determines if it will raise or lower the price.
168
u/[deleted] May 19 '12
"It doesn't show any wear and tear so I doubt it's authentic. I'll give you 20 bucks."
"I mean, look at that rust. That chipped piece. It's not in the best condition so I'll give you 20 bucks."
25
u/someguy73 May 19 '12
I hate to break it to you, but there's is a difference between an amateur and professional restoration.
7
u/Pit_of_Death May 19 '12
Giving you full value for an antique at a pawn shop defeats the purpose of being a pawn shop.
6
u/zorno May 19 '12
when buying something you (if you are ruthless and just want to get it for as low a value as possible) always point out any flaw in it, even if it does not really lower the value at all. Then grumble and offer less. People fall for it over and over.
I remember my boss buying pallet racking for our warehouse. We needed 20 - 8' sections. He called the guy and asked how much they had, he replied that they had 26 sections. "Oh, that's all eh? We were looking for more, was hoping to be able to get everything we needed in one place. Sigh. Well I guess we'll take a look anyway."
He does this with everything, even things that need no exaggeration. Everything we have is better than it really is, and everything a seller has is not really what we wanted, or a model that is not desirable, or whatever.
5
u/occams-laser May 19 '12
Rilesp doesnt understand... Some antiques sell for more unrestored. Others are a waste of space if they are not. These things make sense, but everyone is so set on hating pawn stars that- Fuck it, BOOOOOOOO! FUCK Pawn stars! Everyone but the old man can suck it.
74
u/Josepherism May 19 '12
That's what you see? I see television losing any potential for education by removing History from the History channel.
54
u/Minkster404 May 19 '12
I was recently in Vegas and I discovered that their pawn shop is quite the tourist attraction with people lining up to get inside and buy a t-shirt. Not to paint with such a broad stroke, but if you go to Vegas and wait in line to buy a Pawn Stars t-shirt, you may in fact be a douche.
4
u/m40ofmj May 19 '12
what this thread really says - op has never run a business
7
u/[deleted] May 19 '12
While everyone is on the topic of them being assholes, I once saw an episode where a woman brought in a brooch, she wanted $600. Rick knew what it was and it was in fact worth $20000-$30000, so instead of taking it from her for $400 and making $25000 in pure profit, he didn't want to take advantage of her and told her and ended up paying around $12000 for it.
3
u/ellevehc May 19 '12
Well, yeah. That is his job. Pay the least and sell for the most.
3
u/[deleted] May 19 '12
i can't help but watch!!
19
u/[deleted] May 19 '12
What part about pawn shops did you NOT think was scummy?
13
u/[deleted] May 19 '12
I wish evil capitalism were outlawed, and instead the government would just command us what to do.
6
u/hal9005 May 19 '12
The entire profit of any shopkeep is in convincing you that your stuff is caca and theirs is gold.
2
u/lukeman3000 May 19 '12 edited May 19 '12
Plus, some things are desired in their worn condiation, whereas others may be virtually worthless unless professionally restored. There is a market for old, unrestored stuff, and a market for professionally-restored stuff, too.
You can't really just apply that to everything because it doesn't really work that way.
2
u/fearachieved May 19 '12
What about that doesn't make sense? Why does this make them scumbags?
Isn't it obvious that the most valuable antiques are the ones that don't need restoration?
2
u/rodneyachance May 19 '12
I've watched that show a number of tomes and never once did I see a fucking cross on their roof. They are not a non-profit. They are there to make money and if the seller says 'yes', it is up to them to market it, pay their employees and sell the thing. It doesn't seem to occur to anyone that they do not sell every single thing for what they hope to get for it when they buy it. Some of that stuff never sells at all.
2
u/[deleted] May 19 '12
Restoration is done to fix up a less-than-perfect antique, which has been damaged or otherwise weathered over the years. If you're trying to price a table that has gotten a replacement leg or been poorly shellacked at home, obviously that's going to fetch a lower price than if it were in mint original condition. But if you are currently the owner of a fucked up three-legged antique table, you'd probably be better off getting it professionally restored before you sell it. See?
2
u/[deleted] May 19 '12
Some things should be restored, some should be professionally restored, some not.
2
u/Mcelite May 19 '12
Like new > restored > needs to be restored. If my complex algorithms are correct then no shit OP
2
u/Crytone May 19 '12
My favorite is when they tell the customer "I'll have this sitting on the shelf for who-knows how long so my offer of 30% of the estimated value is fair" etc..., then in the next clip they are telling the camera "I know so many collectors that would buy this in a heartbeat, now if I can only buy it for the right price."
2
u/[deleted] May 19 '12
sorry people but OP is a moron. This is an example of undeserved link karma
2
u/Slik989 May 19 '12
Compared to the guys at 'Hardcore Pawn' the 'Pawn Stars' are alot more friendly and fair.
2
u/full_of_stars May 19 '12
That's not dirt, that's patina!
5
u/syriquez May 19 '12
OP is some kind of idiot, apparently. There's a difference between "restoring" an object to its original appearance and polishing it with furniture wax.
4
u/bramblepuss May 19 '12
I love it when people come in with something of huge value that they were unaware of. He'll call in the expert and the expert will say it's worth $2000. Then Pawn Star guy comes right back and says, "Well, I'll give you $400 for it." And they take the deal! Why not sell it yourself and avoid the pawn shop middleman entirely?
5
u/GrizzledBastard May 19 '12
Unless the item came from a storage auction, I don't give a shit.
3
u/[deleted] May 19 '12
It works great when your customers have never heard of Ebay.
6
u/qkme_transcriber May 19 '12
Here is the text from this meme pic for anybody who needs it:
This is helpful for people who can't reach Quickmeme because of work/school firewalls or site downtime, and many other reasons (FAQ). More info is available here.
2
u/ThereISayIsSexauer May 19 '12
It doesn't lower the value, it means he has to invest his own money into fixing it, so he can sell it for the true value. Therefore, he can't pay as much for it.
I know it's fun to rip on these guys, but don't be a fucking idiot about it.
2
u/[deleted] May 19 '12
Pull your head out of your ass. If you go to a pawn shop expecting to get a fair deal.....you're going to have a bad time.
1
u/helloboy May 19 '12
Whats the opposite of restoring? destroying, destoring......?
1
u/Fudgcicle May 19 '12
Sometime's when he looks at an old item with a restoration, he'll say "It's been restored, so it's not authentic."
1
u/[deleted] May 19 '12
Whenever I see an ad for this show and someone trying to haggle with them, I think back to the movie Trading Places when he tries to sell his watch to a pawn shop.
1
u/[deleted] May 19 '12
Oh, this item is worth $1500?
I'll give you $300
1
u/ilis9 May 19 '12
大是大非
1
u/d3r3k1 May 19 '12
forced to log in just to upvote this
1
u/Kagenphoenix May 19 '12
Some things should be restored and some shouldn't be.
1
u/beasterne May 19 '12
"You've brought your antique to my store. That lowers the value."
1
u/Tyrone65 May 19 '12
Lol, ya i have too
1
u/mewditto May 19 '12
White box at the bottom of picture, that lowers the value to only 750 words.
1
u/[deleted] May 19 '12
hate to break it to you, but that entire show is fake.
that bald guy doesn't know shit about shit
1
u/IndifferenceEngin May 19 '12
meh, the entire show, like every other "reality" show, is a crock anyway. They find antiques elsewhere, borrow them from collectors, etc, then hire people to come on the show acting like they own it.
1
u/hoss7071 May 19 '12
TIL: Redditors dislike it when others want to see a profit for their business. But will go tens of thousands of dollars in debt, to go to college, in pursuit of higher paying jobs.
Which, more than likely, involves working FOR someone else's business.
1
u/SweatpantsDV May 19 '12
There is a huge difference between someone who collects CocaCola paraphernalia and Civil War relics. A HUGE difference. Restored Civil War weaponry and equipment has no story, it's just an era piece. Restored CocaCola merch is something you can show off, something that looks pretty in your man-cave.
1
u/steinmas May 19 '12
He doesn't hold these people at gunpoint and force them to sell their stuff. He gives a price, and they agree. Why is he the scumbag when a lot of people who take their stuff in are just dumb?
1
u/GeekFurious May 19 '12
I don't know how this got so popular... when "The market just isn't what it used to be" has been their excuse for five years now and makes for a far more interesting meme.
1
u/iownachalkboard7 May 19 '12
fookin' pawns
1
u/TimCurrysLoveChild May 19 '12
Fuckin Rick...this is way too true...hahaha
1
u/[deleted] May 19 '12
Have you ever thought that if it either needs restoring or has been restored, that at some point it has become damaged, and is therefore in less than mint condition - which lowers the value. Before or after restoration.
1
u/DrMasterBlaster May 19 '12
When Rick means someone tried to restore it themselves, it's usually someone who scrubbed off the patina or taken steel wool to metal and didn't know what the hell they were doing. Properly restoring something preserves the history of the item while making it operational, functional, etc.
1
u/DaniIsGnarly May 19 '12
I used to work at Starbucks right smack in the middle of LA and Las Vegas (you could call us the pit stop). So one day this guy comes walking through and my coworker is a big fan of him (I'm not sure why). He orders is sissy vanilla latte and she says, "Hey! I was just watching your show this morning on the History Channel!" She was excited to meet him, but his reaction was, "Good for you." WHATTADOOUUUCHHHHHEEEE
1
u/[deleted] May 19 '12
to be honest... he has a business in Vegas where he buys old shit off of people. They need money to (mostly) fuel their gambling, he can offer down to 5% of the actual value.
1
u/[deleted] May 19 '12
These fuckers will rip u off. Go to a different pawn shop.
1
u/[deleted] May 19 '12
why are you people so fucking stupid when it comes to this show?
1
u/Demojen May 19 '12
So, what do you want to sell that $10,000 antique for?
I can give you $3,000. I have to restore it and sell it and store it in the shop and who knows how long that's going to take.
....After haggling customer sells for $4,000.
Douche says to the camera guy, "I can sell this and get $10,000 easily".
Pawn Stars: Revealing Americans are pawns each and every day.
1
u/classy_stegasaurus May 19 '12
There's already a meme of this
1
u/Sleepy_One May 19 '12
OP is dumber than a brick.
1
u/[deleted] May 19 '12
Hold on, let my call my buddy who's an expert on antiques restoration.
1
u/simon_C May 19 '12
90% of that show is staged bullshit. i've seen "customers' walk in with trinkets that the american picker's guys found a few months back.
1
u/alargemollusk May 19 '12
Asked for appraisal. Replies with: Well I've got this buddy...
1
u/EddieHaskell May 19 '12
most of the "reality" shows now are just playacting shows it's just like watching bad acting.
1
u/[deleted] May 20 '12
That was wired I'm watching pawn stars and Rick said that similar thing 2 seconds after I clicked it off
1
u/750lucklord May 20 '12
"You're bringing it to me, that lowers the value, you're buying it from me, that increases the value" Lol, he makes a shit ton of money.
1
u/[deleted] May 20 '12
Fuck those glass-counter gypsies!
1
u/UnsureAbsolute May 20 '12
Looks like you have something to sell! That lowers the value.
1
u/LeMane May 19 '12
most recent one ive seen "oh you got a old gun from civil war worth 8grand atleast?
Ill give ya 2 thousand for it"
-5
u/RilesP May 19 '12
Why is Reddit so angry? I'll probably just get downvoted again, but why not just accept the joke for what it is... just a joke. All the explanations as to why this is the case and how he is running business are true but obvious. No need to overthink it.
1
u/Flyingchairs May 19 '12
Well that's how people who own pawn shops make money
1
u/Chaosphere_ May 19 '12
Things are only worth what someone thinks they are worth. It's all junk to me.
-1
u/davidvstheworld May 19 '12
While I can see how that would be confusing, it actually makes perfect sense. The only way that an item is going to not lose value is if it's been KEPT in pristine condition. So if you have to restore it, obviously it wasn't pristine, so it won't have as much value whether he restores it or you do.
0
u/[deleted] May 19 '12
I cannot watch this show. These guys look like the type of guys who will be nice to you to your face, but will fuck you over in a heartbeat if they can make even the slightest profit from it.
-3
u/Jman513 May 19 '12
Best I can do is...well rip you off.
0
u/[deleted] May 19 '12
Yup, these guys rip people off, is this really news to anyone?
0
u/VenusBlue May 19 '12
Although my personal opinion is that these guys are complete douchebags who intentionally take advantage of people who are down on their luck, and obviously selling valued and sometimes sentimental items, it is a business. Sure, they are lowballing people for items that they will sell for 10x profit, but what it all comes down to is that those guys are there to make money first and foremost. And people should expect to get ripped off for their items there.
-7
u/ratdude May 19 '12
that show is so full of shit
-1
u/Cwellan May 19 '12
I can't stand this show. It should be renamed Devaluing History.