Pawn shops?

I know the good old days of finding killer gun deals at pawn shops are gone-though I did get a decent deal earlier this year at a place on Hampden near Chambers on an old S&W 67-but are there any places in the Denver area where at least the counter folks are decent to deal with? Most of the shops I've stopped in they've been everything from lazy to plain rude. I know most of the time they're dealing with unpleasant people but there must be some where the gusy/gals are cool.

Thanks for any suggestions. I'm still going to buy if I can find a fair deal on something that interests me (mostly S&Ws), a good .22 is always fun to score.

I think pawn shop owners and workers think being cocky and being a dick is the cool thing to do. Like on those super cool t.v shows.

That Vegas pawn shop is bogus... He should call it the "I know a guy" shop. I've never been to a pawn shop where it was a half way decent experience.

pawnbroking is a business... make them an offer, and they'll take it or not, but still probably give you an idea where they'll settle. And the price on the tag is NEVER the least they'll take.

The less they've got into an item, the less they'll be willing to take to get rid of it, etc. Though, if they really got something for a steal, they may well be willing to sit on it for the right buyer at the right price, as opposed to just trying to flip it for money.

Can't help you on helpful counter people - those seem to be as rare in pawn shops as they are in regular gun shops.

No in Denver, but recently stopped in to Stop, Drop and Shop in Colorado Springs. They are more of a gun shop that happens to also be a pawn shop. Knowledgeable folks, personable and prices are reasonable/negotiable. Small place with the typical pawn shop craziness, but I'll be visiting again.

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Originally Posted by Marine24

No in Denver, but recently stopped in to Stop, Drop and Shop in Colorado Springs. They are more of a gun shop that happens to also be a pawn shop. Knowledgeable folks, personable and prices are reasonable/negotiable. Small place with the typical pawn shop craziness, but I'll be visiting again.

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Yup, I like em.
They post on ArmsList.

Courteous? Not really, but I've seen a few good deals. The ones in the rural towns seem to be more firearm friendly. I saw a mossy 500 for $120 bucks but didn't have the cash on me at that moment.

I got a late war P38 for $250 a few months back. But traded in a almost new in box Ruger vaquero and 100rds of .45lc to get it down to that price :(

I always mean to stop at my local one but never do. Maybe tomorrow now that I'm thinking about it.

I've bought many of items from the pawn shops, I have a couple local ones that I favor. Find the right people working the floor, that don't know jack about the item you're buying, they will take an offer usually that is significantly discounted. Especially if the item has been sitting around a while.

Examples:

Mobility scooter, retail $1500, needs work, bought for $125 and put $200 in it for batteries and new charger. Works awesome.
Mobility scooter #2 retail for $1k, bought for $125 and minor fix up.

Many of the shops don't know what a rifle scope is and mark it as a "microscope" and you can get good deals. I've got my eye on a couple more, just giving them some shelf time.

One shop is the dumping ground for Texas. Things that don't sell or have limited value in Texas stores get shipped up to a specific store in Denver. They just want to move the items, prices are negotiable.

One shop knows guns, sells guns and scopes, reasonable prices.

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Originally Posted by Ronin13

That Vegas pawn shop is bogus... He should call it the "I know a guy" shop. I've never been to a pawn shop where it was a half way decent experience.

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It's because pawn shops probably just google what the running price on a specific model of gun is selling for, and they automatically charge that price or greater. Nevermind the actual condition of the firearm, they KNOW what it's worth.

I'll give a plug to People's Pawn in Aurora, they are always friendly and willing to wheel and deal (at least with me :p). There used to be a couple other decent pawn shops in the old stretch of Colfax by the Fox Theatre but they've since closed or been shut down (those Russian guys had some cool guns too lol). I dealt a couple times with a halfway decent little shop on hwy 2 in Derby err...Commerce City. Otherwise, most others I've been in are what they are............I can't really say I've ever done business with pawn shop that wouldn't haggle though.

Thanks for the feedback, I'll check out People's. The shop I had the decent experience in is the Cash In A Flash on E. Hampden. I went with a friend that was looking for a guitar for his son. I naturally gravitated to the gun counter. They keep the handguns in the back but have a printed list they handed me when I asked about them. The 67-1 sounded interesting so I asked to see. Looked like an old cop gun from the condition and wear on the red ramp front sight. Had the ugly old Pach grips but also the original box. I got it for a good price, kept it for a while, ran some rounds through it, then sold it for a $75 profit.