Top Five Items to Sell at a Pawn Shop to Raise Quick Cash

The title of this article is a little bit of a misnomer, as I have come up with three items to sell at a pawn shop, and two more that you can sell at other places. These are in no particular order. This article arises out of the hypothetical question, "What would I do if I needed to raise $100 to $250 cash in just a couple of days?"

1) Musical instruments

A good, working drum set is basically a guaranteed sell at a pawn shop. You can sell anything from a kid's starter drum kit to a professional-quality name-brand kit. Since you want to get the most possible money out of your drums, here are some pointers for your preparation. First, get a cloth and dampen it with an alcohol-based cleaner and warm water. A pre-dampened commercial cleaning rag will work fine. Wipe dust off all the surfaces including drum heads and both sides of cymbals, and wipe off any smudges or other marks. Then wipe all the surfaces dry. Using a drum key, tighten all of the drum heads, including the snare drum and bass drum. Gather up all assembly pieces and parts (screws, drum key, etc.) Familiarize yourself with the kit. Know the brand name, how old it is, and how much you paid for it originally. Also, know how much you want to ask for it. Don't accept less than about half or a quarter of the original price.

This advice holds true for a guitar or other instrument as well. You should tighten the strings, polish any surfaces to clean off dust and remove smudges or marks of use. Find any cases or bags that came with your instrument and pack up any spare parts or pieces. For a guitar this may include strings and picks.

Don't sell an instrument that you actively use! Only sell an instrument that is basically just sitting around collecting dust.

2) Spare computer externals: monitors, printers, fax machines, scanners, etc.

My local pawn shop doesn't buy computer equipment. I would have to go to a used computer store such as the one in the strip mall in my neighborhood. They buy used equipment to resell to their customers. You should definitely not sell off your computer that you use every day. Sell an external piece that you use less often. For example you could sell your printer or your scanner. Maybe you used a printer actively in college and now it just gathers dust.

What to do: You'll want to identify the product number and look up the item on the internet. Look for the going price(s) on e-Bay and other discount websites, then expect to get paid about half of that. Don't accept less than half of the going used price. If it is used, look at used prices. Wipe it clean and gather up any driver CDs, manuals, cords, boxes, and anything else that came with it. Pack it in the original box if possible.

3) TVs

Pawn shops will definitely buy your TV. It should be relatively new or a recent model. You should find the remote control and the paperwork that came with it. Once again, wiping it down with an alcohol-dampened cloth can't hurt. Verify that it works by plugging it in and turning it on.

Once again, you can look up your TV online and see what the going price for it is in discount or used markets. Just do a Google search for the model number.

When you get ready to load it up in your car you'll probably want to get a cart or dolly, because TV's are heavy, and heaviest towards the front, which makes them awkward to carry. Enlist some help from a friend.

4) Jewelry

I'm not very knowledgeable about jewelry, and don't advise anyone selling an item of marital, familial or sentimental value! But I did happen to see on my recent visit to the pawn shop that they buy rings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and just about anything else you can wear - diamonds, silver, gold, gold plate, etc. Also, my local pawn shop has a big sign out front that says, "We Buy Scrap Gold." This is definitely something you would want to research, as to how to get the right amount of pay for what you take in. I did a Google search for "scrap gold" and saw several sites that will help you with learning what price you should expect for your gold jewerly.

5) Used college textbooks

Textbooks are best to sell on e-Bay or take locally to a used book store. If you sell them on eBay, you have the advantage of fairly simple shipping, as a book is not that hard to pack up and ship. Also, ask your local post office about "Media Mail." This is a special, lower price rate for shipping books and other media.

Common in college and university towns is the used textbook store. They will purchase back most recent textbooks (for a paltry half or quarter of the original price!), but a few rules do apply. The textbook will most likely have to be in current use by the local college or university. Students say they have the most success with core subject class textbooks such as Pre-Calculus, Psychology, or something like that.

I hope this has been helpful and informative as to how to raise 100 to 250 dollars in a relative hurry. Just don't go selling off your sentimental, favorite items, or worse, other people's stuff! Good luck and happy selling.