Pawn Shop PayDirt! And 2 Hours Worth of Work!

[FloridaFishinFool]

Normally I don't post the finds, but I am doing this more as an FYI for those who might want to find fishing equipment GOLD paydirt in some of their local pawn shops and Craigslist...

I found an old man on Craigslist selling all of his bass fishing gear because he is so old and frail, and has serious medical issues, all of it prevents him from doing any fishing at all. So he listed his remaining rods, reels, and tackle on Craigslist.

He is located on my drive to Jacksonville from Orlando to visit my elderly mother, and he is less than 5 minutes from I-95. So I agreed to stop by and check out his stuff for sale. I immediately purchased one of his two custom made spiral wrapped Moby rods, and I asked him to hold the other one until I completed overhauling the one reel he wanted to keep- an old Penn #9 that had turned green from salt water corrosion and locked up from the 50 years old grease inside hardening up through the years of no maintenance.

Two weeks later I returned to visit the old guy bringing back his now fully restored #9 shining like new again and this time with synthetic lubricants that will never solidify nor even change viscosity with age or temperature. So it will work like new for years to come.

So I traded that reel overhaul for his second and last custom made spiral wrapped Moby rod. So right there I acquired not one, but 2 $160.00 custom spiral wrapped rods retailing $160.00 each for a mere $30.00 plus labor to overhaul one reel. A nice score!

http://customanglerods.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=6&Itemid=1

I plan on integrating these custom moby rods into my own collection of rods, but the large heavy guides will be removed and replaced with micro guides and using a different spiral wrap configuration going around the left side of the rods rather than the right side to fit my fishing preference.

Next, once in Jacksonville area, on Saturday morning before the heat of the day got too bad, my two sons and I planned on visiting Keith Pearson Toyota dealership off Blanding Blvd. in my search for a replacement 4runner.

But what is nice about Blanding Blvd. on the westside of Jacksonville is that there is a string of nearly a dozen pawn shops within a 5 mile length of road around the toyota dealership. So I decided to budget myself to $100.00 or less and only hit the top 5 national chain stores and skip the mom and pop independent pawn shops for this reason... and you can bank on this too in your area...

Mom and pop independent pawn shops are usually a one store only deal for the owners. This means their entire livelihood is derived from the inventory of that one store. This means they have to maximize profit from everything in their store. And this translates into 2 things, 1) higher prices, and 2) unwillingness to haggle over price.

So I avoid the independent stores more often than not, but sometimes I do visit them when I have time and nothing better to do.

It is the national chain pawn shops where you will score the better deals, and also be able to haggle on the price a little better. These national chain corporate pawn shops have set policies of reducing prices if it sits in the store past 4 months, and some are now 12 months.

And the national chain stores will also often do bundle deals if you buy more than one item.

Another tip I often employ is to carry with me some items I do not want and really would like to sell and when I come across an item in a pawn shop sometimes I will sell them an item to get the price down on the item I want to purchase. And quite often I come out way ahead like I did this weekend!

A friend of mine in Orlando area gave me one of his Christmas presents- a brand new police scanner worth $100. So I had this with me just in case...

So the boys and I began hitting some of the national chain pawn shops, had some lunch, stopped by the flea market for some fruits and vegetables and boiled peanuts the boys love to eat and while there I picked up a decent Abu rod and reel for $5.00 cash. Once cleaned up and separated and put up for sale I should at least be able to get nearly $20.00 for the rod and $20.00 for the reel. Not a bad score, but not great either.

Next up was the toyota dealership which I hated! Those car salesmen are the worst! But at least now I have a salesman who knows what I want and the price I want it at working for me...

Now for the last swing through the Southern end of pawn shops... the very last one I would hit at the turn around point was the score dreams are made of!

Timing is everything with pawn shops. Quite often I miss great stuff because I get there too late after it has been put out on the sales floor and someone else grabs it and I miss out. But not yesterday. Yesterday I hit that one pawn shop at just the right time as 15 used rods and reels were being priced and put in the display rack.

A few of them were not out more than 60 seconds before I was grabbing them up and once I got my hands on them I was not letting go!

And this time, it was not the reels I was buying up, it was the rods... but first, here is the package deal from the pawn shop and the custom Moby rod:



My 4 year old boy was playing with a PlayStation game controller which is also the "gun" for the sharpshooter video games. The sales lady at the pawn shop gave it to my son because like she said it had been in the store a long time and no one was interested in it, and she was not even sure if it worked. So she gave it to my son. A value of about $30.00 for free. She said she threw it in because I was buying 4 rods and reels and she was just sweetening up the deal. Little did she know... and I was not telling her either!

But for you guys who can do this same thing in your area, here is another pawn shop tip and secret... when pawn shops take in fishing equipment and buy it or loan money on it, they almost NEVER price the rod and reel on the rod! It is ALWAYS priced by the reel price!

And because of this I have purchased $300.00 custom rods for $12.00 because some cheap reel was on the rod and the pawn shop never even considered the value of the rod! So keep this in mind... if you find a rod or reel way under priced in a pawn shop, CONTAIN YOUR EXCITEMENT and do not reveal it to the store employees. Always buy it first before ever telling them their mistake! Have product and receipt in hand before letting them know they are idiots! 

And that is precisely what I had to do yesterday, but fortunately I had my boys to help cover my excitement up! But I did keep my mouth shut!

So what I was putting my money on surely was NOT any of these reels that I really could not have cared less about- though that Team Daiwa baitcaster has sold used on ebay for as much as $75.00. And icing on the cake here is that ALL of these reels are in perfect smooth working condition which means less work for me when selling them:



abu cardinal 104
Team Daiwa TD1Hi
Abu Ambassadeur XLT Plus
Abu Pro Max Concept 2000
Fin Nor Quest Lite 3000
Quantum US600

Potential resale value: around $210.00

Now here is the money shot... this is what got me excited and had me grabbing up 4 rods and reels in under 90 seconds before anyone else could grab them:



ALL of these rods are in perfect shape! None with broken replaced tips! Clean! Great shape! The first one I saw was the G. Loomis. I would have been happy with that one alone! Retail price $225.00. Pawn shop price: $20.00- plus the reel.

Next one I saw was the Fin Nor 7' Medium heavy spinning rod and a reel, total package retail close to $130 plus. Priced at pawn shop $10.00. Rod like new! Mine now. Well maybe... A fishing buddy of mine in Orlando, his wife is looking for a new inshore rod and this one could be it. I can sell the reel for around $40.00 and make some money off this one, but not much.

Next up was a Hurricane Redbone inshore rod. A heavy 7' fast too! I wanted this one. Retail on this rod is $110.00. My price with reel $15.00. This rod comes with a legacy too! I will get into that later on. In Florida owning one of these rods is a badge of honor!

My last great find I could not believe my eyes when I saw it. Another 7' medium heavy custom rod made by Kistler. Another $150.00 rod retail. Pawn shop price with Abu reel $20.00.

I now had 4 rods and reels in my hand pawn shop pricing $65.00.

And since these rods and reels had just hit the sales floor, the pawn shop was in no mood to haggle over price and frankly I could not have cared less. I placed the police scanner on the counter and got an instant $30.00 cash for it which I put towards the rods and reels I was buying which now brought my out of pocket price down to $35.00 plus tax for all of it.

Not too shabby... considering I just got 3 custom rods and a G.Loomis for free basically.

If I can sell just one of the reels above for $40.00 I will have made every penny I spent back! But if I sell all the reels and rods I figured around $210 for the reels, and an easy $400.00 for the rods- and I could squeeze a little more out of them. Total out of pocket $40.00 and potential sales of well over $600.00- maybe even closer to $700.00 when finished- if I sell them all- which I probably won't. That is a good day in the pawn shops.

[FloridaFishinFool]

Profit potential nearly 20 times the return on my cash layout! Not to mention the enjoyment factor of all the great rods I just bought... now comes the toughest decision of them all, what to keep and use and what to sell???

And I have been doing this for near 25 years. This is why I now have closer to 100 rods I find it hard to part with... not counting the reels...

This is how I get most of the equipment I presently fish with. I let the sales profits pay for my fishing gear and I get top of the line equipment for free and get some cash in my pocket too.

That G.Loomis rod is paydirt! The custom Kistler rod is paydirt! The Redbone rod is paydirt! The custom Moby rods are paydirt! Did I miss any???

There have been other great days like this one, but they do not come like this that often. Usually it is only one rod or one reel I hit on, but when timing is right... paydirt!

Oh, and another great deal... before I left the pawn shop parking lot, some guy was selling fresh caught Mayport shrimp in the pawn shop parking lot 3 pounds for $15.00. I used the $30 cash from the sale of the police scanner for 6 pounds of fresh shrimp for today's cookout with friends and family along with 4 wheeling for the boys and bass fishing at a private pond for me using the new custom Kistler rod and maybe the Fin Nor rod and some of my shimano spinning reels.

Right down the road someone else was selling fresh caught mayport shrimp near Orange Park mall 5 pounds for $35.00. I got 6 pounds for $30.00.

Dam I am such a cheapskate!    And I did not even hit half of my budget too!

[FloridaFishinFool]

As I said above, for us Florida fishermen, especially the salt water fishermen, owning and using a Hurricane RedBone rod, or any of the Hurricane rods, is a badge of honor.

All Hurricane rods exist because of Nichole Ellis. Here is the story...

http://www.redbone.org/what.html

Typically, an organization reveals the nature of its content and its objective by the wording of its name. Redbone is a catchy word, but it needs an explanation. So, what is a Redbone? A legendary blues musician? A hardworking hound dog? Try again. An embarrassed bonefish? Well...

In 1984, Gary and Susan Ellis' newborn daughter, Nicole, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. They were told with considerable care, she should live to her early teens. After asking the question "What is cystic fibrosis," they set out to find a way to fight it. In 1988 with the help of their friends, including legendary Hitter Ted Williams, they founded the Redbone Celebrity Tournament Series to help the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation fund the research to cure CF. Guides, anglers, and celebrities from film and sports teamed up on thirty-three boats to fish for redfish and bonefish. From that tournament came the name "Redbone."

They raised $16,000 that first year and more importantly, introduced CF into the conscience of the very caring community of Islamorada in the Florida Keys. From that small seed, the Redbone has mushroomed into 25 tournaments spanning both coasts of the United States, Mexico and the Bahamas, and an art gallery specializing in angler art. In the last 21 years, the Redbone has made a total contribution to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of over 10 million dollars. In 2009 Redbone fishing tournaments, including our cooperative efforts with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, netted over $1.5 million "to catch the cure."

When the Redbone was first established, children with CF rarely lived to attend high school. Today the median age of survival for a person with CF is 35 years. We should not celebrate this achievement, since a single life is yet to be saved from this devastating disease, but it has become a sign of hope for a brighter tomorrow for individuals with the disease and their families.

Money buys science, and science does save lives. That's why events such as the Redbone Celebrity Tournament Series, the Redbone@Large, and the Red-Trout Series are important. Through your support, you are insuring that aggressive, innovative research in CF will constantly be explored. By helping us support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, you are helping to build a bridge of hope that will eventually lead to the ultimate victory: a cure for cystic fibrosis.

Capt. Gary Ellis

[FloridaFishinFool]

http://www.redbone.org/rods.html

Redbone Performance
Hurricanes Redbone Rods

If you're looking for the very best saltwater rod series on the market, then Redbone is the series for you. These extremely rich-looking rods were designed by charter captains, so you know they are durable and dependable. Constructed of IM7 Graphite, their lightness and strength is a major advantage for saltwater fishing.

"Named for the one of the world's premier flats-fishing tournaments, Hurricane's new Redbone Rods have to be good. The famous Redbone Celebrity Tournament Series combines camaraderie among fishermen with top-notch angling while raising money for cystic fibrosis research.

Constructed of IM7 graphite, Redbone one-piece spinning and casting models feature blank-through-handle design, hook keepers, genuine cork grips, Fuji guides and graphite reel seats. Anglers can choose from a selection of eleven spinning rods in 6 1/2-, 7- and 7 1/2-foot lengths with various line ratings from 4 to 30 pounds. Nine different casting models offer lengths of 6, 6½ and 7 feet; line ratings vary from 8 to 40 pounds.

Redbone spinning and casting rods retail for $99.95. The Redbone Rod Series also includes offshore models and Hurricane will donate a percentage of the sale of these rods toward efforts to fight cystic fibrosis."

All Hurricane Redbone rods come with a Limited Lifetime Warranty. To claim a warranty on your Redbone Rod, please contact 1-800-622-9662 or visit REDBONE® PERFORMANCE SALT TACKLE.

[Smallie_Stalker]

That's a lot of information. Honestly I don't have the time to read through it all at this point.

Could you maybe give us just a bullet point list of your tips for shopping in pawn shops?

Thanks in advance.

[Lipripper]

Sounds like you found some good deals. I sure wish I could find some in these pawn shops around here but very seldom do they have any fishing gear in them.

[FloridaFishinFool]

That's a lot of information. Honestly I don't have the time to read through it all at this point.

Could you maybe give us just a bullet point list of your tips for shopping in pawn shops?

Thanks in advance.

I hear ya. And I agree with you about not being able to read all the great info found on this forum. Just too much.

I tell ya what... I will go back and edit it down.

Now one of my fishing buddies wants me to take him with me on the local pawn shop runs.

[FloridaFishinFool]

Sounds like you found some good deals. I sure wish I could find some in these pawn shops around here but very seldom do they have any fishing gear in them.

Do you have national chain pawn shops like Cash America and Value Pawn???

You bring up a good point Lip in that I am fortunate to live in Florida where we have tons of fishermen who sometimes are in need of money and have to pawn some or all of their fishing equipment.

So in my area of central and even north Florida I find a ton of great items in pawn shops in this area.

I can imagine that living in areas where fishing is not as prevalent as it is here would cause pawn shops to have less fishing equipment and less opportunity for the good stuff. So I feel fortunate and blessed in this regard.

[FloridaFishinFool]

Yesterday I rotated two of the rods purchased in this thread into my fishing equipment for an outing last night- the 7' Kistler spinning rod and the G. Loomis.

The Kistler rod blew me away. It is an amazing rod. I think I am going to keep that one, but the G.Loomis rod was not what I was hoping.

I found it to be tip heavy and not well balanced to handle. I also found it to be extremely stiff with very little tip to it.

And for a $225.00 rod I expected more from it and wound up being kind of disappointed, but I plan on giving it another chance back in Orlando, and there I think I will use it for spinnerbaits and see how it does, but then it will be even more tip heavy with no way to balance it out really. Maybe give it some rattle trap use too.

Sad to say, but I have rods costing retail new under $100.00 that I like more than this particular G.Loomis rod at this point.

But that Kistler rod??? All I can say is Dam I love that rod already... Kistler makes some really good rods.

[Lipripper]

I looked and there are some Cash America Pawn shops not to far from my house that I might have to go check out but then again I might just give them a call first and see if they have any fishing stuff in the shop and save myself a trip.

[FloridaFishinFool]

I looked and there are some Cash America Pawn shops not to far from my house that I might have to go check out but then again I might just give them a call first and see if they have any fishing stuff in the shop and save myself a trip.

I can understand the phone call, but finding those needles in a haystack is a hands on discovery process.

I do a lot of traveling around the state and I make it a point to stop in at the pawn shops as I drive around and pass them. It only takes less than 3 minutes to get in and out quickly.

So stop on by them when you can- after the phone call confirmation- and see what they have! I would be curious...

[Lipripper]

I can understand the phone call, but finding those needles in a haystack is a hands on discovery process.

I do a lot of traveling around the state and I make it a point to stop in at the pawn shops as I drive around and pass them. It only takes less than 3 minutes to get in and out quickly.

So stop on by them when you can- after the phone call confirmation- and see what they have! I would be curious...

If they have any fishing stuff I will make a trip to look but since this isn't a heavy fishing area I would be shocked if they have any. I might have to see if there are any closer to the lake front. Being Chicdago and if I can find some close to the lake they might have some stuff.

[Oldfart9999]

Another place to check is estate sales and garage sales, I have a friend who does that and has scored a lot of good stuff cheap. He also is a collector of antique gear and baits and has done well there also.
Rodney