Americans are familiar with the concept of pawn shops, even if they do not visit these establishments themselves. Many Americans choose to visit pawn shops for a cash loan based on the value of the items that they offer, and many items may be offered for loans or sales. Pawn shops are known for accepting a wide variety of items for a cash loan, anything from jewelry to musical instruments to electronic devices and even firearms. A lent item is a collateral loan at a pawn shop, and this can be a casual but effective way to get cash quick. Pawn shops sometimes have a shady reputation, but this is largely unfounded. Regulations have ensured that pawn shops are professional and honest places for a cash loan, and any guest may feel secure that he or she will get a fair deal. How common are pawn shops in the United States? How might a cash loan at once proceed?
On Pawn Shops
Pawn shops tend to be smaller establishments that can be either part of a chain, or an independent location. Data from the National Pawn brokers Association has shown that around 85% of all American pawn shops today are small businesses, or part of small regional chains. No matter how large or small a shop may be, a customer can rest assured that they are dealing with fair business professionals there. American pawnbrokers, and all pawn transactions, are governed by some 15 federal statutes and regulations. These include customer protection measures and anti-money laundering laws that apply to other credit providers as well.
How popular are these shops? Nearly 30 million Americans routinely rely on pawnshops for sales or loans, according to the National Pawnbrokers Association, and nearly 7.4% of all American households have used such shops at some point or other. Are there many to choose from? There certainly are. As of the year 2017, for a recent example, nearly 9,650 different pawn shops could be found across the United States, and 44% of them could be found in the nation’s southeast region alone. In fact, the state of Florida is home to 1,001 pawn shops, the greatest number for any state in the nation. It is clear, then, that this is a large and popular business. How does it work?
Visiting a Pawn Shop
It is well known that many Americans can and do sell unwanted items at pawn shops for quick cash, and many customers do just that. Some may be surprised to hear, however, that this is a secondary use for pawn shops. Primarily, these establishments are used to get a cash loan instead, and this makes pawn shops loan brokers more than anything. To start, an interested borrower may visit a pawn shop with an item (or several) of value and allow the pawn shop owner to estimate their worth. If the items are accepted, they are used as collateral for a cash loan, making this a secure loan. The loan’s amount is based on the offered items’ value. The customer may then leave with the money while the pawn shop holds onto the items.
Later, the borrower should pay back the loan, and once the loan is fully paid off, plus any interest, they may get their collateral items back in their possession. It should be noted that this loan is not enforced; that is, there are no particular penalties for failing to pay the loan back. Instead, if the borrower fails to pay back his or her loan, then the pawn shop will simply keep the collateral item(s) to avoid a total loss. It could be said that these cash loans are secure, but they are not enforced. Still, a borrower may experience a loss if they neglect to pay back the loan and cannot get their collateral item(s) back. Al the same, trends show that Americans have a tendency to pay back these loans. Nationally, around 85% of all pawn shop borrowers pay back their loans and get their collateral back. This may show a great deal of faith in the pawn broker business.