American Pickers/Pawn Stars

[HoosierGuy]

Does anybody else here watch these two programs on the History Channel - American Pickers and Pawn Stars?

I enjoy watching American Pickers. But how in the world do those two guys make money? They even drive around in a Mercedes van. I've looked them up and read the the tall guy used to own a bicycle shop.

Who in the world buys all that old junk that they spend good money for? I used to follow ebay closely back in the late 1990's and early 2000's and there used to be a ton of action on that site. Now it seems to have dried up. All the antique stores I drive past are usually empty and probably not even open.

I'm perplexed by those two guys. I wonder if they made a fortune in some other business before they started doing this full time.

As for Pawn Stars. I used to despise that show. I'm not a fan of pawn shops because people often go to them when they are in despairing times and must sell special things like wedding rings and such. The program shows people bringing in interesting stuff but they rarely show the hard up person selling their gold or wedding rings.

Also, how much in a pawn shop is actually stolen to begin with?

American Pickers is a nice show though. It's funny when they start offering money for things and the owner is completely surprised his stuff is worth that much.

[Dravin]

Who in the world buys all that old junk that they spend good money for?

Junk is in the eye of the beholder. My mom paid $50 for a wooden wagon wheel that has not practical purpose, but it looks old and she thought it'd look good in her garden as decoration. I would have junked such an item without second thought if I'd found it in an old shed I was cleaning out (well maybe not, I might have offered it to my Mom knowing her tastes). One man's junk can really be another man's treasure, and the guy who can facilitate the transition can make a profit in the middle.

Also, how much in a pawn shop is actually stolen to begin with?

Probably unanswerable, but I imagine it varies per the reputability and knowledge of the pawn shop in question. Requirements such as obtaining copies of ID, or even finger printing is supposed to deter stolen merchandise from finding its way into pawn shops (or even places like GameStop) but it will anyway.

[Suzie]

As for Pawn Stars. I used to despise that show. I'm not a fan of pawn shops because people often go to them when they are in despairing times and must sell special things like wedding rings and such. The program shows people bringing in interesting stuff but they rarely show the hard up person selling their gold or wedding rings. .

I cannot speak for the other shows but I can speak for this one. The show is both staged and scripted. Most of the people you see as costumers are extras or actors and they're also using a "fake" store (the real one is nearby). Second hand information from a good friend living in Vegas.

[pam]

Most of the people you see as costumers are extras

I had to keep reading this sentence trying to figure out where the costumes came into play. Then realized you were probably referring to customers. Funny how 2 letters switched change the meaning entirely. :)

[pam]

I've never seen American Pickers but I like Pawn Stars. I've learned a lot from that show..and who doesn't find humor in poor Chumley?

The show I actually really love is Auction Hunters. Love those guys and always keeps me in suspense to find out what they actually find in those storage units.

[tubaloth]

Also, how much in a pawn shop is actually stolen to begin with?

They have to keep items for 30 days before they can sell the item.

[john doe]

It needs to be remembered that the people on these shows make a pretty good appearance fee for being on the shows. In some cases I would imagine that the appearance fees could be more than what they make in their shown occupation.

So how do they stay in business? Well, in the case of the pickers, my guess is that the girl that stays behind in the shop and tells them where to go and who to see, is also their main salesperson. She is constantly mining the internet for people looking for certain things and types of things, and the guys on the show are the ones finding the stuff for her to sell. She is the one who sells what they get, and they seem to do okay with what they do. The pickers are also careful to buy stuff that they know they can make a profit on. They rarely buy stuff to keep for themselves. And they rarely buy for more than half of retail.

My wife knows someone who went to the Pawn Stars store, and the report is that what they show the store looking like in the show is not reality. What I was told is that it's no different than any other normal everyday pawn shop in America. I think the show does a lot of 'dress up' to make it look better. Most people know that the money in pawn shops is not primarily made on what they sell, but on the loans made against the pawns. They're basically legal loan sharks.

As for the storage auction guys, the show states right at the beginning of the show that the stuff they find and show on the episode is not typical of reality. They state that 80% of the time they lose money on buying storage units. They are just showing you the ones where they cashed in big. It takes a lot of money, time and patience before they finally find a unit that pays off. The one show where they follow 4-5 guys through the process is more real than the one where the two guys always seem to be hitting the jackpot. I'm sure storage unit places like the show because everybody thinks they are going to buy someone else's treasure, but in reality, how many of us are actually putting hugely expensive stuff in storage units, as opposed to asking a good friend or family member to store it in a safe place in their home?

[pam]

Man..now I'm so disillusioned about these shows and I can never watch them again. haha

[bytebear]

I think they need to get those pickers together with the hoarders.

[HoosierGuy]

I had no idea Pawn Stars was scripted so much. I did read on other boards about it being scripted but not that much. If it is being scripted that much there should be a disclaimer because it appears to be real. I also read that the Chumly guy is not a family member, he's a friend of the son and was brought in to more or less play the court jester.

I assumed the American Pickers people know where the right market is for each item they buy. Still, I don't see how they can make a good living. Ebay to me seems dead now compared to the roaring late 1990's and early 2000's.

[LDSJewess]

We enjoy the American Pickers and Pawn Stars shows. It amazes me what people will buy.

My husband and I do garage sales and sell on eBay. I just got back from the gym tonight and checked my eBay and sold two "designer" collectable stemware glasses for $149.00. We paid $20.00 for the two of them. Cha-Ching!

These profitable sales don't happen daily (sure wish they did), but it can be a fun hobby. We don't do junk yards like the shows; mostly outlet stores and garage and estate sales.

Last year my husband went to a garage sale and bought 11,000 used golf balls. He paid $200.00 for them and sat in the garage and separated them into like kind lots and sold them on eBay. In the end he made over $3,000.00 on those golf balls.

Oh and that same year I paid $60.00 for a huge box of over 200 thingies called "wiper wavers" they were college team banner things that you put on your back windshield. I sold them for $10.95 a piece, and after selling a couple hundred of them, a few dozen were left that I sold in my own garage sale for $50.00.

eBay is still alive and well. I do agree it is not what it was 10 years ago when we started but some good sales still happen. Half the fun is hunting for inventory.

[Blocky]

I used to buy storage units at auctions for a living. I've watched one of the shows about it a few times. A lot of it is how it really is. The thing that is the most off base is how much money they are getting for the things and how often they find great things in a unit.

It's really hard to not make money off a unit if you know what you're doing, but when it comes down to how much work you're actually doing, there are only 2-3 guys at the flea market who are really doing well. Those guys usually only have them selves to watch out and don't have very high living expenses (no health insurance, no mortgage, etc). None the less, it's always fun! My favorite thing about it was finding something that I wanted in the units.

[Echo2002]

I like Pawn Stars and American Pickers, it's interesting to see the stuff they buy or is brought into the store. The guys on American Pickers sell stuff to collectors and interior decorators. There's a lot of restaurants that buy that kind of stuff for decoration (Applebees, Cracker Barrel, Zaxby's).

I seem to remember Rick on Pawn Stars saying they dealt in a higher percentage of pawns than sold items, but how interesting would it be to always see people bringing in stuff for pawn? Chumlee is not a family member, he's Corey's friend. He's probably there just to make the show more interesting.

[rameumptom]

I like Pawn Stars. Many people do use Ebay, etc., and make a decent living on them. My cousin sells used and antique books on Amazon.com and Ebay and makes a comfortable living. Currently, he has 10,000 books stored in his garage all for sale.