Do you ever hit the pawn shops in search of DVDs?
 

I hit the pawn shops over the past few weeks, and here is what I have picked up, and the price for each...

1) Armageddon (2-Disc Set; Criterion Collection) --- $8

2) The Rock (Criterion Collection; 2-Disc Set) --- $8

3) 12 Monkeys (Special Edition) --- $8

4) Bad Boys (Special Edition) --- $5

5) Cast Away (Special Edition 2-Disc Set) --- $5

6) Day of the Dead (OOP) --- $10

7) Devil's Advocate (Special Edition) --- $5

8) Dracula: Prince of Darkness --- $5

9) Girl, Interrupted --- $5

10) My Fair Lady --- $5

11) Near Dark (2-Disc Set) --- $8

12) Saturday Night Live - 25 Years of Laughs --- $10

13) Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Special Edition 2-Disc Set) --- $10

14) Training Day --- $5

15) Tron (20th Anniversary Collector's Edition) --- $8

16) Walt Disney Treasures: Behind the Scenes at the Walt Disney Studio --- $15

...some great deals, while a few that weren't all that great but still a bit of money saved.

Do any of you guys ever hit the pawn shops? You can really find some greta deals from time to time in those places.

I do it every once in a while. They usually don't have anything, but I've seen and picked up a few good deals there. The other day, they had a brand new Princess Mononoke that I grabbed for $10.

Hell yeah I have

Mortal Kombat- 2.50
Criterion Armageddon- $6
Jeepers Creepers- $5
Blue Velvet- $5
Jurassic Park III- $6

I'd hit it :hump:

couldn't resist...

Anyways I certainly would If I knew where to find one near Boston.

Just go to this site and search for pawn shops in your area, by City/State.

I used this web site in order to find most of the pawn shops that I went to the other day where I picked up most of the $5 on my list. I printed out the listings, got dirrections, and hit them all, heh.

I usually hit the pawn shops in my town, looking for guns. While I'm there, I usually peruse the DVDs. I've never gotten nothing, especially never something like a Criterion.

It's usually nothing but Wal-Mart cheap-bin movies.

I hit our local ones all the time, the one closest to my house carrys over 200 titles and none over $10 for single disc, most are $5-7

i bet i've bought half the dvd's i own at pawn shops- picked up numerous OOP dvd's at them

the best were

Platoon- original THX- i actually got $75 for that back in the day
Last Days of Disco-found numerous of these
Duck Soup- Marx bros.
Dawn of the Dead- both versions
They live
sixteen candles
-- i found Midnight Run and Weird Science at the same one on same day

thank god my wife made me sell all the above, as all but one has/or will be re-released

I think I'll try that sometime. Do most pawn shops take credit cards?

I've never been to one that didn't, but I'm sure there are some around that don't.

Looks like the Criterion Armageddon turns up a lot at pawn shops. I got mine for $7.

The pawn shops here in Phoenix suck. I went dvd hunting to about 10 different pawn shops. Bad selection, bad prices. Total waste of time.

Pawn shops are great! The other day I found a mint copy of Gettysburg for $10.00 :)

I used to visit used DVD stores before a lot of the Wherehouse Musics shut down. The pawn shops around here seem to specialize on "hot" merchandise, but alas...no DVD's. :(

I've been hitting the pawns for DVDs since I bought my first player; I picked up the habit long ago buying VHS movies the same way so it was inevitable that the pawns would embrace DVD selling as well.

Maybe that's where some of my DVDs that were stolen from me just a few months ago went to. I never thought about the pawn shops, or my DVDs were exchanged for drugs.
But at lease, I replaced them all with the insurance money that I received. But no, I didn't even know that pawn shops sold DVDs up until now. Just as mentioned before above, they are probably stolen merchandise, and I wouldn't feel confortable on purchasing them because of the feeling of guilt.

I go to the Pawn shop all the damn time and I find ALOT of great stuff. The problem is, alot of em know what they have and they try to rip people off! They sell alot of items for basically the new price! What pisses me off the most is that alot arent willing to deal with anyone. Which kinda makes me think that the deals you guys are saying (Criterion - $8) is total bull ****. I guess there are some really dumb people at your stores (or at least know the position of a pawn shop), and Ive just gotten a bunch of pathetic thieves down here. Ive gotten a bad taste at the pawn shops and found alot to be the "trash" theyre percieved to be.

i hit pawn shops all the time, i've never been to any who have a clue to the value of and dvd's

case in point i saw just yesterday- one had some known 5.88 dvd's from walmart in their $8 row.

and some new releases like 25th hour, and auto focus in there in $6 row.

Criterions i have found at pawn shops.

Henry V - $10
Hamlet- $10
the Rock-$11
Rebecca-$9.99
Man Bites Dog- $7

never seen armaggedon

but pawn shops are full of Chasing Amy and Royal Tennebaums

The only DVD I bought from a pawn shop was <b>Ladie's Man</b> for something like $5. The problem I have with pawn shops, and any previously viewed DVD for that matter is the fact that it might be scratched. If you could open the DVD and see what condition it is in, then that's different. But if I can't see the condition, and if the store has a shotty return policy then I hesitate to make a move. Cheap DVDs are one thing, but cheap DVDs that don't play are another.

I hit them whenever I'm around one and I have a minute, but I never ever see any deals like the ones you guys are describing. I usually see a bunch of junk, a ton of VHS, and if they do have DVD, the prices are usually higher than I'm willing to pay for a pawn shop used item. I guess I should keep looking...

I hit one local Pawnshop 2 or 3 times a week. They seem to be hit or miss on there prices. Picked up X files season 7 for $26.00,The Shield S1 for $20.00 but then they want almost full value for Godfather set and the Sopranos. All the rest of the DVDs are 9.99 and less. The selection has really picked up the last few months. Also you can look at all the discs before you buy. The rest of the Pawnshops around here suck.

My friend found the last season of Star Trek: The Next Generation at a pawn shop in Nashville when he was on vacation there for only $20, then turned around and sold it on eBay a few days later for around $70.

All the time, You can't beat the deals and sometimes you find some great OOP stuff.

From various pawn shops, used CD and software stores

Manhunter 2 disc LE $8
Silence of the Lambs Criterion $13
"" MGM $10
Hannibal $8
Red Dragon 2 disc $11

All six Cowboy Bebop DVDs for about $7 a piece.

I just remembered one, i kick myself for turning down

I found the Puppet Master box set for $60, and didn't realize it was rare- i went home and saw it goes for $150 easily

i didn't make it back for a few days, but it was already gone

saw sex and the city Season 1, today for 7.99? 2 discs-- i've never watched the show or i mgiht have bought it.



And I always inspect every disc i buy, i'd say 90% of the time, they're as close to new as you can get

Salo $11
The Killer CC $8
Hard Boiled CC $8
Spinal Tap CC $14
Little Shop of Horrors $5
Swamp Thing $4
Mickey Mouse in Living Color $20
Little Mermaid $15

yup, me too

So I decided to go to the pawn shop on the way home. Weird,...now that I think about it, I've never been to a pawn shop. Went to the one on Golf Links & Pantano here in Tucson. Some place called Quick Pawn. So I walk in, and the first thing that hits me is the row upon rows of guns and rifles. Wow, someone is sure getting ready for war. :-) Not only that, but every single employee there was packing. Not concealed, since that is not legal here, but out in plain view,...since...THAT is legal. Heh. Arizona laws crack me up. You can't have beer on stage at a club, but you can carry a gun (though, not at all clubs). Anyways,...back to the pawn shop. I walked over to the DVD section that I noticed up on a spinning rack. The guy behind the desk was watching me. Seriously watching me. Did he think I came in to rob the place? Anyways, no hello, no goodbye, no nothing. Is this normal? Or am I just too used to good customer service from other establishments.
Unfortunately, I did not find anything good at the pawn shop. My friends though tell me, that this particular pawn shop is kindof a strange one to go to. They also mentioned about the gun carrying clerks, even before I said anything. hehehe. nice.
I'll have to try some others around town.
Oh yeah, in case anyone wonders about prices,...I didn't see any DVD over $10. Though, nothing I needed.

i would but i dont know where any are around here. anyone know where some good ones are in SoCal?

Check out that link I posted earlier in the thread near the begining. It'll tell you where the pawn shops are anywhere in the US.

Most of my collection is from pawn shops. Great source for OOP or Criterions. Here's some of what I have found:
Seven Samurai - CC $9
Rashomon - CC $8
Flash Gordon - $5
Recently picked up 6 Special Edition James Bond Films for $7 each.
X-Files Season Set for $40(can't remeber which one though)

I have to agree with the poster in reference to the trashy stores as well as trashy service. Some are betters than others though so I would not base your opinion on 1 or 2 stores as they differ in quality substantially from one store to the next.

I've found that Flea Markets are also a good resource. Found the Sleepaway Camp Box Set for $7. Sealed Close Encounters 2-disc for $9.

In reference to the scratched disc problem, I have found a store - CDWarehouse that resurfaces DVDs & CDs. They also have a coupon on their website that allows you a free DVD or CD resurface. Here's the link:
http://www.cdwarehousemn.com/deals.htm

Sorry only good for people in the Mpls/St.Paul Metro but they have a corporate website also which is:
http://www.cdwarehouse.com

Don't know if they offer the same type of deals nationally though.

Good luck & Happy hunting!

You have to understand...pawn shops are not usually run by 'respectable' people. The ones I am familiar with are in NYC, CT, and Chicago. Put it this way...they don't like you and you don't want to like them. The majority of what is for sale is stolen. Small items like DVD's CD's etc are easily turned over and put right up for sale. You can go in every week and find something different. I do not buy from them because I would be supporting theft. Not everything is stolen but the majority is. Usually the big ticket items are held in the back or off-site for a certain amount of time before they are put up for re-sale or traded.

There are items that are legit for people who needed money quick. However, from my experience with people I know who worked for pawn shops you are supporting unlawful things.

If the morality and legality issue bothers you, ask what their policy is for buying from you. If they ask for some form of ID, like the used CD stores I go to, then I have no qualms buying from there.

I've never found a pawn shop that carries DVDs. The last one I called didn't even know what a DVD is. They said they had them and when I went there it turns out he was talking about CDs.

I'll be hitting 3 Pawn shops in the coming two weeks so I am hoping to find some gems. These pawn shops are in the midwest and I am almost positive they don't have a clue! I am hoping they have a couple gems.

No dvd deals to speak of. However, this thread set me back $150 for vintage Fender P-Bass, in beautiful condition. Originally priced @ $279, I traded in an old SLR camera & my old, old no-name bass for the difference. Very :cool:

To put off going to Pawn Shops because you feel they are unlawfull most of the time is insane. All of the pawn shops I go to are very nice looking places, at times like a small store, very clean, and great and friendly people working there.

The majority of the times pawn shops are great places. I assume you just have been mixed up in the wrong ones.

As said before, ask them their policy about buying things from you.

I've nabbed a couple of criterions at pawn shops:

Third Man - $8
Red Shoes $7

and have seen Armageddon half a dozen times.....unfortunately where I live now is total suck for finding deals...but Mesa, AZ had a couple of spots that were fairly lucrative....

brizz - wher in Mesa? I live in Chandler, so I'm right there...any tips? I didn't even know pawn shops carried dvds, though i've never been IN a pawn shop. Hell, i'm going tommorow.

Wow,..all of a sudden,...the AZ people start coming out for this thread. :-)
I'm gonna make it a point to visit some other pawn shops this weekend. I'll even give the one I went to just a few days ago another try.

I used to live at pantano and speedway... but in ohio now :lol: