At Capital Pawn we're all about helping customers get the most cash for what they pawn or sell.

Most pawnshops will take anything of value that they can eventually sell. The only time a pawn shop will reject an item is if they are trying to scale back purchasing on certain items due to over-purchasing and low demand. If an item is in poor condition or broken, the pawnshop may not want to purchase it either. However, most shops sell broken items to parts dealers and recycle shops, so even broken items carry some value. In general, if an item has value most pawn shops will find a way to take the item off your hands.

Although pawn shops take on anything of value, some categories sell faster than others. Jewellery, musical instruments, and power tools sell well, while items such as digital accessories and electronics which date quickly don't do so well.

Here is a list of things that will not get offers from a pawn shop.

Illegal items – Although this might seem obvious, no drugs, hazardous material, passports, etc will be accepted by any pawnshop.

Anything Stolen - A common myth in the pawnshop community is that pawnshops buy stolen merchandise. It has been reported that only a fraction of pawned merchandise is identified as stolen items. Pawnshops follow strict regulations and procedures with local authorities to ensure any item brought in is not stolen. It is legislation that if a second-hand goods dealer is found guilty of purchasing stolen goods, a prison sentence of up to 10 years could be imposed. This alone is enough reason for pawnbrokers to stay away from any items even suspected to be stolen.

VCR appliances and VHS tapes – In today's world, we can all agree that VCRs and tapes have become extremely dated. With the popularity of sites such as Netflix and Showmax, VCRs and VHS tapes have absolutely no value in today's pawnshop.

Cassette Player and Tapes – As with VCRs and VHS tapes, cassette players and tapes no longer hold any value over our modern technology we have today to stream music.

Broken TV's or Box TV's – Due to the introduction of high-quality flat-screen TV's, Box TV's are no longer in demand, let alone valuable. The accessibility and affordability of flat-screen TVs have led to almost every household owning one. However, a broken flat-screen TV isn't worth much, as in most cases fixing it can work out more costly than purchasing a new one altogether.

Mattresses – Old, Second-hand mattresses are less durable leading to a short remaining lifespan.

Old Cell phones – Cell phones become extremely dates as new smartphone models get launched almost yearly, it is due to this that they are worth very little.

Vacuum Cleaners – In a world where hygiene has become everything to everyone, second-hand vacuum cleaners introduce new, unwanted germs into a household. Although brands such as Hoover, Bissell, and Dyson are typically worth a small fortune unless new, pawnshop owners would rather pass on second-hand vacuum cleaners.

Clothing and Shoes – Unless you have brand new, high-end pieces of clothing or shoes, chances are you won't get much at a pawn shop for any clothing or shoes.

Baby Cot's – Antique cribs that we were made between 2011 no longer meet the safety regulations of Baby Cribs and will therefore in most cases not get any offers from pawn shops.

R5 Mandela coins – Those coins are worth R5 and have no collectable value.

Now that you’ve seen the list of items that pawn shops don’t accept, be sure to check out our website for all the items we do accept. We offer the best prices on a variety of products like jewellery, cars, electronics and more.