(Available in Canada ~ Not available in CA, MA, TX)
Pawnbroker Software is the perfect alternative to over-priced complicated pawn-shop programs, and your payment will not be accepted until you are satisfied that this is program is right for you. (Click the Yellow Demo Button above for a video overview.)
No forced prepayment of customer support fees1.
Print tickets on paper (except FL).
Compare cost to Bravo, HiTech, PawnMaster, Pawndex.
1 Software maintenance is $295/year starting in year 2.
Pawnbroker Pawn Shop Software is a one-time payment with no annual or monthly prepaid support fees. (Starting with the 2nd year there is a relatively small annual payment of $295 for software maintenance - not to be confused with 'customer support'.) There is an option to pay 2.5X the annual amount once to avoid annual payments.
PPSS features and prices are graduated so small shops and employees can start with basics at a low price and upgrade as computer skills and software requirements grow. Prices here are for software only.
The Deluxe edition of Pawnbroker Pawn Shop Software ($695 once): pawns, reminders, forfeits, payments, redemptions, pawn tickets, LEADS and police reports, and other types of transactions like buy outright (resale), check cashing, payday/title loans and rentals.
The Diamond edition of PPSS ($895 once) controls employees by restricting each person's access and preventing functions (like voids and discounts) which are prone to theft. Diamond supports pictures, barcodes, thermal price labels, cash drawers, receipt printers and gold assessment.
One payment for lifetime use. The 24karat edition of Pawnbroker Pawn Shop Software ($995 once) adds electronic fingerprinting, drivers license scanning (except GA, TX) and FTP LEADS Reporting. (Scanning driver licenses populates the new-client screen with information encoded in the license 2D barcode.)
We won't accept payment until you agree. Try the demo now!
Pawn software (or a 'program') is a computer application ('app') that installs on a PC or laptop and is used by pawn shops around the world to manage their businesses including client management, pawn and buy outright, reporting and POS (Point of Sale).
Pawnbroker Pawn Shop Software is a one-time payment with no annual or monthly prepaid support fees.
Prices of other pawnbroking programs are significantly higher and monthly or annual payments for 'support' are required. (Starting with the 2nd year there is a small annual software maintenance of $295 (not to be confused with 'customer support'.)
Other programs that reside on websites are 'web based' in that they are installed on a remote computer and the shop must have an Internet connection and a web browser to access the program. A (high) endless ever-increasing monthly payment is required.
The monthly payment increases? Yes. Just ask those who have been using a web-based program for a prolonged period of time. The cost of most things go up over time but with pawn software, developers are keenly aware that pawn-shop owners (and employees) are very reluctant to mess with converting and having to learn (and purchase!) a different program, i.e., they are 'locked in', spawning the temptation to gouge end users with frequent and large increases in the cost of operating the software.
Explore how pawn shops can leverage artificial intelligence (AI)
to revolutionize their business operations. This article covers AI applications in inventory management, valuation, customer relationships, and fraud prevention to increase efficiency and customer satisfaction.
The 'cheapest' software costs the least up front and over time.
Most software vendors use their websites to hype their products while knowingly and willingly avoid disclosing cost. Assuredly failure to disclose prices and fees warns that the software is expensive way beyond reasonable cost and most pawn owners' budgets.
For most software offerings the initial outlay is only the tip of the priceberg and will only be a fraction of the total cost over the time you expect to be in business. Here again, never in other vendors' sales hype or pre-purchase information will there ever be in all caps and bold lettering (or in words otherwise expressed), "COMPETITOR'S WARNING! WE NOT ONLY RESERVE THE RIGHT TO INCREASE YOUR COST IN THE FUTURE BUT CAN LITERALLY GUARANTEE THAT ONCE YOU'RE LOCKED INTO THE SOFTWARE, WE WILL ESCALATE THE COST WAY BEYOND THE PRICE WE ARE QUOTING TODAY". The practice of failing to fully disclose open-ended cost is an act of fraud (deceiving for financial gain). Assuming that potential buyers know 'cost always increase' falls way short of being honest about established business practices clearly intended to exploit client relationships.
Even where prices are posted on some pawn-software websites, there can be additional costs after the initial purchase of the software. Some of the add-ons are reasonable if additional features or usage are needed. Others are just price pits covered with branches and leaves for pawn-shop owners to fall into.
Perusing several software websites may reveal that very little and often nothing is mentioned about this escalating cost. It may be necessary to drill down to some Terms of Use or software agreement but even there the mounting cost may not be revealed.
While it may not be in your plan at the moment, the day may come when you decide to sell your business. It will be more attractive if the new owner won't be saddled with a huge monthly or annual expense for software, or be forced to convert to a different program and have existing employees learn a new system.
Also possibly not on the table is the prospect of multiple stores. How much is it going to cost to add copies or users of the software at other locations.
Budget-minded shop owners will find the best bargain for competitive and reasonably-priced software and hardware in Pawnbroker Pawn Shop Software - marked down to moderate pricing with comparatively low-cost for software maintenance (updates).
With few exceptions pawn-shop owners prefer to pay the minimumm to get the job done and most certainly resent having to pay forever to use any software program. See What Software Do Pawn Shops Use for a deeper explanation as to how to avoid never-ending ever-increasing software payments.
Using software to manage a pawn shop operation has many advantages:
"Price' often gets conflated with 'cost' which are two very different things. The former commonly refers to the up-front cost of getting started while the latter is a sum of all funds paid to a software developer over the span of software use.
Pawn-software pricing can invite misleading advertising. The temptation is to mask (very) high long-term cost with focus on low bait-and-switch start-up price quotes. "Get started for only $99!" might masquerade the real $xx,xxx cost of taking the bait and heading down the road in the wrong direction. Any program that is 'web based' will include perpetual payments and the risk that once locked into the program, payments over time will surely increase.
Price manipulation can be avoided by asking questions up front and getting responses in written word (email) by an identified person authorized to make representations on behalf of the software developer. It's best to get these statements under the name of the owner of the software company. A great question to ask, to cut through the sales hype is "Based upon current pricing structure, how much will I pay to use this software over the next 10 years?" Also, "How much does it cost to use the software on multiple computers or at additional store locations?"
Software developers have ongoing costs in supporting software so it's reasonable to expect that some nominal amount would need to be paid each year for 'software updates' (or 'patches') which deliver bug fixes and minor feature improvements.
Finally, rethink just what is necessary for the software to do. The software provider with advanced features might cost $10,000 over time where a program providing essentials might cost less than $1,000.
Software performs a wide variety of functions, chief among them organization, automation, correct computation of values and some help in deterring employee theft.
Keeping things organized in any business is essential for efficient operation. We don't want employees wasting time hunting for things, especially if it means keeping customers waiting. Software can be used to categorize (organize) inventory into useful groups. 'Saws' might a category and within that category there may be sub categories like jigsaw, circular, table - then inventory reports can be run: "How may chain saws do we have in store?".
Separating inventory into categories makes it possible to treat each category individually for things like taxation, tax exempt, tax-free, tax above some dollar amount. A handy feature is using multiple label printers and designating which printer to use given a category. (Use printer #1 when printing barbell jewelry labels for all items in the categories 'jewelry', 'watches', 'rings'. Use printer #2 for 2x1 non-adhesive hang tags for trigger guards on all guns categorized under handguns, rifles, shotguns, etc.
Categorized items can be tagged with 'locations' as to where they are stored (bin #6, top shelf, warehouse 12-2) making finding items quick and efficient. Conversely, within software, items may be found by running a report based upon categories but more commonly items are found by search Item ID or Description.
A stalwart feature of software is organizing pawn and buy outright by ticket #, date created, date due and so forth. Managing by grouping makes retrieval of information efficient. "How many pawns did we process this month?" "Which pawns are coming due this week?" "How much have we paid out today in buy outright purchases?"
Organization of a business is nearly second to the time save by automating repetitive tasks. How many things are done on a daily basis that are merely repeats of the same actions and tasks?
All of these things are automated with the implementation of software - a program installed on the computer and specifically designed for use by pawn-shop owners and employees to speed things up, keep things organized, eliminate errors and make the business of processing loans, buying merchandise outright and processing sales quick, efficient and accurate.
Someone's 'word' won't be sufficient to stave off future attempts to add to cost or hijack your files. Before jumping in it's best to read the developer's EULA (End-User License Agreement). Therein you will find the true disclosure of risk, which vendors often vehemently deny any responsibility for in using ALL CAPITAL LETTERS IN THEIR DENOUNCEMENTS.
If web-based software is oh so reliable and secure, why don't software vendors share in the risk of this shaky platform?
At the time of this writing there is no 'free software for pawn shops'. Any references to 'free software' are to programs available with limitations in features, time or both. "Free demo" is not "free software".
Most software vendors provide a 'free demo' with is usually the full version of the software but usable for a limited period of time. Why? Writing, producing, testing and maintaining requires the time of several people and try as we might, there's just no one in the software or pawn business who opens the doors for business just for the fun of it. If that's an understandable stance, then perhaps your quest should not be for 'free software' but software that is reasonably priced that meets your needs.
Pawnbroker Pawn Shop Software is also available in Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, FL (4), Hawaii (HiTech #4), Idaho (Pawn Magic 5), Iowa (index 9), Kansas (I3), Maine (I9), Maryland (15i), Missouri (MO download 2), Nebraska (NE i7), New Hampshire (i10), Oregon (i3), Pennsylvania (PA i4), South Carlina (SC i3), S. Dakota (i8), Tennessee (TN i4), Virginia (i4 VA), West Virginia, (WV Wisconsin $18) and Wyoming (8i WY).
