STX Gold

I wanted to sell a piece of gold jewelry that I never wear, and so I hopped on the interweb to see where to go. There were plenty of pawn shops with mixed reviews, and I felt a little wary of taking what I know was something real, and of genuine value, to places that dealt in everything from musical instruments to appliances to the kitchen sink. I thought of the old advice that a place that does too many things (like the Mexican-​Chinese-​Thai– Fried Chicken joints) rarely does any one thing exceptionally well.
STX came up in a web search and after reading through the site, I felt like it just made sense to go there. They offered the best rates, which anyone can say, but backed it up by explaining exactly how. They don’t have a storefront– just an office in a well-​known building in the area. Low overhead = more kickback to the customer.
I spoke with Steven, the owner on the phone, and he was very flexible about a time to meet. We had good communication, and I went by after work at the appointed time. I was immediately at ease with his friendly manner, and we sat down in his office to discuss. Instead of jumping directly into business, he took the time to ask where I was coming from (work), and he seemed genuinely interested as we chatted briefly about my job. I thought that was nice, and just very normal and cool (not what I have experienced in the past with pawnbrokers or jewelry dealers).
Next we talked about my item, and he pulled out his tools for a scratch test, explaining the method as he went along, pulling out little vials and showing me how things worked. Very cool Mr. Wizard-​type lesson. In the end, he calculated a price for me based on the the higher end estimate (the piece could have been 21 or 22k, he erred toward 22– a difference of 10 bucks, but money is money!).
I can’t honestly say if this was the best price for my item because I didn’t shop around– though I wish I had so I could say it was! But all in all, the whole experience was such a pleasant one, and Steven is either a very cool customer who knows how to act, or a 100% genuine person. My feeling is the latter. The vibe is a bit like if your best friend’s dad were in the jewelry-​buying business.
If you have something to sell, of course you should comparison shop, but I highly recommend you make him one of your points of comparison. I’d definitely go back!