The economy is recovering, but things are still a little shaky out there. Many people are looking for ways to leverage what they have to get some extra money.

One common action people take is to use valuable items — such as artwork — to get some extra cash temporarily. Many times, this happens at pawn shops.

But is pawning your art a legit way to get money from your artwork? Or should you go the traditional route, such as using an auction house or selling to someone privately? Read on to see why a pawn shop is a viable option.

Get Cash Fast... Without Losing Your Artwork

Pawn shops offer you the unique opportunity to leverage your art for cash today — yet you don’t have to let go of your art. This is possible through pawn loans.

Pawn loans require no credit checks, and you can get them in as little as a day. You secure the loan with your artwork. As long as you pay back the loan balance plus fees and interest in 30 days, you get your art back.

In many cases, borrowers aren’t getting a pawn loan out of necessity or desperation. Perhaps a unique investment opportunity presents itself to you, but you don’t get paid until next week. Pawning your art provides you that capital to buy into said investment opportunity. Then, you can pay back the loan when you receive your paycheck.

What If You Sell Your Art?

Perhaps you aren’t as attached to your art, and you’d rather earn money that you don’t have to pay back. That’s understandable.

Pawn shops make it easy to sell your art, too.

See, the traditional routes take time. If you sell to someone else, you might have to go through a broker. You’ll endure a lengthy appraisal process and owe commissions to your broker (and perhaps other parties involved in the process).

What if you use an auction house?

In this case, you won’t have the final say on your artwork’s price. Whoever has the best bid, wins. Sure, there’s a chance you might wind up with more than you hoped for, but it’s more likely you’ll get less.

At a pawn shop, you have more choice. One pawn shop low-balled you? Leave them behind and visit a different pawn shop. As long as you demand a reasonable amount for your artwork, you’re more likely to get the price you want through pawn shops.

Bring Your Artwork to Cash Express in Philadelphia

Need some extra cash for the short-term? If you have some artwork, Cash Express would be happy to lend you money against it. Just bring your art into our Philadelphia pawn shop so we can take a look at it. We’ll get money into your hands within a few hours!