One of the earliest forms of business in Hong Kong, pawn shops are situated in almost every district of the city. Unlike in the West, where pawn shops buy, pawn or sell to and from the public, HK pawn shops give customers money in return for their belongings. If the customer does not repay the loan with interest then the belongings are kept and sold off to second-hand and jewellery shops. Jewellery, watches, fur and clothes are the most common items pawned. Looking for a pawn shop in your area? Just keep and eye out for the ‘bat’ and ‘coin’ neon sign (signifying fortune and coin)  or the saloon style doors.

Next time on streetSnap: ‘Night work’, part 2.

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3 comments on “streetSNAP: Hong Kong’s Pawn Shops”

1. brielle87

   May 1, 2014

   

   Far more interesting, less sketchy also, than the ones to be found in the United States. Some really interesting items also.

   Reply
2. Mr.C

   May 5, 2014

   

   Thanks for the comment. I agree, the culture behind Asian pawn shops is quite interesting. Unfortunately, you can’t actually purchase anything from these places and i wouldn’t think westerners could use this system(unless you had a translator).

   Reply
3. Jodi Nunez

   June 5, 2014

   

   Hey…Thanks for sharing the facts about pawn shops. I think we can buy and sell almost each and every item at pawn shops.

   Reply