CEX question

ThinkingOfLinking

I am asking this because there are no phone numbers for branches on their website; how often do they disappoint when you go in; eg say they're not buying that day? Also, is a P45 (with your address on, obv) from within the last 3-6 months adequate ID?

I do not get utility bills; I pay them to the landlord, and I am on PAYG with my phone...I only get bank statements every few weeks and I need to get some money today!!

Same question about Cash converters too....I have a DVD player for them!!

jasonwatkins

they can disappoint you any day of the week - it really all comes down to what you're selling and the quality of the product - if it's new, boxed e.t.c.

a dvd player will get you about £5 in the current market. a recorder between £10-£20

do you have a passport ?. that would be adequate for ID, as would a driving licence. a rental agreement as well would probably work, but my rule of thumb is to take everything you think is relevant - anything with your name, address, signature and even photograph on it.

ThinkingOfLinking

I have a few mint condition CDs and DVDs to take in, as well as a nice DVD player; I don't care how much I get as long as I get something. Do they mind if you've lost the SCART for the player?

I don't have a passport; I have governement ID though, although some people don't even know what it is when I use it although I have flown to Spain with it; I don't need a passport in the EU with it.

jasonwatkins

cd's will get you up to £1 a pop, depending on how recent they are. you're more than likely to get around 50-75p realistically.

dvd's will get you between £1 and £2 for the same reasons - the more recent, the more they'll pay.

they'll take the DVD providing it works and has the remote. scart leads are really irrelevant to the price.

there are two rules of thumb that most cash converters/cash mart/cash generators operate under.

1) if the item is nearly new, they'll look at how much it retails for and give you a quarter of the value. that means they'll sell it for half it's retail value.

2) if the item is obviously second hand or has been used then they'll look at ebay at the highest price it sells for and then give you a quarter of that value.

these aren't hard and fast rules mind, some shops will vary slightly - cash generators are more often than not franchise operations so it will come down to the individual owners, but in my experience they tend to follow them fairly closely.

some items will have a fixed price as they will always sell - ipods & games consoles are two such items. a PS2, as an example, will always bring you in about £20 because most of the shops will sell them for £39.99 and they'll always sell.

and no, i've never worked for any of these shops either .. i've just used them so many times i know how they work better than some of the people who work there

ThinkingOfLinking

Thanks. I've looked at CD prices online n CEX and I know it's peanuts but I don't need the CDs, I do need the space and money so it has to be done!!

jasonwatkins

i would personally steer clear of CEX - they aren't as flexible as Cash Converters/Generators/Mart.

their buy in prices are a lot more fixed than the other places - you're more likely to get a better deal at the Converters e.t.c...

ThinkingOfLinking

CEX were great today; took all my CDs; ones they did not have on the system, they made up a price thre and then, and I got a bit more because I decided to take store credit; I got some CDs I really wanted.

Cash Converters were rather rude; I'll still take my DVD player in there soon though.

jasonwatkins

can i ask why you thought cash converters were rude?

ThinkingOfLinking

Where do I start!!

The woman was looking down her nose at me, patronising me, talking to me as if I was either 5 years old, !!!!!! or possibly both, and then just being generally standoffish and unpleasant; I was only making enquiries as I don't want to be dragging things 3 miles for no reason.

jasonwatkins

ahh ok - i've seen that a lot in many cash converter shops.

a lot of people who work there have the attitude that they're doing you a favour, rather than doing a job - they're the ones i try not to deal with, or if I have to, i make a point of telling them that I probably know more about their job than they do

the main reason they don't give you prices up front though is because many people turn up at the shop and say something like "well when I rang this morning, you said you'd give me £10 for this - i want £10 for it ! you're legally obliged to give me £10 for it !".

but that also does give them an excuse to be arsey about it and just triumphantly sneer at you that you'll have to bring it in to the shop and they'll "see if it's worth anything .."

one little tip for those types of stores though is to get to know the manager and get on friendly speaking terms with him (or her). you don't have to be best friends or anything, but if you can get on their good side you do tend to get an easier ride.

ThinkingOfLinking

I only asked what the bare minimum would be that they'd pay for the items in general. I was told the mimimum is £3 for a DVD player and £10 for a TV/VCR combi, both items are ones I want rid of.

Aparently they don't sell multimedia headsets; shame as I have a new pair in packaging I was given that I don't want. I can't sell on eBay as I can't get a Paypal account due to a bad credit rating etc whichI am trying to get sorted.