Pawn Shop POS Software
We researched the top systems designed specifically for pawn brokers, and narrowed it down to only 4 worth running your business on.
Without a POS system that handles loan management, compliance requirements, check cashing, and jewelry valuation, you could be in for a headache. The best pawn shop software keeps track of all the details, so you can focus on the customer-facing side of the business.
This comprehensive guide will inform you of the top 4 industry-leading operations. See which of these 4 works best for you.
POS System | Pricing from | Sales Features | Inventory Management | Compliance and Security | Loan Management |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
$129/Month | 9/10 | 9/10 | 9/10 | 9/10 | |
Quote-based, from $60/month plus setup | 9/10 | 9/10 | 10/10 | 7/10 | |
$79/month, $999 Setup | 8/10 | 8/10 | 9/10 | 9/10 | |
$99 Standard, $299 Pro (one time) | 9/10 | 8/10 | 5/10 | N/A |
The 4 Best Pawn Shop POS Software Systems
Quick Answer:
Bravo Pawn Systems - Best for Loan Management
PawnMaster - Best for Compliance
PawnSnap - Most Integrations
CashFootprint - No ongoing fees
Bravo Platform provides specialized point-of-sale (POS) and retail management software for pawn shops, gun stores, and buy/sell trading businesses. With a fairly comprehensive set of pawn shop management features and a reputation for excellent customer service, it's easy to see why more and more pawn shop owners are turning to Bravo Pawn Systems.
If you're a new single-store pawn shop software customer, you can also get a free trial lasting a whole year, so giving them a try is a no-lose option.
Loan Management
As well as the loan payment tracking and reporting features you would expect when offering check advance, payday, or title loans, Bravo pawn shop management software has features designed to manage your loan business on a holistic level, with insights customers attest help them loan more, more often, and build up their overall loan balance in the process.
Firearms Compliance
With Bravo software, pawn shop owners whose stores deal in firearms can rest easy. The new system includes a fully ATF compliant E4473 (Firearm Transaction Record) module, including options to collect the extra customer signatures required in case of delayed pick-up etc. There's also an integrated, compliant, ATF audited Acquisition and Disposition (A&D) book.
Jewelry Management
Bravo pawn shop point-of-sale software takes the guesswork out of jewelry estimation, so your staff can provide accurate and consistent valuations to customers. You can input the weight of the piece and the metal, then provide details of any stones (which are then added to the value but deducted from the overall weight to give the metal weight for a more precise valuation).
When taking in jewelry inventory, this jewelry management feature doesn't just help with valuation. You also end up with a detailed product description for each item, complete with up to 12 photographs, which you can pass on to potential buyers later.
Limitations
Some Bravo pawn shop software customers have complained the system is not particularly intuitive and takes some time to get used to initially. Staff members have required significant training, which can delay the implementation of a new management system.
#2 Best for Compliance - PawnMaster
With over 30 years of pawn shop industry experience, the PawnMaster point-of-sale system is used by more pawn shops than any other.
With a range of built-in features and add-ons for compliance and security, pawn and retail, and loan management (including MLA), it's not hard to see why everyone from small shops to those running pawn business operations across multiple locations are flocking to PawnMaster.
Compliance and Security
PawnMaster is easily the best pawn shop software for maintaining compliance. With modules for ATF firearms compliance, loan auditing, electronic completion and storage of police reports, and OFAC compliance tools, you know you're covering all the bases.
There's also an add-on for digital surveillance from EyesOn. Once linked to your system and security cameras, the system automatically links to cash drawer management, recording and tagging footage off all transactions involving the cash drawers, as well as tagging video and alerting about any potentially problematic activity such as unattended customers, suspicious refunds, unusually high customer numbers, or any time a security door or safe is left open. In case of a genuine incident, the logs, video, POS data, etc can all be bundled and included in your police reporting.
Valuations
When pawn items are brought in, the inbuilt price guide feature allows you to compare them with all similar previous inventory in terms of, average purchase cost, average sale cost, duration in inventory, etc. So you know exactly how valuable the item is to you in real money terms.
Inventory and Forfeits
Pawnmaster makes it easy to transfer items from pawn to inventory status on forfeiture. Inventory items can be viewed by category, date range, or physical location for multi-location pawn shops.
One of the best features of this system is the customer "wanted lists". Unlike most retail management software, your purchasing clients can provide details of desired items (specific or by inventory category). If a relevant pawned item's grace period expires and it is transferred to retail inventory, this is flagged to your staff. One of the available add-ons can even send out an automated SMS to potentially interested buyers.
Limitations
Loan features have to be purchased separately as an expansion pack.
Most reviews are positive but some customers have complained that the PawnMaster system is not user-friendly enough, with several menus to go through for some relatively common processes. The actual pawn transaction speeds are good, but some setup and inventory management features of this pawn software are indeed slightly clunky. Unfortunately, there is currently no trial period to explore this for new customers, so be sure to raise any concerns during the free consultation with the sales team.
The only other concerns commonly raised are about the helpfulness of the support team, although recent product reviews have been more complimentary on this front so the issue may have been largely resolved.
#3 Most Integrations - PawnSnap
The Snap Software company provides cloud-based or self-hosted pawn shop point-of-sale (POS) software with an emphasis on customization. Custom fields are available in all modules and design features such as logos and other branded artwork can be added to receipts and other customer-facing information.
Significant regular updates mean new features are constantly being added to this already feature-rich pawn shop software, with notable recent improvements surrounding state-specific compliance and reporting.
Sales and Integrations
Pawnsnap pawn shop software uses a range of integrations including eBay and Gunbroker.com so the reach of your business extends far beyond the pawn shop floor itself. This not only directly boosts sales by providing extra channels but also gives your business more online visibility so potential customers know where to come.
Other useful integrations for this hi-tech pawn software include LeadsOnline (to simplify police reporting and help prevent accidentally accepting stolen inventory), the Firearms Eligibility System from FDLE, and payment processing by BLUEDOG. The PawnSnap system is also QuikBooks compatible, so you know all your accounting needs are well covered.
Customer Management
Customer ID information can be collected by scanning the driver's license barcode, saving on manual data entry. As with other top software, pawn shop items and transactions are linked to the customer so you can track and manage preferences.
Training and Implementation
PawnSnap has a training mode feature that allows staff to practice using this hi-tech pawn shop software without mistakes affecting live data, preventing costly or time-consuming consequences for the business.
Considering the complexity of pawn shop systems encompassing title loans, check cashing, pawn and sales inventory management, storage of sensitive customer data, and especially compliance documents, this feature is a very valuable safeguard.
Limitations
Most reviews are excellent, with only a few minor points being raised. One of the only issues commonly raised is that the jewelry valuation function only handles metals and can't account for the value of diamonds or other gems.
CashFootprint is a retail point-of-sale and inventory management software package from LotHill Solutions.
Unlike other pawn shop software vendors, LotHill provides the CashFootprint packages on a buy outright basis, rather than by subscription, and a free trial is available.
Despite only making one single payment, customers can still access free updates and ongoing customer support for this Windows-based POS.
Although CashFootprint isn't specifically designed for pawn shops, there are some features that make the Pro system especially worth considering.
Inventory Management
One of the features I like about this software is the ease of transferring your existing inventory records. data from either Excel or text files can be imported directly, saving days of data entry when setting up the system.
Inventory levels are adjusted whenever you make a sale, and the system supports a barcode scanner and printer so you can create labels for your items then track them to and from storage, through sales, and right out of the door.
Customer Tracking
Pawn shops need to know who their customers are, whether they are pawning, buying, taking out payday loans, etc. Customer tracking links transactions, items, and contact information to the customer, which is especially useful for buyers as when an interesting or unusual item comes in, you'll know exactly who is most likely to be interested.
Limitations
Because CashFootprint is general retail POS software, pawn shop owners will need separate systems to deal with title loans or payday loan services. Also, if you accept firearms or other items requiring legal compliance documentation, these will also need to be dealt with outside the POS software.
For those running small, simple pawn shops where cash drawer management, inventory, and payment tracking are sufficient, this system may well save money over time, but most larger pawn shops will want a more comprehensive system.
Factors to Consider When Buying
Legal compliance and reporting
Many pawn shops deal with transactions for which there are specific legal requirements. The best pawn shop software will automatically lead you through these processes as soon as you start a relevant transaction in the point-of-sale system.
The most obvious case is pawn shops that accept firearms, some of which are also attached to repair shops. If you are accepting weapons, you need an ATF compliant A&D bound book and FTR (4473) forms at minimum, along with any other federal or state requirements depending on the nature of the transactions. Pawn shop software with these features integrated will save a lot of time and hassle, especially when it comes to auditing.
Even if you are doing your best to follow all the regulations, it is always possible for issues to arise due to customers acting in bad faith. The capacity to store and manage customer records with linked transactions or inventory, and compile these records for ease of police reporting, is also vital.
Loan management
Pawn loans are of course the foundation of the pawn business. From auto title loans to held items and check advance transactions, your business needs to keep track of how much money was lent, the terms and duration, whilst being able to track payments automatically.
In addition, some loans may be subject to extra conditions such as the Military Lending Act. For a pawnbroker, pawn shop software that facilitates MLA checking helps streamline this process.
Pawn and Retail Inventory management
Unlike standard retail management software, systems designed for the pawn business need to handle goods in different status categories. The very last thing any pawn shop wants is to accidentally have a customer's pawned items marked as sales inventory and sold prior to the agreed deadline. On receiving a consignment, stores need the option to immediately code this as either pawn or sales stock, and then easily transfer pawned items if forfeit does occur.
On the inventory management side, the ability to group and view items by category, manufacturer, age etc, makes it much easier to meet specific requests from purchasers (or at least suggest suitable alternatives from your inventory).
The Final Verdict
Depending on your business focus as a pawnbroker, pawn shop software choices are quite specific. All of the top three have their specific strengths, so compare those closely against your business model before choosing.
If in doubt, the extended free trial for Bravo Pawn Systems is definitely worth a try as you can change your mind later without extra cost.
Tyler Connaghan
Contributing Author