The California Pawnbrokers Association hosted its 66th Annual Convention & Expo October 21-23, 2022 in Universal City. Jack Brown was invited to speak on the science behind refining and offered a glimpse through the smoke so that attendees can make more informed decisions regarding their refining process. He shared a long list of specific recommendations with the group, including these three:
- DO THE MATH: When a Refiner quotes you terms that seem too good to be true, they probably are. Watch out for promises like 99% with no charges, free shipping, free stone removal, etc. Ask yourself if the terms are reasonable and enable them to do all of the required processing and analysis and still make a profit.
- REQUEST COMPLETE DATA: Make sure that your settlement report provides all melt and assay data. Monitor your melt losses on each and every lot. Any undissolved metal or skimming should be held in case you require their return. Any melt losses in excess of 2% on lots free of stones or metal skimming should be explained by the refiner.
- GET REFERENCES: When considering a Refiner, make sure they provide you with several solid customer references that have been doing business with them for at least a year.
To see highlights from other presentations at this year's CAPA event or learn more about membership, visit californiapawnbrokers.org.
