Pawnshops offer alternative services

From laptop storage to jewelry evaluation, shops give more than quick cash

College students and their teachers in need of quick cash or secure storage for their belongings are turning to pawnbrokers for low-cost loans and as a safe haven for their cars and electronics.

A junior, surnamed Ma, from Chengdu, Sichuan province, offered his laptop, for which he paid about 6,800 yuan ($1,033), to a pawnshop near his school. The shop's electronics appraiser, Su Xu, offered a 2,800 yuan loan. Ma only accepted 500 yuan.