8 businesses in and around Québec City that buy used goods from the
public, or sell them on your behalf. For each one: what they buy, what they refuse, and
exactly how the transaction works — because a pawn loan, a consignment split and an outright
sale are three different things.
Verified 2026-09-24 from each business's own website. Prices, terms and what
they take change without notice. We are not affiliated with any business listed here, none of
them pay to be included, and we receive nothing if you sell to them.
If you are thinking about pawning something
A pawn loan is borrowing, not selling: you get your item back only by repaying the
money plus all interest and fees by the date printed on the ticket, and if you miss that
date the shop keeps the item and sells it.
Before you hand anything over, get three things written on the ticket: the interest
rate, the total redemption figure in dollars, and the deadline. Across all
fourteen cities we checked, almost no pawn shop publishes its rate anywhere on its website —
so the only place you will see it is on the paperwork in front of you.
If you want money and do not want the item back, ask separately for an outright purchase
price and compare the two. They are different numbers for different transactions, and a shop
that offers both will not necessarily volunteer which one it is quoting.
What will they actually pay?
We do not publish an average payout, because nobody publishes one. Any site quoting
you "typically 60% of retail" invented it. Across 189 businesses in fourteen cities, a
handful publish a consignment split, one publishes a per-gram gold table, and not one pawn
shop, scrap yard or electronics buyer publishes what it pays relative to resale value.
What we can tell you is the shape of it. Consignment pays the most and pays last, often on a
declining scale as the item sits. An outright sale pays least and pays today. Metals and gold
are weight times purity minus a spread nobody states, so the only real number is the one at
the scale. And for a great deal of what comes out of a cleared house — flat-pack furniture,
book-club paperbacks, old encyclopedias, out-of-season sports gear, adult clothing more than
a few years old — the honest answer is that nobody in these fourteen cities will pay anything
for it at all. The refusal lists below are the evidence.
Electronics buy-back in Québec City
They pay cash or credit for working electronics, phones and games.
Buysjewellery and gold, home equipment, tools, music, films and series, phones and portable electronics, leisure, art and collections, photo and video equipment, home automation and security, televisions and audio, seasonal and sports gear, automotive equipment, vehicles, motors and parts, video games and accessories, musical instruments, orthopaedic and health products, computer equipment, commercial and office equipment, decorative and gaming weapons
The dealOUTRIGHT SALE, NOT A PAWN LOAN. The words 'prêt' and 'gage' do not appear anywhere on their site; they describe themselves as an 'intermédiaire entre le vendeur et l'acheteur'. Their published process, verbatim: you bring the item to the shop, they evaluate it, they compare its market value to offer the right price, they make a purchase offer, and if you accept 'nous procédons à la signature d'un contrat de vente'. They then state 'vous aurez 30 jours pour venir récupérer votre objet', subject to conditions given in store only. Ownership therefore passes at signature and the repurchase price is not published. Free in-store evaluation. No payout percentage or rate is stated anywhere on the site.
Directories list this chain under 'prêteurs sur gages', but its own website describes only buying and selling, never lending. The 30-day buy-back resembles pawning in effect while being legally a sale — you are not a borrower, and the amount you would pay to get the item back is not published, so ask for that figure before you sign. Their 'À propos' page states they collaborate with police on all acquisitions, identify items by serial number and photographs, and ask sellers for information and ID.
Buysvideo games, consoles, accessories, video game collectibles, retro and vintage games
Won't takeitems that are not clean and functional
The dealThey state: 'Nous prenons les jeux, consoles, accessoires et objets de collection de jeux vidéo contre des crédits d'échange ou de l'argent dans les cas des articles rétro.' So the default is STORE CREDIT, and cash is offered only for retro items. The amount depends on resale value, the condition of the items and their current stock. Items must be clean and functional. They do not give estimates over the phone — you send photos or a detailed list by Messenger or email, and once the items are handed over they take 24 to 48 hours to examine and test them. No percentage is published.
Where249, rue Saint-Vallier Est, Québec, QC G1K 3P4
Do not assume cash: their own stated policy is exchange credit, with money only for retro articles. Do not phone for a valuation either — they state they do not quote by phone and require photos or a list sent by Messenger or email first. Expect a 24 to 48 hour wait after drop-off while items are tested. Email contact@laplanquejeuxvideo.ca.
Buysused furniture in good condition, household appliances
Won't takeitems not in good condition
The dealThey buy used furniture and appliances from the public and will come to your home to appraise: 'Demandez-nous simplement de passer à votre domicile pour une évaluation en toute discrétion et honnêteté.' No payout rate or percentage is published. On the selling side they give a 90-day parts-and-labour warranty on used appliances.
Where175, rue Saint-Joseph Est, Québec, QC G1K 3A8
Because they warranty the appliances they resell, expect them to decline anything they judge unrepairable — items in poor condition will not be bought. The opening hours printed on their site are internally inconsistent, so phone before travelling.
Buysantique furniture and century-old accessories, wooden chests and trunks, metal toys, marine and military items, gold and silver jewellery, broken or intact, advertising signs and old advertisements, vintage garage items such as oil cans, paintings and artworks, antique musical instruments, used vinyl records
The dealThey buy outright, under the heading 'ACHETONS VOS ANTIQUITÉS et VINYLES USAGÉS', and publish a long list of what they actively look for. They state they are interested in your offers but publish nothing about how payment is made, whether they travel to you, or any percentage of resale value. Treat it as: send photos and a description, or phone, and get an offer.
Contact them before driving out to the island with a carload — nothing on their site commits them to buying any particular item, and they publish no payment terms. Email contact is augoutdautrefois@videotron.ca.
Buys10k, 14k, 18k and 22k gold jewellery, broken and worn gold chains, ring mounts, gold watches, earrings, gold objects and coins
Won't takeitems you do not own, sales by minors
The dealOutright purchase in the shop. Their published process: bring the piece in, it is appraised on the spot, you present photo ID such as a driver's licence or health insurance card, and they give you a cheque — payment is stated as a cheque, not cash. Purity is confirmed by chemical and electronic testing. Any precious stones set in the piece are given back to you. Free estimate. No payout percentage is published.
Where909, boul. Pierre-Bertrand sud, suite 210, Québec
Their own page states a 24-hour right of withdrawal on a gold sale, and that you must be of age and the owner of the item. Payment is by cheque, so do not arrive expecting to leave with cash. They also state that gold is priced on quantity and quality of metal only and that the look of the piece is never a factor, because it is destined to be remelted — so the craftsmanship, brand or antique value of a signed or collectible piece is not reflected in what is paid here.
Buysgold jewellery, 10k, 14k, 18k and 22k, broken jewellery, gold and silver coins, collection coins, gold and silver bars and ingots, sterling silver items, dental and industrial gold
The dealOutright purchase with payment on the spot — 'évaluation, service discret et paiement sur-le-champ'. Valuation is based on the live gold and silver price ('cours de l'or et de l'argent en temps réel'). Metal purity is tested non-destructively with a Vanta GX analyser and weighed on an A&D FX-300iNC balance accurate to a thousandth of a gram; their site states the equipment is certified by Mesures Canada. No payout percentage is published.
Where1411, chemin Ste-Foy, Québec, QC G1S 2N7
Appointments are encouraged and hours are short — Monday 12:00-17:00, Tuesday to Thursday 9:00-17:00, Friday 9:00-14:00, closed Saturday and Sunday. A weekend trip is a wasted one. The owner states membership of the Société Numismatique de Québec and the Royal Canadian Numismatic Association; those are trade memberships, not a licence and not a guarantee of price.
The dealTheir site states 'Faites de l'argent! Nous achetons les vieux métaux' and that they recover and recycle iron, lead, copper, cast iron and steel. Scrap is conventionally priced by weight and grade, but Métal Harbour publishes no price list, no per-pound rates and no scale details, so confirm the rate for your metal by phone before loading up. You can bring metal to the yard, or they offer a container service at your home or beside a commercial building.
Where2902, rue du Sentier, Québec, QC G2A 0A3
Open Monday to Friday only, 8:00-12:00 and 13:00-17:00 — closed over lunch and closed at weekends, so a Saturday trip with a trailer of metal is wasted. No prices are published anywhere on the site; ask for the current rate for your specific metal and grade before you go.
Buysused books of all kinds, large private libraries
The dealThey buy books at your home and their own page names 'ville de Québec' among the cities covered, alongside Montréal, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières, Gatineau and Ottawa. The buyer and owner is named on the page as Mathieu Bertrand, libraire et propriétaire. They state there is no delay in payment ('aucun délai de paiement'). No rate, per-book price or percentage of resale value is published — the offer is made after seeing the collection.
WhereBased in Montreal; the Quebec City service is a travelling home visit by appointment, not a shopfront you can walk into. Direct line 514 914 2142, toll-free 1 888 522 8848.
Their page addresses itself to the owner of a library of 'plusieurs centaines ou milliers de livres' — several hundred to several thousand volumes. No minimum is stated, but if you are clearing two or three boxes it is unlikely they will travel for it. There is no Quebec City premises: everything happens at your address, by appointment.
Take government photo ID. Several of these businesses say plainly
that they cannot buy from you without it, and that a health card will not do.
Phone ahead with the specifics. Make, model, age, condition. Most
refusals happen at the counter over something that could have been settled in a
two-minute call.
Get more than one number if the item is worth more than a hundred
dollars or so. Offers on the same item vary widely.
Ask which transaction you are being offered — a purchase, a
consignment or a loan — and get it in writing.
We could not verify this city’s municipal rules for second-hand dealers and pawnbrokers from an official source, so we state none. Check with the City or the province before relying on anything you read about them elsewhere.
Worth nothing? That is a real answer too.
Most of what comes out of a cleared house will not sell at any price, and the businesses above
will tell you so at the counter. Photograph it first and we will tell you before you drive
anywhere — and if the answer is that it is worth nothing, we will point you at
the Québec City charities that will still take it.
Will a pawn shop in Québec City give me a loan or buy it outright?
Many do both, and they are entirely different transactions. A loan means you get the item back only if you repay the money plus interest and fees by the date on the ticket; miss it and the shop keeps and sells your item. An outright sale is final. Ask for both numbers separately and compare them.
How much will I actually get?
Less than you think, and nobody publishes a reliable average — we checked 189 businesses across fourteen cities. Consignment pays most and pays last. An outright sale pays least and pays today. Scrap and gold are weight and purity against the day’s market, minus a margin almost nobody states.
Will any of them collect from my house in Québec City?
Auto salvage almost always tows a non-running car free. Some furniture dealers and consignment shops will collect, usually for a fee or above a minimum value. Scrap yards that advertise collection generally mean a commercial roll-off bin, not a van for a box of copper. Every listing here says what we could confirm and nothing more.
Do I need identification?
Almost certainly, and it is the most common cause of a wasted trip. Several businesses state plainly that government-issued photo ID is required and that a health card will not be accepted. Take a driving licence or passport.
What is genuinely worth nothing?
Flat-pack furniture, most paperbacks, encyclopedias, classical and easy-listening records, out-of-season sports equipment and adult clothing more than a few years old. The refusal lists on this page are the evidence. Those things can still be donated, and often should be.