Check a dealer
Is this dealer on file with the state?
We search official government records live and show you exactly what they say: the licence or registration, its status and dates, and where it comes from. We don’t add our own verdict.
Tip: the name on the sign is often not the legal name. If nothing comes up, ask the shop for its licence number or the name on its licence, and search that.All 6 ways to check a dealer
Which states we can check automatically
- ColoradoColorado Secretary of State (business registration)
- ConnecticutConnecticut Secretary of the State (business registration)
- DelawareDelaware Division of Revenue (licence)
- New YorkNYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (licence); New York Department of State (business registration)
- OklahomaOklahoma Department of Consumer Credit (licence)
- OregonOregon Secretary of State (business registration)
- PennsylvaniaPennsylvania Department of State (business registration)
- TexasTexas Comptroller of Public Accounts (business registration); Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts (business registration)
For other states we link to the official lookup where one exists. Most states don’t publish their pawn or precious-metal licences in a form we can search, and in many the licence comes from the city or county.
What a result means
- Licence records come from the agency that licenses pawnbrokers or secondhand dealers.
- Business registration records show the company is registered with the state. That is not a dealer licence.
- Records are shown as the agency publishes them and can lag behind. The agency’s own record is the final word.
- No result does not mean a business is unlicensed or doing anything wrong. Names often differ, and some businesses aren’t in these lists.
- A licence shows a business is on file. It doesn’t guarantee a fair price, so still compare the offer with the melt value.