Pawn shops provide short-term, collateral-based loans to consumers. Getting a loan is fairly straightforward. You bring an item to a pawn shop. The pawnbroker looks it over. If he thinks it’s something he could eventually sell, he will offer to loan you a fraction of its value. If you accept the offer, you get cash on the spot. You also have a set time — usually around one to four months — to pay back the money you borrowed from the pawnbroker, plus any interest and fees. If you can’t repay the loan, you lose your collateral (the pawned item), which the pawnbroker can then sell to make his profit.