In the fall of 2017, security personnel for online and brick-and-mortar retailers along the Wasatch Front held a meeting with Utah law enforcement. The merchants were worried about pawnshops.
The retailers complained that a lot of brand-new, still-in-the-box merchandise was being sold at Wasatch Front pawnshops, according to documents describing the meeting. Representatives from eBay, documents say, warned especially about one pawnshop — Xtreme Pawn in West Jordan. Officials with eBay said at the time that 58% percent of that shop’s online sales with eBay listed the merchandise as new.
The meeting has resulted in a crackdown on a number of pawnshops in Salt Lake and Utah counties, and criminal charges filed last week.