For most pawn shop profiles the best primary category is Pawn shop — use it when: loans against items, resale. For shops, the primary category should match what most shelf space and sales are for. Brands and product lines go in products and photos, not categories.
Open the free tool for a pawn shop → tick what you really offer and get a copy-ready setup sheet
Primary category
- Pawn shop — Loans against items, resale
Secondary (additional) categories
Add one only if the condition is genuinely true at this location. Fewer, accurate categories beat a full list of nine.
- Gold dealer — only if: gold buying who else uses it
- Jewelry store — only if: jewellery sales who else uses it
Categories to avoid
These are often added to pawn shop profiles but usually describe a different or broader business:
- Bank
- Jewelry store (unless main)
Pawn and lending businesses are regulated — keep claims accurate for your state/province/country.
Address or service area?
Usually a storefront: show the full address exactly as it appears on your signage, and keep it identical on Google, Apple Business Connect, Bing Places and your website. Service-area vs storefront rules.
Starter services to add
Categories say what you are; services say what you do. Good first entries:
- Collateral loans
- Buy & sell electronics
- Gold buying
Check before you change anything
Search “pawn shop” on Google Maps in your own area, open the top few profiles and note their primary category (shown under the business name). Use what's common as a sanity check, not a template — your categories must describe your business. Ready to switch? How to change your category safely.
Profile problems?
Suspended, stuck in verification, or not showing on Maps? See the free fix guides: suspended profile · verification failed · not on Maps · name rules.