Kalamazoo, MI Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)

City Code § 24-1 defines a secondhand dealer as any person, corporation, partnership or other entity engaged in the principal or primary business, meaning more than 50% of gross revenue, of purchasing, storing, selling, exchanging and receiving secondhand goods. The Code defines secondhand goods broadly to include used appliances, radios, cameras, televisions, video game equipment, tools, guns, jewelry, musical instruments, sporting equipment, bicycles, lawn mowers, snowblowers, typewriters, computers and audio equipment, but specifically excludes new goods, clothing, household items, antiques, household furniture, books, magazines, trading cards and tapestries, as well as anything already handled under the City's separate recycling-dealer rules in § 24-16 et seq.

Section 24-2 makes it unlawful to engage in the secondhand dealer business without a City Clerk license issued under MCLA § 445.401 et seq. The license is valid for one year, April 1 through March 30, cannot be transferred, and renews on payment of the annual fee set by City Commission resolution; applicants who apply after November 1 pay only half the annual fee. A secondhand dealer license does not substitute for a pawnbroker or precious-metal-and-gem-dealer license if the same business also engages in those activities, per § 24-2.F.

The same application, identity-verification, background-check and denial standards that apply to pawnbrokers under § 24-3 apply equally to secondhand dealers, and secondhand dealers must keep the same identity and transaction records, including a photo and description of each item and the customer's right thumbprint, under § 24-4.