Salem, OR Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)
Key Facts
- License category
- "Dealer in used merchandise" (SRC 30.010(c))
- Recordkeeping threshold
- Thumbprint/electronic reporting at 50+ transactions/yr
- Exempt items
- Books, media under $75, trade-only goods
- Prohibited buys
- Prescription drugs, gift cards, altered serials (SRC 30.245)
- Holding period
- 14 days before resale (SRC 30.205)
Summary
Salem requires secondhand dealers who buy or sell used goods such as jewelry, precious metals, electronics, and collectibles to hold a "dealer in used merchandise" license, log every purchase with the Salem Police Department, and hold items 14 days before resale. Failing to record a transaction is an infraction under SRC 30.250.
Secondhand dealer means any person engaged in the business of buying, selling, or otherwise dealing in secondhand goods either as a separate business or as a substantial part of another business. ... [SRC 30.245(a)] It shall be unlawful for any dealer in used merchandise to knowingly purchase, acquire by pledge, or loan money against any of the following types of property: (1)Prescription medications;(2)Gift cards, in store credit cards, or activated phone cards; or(3)Property with serial numbers, personalized inscriptions or initials or other identifying marks that appear to have been intentionally altered or rendered illegible.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 26 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
005 defines a secondhand dealer as any person engaged in the business of buying, selling, or otherwise dealing in secondhand goods either as a separate business or as a substantial part of another business, and defines secondhand goods to include precious metals and gems, jewelry, collectibles such as trading cards, stamps, coins and fine art, antique and used furniture, and computers, computer components and games. 020. 200 requires the same transaction log used by pawnbrokers: date, price, item description, identifying marks, seller identification, an ownership declaration, and a signature, with electronic daily reporting to the Chief for dealers doing 50 or more transactions a year.
00, items received solely in trade, and loan renewals already reported. 245 makes it a misdemeanor to knowingly purchase prescription medications, gift or phone cards, or property with serial numbers or markings that appear intentionally altered or removed. 225.
Violations & Fines
Failing to make or keep the SRC 30.200 transaction record is an infraction under SRC 30.250. Knowingly buying prescription drugs, gift cards, or altered-serial property is a misdemeanor under SRC 30.245, as is buying from someone a court has barred from selling (SRC 30.240) or violating a Chief's hold order (SRC 30.260). Purchasing from a minor is an infraction under SRC 30.230, punishable through Salem Municipal Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a secondhand dealer in Salem?
Can a Salem secondhand store buy prescription drugs or gift cards?
Do all secondhand purchases have to be logged?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Salem
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