Sunday, October 25, 2009

Selling Gold Jewelry


One of the great benefits of investing in gold is that it typically functions as a safe haven for investors in times of economic turmoil. During the current economic instability, gold has risen to record high prices as one would expect. Some people will keep hold of their gold stocks until the peak of the instability then try to sell it off when gold prices reach their highest. But other people who struggle during tough times have another option: selling gold jewelry or other gold items to get cash to get through the hardships. You can easily sell gold bullion coins and bars to a bullion dealer, but how do you go about selling gold jewelry?

Selling your gold jewelry is not a difficult task. You can find various companies either online or around your area that will offer you cash for your gold items and make the process quite simple for you. The gold buyers are looking to get their hands on as much gold as possible, so they can profit from prices that will likely rise even higher over the longterm, and profit from some price spreads or transaction fees. But their businesses are usually legitimite and you will get a fair amount of cash for your gold.

A well-known example of such a company is Cash4Gold. They are a mail-in gold refinery, meaning that they will buy your gold items and melt them down. Cash4Gold is a good option for people who own old or broken gold jewelry or other items that are no longer attractive or desirable to wear. If you wish to sell newer and more attractive-looking gold jewerly, you will likely receive more money by selling your items to a local jeweler in your area, or to a pawn shop. That is because gold jewelry is sold at a premium price that can be much higher than the value of the item's metal alone. The premium price covers things like quality of design and craftsmanship. But a refinery like Cash4Gold will simply melt down your items, so they don't care if your items are resaleable or not. They will simply pay you a price based on the official spot price of your jewelry's constituent metal (plus they will charge a transaction fee of some sort).

The things you should know about your gold before selling it are its karatage (which should be printed somewhere on the item, its weight in gold, and if possible also its resale value, so you can know whether to sell to a refinery or to a pawn shop or jeweler instead. Getting your item appraised by a reputable dealer might be a good idea. You should also be aware of the terms of your agreement with the buyer of your gold. If you have intentions to buy your item back, you should be sure to check how much time you have to do so, and the specific terms surrounding the buyback. When you are dealing with valuable items that might have special meaning to you, the last thing you want is any kind of disappointing surprise that deprives you of your cherished item.