Where to sell gold: buyer, jeweller, pawnshop or online

Six ways to sell gold

• Specialist gold buyer – a shop or office that buys precious metal, in Belgium often called a goudwisselkantoor or comptoir.
• Jeweller – buys old gold, sometimes only as a trade-in towards a new purchase.
• Pawnshop – lends money against your gold as collateral; some also buy.
• Online, by post – you send your gold insured and receive an offer after valuation.
• Private sale – selling yourself via second-hand platforms or an auction.
• Gold party or home sale – a buyer visits someone’s home and weighs the guests’ gold.

The six side by side: price, speed and certainty

• Gold buyer – price: per gram, derived from the daily rate. Speed: usually paid the same day. Certainty: you see the weighing and measuring. Suits: jewellery, coins, bars, dental gold, broken pieces.
• Jeweller – price: varies widely per shop, sometimes better as a trade-in. Speed: immediate. Certainty: you are present, but not every jeweller measures the fineness. Suits: anyone who wants to buy something new anyway.
• Pawnshop – price: a loan for part of the value, with interest and fees. Speed: immediate. Certainty: you keep the right to redeem it. Suits: anyone who wants to keep the piece and needs money temporarily.
• Online – price: per gram, often competitive. Speed: a few days, including shipping. Certainty: you are not present at the measurement. Suits: anyone far from a shop who reads the terms carefully.
• Private sale – price: sometimes above material value, for branded and designer pieces. Speed: days to weeks. Certainty: risk of fraud and non-payment. Suits: undamaged, sought-after jewellery with its own trade value.
• Gold party – price: varies per organiser. Speed: immediate. Certainty: measuring equipment at home is more limited. Suits: small quantities in a familiar setting.

Sell or pawn?

When you pawn, the gold stays yours. The pawnshop lends you an amount below its value, and you pay interest and fees until you redeem it. If you do not repay within the term, the pledge is sold. That makes sense for an heirloom you want to keep and a temporary cash shortage.

When you sell, you receive the full offer and that is the end of it. If you do not want the piece back, selling almost always yields more than pawning, because you pay no interest.

Five questions that identify a reliable buyer

• 1. Is it weighed and measured in front of me? A reliable buyer shows you the scale and the measured fineness.
• 2. Do I hear the price per gram in advance? Ask what you get per gram for each carat, before anything is weighed.
• 3. Is my ID requested? A gold buyer has to do this and register the purchase. One who does not ask is unlikely to be careful with other rules either.
• 4. Do I get a receipt showing weight, fineness and price? Then you can check afterwards what you received.
• 5. Can I say no at no cost? A valuation should be without obligation. Pressure to sign on the spot is a bad sign.

Preparing, wherever you sell

• Sort by hallmark: 585 with 585, 750 with 750.
• Take out gold-plated pieces; nobody buys them as gold.
• Set aside branded and antique pieces: they may be worth more than their gold.
• Bring valid identification.

Where XGOUD fits in

XGOUD is a specialist gold buyer, since 1992, with 45 branches in the Netherlands and Belgium and its head office in Eindhoven. The valuation is free and without obligation, we measure the fineness while you watch, and you are paid in cash or within 24 hours by bank transfer. If you cannot come to a branch, you can request a home visit.

Our prices per carat are on our prices page. Feel free to compare them with other buyers.