Gold is king in the financial landscape. Don’t you want to learn more about gold so you can keep your investments? You need to think about everything from making a buy raw gold to buying company shares. Keep reading for some valuable tips about gold as an investment vehicle.Gold bullion bars are the most economical choice for investment purposes. These come in a number of different weights. They range from a half an ounce on up to 400 ounces.The larger sizes are generally hard to find.Get an estimate from several buyers before selling your gold. A lot of services and jewelry stores are out there, and they will usually vary in how much they profit. If you’re able to work with a couple of different places, you can see if you’re getting the best deal.Look for the most reputable gold buyer you can find.Get an appraisal to find out the value of your jewelry. This adds an up-front cost, but it is worthwhile. If you still decide to sell your gold, be aware that it’s not likely for you to get full retail value of your item.Bullion bars are an excellent investment. There are numerous sizes available. They can be as small as half an ounce or as large as 400 ounces. Be aware that if you are looking for the biggest bars, you will have a difficult time locating them.Make sure you know the price of gold the same day you plan to buy or sell.This information is available on several different websites. Never pay in excess of 8% markup above the gold prices. Some will attempt to charge even more, but it is a rip-off.If you are sending your jewelry off in the mail, find out how much shipping will be. Be sure you figure out what things will cost you to reclaim your items.Look into selling gold on the Internet. Gold deals no longer have to take place at a “real” store. There are quite a few websites out there that will buy it. The site sends you a prepaid mailer to put the gold pieces in. They will pay you once you send the gold in.You may even be able to find valuable gold; places like thrift shops or garage sales. You can find bargains if you understand what to look for.You can benefit from the seller’s loss if you just know what to look for.There are many unscrupulous companies in the gold market. You need to do your research to keep yourself safe.If you decide to send your jewelry to a company through the mail, research them and their terms before heading to the post office. Find out when you can expect your payment, and make sure you insure your package. Take a photo of what you mail to battle against disputes down the road.Be aware of the gold in your possession. Not all gold are worth their weight in gold. Other metals are often mixed with gold in order to make it stronger.This may lower the value.This is the case with gold plated items as well.Many pieces of jewelry will have a stamp. Sometimes, however, you won’t be able to see any kind of a stamp, so many representatives have other methods of figuring it out. If a buyer uses acid testing, this is probably somebody who is inexperienced in this market.If you wish to enter the gold market but don’t have tons of capital, try buying scrap. Do this regularly over a certain length of time, and in 12 months or so, you would have accumulated a good amount. Make sure you have a safe place to keep your gold (a safe deposit box is ideal) while you’re collecting it.
Many times earring posts are made of solid gold, even if the earring itself is not solid. Necklace clasps and ring bands are frequently real as well. You can sell these small pieces together to get more money. This is a bunch of different gold pieces in quantity and it can help you to get more money for them.
Karat Weight
Anything gold is able to be sold. Old or broken jewelry, old coins and tableware are just some of the things that may contain gold, In fact, a gold piece doesn’t have to be 100-percent gold to be worth something. Even gold plated items will have some value. You can still get some decent money selling these items.Separate your gold into groups based on karat weight. Some vendors may try to weigh all of your gold at once and offer you what the smallest karat weight is worth. This will cheat you money.Gold is a lucrative but volatile investment. If you would be made anxious by unexpected peaks and valleys in the market, gold investing is probably not for you. If you are able to handle it, you should still limit your exposure. Only invest a small amount of your portfolio should be invested in gold. A prudent limit is five percent.Make sure you know the spot price of gold the day you plan to buy or sell. This information is readily available online. Be aware that it is updated every day. Don’t buy anything marked up over 8% of this. Some sellers try charging more, but that’s overcharging, which is generally unethical.Never sell gold just for the sake of doing so. Gold is always increasing in value, and it’s high right now; however it might go up even more. You may benefit in the future by keeping your gold for even more later if you hold onto it now.This is key if you are using mail-in services for out-of-state buyers.If you’re at a gold party you should speak with the person in charge so you can figure out what karats are in the jewelry. Many times you will see the item have a stamp on it. Sometimes, though, an eye test is insufficient and buyers have other ways of making that determination. An acid test is one of the least complex ways of doing so, so if the representative is using that test, they may be new to the business.A good way to get good price on gold is to ask your relatives for their broken jewelry. If you can buy it from them at below melt value, you can offer friends and family a higher price than what they would receive at a pawnshop.If you wish to sell gold online, double check the prices before moving forward. Although mailing does offer some simplicity, consider your profit before you do anything.Sort your gold by how many karats it is. Don’t allow the dealer to rip you off by pricing all the gold at the least pure karat weight. That will result in a lower payout for you. Instead go in with the piles pre-separated so that you’ll get the most for your gold.Be aware that you might not get the full prices for your gold. Gold dealers are a business just like most other businesses. Expect to receive offers from 50 percent below the total value.Buying and selling gold is much more complicated that it might initially seem. You can now make a more confident and informed decision about investing in gold. Use the tips from this article and start planning for your financial future.Investing in gold has it’s ups and downs. If you can’t stomach market swings, avoid gold. If you can, try to reduce your downside risk. Don’t over invest in a single market, like gold. Five percent is a good limit.