Gold is prized all over the world and has long been seen as a commodity for thousands of years. If you’re thinking of buying gold, continue reading for useful advice.Get your gold piece before you put it up for sale. There are many places to get this done, and they all use different metrics to decide on price. Getting multiple offers allows you make sure that you receive a fair price.You can sell gold online. Visiting a broker to make a gold purchase is no longer required. There are plenty of websites that are ready and willing to buy your gold. These sites will send you kits in which you can send them your gold items. Shortly, you will receive a check for a fair price for your gold.Bullion bars might be the best choice if investing in gold. These bars come in various weights. The bars vary in size from 0.5 oz to 400 ounces. The larger bars are generally hard to find.Research gold buyer before going to them and try shopping around for buyers that are reputable.Gold is high in price, and this deters some. You might choose gold-plated or gold-filled pieces instead of ones that are full gold. You don’t have to spend a mint at a jewelry store, though. Pawn shops can offer many good deals and there are also many online buying options.If you decide to send your jewelry to a company through the mail, check them out before doing business with them. Find out when you will receive your payment, and make sure you insure your package.If you’re using a mail-order gold buying service, see how much it is to have it returned to you if the offer isn’t that great. Know what this cost is before you would have to send in order to get your pieces back.Scrap gold is an excellent investment if you are working with limited investment money. Use the capital you have and purchase what you can and add to it as money becomes available. Find a secure place for your stash until there is enough for you to cash it in.You may even be able to find valuable gold; places like thrift shops or garage sales. You can find great bargains in these places. You can reap the benefits of their loss if you research a bit.There are many unscrupulous companies in the gold market. You have to do your research and be careful.Know what you have. There are many things that look like gold, but are completely worthless. Often, you will find other metals mixed into the gold in order to strengthen the item. This makes the value lower. Items that are just plated in gold can also be affected. Have your pieces appraised before sale to determine their value.Read the fine print in a sales contract. You need to know what you’re getting into if you’re using a mail service. This lets you learn the amount of how much you need to pay for fees and commissions.Have jewelry appraised before you sell them as scrap gold. This is particularly true especially concerning pieces that have exquisite workmanship and design. You might have to pay a fee to get this appraisal, but it might help you get more money. Appraisers might be aware of someone that wants to purchase your precious jewelry.One quit and cheap method of finding out whether or not gold is real is to use a magnet on it. Gold and other precious metal will not be affected by a magnet, which means that they won’t stick to it at all. In some cases, only an item’s clasp is solid gold, while the remainder is merely plated. You can test your jewelry this way.

Separate your gold into groups based on karat weight. Some buyers will weigh all of your gold at once and pay you for the lowest karat. This will cost you receiving less money.Read each form thoroughly when you are going through a gold dealer. This is a small-change type of business; there is big money involved. Know fully just what you are putting your signature on. If any of the terms bother you or cause you hesitation, then you need to keep moving along. It can be worth it to make sure you have financial protection.If you go to a gold party, talk to the person who organizes it to figure out how they calculate the value of the gold sold. Many items are stamped. However, there are some times when there aren’t visible signs, so the reps have ways to determine it. An acid test can be a very simple way of doing this, so be aware of that.Gold is a lucrative but volatile investment. If you do not have the stomach for quick jumps up and down, this investment is not for you. If you decide to invest, you should still protect yourself from losing too much money. Never put more than a sliver of your total portfolio in gold. A prudent limit is five percent.If you like to invest in gold for its value and its beauty, try buying jewelry that’s made from some pure gold. Jewelry makes a fashion statement too.Research gold before investing in it. There will probably be people saying that they know what they’re talking about just so you’re likely to invest with them. Be wary of any claim to help you get rich quick in the gold markets. As long as you are reasonable and rational about these claims, you will find it easier to focus on the goal and the best way to achieve it.If you have jewelry that has gems fitted into the gold, ask to keep the gems after the gold is melted down. The really small pieces are rather hard to remove, though.Make copies of the detailed list.If you’re not looking to own gold, you’ll still be able to invest in it. Buy shares in traded or mutual gold funds or invest in some gold mining stocks. Purchasing gold bars and coins means you must have a secure place to store them.Consider how gold piece carefully before you buy it. Machine made gold jewelry holds less valuable than that which has been handmade. Melt value will not be impacted, but jewelry pricing will.Research any gold dealers before doing business with the company. There are lots of cheats in this market. They will try to take advantage of you a bad price.Do not sign anything from a gold dealer without fully understanding what it implies. Gold buying and selling is serious business, not a game. Be aware of what you’re signing. If you don’t agree with their terms, find another dealer. It will pay off to know you have financial protection.Photograph what you intend to mail to a gold item before shipping it to the buyer. This protects you by providing physical documentation of the items shipped. Take care to photograph any distinctive qualities or features found on each jewelry piece. This should include engravings or other highly-identifiable marks.As is plain to see, gold is very valuable and can be traded very easily. It only makes sense that you trade gold because of how its value increases. Armed with this knowledge, you are ready to start your own gold collection.Don’t just sell your gold on a whim. Gold is always increasing in value, so don’t sell it unless you really need the money. If holding onto the gold you own is an option, you may stand to benefit greatly down the road.