Any savvy investor needs to have a portion of their total investment portfolio in commodities. Gold is truly the number one commodity available. From retirement saving to just turning a small profit, gold can do it all for you when you use the tips below.Bullion bars are hands down your best gold investment you can make. The weights of these bars vary.The weights range from 0.5 oz to 400 ounces. The larger sizes are generally hard to find.Get several opinions about the value of your gold piece before you put it up for sale. Several gold-buying services and jewelry stores get different profits for the gold they buy. When you seek more than one estimate, a fair price is going to be more attainable.Do not dabble in the gold market until you are familiar with pricing on precious metals works? The prices of precious metals fluctuates daily, which is why it is important to understand the market trends.You must to pay a premium to the melt prices.Before buying from a gold seller, be sure you know exactly when it will be delivered to you. If your seller doesn’t give you an immediate deliver, you must get some kind of writing from them confirming when you can expect to get your pieces. The expected date of arrival should be something you can see listed. Proceed with an order only if this confirmation.When selling gold, sell to reputable buyers. Contact your local Better Business Bureau to see if there have been complaints filed against a gold dealer. A reliable buyer is going to give you more money and provide you with good customer service when compared to shady buyers. Protect your gold investment and yourself.The IRS needs to approve the gold that you receive. Bars are often a better deal than coins are.This is easy to do over time, and you can see how this can make a valuable investment. Keep it inside a safe place until you get enough of it to cash in.Be well informed about the value of precious metals before buying or selling gold. The prices for precious metals go up and down from one day to the next. Therefore you must find the price on the exact day before you agree to do business with someone. You might need to pay a higher percentage for melt values such as 1/10, and 1/2 fractional pieces.If you’re going to sell scrap gold for cash, shop around.GoldMoney can be a popular resource when buying efforts. It is very much like setting up a bank account for gold. You will simply establish and account, and you’ve bought gold at a particular price. The gold will physically sit in the bank where you can cash it, cash it, or in certain circumstances, redeem it for one kilo gold bullion bars.Try selling gold online. You no longer need to visit a physical store to buy and sell gold. There are plenty of websites out there you can use to sell all your gold. They’ll send you a kit in which you can send the gold items you wish to sell. If when they receive it, all is as they expected, you’ll get their current rate.Research the market price before you sell yours. You should also look around to get an idea of what other people are offering for similar pieces. This will allow you establish a price in mind you can work with.Many times you will be stamped with 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 you see the gold buyer performing an acid test, it’s an indication they are a newer business.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 can still buy gold jewelry without spending a fortune at a store. Pawn shops can offer many good deals and there are also many online buying options.Have your pieces appraised prior to selling it to anyone as scrap gold. This is particularly true for one-of-a-kind pieces like jewelry with intricate details and workmanship. You might have to pay a fee to get this appraisal, but it might help you get more money. Appraisers might be aware of an interested party for your jewelry.Gold is a very lucrative but this precious metal can also be volatile. If the thought of volatility and constant changes is a turn-off, stay away. Even if you are willing to take on some degree of risk, you still need to minimize your risks. Only invest a small overall percentage of your portfolio should be tied up in gold. A prudent limit is five percent.

Verify the market price before selling your gold jewelry. This way, you’ll know whether you’re really being offered a fair price. Dealers will charge you a premium on top of market value so they can make some money too.Don’t sell your gold just to sell it. Gold tends to raise in price and while the price is very high now, so waiting may yield even greater profits. You may be able to sell your gold.This is critical if you are looking into a mail-away type service with any buyer in another state or community.Get an appraisal if you have no idea what value your gold holds. Even though it is an extra expense, it can be well worth the investment. And make sure you only hire an independent and accredited appraiser to be sure you get an honest appraisal. If you still decide to sell your gold, you should know that you will not be paid the full appraisal value.If you’re thinking about selling gold online, check the going price of gold first. It may be handy to mail your gold, but is that simplicity worth giving up a profit in the hundreds?Buying gold from a private parties can result in some pretty great deals. You also need to know the risk associated with this method of purchasing. If a person has an inexpensive coin for sale and you’re sure the coin in question is real, you could buy them and then hope they’re real.Be aware that it is possible to sell anything with a gold content to gold dealers. It may consist of decorative items, gold table ware, old items of jewelry and so on. Mixed metal items can be sold as well. Even gold plated items will have some value. You can still get a good return on the sale.If a gold item also includes gemstones, you can ask to keep them after the piece is melted down. If the gems are tiny, however, they are going to be hard to remove.Be aware that you will not receive top dollar for any of your gold. A gold dealer must make a businessperson just as any other business must. Expect to see offers that are 30 to 50 to 70 percent of the total value.Although buying gold is exciting, don’t talk to people about this. Someone around you could be listening in and be untrustworthy. Keep it to yourself and protected, either with a decent home safe or in a bank. This is the best way to protect yourself and your gold investment.Gold isn’t something that you’re able to time when you trade for a short amount of time. It’s an investment to hang onto for long term wealth. If you insist on timing it, make purchases when things are not very busy. Gold shortages are common when the economy.If you are selling several pieces of jewelry, weigh each karat type separately. This helps you get the right money for your gold pieces.When selling gold, research the market price. Research the selling price of pieces similar to yours. This lets you determine a fair market value starting price point. Request a bit more than you will settle for to give yourself some room to bargain.Know what pure gold before you decide to buy it. 22 karats is the standard for 92% purity. As you move down towards the nine karat classification, so does the value because it is mixed with other metals to help increase its strength.After reading this article, you should know more about gold than you did before. Follow this advice to create an excellent investment portfolio or simply earn a little cash. Use your newly found knowledge to become a successful gold trader.Do not invest in any market before you have done your homework. There are those who say they’re market gurus and want you to invest with them. You must be extremely careful about any promises concerning getting rich quick. You will not get rich quick with gold. It is a long term investment.