Question 1

What percentage of melt value is considered a fair gold offer?

Accepted Answer

A fair gold offer typically falls between 85-95% of melt value for most transactions. At 95-100%, the offer is excellent and you should consider accepting unless you have reason to believe a higher offer is available. At 85-94%, the offer is fair and reasonable — the buyer is making a standard profit margin while covering their costs. At 75-84%, the offer is low and you should definitely shop around or negotiate, as reputable buyers rarely need to go this low. Below 75%, the offer is very low and should only be accepted if there are exceptional circumstances such as questionable purity, damaged condition, or urgent need for cash with no other buyers available. The KaratWorth Gold Offer Checker instantly rates any offer against these benchmarks.

Question 2

Why do gold dealers always offer less than 100% of melt value?

Accepted Answer

Gold dealers offer less than melt value because they are running a business with real costs and risks that must be covered before they can make any profit. These costs include: refining and assay fees to verify actual purity, business overhead like rent, utilities, staff wages, and insurance, market risk since gold prices can drop between purchase and resale, and the cost of holding inventory that ties up capital.

Question 3

Should I always get multiple quotes before selling my gold?

Accepted Answer

Yes, absolutely. Getting multiple quotes is the single most important step to maximize your gold sale proceeds. Even a 5% difference in offer percentage can mean hundreds or thousands of dollars on a substantial sale.

Question 4

How do I negotiate a higher offer using my melt value knowledge?

Accepted Answer

Knowing your exact melt value transforms you from a passive seller into an informed negotiator. If the offer is below 85%, say: 'I have calculated the melt value of my gold at $X based on today's spot price of $Y per ounce. Would you consider an offer of 90% of melt value?' This forces transparency.

Question 5

What red flags should I watch for when selling gold to avoid scams?

Accepted Answer

Major red flags include: buyers who refuse to test purity in front of you, buyers who use obscure units like pennyweights to confuse you, and pressure tactics like 'this offer expires in 10 minutes'. Protect yourself by calculating melt value beforehand with the KaratWorth calculator.

Gold Offer Checker

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