Gold Investing Tips

There are several forms gold can take as an investment - gold bars, gold coins, even certificates of ownership. The standard price of gold is set twice daily by the Gold Fixing of London. Consider this information when it comes time to sell gold.

1. The ease with which you can sell gold will depend largely on how easily the content of pure gold can be determined in the bar or coin in your possession. This is one reason why gold bullion has become so popular for gold investors. They know they'll be able to sell gold easier as a coin because the quality and quantity of pure gold in the coin is guaranteed. This guarantee makes it easy to sell gold to dealers around the world. All dealers will be familiar with the current value of gold.

2. By contrast, if you try to sell gold that has been "hidden" (the marks deliberately pounded out of the bar, rendering it difficult to trace conventionally), you'll find it more difficult because its authenticity and value is harder to establish. But this is true in general when trying to sell gold in the form of bars, as compared to gold coins. Contact a dealer who specialized in gold in order to get a fair price when you want to sell gold bars.

In some developing areas of the world, however, selling gold will be easier as a bar, as the pure gold of a bar can easily be turned into jewelry. While gold bullion coins like the American Eagle gold coin have a guaranteed amount of gold, they also contain small alloy amounts that make the coins less malleable.

3. You might be happy to see that the market value of gold has shot up overnight, and try to sell gold to a dealer immediately or sell the gold on eBay at the current price. However, the dealer might be less interested in the gold that day, hoping the price will return to its previous position. Ideally, the dealers you contact will offer you a small percent premium on the gold you sell. This is not always the case, however; you may find the dealer asking to buy the gold at a percent discount.
4. Though all dealers will be familiar with the current standard value of gold, there will always be debate as to whether that price will rise or fall in the near future. That's the reason for small discrepancies in offers when you sell gold coins. Contact multiple dealers and shop around before you sell gold. Look for the best price. Because the standard gold value is updated and relied on by everyone, you won't encounter radically different offers, but the percent premium could be slightly better from some dealers than from others.
5. You can consider selling gold online. You can sell gold directly to dealers, locating them simply by searching for "sell gold" using Google. To locate local or national gold bullion dealers, use this U.S. Mint locator tool. You can also sell your gold in auction on eBay. If your beginning price is the current standard value, and yet that standard value of gold drops while your gold is up for sale, then you probably won't be able to sell the gold until you remove the item and repost at the current price.