If you were to want to add gold to your investment portfolio today without lugging around gold bars, would you know how to do that? Do you know all of your options for investing in gold? To learn some basics so that you can get started with gold investing, keep reading.
Never overlook gold scraps. If you happen to have small pieces of gold sitting around, keep them together to sell at a future time. This can be scraps from an old pair of earrings or any other piece of jewelry. Even a few ounces can be some serious cash back in your pocket.
When you go to sell your gold, make sure your expectations are not too high and bring your government-issued identification. On average, gold dealers pay between 70 and 80 percent of the actual value. The law requires that dealers ask sellers for identification when buying gold to aid police in their investigations about stolen property.
Know you’re going to have to show your ID when you sell gold. By law, people are required to present their identification when they sell gold. That is done in order to deter thieves and other criminals. Therefore, don’t be embarrassed if they ask for your ID, and even snap a photograph of you.
Do not assume that gold that is old, ugly, broken and unwearable is not eligible to be sold for a profit. The value of gold is not based on the attractiveness of the piece. It all depends on the weight of the gold, so feel free to bring in gold that is in any condition.
When buying gold, beware of scam artists. Always buy from a reputable dealer, and beware of any offers such as free storage or delays in delivery time. Sometimes these dealers will take your money and never provide you with the gold you were promised. Check out your dealer at the BBB before buying to make sure you are working with someone ethical.
Think about GoldMoney and other such services when you want to buy gold. This is the equivalent of establishing a gold bank account. All you do is set up the account, deposit funds, and then you are assigned gold to your account. Although you own the gold, it remains stored securely in the company’s vaults. You can sell it, portion it out, or even (given the right conditions) arrange to take deliver of it yourself.
Protect yourself from dishonest people who are trying to steal your identity. One way to ensure that you are protected is to purchase gold locally from a reputable dealer. Never give your personal information out over the phone, including your Social Security number and credit card information, unless you are certain that it is a reputable company.
When selling your gold, realize that jewelers use a different scale system than others. For example, one ounce of gold will weigh 31.1 grams. Some businesses weigh by the pennyweight, which is 1.555 grams. Then, they purchase by the gram instead of the pennyweight, which can result in them underpaying you.
Prior to going to a gold party, take your jewelry to a store and get an estimate as to how much the gold is worth. If the gold party representative quotes you a lower amount, see if they are willing to negotiate. If not, determine whether you truly want to sell at the party or would just prefer to hang on to the items.
Go into your gold selling knowing the current price of gold. This is a commodity that has a fluctuating price. Every day it’s something new. If you aren’t in the know, you could be taken advantage of by a less than reputable gold buying company. Remember, knowledge is the real power here. Go into any negotiation ready with it.
A lot of times the backs of the earrings are gold. The bands of rings may be as well, even if the rest is an alloy. If you want to sell these, though, you need to get quite a few of them together to make it worth it. This just pulls together a number of gold pieces as a quantity, which might help you make a little more money.
Read the terms and conditions of any gold mail-in service. These operations tend to have a lot of fine print, some of which can really work against you if there are any issues down the line. Before choosing this route, read everything you can so that you avoid as many potential pitfalls as possible.
This article has described some great strategies you need to know for gold investing. Surely you now feel more comfortable about investing in gold to help diversify your financial portfolio. Use the information that has been given to you so that you can plan and strategize in the right direction.
