Many people love gold but don’t know much about it. Not knowing all there is to know about it could really hurt someone. If you feel like your knowledge is lacking, read through these tips to learn much of what you need to know.

Do you know how pricing on precious metals works? The prices of metals like platinum, gold and silver can fluctuate greatly in just one day. Before you do any buying or selling, check the market prices beforehand. You also will have to pay more than melt value, but you will sell below melt value.

Before buying from a gold seller, schedule a timely delivery. It you don’t have it delivered immediately, find out when you will receive your gold. Make sure that a specific date is listed within this writing. Don’t go through with the order if they can’t provide you with the delivery date in writing.

If you’re thinking of mailing off some jewelry to someone, you need to be sure you do your research first. The last thing that you want to do is lose money because of a flawed shipment. Also you need to be sure to photograph everything you’ve put in your package in case they start a dispute.

If you wish to enter the gold market but don’t have tons of capital, try buying scrap. You can buy a little at a time, building up a stockpile. This will not break the bank. Keep it inside a safe location until you get enough to cash in.

Compare different gold buyers if you want to sell some gold jewelry or gold scraps. Many stores do not pay the going rate for gold. The stores located outside of shopping malls and other similar places don’t have as much overhead, so they might be able to pay more.

The day that you plan on buying gold, check its spot price. You can see it on various sites and it usually changes every day. Never pay more than 8% premiums on your gold. Some dealers will try to charge more, but they are overcharging and oftentimes, not ethical.

Make sure you’re only selling to someone who has a license to purchase gold. This does not prevent you from getting scammed, but a licensed buyer probably has a better reputation. There are a lot of stores and individuals that will buy gold, so don’t feel like you have to sell to the first person you come across.

If you’re thinking of selling your old gold jewelry and scraps to a gold-buying business, it’s crucial that you check their reputation on the Better Business Bureau’s website first. They will have basic information about the business listed, along with any reviews or complaints from others that have done business with them. Heed any complaints to see if the company resolved them or not. If there are many unresolved complaints, or a huge number of overall complaints, think about giving your business to someone else.

Gold prices have grown 400 percent in the previous 10 years, which is terrific for those who own this commodity. No one knows whether it is smart to invest in gold right now or not, though. Usually, the price of gold goes up when the dollar’s value goes down.

Knowing how to test the grade of the gold will make you a smart investor. Karats are the measurement of the purity of gold. As the number increases, the purity does as well. Gold may be stamped with a karat stamp but you should always test it to be sure. Understanding how you can test gold’s purity will help ensure you never overpay.

Be sure about your financial goals before you make any gold investments. While the price of gold does fluctuate, it does protect your investment from economic turmoil and inflation. If you educate yourself on the gold market and have a game plan going in, you have a good chance at being successful.

As previously discussed, for as many people as there are that love gold, very few know much about it. However, after reading this article, you now know much more. Use what you learned about gold and incorporate it into make wise decisions in the gold market.