Can gold investments make your dreams come true? You could fund your retirement, but only when you know the right information. The following article will give you professional tips.

Stick with a reputable buyer when selling your gold. Check with the BBB and look at reviews online before you sell your gold to a buyer. A buyer with a good reputation is going to give you a better deal for the gold you have, and they probably will have great customer service too. This extra step makes sure that you are covered and paid appropriately.

Do not dabble in the gold market until you are familiar with pricing of precious metals. Silver, gold and platinum prices fluctuate often, and therefore you need to verify spot pricing the day prior to your intended deal. You might need to pay a higher percentage for melt values such as 1/10, and 1/2 fractional pieces.

While you may be very tempted to quickly send off your old gold scraps and jewelry to a business that buys gold through the mail, do your homework about the company first. Ensure you understand the reimbursement terms, and don’t neglect to purchase postal insurance for the package. Last, but not least, photograph each item you are sending via mail so that you have recourse if a dispute occurs.

Check the return policy before you buy anyone a gift of gold. It’s entirely possible that a particular piece ends up being improperly sized or simply unappreciated by its recipient. If the gold turns out to be fake, make sure you get your money back.

If you want to unload scrap gold pieces or jewelry items for cash, do your homework first. While spot pricing is the national standard, most stores don’t honor it. The overhead of the store involved may determine how much or little they are able to offer.

Try using something like GoldMoney for buying gold. This is like opening a bank account for gold. After creating an account and depositing your money, you are allowed a corresponding amount of gold, which is then linked to your new account. The gold is in a vault being protected, but you can sell it or even have a bullion bar shipped to you.

You can use a magnet to test precious metal inexpensively. Gold is not magnetic. Certain pieces have a clasp made of real gold while the remaining parts are plated. This can be a useful method of testing for that.

Inquire with the area BBB prior to selling gold items to jewelry stores, dealers or any other sort of buyer. In this way, you can get sound information on the performance and history of these entities. The key thing to look for is how complaints against the business were resolved. If the purchaser has any unresolved complaints, steer clear of them.

You can sell your gold by mail. A lot of sellers prefer this, as it is easy. You receive a postage-paid envelope in which you place your gold items, put it in the mail and wait for a check. The price of this convenience, though, is that you will be paid considerably less for your gold. In some cases, you could get about 30 percent less for an item, so just be aware.

If you want to be an intelligent gold investor, learn to test gold for its grade. You measure gold purity using karats. The higher the karat, the purer and more expensive it costs per ounce. You can’t always trust a karat stamp. Testing for gold’s purity will prevent you from paying too much for a poor piece.

You might not rake in the profits, but you will definitely start building. If you give yourself reachable goals and give it a solid effort, you are going to start seeing the rewards. The race will be won by those who persevere, so keep it up.