Guide
Who pays the most for gold?
The buyer that pays the most is the one paying the largest percentage of your gold's melt value. We publish ours: 94% of melt for scrap gold and jewelry, and 96% for gold coins and bars, on the live Kitco bid.
Updated October 22, 2026 · Prices as of November 3, 2026, 8:01 p.m. Pacific
What gold buyers pay, compared
| Buyer | What they pay | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Osiris Precious Metals | 94% of melt value for scrap; 96% for coins and bars | Our published bids, updated daily |
| A walk-in jeweler in Manhattan | about 84% of melt value | ABC's Good Morning America, 2009 |
| Local jewelers and pawn shops | 36% to 71% of melt value | Consumer Reports mystery shoppers, 2009 |
| Jewelers, a coin shop, and a gold buyer in Florida | about 30% to 70% of an estate buyer's valuation | CBS12 News, 2024 |
| Mail-in "gold kit" buyers advertised on TV | 11% to about 29% of melt value | Consumer Reports mystery shoppers, 2009 |
| Traveling "road show" buyers | three of five first offers under a quarter of the gold's value | CBS News, 2012 |
Our published rate is higher than every jeweler, pawn shop, and mail-in offer in those tests. See what the tests found in detail.
What we pay today
Gold is at $3,934 per troy ounce (the Kitco bid). That means we pay $69.31/g for 14K gold, $89.16/g for 18K, and $3,776.45 for a 1 ozt gold coin. Your written estimate states your rate before you ship.
Scrap prices are per gram of metal after melting, not per gram of what you send. Stones are removed, and dirt, glue, springs, and anything else that isn't gold or silver burn off or separate out, so the weight paid is usually less than your scale shows.
How to find out who pays the most near you
- Ask for a percentage of melt value. It's the only way to compare buyers fairly. A dollar offer alone tells you nothing.
- Ask a percentage of which price. Some buyers quote a good-sounding percentage of their own "spot" price, or one from earlier in the day. Ours is the live Kitco bid, which you can check at kitco.com.
- Get it in writing from more than one buyer, and have each karat weighed separately.
- Watch for low first offers. In the tests above, offers often went up when sellers pushed back or mentioned a competing offer.
Sources
- Consumers Union (publisher of Consumer Reports), testimony to the U.S. House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection, May 13, 2010, reporting Consumer Reports' 2009 mystery-shopper test.
- ABC News, "Gold Rush: People Rush to Sell Gold Instead of Finding It", Good Morning America, March 2009.
- CBS News, undercover test of a traveling gold buyer, May 30, 2012.
- CBS12 News, "Seller beware: offers from gold buyers vary widely despite record values", November 4, 2024.
The highest payouts for your gold, at a published percentage of the live Kitco bid.
Your gold
Compare any offer with ours.
Send photos and a rough weight for a free written estimate, with our rate in writing.