Sell or Trade Your Gold — 100% of Melt Value in Store Credit
We pay 100% of your gold's melt value in store credit toward anything on our site. Not 70%. Not 80%. The full melt value of the gold, issued as a gift card you can spend on any piece we carry.
That's a better number than a pawn shop will give you, and a better number than most gold buyers will give you, and there's no trick to it. We can pay full melt because you're spending it with us — the credit comes back into a purchase, and we'd rather have you as a customer than squeeze a margin out of your old chain.
Any karat we can test. Wearable jewelry or bullion. Every package opened on camera.
Get a Quote See How We Price GoldWhat we take
Gold jewelry in wearable condition — chains, bracelets, rings, pendants, earrings, in any karat we can test.
Gold bullion — bars and rounds.
Scrap and broken gold — single earrings, snapped chains, bent rings, anything that isn't wearable as-is. Priced differently; see below.
We're set up for gold, and the offer above is a gold offer. Have something outside that — a piece with stones set in it, or silver or platinum bullion? Contact us and we'll quote it individually. Those don't price off a published formula, so they're handled case by case.
There's no minimum weight. Send what you've got. That said, if you email us first and it looks like shipping costs would eat most of what a small piece is worth, we'll tell you straight rather than let you spend money to find out.
What we can't take: gold plated, gold filled, gold vermeil, or anything that doesn't test as solid gold. These contain very little recoverable gold. If you're unsure what you have, send us photos of the piece and any stamp on it before you ship anything.
What we pay
Both figures are store credit issued as a gift card, not cash. The gift card has no expiry and works on anything we sell — chains, custom work, lab diamonds, whatever you want.
Full melt, in store credit, toward any purchase on the site. The difference on scrap covers refining: scrap goes to our refining partner rather than back into inventory, and refining has a real cost attached to it.
Want to understand how melt value is calculated in the first place? We break the whole formula down on our how we price gold page. It's the same math we use in reverse when we sell you a chain, and you can run it yourself before you ship us anything.
How the process works
Email us with the karat and approximate weight of each piece. We'll confirm it's something we take and answer any questions before anything ships.
You're welcome to use your own shipping label. We'll give you the address and you handle it however you prefer.
If you'd rather we handle it, we can supply a fully insured shipping label in standard, expedited or overnight service. Ask when we're setting things up over email and we'll quote you the price. We charge our exact cost on these — not a cent of markup. It's a courtesy, not a revenue line. Once you accept the quote we'll send a payment link, and the prepaid label lands in your email ready to print.
That protects you as much as us — the contents and weight are recorded from the moment the box is opened, before anything is handled.
Every piece is tested for purity. If something tests as not solid gold, or if the weight doesn't match what you described, we'll show you the recording and the test result and return the item.
Once the lot is processed, we issue a gift card for the full amount and email it to you. Spend it whenever you like.
Timing, honestly
Trade-in lots are processed once or twice a week. That's a deliberate schedule, not a delay. Recording every intake properly takes setup and a dedicated block of time, so we batch it rather than doing it piecemeal and doing it badly.
Scrap lots take longer, because they physically go to our refining partner. Their current turnaround is 3–4 business days from delivery to the refinery through melt, assay and payout paperwork. They report the pre-melt weight, the post-melt weight, the assay purity, the payout and the spot price at the time of melt, and those figures are what your final summary is built from.
Expect the post-melt weight to come in below the pre-melt weight. That's normal and it isn't a loss on your end — scrap gold carries alloy content and impurities that burn off during refining, so what comes out the other side is the fine gold that was actually in the lot. How much comes off depends on what went in, which is why the assay matters: it tells you exactly how much fine gold your lot contained.
What you receive, and when. When your lot is complete, we send you one summary with everything in it — what came in, what it tested at, and the weights. For scrap lots that includes the pre-melt weight, the post-melt weight, the assay purity, the payout figures and the spot price used. Your gift card is issued at the same time.
We send that once, at the end, rather than a running commentary at each stage. It's a small operation and the time that would go into stage-by-stage updates is time that goes into processing lots properly instead. You get the full picture — you get it when there's a full picture to give.
Large lots can be expedited. If you're sending a substantial amount of gold toward a big purchase or a custom build, tell us in advance and we'll schedule around it rather than making you wait for the next batch day.
Locking your spot price
That's the standard, and it applies unless we've agreed something different with you in advance.
We say that plainly because it's the thing most likely to cause a misunderstanding later. Gold moves. If your lot arrives Tuesday and gets processed Thursday, Thursday's price is your price.
For large lots, we offer a spot lock. If you're sending in a substantial amount and want price certainty, tell us in advance and ship overnight — we'll lock your spot price the day before or the day of delivery, and we'll work your lot in ahead of the regular schedule.
To be straightforward about why that's reserved for large lots: this is a one-person operation. Dropping everything to collect and test a single small piece the day it lands isn't something we can do and still run the rest of the business properly. On a substantial lot, where a day of movement in gold can mean hundreds of dollars either way, it's worth the disruption. On a small one, the regular schedule serves you just as well.
It works the same way both ways, and you have to decide up front. We won't hold a lot open to see which way the market goes, because that only ever works in one person's favor and it isn't ours.
Why trade with us instead of selling for cash elsewhere
A pawn shop or a cash-for-gold operation pays you a fraction of melt because they have to resell what they buy and make money doing it. That's their business model and it's not dishonest — it's just how the math works when cash goes out the door.
Our math is different. The credit you get comes back to us as a purchase, so we can pay you the full melt value and still run a business. You end up with more gold value than a cash sale would give you, in the form of a piece you actually want.
It works particularly well if you're saving toward something specific — a heavier chain, or one of our handmade Cuban links built to order. Old pieces you don't wear turn into the piece you do.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do you pay for gold?
We pay 100% of the melt value of wearable gold jewelry and gold bullion, and 90% of melt value for scrap or broken gold. Both are issued as store credit in the form of a gift card usable on anything we sell.
Do you pay cash for gold?
No. Our gold buying program is trade-in only — payment is issued as a gift card toward a purchase on our site. This is what allows us to pay full melt value rather than a fraction of it.
What karats of gold do you accept?
Any karat of solid gold that we can test. We do not accept gold plated, gold filled, or gold vermeil items, as these contain very little recoverable gold.
Do you accept broken or scrap gold?
Yes. Scrap and broken gold is paid at 90% of melt value in store credit, because it goes to our refining partner rather than back into inventory.
How do I ship my gold to you?
You can use your own shipping label — we'll provide the address — or purchase one of our fully insured labels in standard, expedited or overnight service.
How long does it take to get paid?
Trade-in lots are processed once or twice a week, and your gift card is issued once your lot is processed. Scrap lots take longer because they go to our refining partner, whose current turnaround is 3–4 business days from delivery.
What gold price do you use to calculate my payout?
The spot price on the day your lot is processed, unless a spot lock has been arranged in advance. Not the day you ship or the day it's delivered.
Can I lock in the gold price before I ship?
For large lots, yes. Ship overnight and tell us in advance and we'll lock your spot price. A lock is binding in both directions — it doesn't move if gold rises, and it doesn't move if gold falls.
Is there a minimum amount of gold I can send in?
No minimum. If you email us first with what you have, we'll tell you honestly whether shipping costs would outweigh the value on a very small piece.
Do you charge for insured shipping labels?
We supply fully insured labels at our exact cost with no markup, in standard, expedited or overnight service. Packages over $5,000 in value must ship FedEx when using our label, as that's where our commercial insurance coverage sits.
Do you accept silver or platinum?
Silver and platinum are accepted as bullion — coins and bars — quoted individually rather than off a published rate. Contact us for a quote.
What documentation do I receive?
One complete summary when your lot is finished, covering what was received, test results and weights. For scrap lots that includes the pre-melt weight, post-melt weight, assay purity, payout figures and the spot price used. Your gift card is issued at the same time.
What happens if my item isn't real gold?
Every incoming package is opened on video and every piece is tested. If an item doesn't test as solid gold, or the weight doesn't match what was described, we'll show you the recording and the test result and return the item.
Ready to start?
Email us at support@ottfamilyjewelry.com with the karat and rough weight of what you have, and we'll take it from there. You'll be talking to Russell, not a call center.
Get a QuoteSee what customers say about working with us in our reviews.