To sell gold jewelry online, sort and weigh your pieces, work out melt value (grams × the live price for each karat), then get written offers from two or three established mail-in refiners that pay 85–95% of melt and provide fully insured shipping. Sell designer, antique or diamond pieces as jewelry on a marketplace or through consignment instead, because they can be worth more than their gold.
Selling gold jewelry online usually means mailing it to a refiner or gold buyer. They weigh and test it, then send you an offer. Done right, it's one of the better-paying ways to sell scrap gold. Done wrong, you mail a box of heirlooms to a company that pays 40 cents on the dollar and makes declining a hassle.
This guide walks through what your jewelry is worth, what online buyers actually pay, and a step-by-step process that keeps you in control from the moment you seal the box.
How selling gold jewelry online works
Most online gold buyers follow the same basic process:
- You request a kit or label. Reputable buyers send a prepaid, insured shipping label, and sometimes a padded envelope or box.
- You ship your jewelry. It's tracked and insured from your door to their vault.
- They weigh and test it. Usually they use an XRF analyzer, a machine that reads metal content without damaging the piece. Good buyers record the session on video.
- You get an offer. It should list each lot's weight, karat and price.
- You accept or decline. If you accept, you're paid by check, direct deposit or a payment app. If you decline, they should return your items free and fully insured.
An online buyer is not necessarily a better buyer than a local one. It all depends on the company. Established refiners and large mail-in refiners can pay near the top of the market. Some TV-ad mail-in outfits pay far less. Your job is to tell them apart before you ship anything.
What your gold jewelry is actually worth
Every offer gets measured against melt value: the value of the pure gold in your pieces at today's spot price. The formula is simple:
Weight in grams × purity × spot price per gram = melt value
You don't have to do the purity math yourself. Here are the live per-gram and per-pennyweight values for each karat:
| Karat | Purity | Common stamps | Melt value per gram | Melt value per dwt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24K | 99.9% | 24K, 999 | $125.65 | $195.40 |
| 22K | 91.67% | 22K, 916 | $115.30 | $179.30 |
| 18K | 75% | 18K, 750 | $94.33 | $146.70 |
| 14K | 58.5% | 14K, 585 | $73.58 | $114.42 |
| 10K | 41.7% | 10K, 417 | $52.45 | $81.56 |
A quick note on units. Buyers often quote in pennyweight (dwt), and 1 dwt = 1.555 g. If a buyer quotes per dwt and you're thinking per gram, convert before you compare, or a weak offer can look generous.
Worked example. Say your jewelry box holds a 12 g 14K chain, a 9 g 10K class ring and a 4 g 18K wedding band. Melt value is:
- 12 × $73.58 for the chain
- 9 × $52.45 for the class ring
- 4 × $94.33 for the band
Add those up and you have your benchmark. Our scrap gold calculator does this math for mixed lots, and the gold price today page shows the spot price everything is based on.
White gold and rose gold are valued the same way. A 14K white gold ring has the same gold content as a 14K yellow one. See our guides to white gold and rose gold for details.
What online buyers pay vs. everyone else
Nobody pays 100% of melt for scrap jewelry. Refining costs money, and the buyer needs a margin. What matters is how big a cut they take. Here are typical payouts as a percentage of melt value:
| Where you sell | Typical payout (% of melt) |
|---|---|
| Refiners and large mail-in refiners | 85–95% |
| Local gold buyers and coin/bullion shops | 75–90% |
| Jewelers | 70–85% |
| Pawn shops | 60–80% |
| Gold parties and mall kiosks | 30–60% |
The spread is big. On a lot worth $1,500 at melt, the gap between 90% and 60% is $450. That's why the top tier of online buyers is worth considering. They have low overhead, high volume and their own refining. It's also why the bottom tier exists: some mail-in services count on most people never checking the math.
If you'd rather sell in person and walk out with cash, compare local options in our sell gold near me guide. Our pawn shop gold prices page shows what pawn offers usually look like.
Step-by-step: how to sell gold jewelry online
1. Sort by karat. Look for stamps on clasps, inside ring bands and on earring posts, using a magnifier if needed. Make separate piles for 10K, 14K, 18K and so on. Put unmarked pieces in their own pile.
2. Pull out the stuff that isn't solid gold. These marks mean little or no gold value:
- GF or 1/20 12K GF: gold-filled
- GP, GEP or HGE: gold-plated or electroplated
- RGP: rolled gold plate
- 925 or Sterling: silver, not gold (still worth something; see sterling silver price per gram)
3. Set aside anything worth more than its gold. That means signed designer pieces, antique or estate jewelry, and anything with a significant diamond or gemstone. More on these below.
4. Weigh each pile. A kitchen scale that reads in grams works for a rough number. A small jeweler's scale (cheap online) is better. Write the weights down. They're your check against the buyer's numbers later.
5. Photograph everything. Lay out each pile next to a ruler and take clear photos, including close-ups of stamps. This is your record if anything goes missing or gets miscounted.
6. Calculate your benchmark. Multiply grams by the per-gram value for each karat. Then work out 85% and 95% of the total. That's the range a top online buyer should land in.
7. Shortlist two or three buyers and read the fine print. Before you ship, find out:
- What percentage of melt do they pay for each karat? Get it in writing.
- Is insurance included, and up to what dollar amount?
- How long do you have to accept or reject the offer? Do they auto-accept if you don't answer?
- Is return shipping free and insured if you decline?
- Are there fees for processing, assaying, small lots or payment?
- Do they return diamonds and gemstones, or pay for them?
8. Ship it properly. Use only the buyer's insured label or your own fully insured service. Pack items in a small bag inside a padded box. Don't write 'gold' or 'jewelry' anywhere on the outside. Keep the tracking number and drop the package at a counter, not a blue box.
9. Check the offer line by line. Compare their weights against yours. Expect small differences, because stones, steel clasp springs and solder don't count as gold. If the karat they assigned doesn't match the stamp, ask why.
10. Accept or decline promptly. If the offer is below your benchmark range, counter or decline. A serious buyer would rather adjust than ship it back.
For a deeper look at negotiating and comparing offers, see how to sell gold: 8 steps to get a fair price.
Red flags when choosing an online gold buyer
Walk away if you see any of these:
- No published payout or 'up to' language only. 'Up to 95%' means nothing if most lots get 60%.
- Auto-acceptance. You should never be paid for something you didn't agree to sell.
- Short decision windows, like 24–48 hours, or offers that expire before you can compare.
- Return shipping fees or uninsured returns.
- Vague insurance, such as 'covered in transit' with no dollar limit.
- First-time bonuses that only kick in if you accept quickly. The real offer may be low to start with.
- No physical address, no phone number, or reviews that mention lowball offers and slow returns.
A good sign is any buyer that shows its scale weights and test results, line by line, before you commit.
When NOT to sell for melt value
Some jewelry is worth more as jewelry than as scrap. Refiners only pay for gold content, so craftsmanship, brand and age get thrown away when a piece goes into the melting pot.
| Type of piece | Better route |
|---|---|
| Signed designer jewelry (major luxury brands) | Luxury consignment sites, eBay with authentication, local estate jewelers |
| Antique and Victorian/Art Deco pieces | Estate jewelers, auction houses, consignment |
| Diamonds of roughly 1 carat or more | Independent appraisal first, then a diamond buyer or consignment |
| Plain chains, broken pieces, single earrings, dated class rings | Mail-in refiner or local buyer for melt |
Selling a piece on a marketplace like eBay, Etsy or Facebook Marketplace can bring retail-level prices. You'll pay seller fees, though (often in the low-to-mid teens as a percentage), and you'll handle photos, shipping, returns and the occasional scammer. For a plain 14K chain, that's rarely worth the trouble. For a signed piece, it often is.
About stones: most scrap buyers pay little or nothing for small diamonds and colored stones. Ask them to remove the stones and send them back. Small accent diamonds have modest resale value, but they're still yours.
Taxes on selling gold jewelry
Jewelry is a capital asset. If you sell for more than you paid and held it over a year, the gain is taxed as a collectible at up to 28% federally. Short-term gains are taxed as ordinary income. Losses on personal-use items like jewelry you wore generally aren't deductible.
For inherited jewelry, your cost basis is usually the fair market value on the date the original owner died. That often makes the taxable gain small. Keep your offer sheets and payment records either way. If your situation is complicated, a tax pro can confirm how it applies to you.
The bottom line
Selling gold jewelry online can get you 85–95% of melt value, which beats most storefronts. That only works if you know your numbers and pick the buyer carefully. Sort by karat, weigh and photograph everything, and calculate melt with the live prices above. Get each buyer's payout terms in writing, and ship only with full insurance and a free return policy. Keep designer, antique and diamond pieces out of the scrap pile until someone has looked at them as jewelry. And if an offer comes in below your benchmark, decline it.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to mail gold jewelry to an online buyer?
It can be, if the buyer provides a fully insured, tracked label that covers your lot's full value and returns rejected items free and insured. Photograph and weigh everything before shipping, and never use plain uninsured mail.
How much will an online buyer pay for 14K gold?
Established refiners and large mail-in refiners typically pay 85–95% of melt value. At today's price, 14K melts at about {{k14_g}} per gram, so 10 grams is worth roughly 10 × {{k14_g}} at melt before the buyer's cut.
Do online gold buyers pay for diamonds?
Most pay little or nothing for small stones and value only the gold. Ask them to remove and return stones, and get larger diamonds, around 1 carat and up, appraised and sold separately.
Is it better to sell gold jewelry online or at a local store?
Top online refiners often pay more (85–95% of melt) than jewelers (70–85%) or pawn shops (60–80%). Local coin shops and gold buyers (75–90%) can be competitive and pay on the spot, so compare at least one of each.
Do I have to pay taxes when I sell gold jewelry?
Gains on jewelry held over a year are taxed as collectibles at up to 28% federally. Losses on personal jewelry generally aren't deductible, and inherited pieces usually have a cost basis equal to their value at the date of death.
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AIJake · AI buying & selling guideJake is one of GoldTrack USA's AI writers. Figures are checked automatically against live market data, and sources are listed above. Not financial advice.
