Professional and Transparent.

Where Does the Money Go: Our 2017 Gold Purchase Audit*:

91% ends up in our customers’ hands.

How we set our prices:

Montreal Gold sets precious metal prices in accordance with all Canada Gold locations.  Prices for silver and gold are updates every 20 minutes and are set relative to the market price for gold and silver bullion, respectively. The spot market price for bullion is for 400oz pure gold and silver bars. All gold and silver products are offered a quote of the wholesale value relative to the cost to turn the piece into gold and silver bullion. As an example, gold taken from the ground requires refining and is priced accordingly at a lower price per gram than gold which has already been refined into pure.  We offer at or near spot market price for your gold and silver bullion, a bit less for lower percentage coins and bars from various mints and less still for jewelry.  

Why can’t I get 100% of the gold spot market price for my gold jewelry?

There are three primary reasons why no one in the industry of buying gold  can offer 100% of gold market value for jewelry.

The Risk Inherent in Buying Jewelry vs Pure Gold

While our techniques for valuating gold are as state-of-the-art as possible, there are inherent risks involved.  Jewelry that is presented as 10K, 18K, etc., may in fact be 9.5K, 17K, etc. Some jewelry  manufacturers (usually not purposefully, but it happens) make errors in the purity of their rings, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, etc.  Unstamped items compound this margin for error.  If the actual measurement is very close to the stamped karat, we give you the benefit of the doubt and offer 10K prices for items that are truly 9.5K and we are one of the few gold buyers nationally who will offer this. 

Through our analysis over many years, we’ve discovered that stamped items, when refined, usually result in errors of 2%-7%, almost universally in the seller’s favor. That means we end up paying more than our standard pricing for items that are worth less.

Another secondary risk for us is the exposure, which is the time it takes for us to turn your jewelry into pure gold.  It takes about two weeks to turn around our refining process and prices in gold can go down 1%-2% during that time. which lowers the value of what we purchased from you. This risk is built into our pricing.

Refining Costs

The cost of refining jewelry is built into our pricing and it’s a cost that we don’t incur when purchasing pure coins and bars. You will find refining costs built into other buyers’ pricing as well, though their refining costs are usually higher than ours because most don’t refine their own precious metals and instead pay a 3rd party to do so.  We refine the items ourselves, so our refining costs are almost half of what other local buyers pay. 

The Cost To Do Business

Canada Gold Montreal is a business providing a professional service and there are costs associated with providing this service. These costs are marketing our service (so that you know we exist),  staffing a professional office so we are prepared to offer the service whenever you are prepared to sell, and finally, earning a modest and fair profit so that we can keep our business “in business”. 

But do know, our payouts on jewelry far exceeds industry standards. We treat each transaction like a currency transaction, not a cash grab and stick to our pricing model so that everyone who enters our Montreal store is treated the same.  And it’s important to note that we never charge fees or commissions on top of our posted prices, which is something you will most likely encounter with other buyers.  Our appraisals are free, what we quote is what we pay and should decide to sell, we will pay you on the spot!

How we compare to the industry

While there are a number of places you can sell gold and silver in any major city in Canada, next to none of them have a transparent pricing model dependent on the price of precious metals the day you come into the store.  Pawn shops, strictly mail-in services, mall kiosks and other buyers of gold and silver try to maximize their profit on each transaction and will often give one seller less than other simply because they are dealing with someone unaware of the value of their items.  We don’t operate that way. Everyone who enters our store to sell benefits from our pricing model.  We educate each and every seller on the value of their items and perform the valuation in their presence.  

Know the players (the competition)

1. Jewelers – jewelers typically charge fees for evaluations, gemstone removal, etc. Jewelers may offer to buy stones but are willing to pay only a nominal amount for even graded diamonds and far below market value for gold and silver.
2. Mall kiosks – These buyers offer significantly less for gold and silver, usually tacking on convenience fees for the “convenience” of buying your valuables in a mall.  
3. Pawn shops – Pawn shops will generally offer you the least amount they think you will take and are happy to negotiate with you (since they’re very experienced and thus, most likely better at it than you are).  As they are trying to maximize their profit for each person who walks in the door, you will most certainly be underpaid.
4. Mail-in websites – Regardless of pricing, it’s extremely difficult to follow-up with through-the-mail buyers when you don’t get what was promised on their website.
5. Amateur buyers – They usually want to meet you at a local coffee shop, are not bound to any offered prices and are difficult if not impossible to find after the transaction.
6. Professional buyers like Montreal Gold – higher pricing for your valuables in a safe, professional setting.