By ROB STOCK – Sunday Star Times
All that glitters: Mall gold buyers have been criticised for low prices
KIOSKS HAVE sprung up in shopping malls all over the country offering to buy your unwanted gold as US dollar prices soar, but they may not always offer the best deal for those tempted to sell.
GoldBuyers New Zealand, a Kiwi company part-owned by Aussie firm GoldBuyers, has opened kiosks in 14 malls throughout the country with a further five about to open, and is seeking to take advantage of a big spike in the gold price which is tempting many people to cash up their old gold.
Gold prices have spiked to $US1112 ($1587) a troy ounce from around $US850 ($1545) a year ago as speculators and investors have sold up shares and other assets to buy gold, which has the reputation as a safe haven in periods of financial crisis.
That has suddenly made it appear a valuable commodity and enabled gold buyers to offer more attractive prices for unwanted family jewellery.
But those selling their gold need to realise the cost of recycling their gold, and the margin the gold-buyer takes, means they are likely to get less than half the value of the gold content of their unwanted bracelets, rings, earrings and necklaces.
And, judging by a mystery shop by the Sunday Star-Times, the mall is one of the worst places to go to sell gold.
The first most Kiwis will hear of GoldBuyers New Zealand is when a salesperson in a mall accosts them and presses a faux $50 note into their hand as they walk by.
There are no buyer’s rates advertised, but the psychology of the faux $50 is clear: there’s quick money, and good money, to be made from selling your gold here.
It’s a message repeated on the firm’s website, which says the firm is committed to “excellence in service and value” and that “due to the price of gold today, in many cases people often receive more for their pieces than the original purchase price”.
Better still, the mall kiosks are a million miles from the pawnbrokers and secondhand dealers who have specialised in buying up unwanted gold – places many have little desire to enter.
In many cases, however, it seems pawnbrokers offer better prices.
GoldBuyers is, in effect, sanitising gold buying and bringing it into the middle class sphere, and its website shows the firm is seeking to find reps to hold goldbuying parties in their homes in return for a slice of the profits.
A consultation with the 20-something green-haired youth manning the kiosk in Westfield’s St Lukes mall was quick.
The salesman looked at the hallmarks and separated the items by carat rating – in our case, two 18-carat rings (one with a small cluster of five diamonds), an 18-carat chain and two 9-carat wrist-chains.
He checked to see if they were magnetised, then weighed them.
Within four minutes, we had a quote – $360. But the salesman said that before any money changed hands, he’d also have to make a cut in each of the items and then apply acid to them from one of a number of small, brown glass bottles he had on the counter. If the acid bubbled or turned pink, or one of several other colours, he wouldn’t buy the jewellery.
We would be paid the “gold weight” of the diamonds, he said, as a bonus, or the stones could just be popped out and he’d buy what was left. GoldBuyers had a box of unwanted gemstones which it had little use for and were hard to resell, the salesman said.
The sellers, the green-haired salesman told me, had a variety of motivations. One seller came with six single earrings, having lost one from each pair. Others were getting rid of “bad blood” jewellery given them by now-hated former boyfriends. Still others were disposing of damaged items, bent rings, twisted bracelets, broken chains.
FOR A PERSONAL SERVICE THAT PAYS YOU MORE – TALK WITH GOLDSMART TODAY
At Gold Smart we’re not sure if these guys are selling seafood or something else! Either way it might be worth avoiding!
There has been much written recently about the horrendous interest rates New Zealand “Loan Sharks” charge vulnerable Kiwis – we think this is both unethical and immoral. If you need cash you should try advertising online as you’ll know the market will pay what something is worth (not what a Shark tells you).
At Gold Smart we do NOT provide loans of any kind – just the top prices for your unwanted gold jewellery. Check out our Testimonials to see what our happy customers are saying about us, the process and our prices!
Are you looking for some extra cash to pay-off those holiday bills? Perhaps you were overly generous in buying presents?
Gold Smart has the ideal solution to your cash-flow troubles! Click here to request more information on how you can sell gold today. We offer a personal service that pays you more.
You don’t need to be worried about pulling out the “family jewels” in front of strangers – relax in our secure and private offices where you will feel relaxed and confident that you are being well looked after!
Gold Smart is also looking for Reps across New Zealand – so if you have drive, integrity and a desire to make some extra cash call us today to find out more information!
Are you ready to turn carats into cash? The team at Gold Smart are buying gold in large quantities and for the highest prices in years. Worn, damaged and out-of-style gold jewellery represents a great way to create cash when you need it.
A lot of people ask us how do I sell gold and used jewellery for cash? The process is quite simple and the price you receive will depend on three things: #1 what you are selling, (9ct gold or 18ct gold, gold bullion or gold coins, etc), #2 how much you have to sell (grams, ounces, kilos) and the #3 current market prices.
Carat (or Karat) is a unit of measurement to measure the purity of gold alloys. It’s represented by the symbol ct or kt. Carat can also be used to describe the mass or weight of gemstones. Carat means the proportion by weight of one part in twenty four. Examples of indicative gold content are as follows:
- 9ct = 37.5% gold (or 375 millesimal fineness)
- 14ct = 58.5% gold (585)
- 18 ct = 75% gold (750)
- 22ct = 91.6% gold (916)
- 24ct = 99.99% gold (999 or pure/fine gold)
As a general rule the higher the carat value, the higher the gold content, and the higher the cash value from Gold Smart. The team at Gold Smart are experts in determining the actual carat of any gold item.
Bullion and Gold Bars
The term “Bullion” describes a mass of precious metal typically in the form of gold/silver bars or ingots. Bullion is traded on its precious metal value because of the high purity content and the most common forms of gold bullion are recognised internationally – making it an efficient mode of trade. Gold Smart pays high prices for bullion – gold prices can fluctuate, so call today to and lock-in favourable prices.
Examples of ‘Good Delivery’ Gold Bullion Coins inclue:
- US Gold Eagle – embossed with the image of a bald eagle (91.67% pure)
- Canadian Maple Leaf - embossed with the symbol of Canada (99.99% pure)
- Chinese Panda – depicting a panda bear which changes each year
- South African Krugerrand – the first bullion coins ever released by a Nation (91.6% pure)
- Australian Gold Kangaroo Nugget – (99.99% pure)
- Gold Sovereigns - Full or Half (91.6% pure)
Others include:
- New Zealand Gold Kiwi (99.99% pure)
- ABT Gold Ingot (99.9% pure)
- CMIT Gold Bar (99.9% pure)
- AGR Matthey Gold Ingot (99.9% pure)
- Morris and Watson Gold Ingot (99.99% pure)
When selling your gold you will need to make sure you don’t get ripped-off by the many “Sharks” out there. To get excellent prices for your gold you will need to talk with the trusted gold buying experts – Gold Smart!
Gold Smart (New Zealand’s leading gold buyers) are happy to announce our new TV commercial coming to a screen near you!
Anita from Gold Smart says, “Gold Smart offers the most competitive and professional service for people wanting to sell their worn and out-of-style gold for cash. Being open and transparent we are creating a new standard for New Zealanders wanting the best price and a personal service. The results speak for themselves and our testimonials give clear indication to the many happy customers that sell gold to Gold Smart.”
At Gold Smart you can sell your worn, damaged and out-of-style gold for cash today to enjoy what you want tomorrow. For a personal service that pays you more, call 0800 Gold Smart.
If you want to cash-in on the record high gold prices to sell gold, talk with the friendly team at Gold Smart – New Zealand’s Gold Buyers. Selling gold has never been easier so make the most of your gold jewellery and turn it into something you can enjoy.
Every New Zealander needs to know about the new and professional service from Gold Smart so please forward this message onto all your friends and family!
Yes, it is indeed that time of year again. With weeks to go to Christmas n
ow’s the time to free up some extra spending money by cleaning out the unworn jewellery in the drawer gathering dust.
Here are some excellent ideas from Gold Smart customers putting their cash to great use:
- Attending a relatives wedding
- Treating the family to a big screen TV for Christmas
- Having a weekend away with spouse to celebrate a wedding anniversary
- Money for an upcoming wedding
- Raising funds for music lessons
And many more…
Christmas is an excellent time to reflect on what we are grateful for. We hope the lead up to Christmas is fun for you!
We all know what “pawn shops” are about – making loans to people that can’t afford them, paying low rates on anything you sell them and then reselling these items at a significant mark-up. It could be said that this goes beyond just perception, it’s reality – if the stories customers tell us are true.
We’ve heard some sad stories about people needing to sell gold jewellery items and thinking that “secondhand dealers” are the only option. One lady was paid in “pawn shop money” to buy stuff in the shop that she did not want or need.
In a nutshell, here’s what Gold Smart is:
- We are professional Gold Buyers that only buy Gold, Silver (and occasionally diamonds)
- You will be treated with respect by friendly professionals
- Gold Smart do NOT provide loans of any kind
- The jewellery is recycled, NOT resold to the public
- There is no pressure to sell – our customers feel relaxed and comfortable
- Gold Smart offers excellent rates, personal service and discretion (no one looking over your shoulder)
Talk with the Gold Buyers team, call 0800 GOLD SMART today!
At Gold Smart we hear from people that have had gold jewellery items stolen and want to know if we’ve seen any similar items come through. It seems that opportunistic thieves know that the price of gold is high and one lady recently told us that she’d been burgled and they only thing they took was the gold (leaving the laptop, silver, camera, etc)! And now she was thinking to sell the gold they didn’t take as it no longer felt that it was safe sitting at home in a drawer.
Gold Smart has tight processes in place to help stop the trade in stolen gold jewellery items and we work closely with the Police to ensure any suspicious items and people are reported. This has resulted in successful prosecutions of individuals that want to profit from stealing your gold jewellery.
It’s common knowledge that there are pawnshops and buyers who will happily purchase stolen items on the basis that when it’s melted it becomes very hard to trace. We have heard of several companies in New Zealand already being fined for such activities and in our mind this makes them complicit in the crime.
At Gold Smart we pride ourselves on following and exceeding the legal and moral obligations put on us by New Zealand law – it’s just not right to knowingly profit from stolen gold jewellery. If you want to work with Gold Buyers with integrity talk to Gold Smart today.
P.S. Perhaps the gold jewellery you no longer wear would be safer as cash in the bank!
It’s time to invest in yourself! I
ndulge and experience those things which ignite your soul!
Do you feel like you need a little “R&R”, maybe some pampering, how about a shopping trip with the girls? Life is too short and there are too many good things to experience that can make you smile, recharge the batteries, and just have fun. It’s easy to get caught up in the day to day rhythm and forget about what matters to us – like smelling the roses, taking a walk along the beach at sunset, playing with a puppy or enjoying the company of good friends and family.
The team at Gold Smart have compiled the list of favorite “Treat Yourself Right” activities:
- Spa Treatment/Massage/Facial with candles and champagne
- Clean a closet or drawer – external order is good for internal order
- Cook/Eat a fabulous meal – full table service, candles, waiters
- Work out/Join a Gym – build physical strength to enjoy life more
- Decorate/Improve your living spaces – art, photos, big fluffy towels
- Take a class in something new – Italian, French, Cooking, painting
- Have a movie night with popcorn
- Listen to music or read a book
It’s time to treat yourself and indulge in something that makes you feel good! And remember it’s only a box of old jewellery away!
Spring and Summer seem to have finally arrived in New Zealand – the lambs are jumping, the birds are singing and the grass is growing. Spring is the time of year to clean out old stuff, leave the past behind and move forward into the new season.
Spring has also brought continued high gold prices making it a perfect time to sell your gold to Gold Smart – New Zealand’s Gold Buyers. It makes us smile every time we help someone move on from their broken, worn or damaged gold jewellery that’s no longer worn or in fashion.
Here’s what Lisa (another happy customer) had to say about Gold Smart: “It was fast, it was easy, and the Goldsmart team are incredibly nice people. Plus, it’s not creepy or sleazy like a pawn shop — it’s totally professional and upfront. If you’re at all on the fence about going, get off and go!”
And from Vanessa: “Goldsmart have been nothing but professional since the minute I registered my interest with them. Within hours of requesting further information I was contacted and asked if I would like a courier bag or if I would like to drop in to the premises with my goods. Being a fairly long way away from where Goldsmart is situated I opted for a courier bag. I was called the day after I couriered my things to them to say that they had been received and that a price for purchase could be offered.”
“Excellent service, extremely re-assuring by receiving calls and information so soon after sending your items to them. I highly recommend this service to anyone who has anything that they no longer wear or require. For me, it was a matter of having stuff locked away in a box never to be worn again and not really knowing what to do with. As soon as I was recommended to Goldsmart it seemed like the perfect solution.”
“Thanks Goldsmart for a bit of extra cash in my pocket!”
If you’ve heard about high gold prices the time to call the friendly team at Gold Smart about selling gold is now – do you know what your gold is really worth?
The simple fact is that Gold Smart pays more – meaning more money in your pocket (not on large overheads and fancy offices).
