Historically speaking, gold has always been something of a universal indicator and measure of wealth. The economic downturn of recent days has generate renewed interest in gold as a solid investment vehicle among individuals of all financial backgrounds. The piece that follows below is meant to help you learn how buying and selling gold can benefit you.

If you decide to go with a mail in service to sell your gold, make sure to have your items insured. If the items do not arrive at the buyer’s location, you could lose out on the entire value of your gold. By insuring the items, you are protecting yourself against loss or theft.

When going to sell your gold, bring along identification. If you come to an agreement on the sale of the pieces, you will be required to give the buyers a copy of your government issued id. This is a law meant to protect individuals against buying pieces that are stolen, and any reputable dealer will stand by this law.

When mailing your gold away for sale, make sure to read all the fine print before sending it in. Some buyers have less than stellar reputations, and you will not see this until you read the fine print. Make sure you are comfortable with all the terms you are agreeing to, or look to another location to sell your gold.

Do not hesitate to sell any gold jewelry that you no longer have use for. There are many people that hold on to these pieces for no logical reason when they can be sold for a tidy profit. The money you make from the sale would do more good than unused jewelry sitting in a box.

Sort your jewelry before heading in to sell it, putting all the 10 karat pieces together, all the 14 karat pieces together and so on. This will help ensure that your jewelry is weighed separately. There are dealers that will simply throw everything in together and only pay you as if it is all 10 karats.

If you are planning to buy gold coins, consider holding on to them for awhile before making a sale. Gold can fluctuate in value on a daily basis, meaning if you buy today, sometimes the value will be less tomorrow. 9 Rummy can lead to frustration if you try to sell too soon. Save yourself the headache by buying for the long run.

Watch out for “pop-up” buyers. These individuals travel from place to place, putting out advertisements that lure in sellers with the promise of a big payout. In many cases, these buyers then leave town without paying the sellers what they are owed. Always do your research on anyone you are planning to sell to.

If you are buying or selling gold, a good place to advertise is online. Websites such as Craigslist and Ebay allow you to buy and sell gold at your own pace. These sites are usually free and very user friendly. Many people use these sites to find great deals and sell pieces at the price they want.

Be realistic about the price you want for your gold pieces. Remember that any buyer will want to earn a profit, so they will never pay you one hundred percent value for the gold you are selling. If they offer you seventy five or eighty percent of the value, they are usually giving you a fair deal.

Gold investment covers a lot of different options besides acquiring and holding the metal itself. You could buy stocks in a mining company or shares in a gold ETF. If you choose to purchase actual coins or bars, take into account the cost of secure storage of your gold.

Understand fees and commissions when buying investment gold pieces. Most reputable dealers will charge between five and seven percent. You need to realize this cost incurred to make sure you are still getting a good deal on the pieces you are buying, based on their true value at the time of purchase.

Gold has long been prized for its ability to serve as a stable, known repository of personal wealth. With curiosity in gold markets reaching fever pitch in recent years, it really does pay to possess a good amount of knowledge on the topic. Use the information presented above and get the most value from your own foray into the market for gold.