Gold and silver are among the most searched things anyone sells. In the world data, "sell silver" is searched more than 18,000 times a month and "sell gold jewelry" more than 5,000, and nearly all of those searchers want a shop they can walk into. The people for whom this guide is written are different: jewelers, repairers, estates, collectors, dealers and businesses with scrap, who hold weight and need a buyer who prices it properly. It covers how buyers price metal, what a refiner expects of a seller, how cash and identity rules shape the trade and how selling on ScrapTrade works. It is the international companion to our Australian guide to selling old gold, silver and jewellery. Prices are absent on purpose: spot moves daily and the figures we found disagreed, and we note where our evidence ends. ScrapTrade is a scrap marketplace with a stake in the trade.
What people search for
Ubersuggest data for the world, pulled in November 2026, shows demand that is huge and local.
"Sell silver near me" is searched about 22,200 times a month worldwide, "sell silver" about 18,100, "sell gold jewelry" about 5,400, "sell silver coins" about 4,400, "sell scrap gold" and "sell silver scrap" about 2,400 each and "sell silver bullion" about 1,000. Online phrasing is smaller: "sell scrap gold online" is about 170, but the advertising cost is among the highest in the scrap family at around 12 dollars a click, which suggests competitors pay to reach people ready to sell. Two lessons follow. First, most searchers want a local buyer, so a page cannot promise that a marketplace beats the shop on the corner for one ring. Second, the ones with a quantity behave like traders, and trade is what ScrapTrade is for.
How buyers price metal
Dealers in several countries describe the same method: weight, times purity, times the spot price per gram, times the buyer's payout percentage. Spot is quoted per troy ounce, so a gram price is the ounce price divided by about 31.1. Purity is the carat divided by 24, so 24 carat is pure, 18 carat is 75 percent, 14 carat is 58.5 percent and 10 carat is 41.7 percent. Sterling silver is 92.5 percent. The result is melt value, which is a ceiling. The payout percentages dealers quote range widely, from about 70 to 95 percent of melt for dealers, lower for pawn shops and higher, near 98 percent, for certified bars, according to the dealer pages we found, which are marketing and not standards. For gold, see our Australian guide to selling gold jewellery and scrap gold, and for silver, selling silver.
What a refiner expects from a seller
The LBMA's Responsible Gold Guidance sets the standard for refiners on its Good Delivery list, and its approach shapes how trade buyers deal with scrap. As summarised in the sources we found, the 2021 version groups recycled gold by risk and requires additional due diligence for higher-risk material, and it uses a know-your-customer questionnaire for recycled material. Above a 10,000 US dollar threshold, it expects payments to move through banking channels, and refiners may only make cash deals with suppliers who have passed an identity check. Secondary refiners that supply recycled melted gold to Good Delivery refiners must undergo independent assurance against an approved responsible sourcing scheme. We found older versions of the guidance and did not confirm the current one, so check the LBMA's site. The practical point for a seller is that a serious buyer will ask who you are, where the metal came from and how you want to be paid, and a seller who cannot answer will struggle.
Cash, identity and tax vary by country
The rules for second-hand dealers, cash and reporting differ everywhere. In Australia, for example, dealers must ask sellers for proof of identity under state law, and dealers in precious metals came under anti-money-laundering rules from July 2026, according to compliance sources. We cover that in our guides to unwanted or broken jewellery and scrap gold and silver in bulk. We did not review other countries' rules individually, so check yours, and speak to a tax adviser about capital gains and sales tax or VAT on metal, coins and jewelry.
Step 1: Sort, weigh and describe
Sort metal into groups: scrap gold by carat, silver by purity, coins and bullion, and plated or mixed items that hold little metal. Weigh each group in grams, note the stamps, and photograph the pieces with the weights visible. Do not polish valuable or antique pieces. For coins, the collector value may exceed the melt value, so ask a dealer before selling coins as metal.
Step 2: Test, assay and protect
Mixed or unknown scrap cannot be priced precisely until its content is known. We found no source on how buyers or refiners sample and assay, so ask each buyer how they establish content, who witnesses it and how disputes are settled. For a high-value parcel, agree insurance and who carries the risk in transit before you ship.
Why sell on ScrapTrade
ScrapTrade is a marketplace for scrap and recyclable material, with precious metals among its twelve categories. It is built for sellers with weight to move:
- Who bids. The verified traders ScrapTrade lists in more than 50 countries include scrap dealers and refiners who buy weight, not single pieces.
- What it costs. There is no listing fee and no commission. Photos with weights, plus an AI-drafted description you review, make up the listing.
- Terms stay yours. Price and terms are negotiated in live chat, with collection or shipping agreed directly, quoted as EXW or FOB in Australian or US dollars.
- Money is held. A bid acceptance triggers a 5 percent buyer deposit held in escrow, with Stripe behind payments.
- Identity is checked. ScrapTrade verifies sellers, which suits a trade where counterparties ask who they are dealing with. Both businesses and individuals can sell.
How it works, step by step
- Sort and weigh. Group the metal, weigh it and photograph it with the weights visible.
- List. Register, pass verification and list weights, purity and price with photos. Review any AI-written text.
- Talk. Inquiries come in, and you negotiate in chat.
- Bid accepted. The buyer's 5 percent deposit goes into escrow.
- Agree logistics and insurance. Settle collection or shipping and who insures the parcel.
- Complete. The sale closes on the agreed terms.
Where it does not fit
ScrapTrade is a trade marketplace and does not take ownership of material or arrange shipping or insurance. One ring, a few coins or a spoon is a job for a local buyer who can test and pay in front of you. We could not confirm how it handles testing, assay or insurance for high-value parcels, so ask cs@scraptrade.com.au before a large lot. The sweet spot is lots: a jeweler's scrap, workshop sweeps, silver-bearing waste, e-waste with precious content or an estate's mixed metal.
Silver guides: Sell Silver Coins and Junk Silver Worldwide.
Also: Sell Silver Bars and Bullion Worldwide.
Also: Sell Sterling Silver, Flatware and Scrap Silver.
Also: How to Work Out What Your Silver Is Worth.
What we could not verify
- What gold, silver and jewelry sell for. We found conflicting spot figures and no reliable payouts.
- The current LBMA guidance. We relied on summaries of the 2021 version.
- Other countries' cash, identity and tax rules. We did not review them.
- How buyers assay scrap. We found no source.
- How ScrapTrade handles testing, assay and insurance.
- ScrapTrade's verification process. It is not published.
Frequently asked questions
How is scrap gold priced?
Weight times purity times the spot price per gram times the buyer's payout percentage.
What do refiners ask of sellers?
Identity, the origin of the metal and a payment route, with banking channels expected for larger payments under the LBMA guidance.
Can I sell gold or silver on ScrapTrade?
Precious metals are a category. Businesses and individuals can both sell after verification, and listing is free with no commission.
Is a marketplace better than a local gold buyer?
For one piece, usually not. For a lot, a trade marketplace can reach more buyers.
Sources
- Ubersuggest keyword data, global, queried November 2026.
- LBMA Responsible Gold Guidance, versions 8 and 9, as summarised in search results.
- Australian gold-dealer pages on pricing, purity and payout percentages, as summarised in search results.
- Compliance-vendor summaries of Australian anti-money-laundering rules for precious-metal dealers, 2026.
- ScrapTrade website, accessed November 2026.
General information only, not financial, tax or legal advice. Rules vary by country. ScrapTrade runs a scrap marketplace.