When you buy bullion, you comparison shop. You check premiums across dealers, look for the lowest price per ounce, and wait for the right moment. But when you sell, most people do the opposite — they take the first offer they get.
That is an expensive habit. The difference between the best and worst buyback offer on a common American Gold Eagle can be 10-15%. On silver products, the gap is even wider. With gold trading near $4,165 an ounce, a 5% difference on a single 1 oz coin is over $200. On a 10 oz transaction, it is over $2,000. On a monster box of Silver Eagles, the spread between the best and worst dealer bid can easily exceed $500.
Comparing buyback prices is not complicated. It just requires knowing how dealers price their bids, what drives the spread, and where to look. This guide covers all three — and introduces a tool that does most of the work for you.
How Dealer Buyback Pricing Works
Every bullion dealer makes money on the spread — the gap between what they pay you (the bid) and what they sell the same product for (the ask). When you buy from a dealer, you pay a premium over spot price. When you sell back, you receive a discount below spot. The dealer’s margin lives in between.
Typical buyback spreads look like this:
Gold bullion: Most dealers bid 2-5% below the current spot price for standard gold products. A 1 oz Gold Eagle with gold at $4,165 might get a bid of $3,955 to $4,080, depending on the dealer and the day. Gold bars from major refiners (PAMP Suisse, Valcambi, Royal Canadian Mint) tend to get slightly tighter spreads than coins, because bars are easier for dealers to resell or return to the refiner.
Silver bullion: Spreads are wider — typically 5-15% below spot. Silver is bulkier, heavier to ship, and less valuable per ounce, so the logistics eat into margins. A 1 oz Silver Eagle with silver at $57 might get a bid of $48 to $54. The gap narrows on larger volumes — a dealer buying 500 oz of silver has more room to sharpen the bid than on a 10-coin lot.
Platinum and palladium: These are thinner markets with fewer dealers actively bidding, so spreads tend to be wider than gold. Expect 3-8% below spot for standard products like 1 oz Platinum Eagles.
The critical thing to understand is that these are ranges, not fixed rates. Each dealer sets their own bid based on their inventory, their customer demand, and their appetite for a given product at that moment. That is why comparing matters — the same 1 oz Gold Buffalo might get a $4,050 bid from one dealer and a $3,950 bid from another on the same day.
What Affects the Buyback Spread
Not every product gets the same bid. Several factors determine where a dealer’s offer will land within that range.
Product Type
Government-minted bullion coins — Gold Eagles, Silver Eagles, Canadian Maple Leafs, Austrian Philharmonics — consistently command better buyback prices than generic rounds and bars. Dealers can resell sovereign coins more easily, because buyers trust the weight and purity guaranteed by a national mint. A generic 1 oz silver round from a private mint will get a lower bid than a Silver Eagle, even though both contain the same amount of silver.
Within bars, brand and size matter. A 1 oz gold bar from PAMP Suisse in its original assay card gets a better bid than a 1 oz bar from an unknown refiner. Standard sizes (1 oz, 10 oz, 1 kilo) are more liquid than odd sizes (2.5 oz, 50 grams), so dealers bid more aggressively for them.
Quantity
Most dealers offer better buyback pricing at higher volumes. A seller moving 25 oz of gold or 500 oz of silver will usually get a tighter spread than someone selling a single coin. Some dealers publish tiered buyback pricing on their websites — one price for 1-9 coins, a better price for 10-24, and their best price at 25 or more. Others negotiate volume bids by phone. Either way, quantity is leverage.
Payment Method
Wire transfers, ACH deposits, and paper checks each carry different costs for the dealer. Some dealers offer slightly better bids for payment methods that cost them less to process. Always ask how you will be paid and whether the payment method affects the quoted price.
Market Conditions
When markets are volatile, dealers widen their spreads to protect against price swings between the time they lock your bid and the time they receive and verify your shipment. If gold drops $100 during the two days your package is in transit, the dealer absorbs that loss. During stable markets, spreads tend to tighten.
Dealer Inventory Needs
A dealer who is running low on 1 oz Gold Buffalos and has customer orders to fill will bid higher for Buffalos than a dealer whose warehouse is full of them. This is why bids vary so much from dealer to dealer on the same day — each one has different inventory pressures and sales channels.
The junk silver discount in 2026 is a clear example: refineries are backed up processing 90% silver coins, so dealers have lowered buyback prices on junk silver to slow the inflow. Meanwhile, demand for government silver coins remains strong, so Silver Eagle bids have held up better.
How to Compare Buyback Prices Across Dealers
The old way to compare was to call three or four dealers, describe your items, and write down their bids. That still works, but it is time-consuming and the prices change while you are on hold.
Our buyback price comparison tool automates much of that process. The page pulls live buyback prices from major online dealers — including SD Bullion, Hero Bullion, Monument Metals, and JM Bullion — across dozens of products spanning gold, silver, platinum, and palladium. You can filter by metal, compare per-dealer breakdowns on each product, and see the spread from spot at a glance.
The highlight cards at the top give you an instant answer on the most commonly sold products — the 1 oz American Gold Eagle, the 1 oz Gold Buffalo, the 1 oz Silver Eagle, and the 10 oz silver bar. For anything else, scroll the full table or use the metal filter tabs.
Each product row expands to show a per-dealer breakdown — which dealer is paying the most, how much each is bidding, and the percentage spread from spot. That per-dealer view is where the real value is, because it lets you identify which dealer is the best fit for the specific product you are selling.
Prices on the comparison page update regularly from dealer websites. Use them as a starting point, then call the top-bidding dealer to lock in your price. Market conditions can shift bids between the time the page updates and the time you call, so treat the comparison as a shortlist, not a guarantee.
Common Mistakes When Selling Bullion
Most sellers leave money on the table because they make one or more of these errors.
Selling to a pawn shop or “We Buy Gold” store. These outlets typically pay 50-80% of melt value. Their business model is built on convenience, not competitive pricing. A pawn shop offering $3,300 for a 1 oz Gold Eagle worth $4,000+ at melt is not scamming you — that is just how pawn shops work. But an online dealer will pay $3,950 to $4,080 for the same coin. The difference is hundreds of dollars. For a detailed look at every selling channel, see our guide to selling gold and silver for the best price.
Not knowing melt value before selling. Melt value is your floor — the minimum your metal is worth based on weight, purity, and the current spot price. If you do not know it, you cannot tell whether an offer is fair. Use our gold melt value calculator and silver melt value calculator to establish your baseline before contacting any dealer.
Taking the first offer without comparing. Even among reputable online dealers, bids on the same product can vary by 3-5%. On a $4,165 gold coin, that is $125 to $208. Three to five quotes from different dealers takes 20 minutes and can net you hundreds more.
Ignoring shipping and insurance costs. If a dealer’s bid is $30 higher than a competitor but they require you to pay for insured shipping ($40-60 for gold), the net is worse. Some dealers provide prepaid, insured shipping labels. Others expect you to arrange and pay for your own. Factor the total cost into your comparison, not just the bid price.
Not understanding the lock-in process. When you sell to an online dealer, you typically lock in a price during a phone call or through their website, then ship your items within 24-48 hours. If spot rises after you lock, you are stuck at the agreed price. If spot falls, you keep the locked price. Know this before committing, and do not lock in during fast-moving markets unless you are confident in the price. For a walkthrough of the full process, see how selling through FindBullionPrices works.
Not considering taxes. If you sell at a gain, you owe capital gains tax. The IRS classifies physical gold, silver, platinum, and palladium as collectibles, with a maximum long-term rate of 28% for assets held over one year. Short-term gains are taxed as ordinary income. Many sellers are surprised by this. Planning for taxes before you sell — not after — can save you from an unpleasant bill in April.
Tips for Getting the Best Buyback Price
Calculate melt value first. Use the gold and silver melt calculators to know your floor. Any offer significantly below melt is either a bad deal or a sign that the buyer does not know what they are looking at.
Compare across dealers. Start with the buyback price comparison page to identify who is currently paying the most for your product. Then call the top two or three for a live quote.
Separate gold and silver sales. A gold-focused dealer may lowball your silver, and vice versa. You do not have to sell everything to the same buyer. Treat each metal as its own transaction and compare separately.
Time your sale. Dealer buyback prices track live spot. A mid-day price spike means higher bids across the board. If your sale is not urgent, watch spot prices for a day or two and sell into strength. Even a $20 spot move on gold translates to a meaningful difference on larger transactions.
Ask about volume pricing. If you are selling 10 or more ounces of gold, or 100+ ounces of silver, ask for a volume bid. Many dealers have pricing tiers that are not listed on their websites.
Keep your receipts. Purchase records establish your cost basis for taxes. Without them, the IRS can treat the entire proceeds as taxable gain. If you have been stacking for years, reconstruct your basis from invoices, bank records, and historical spot prices plus a reasonable premium estimate. See our guide to taxes on selling gold and silver for the full picture.
Photograph and document everything before shipping. Take photos of each item, record serial numbers on bars, and photograph your packaged shipment before sealing it. If a dispute arises about condition or quantity, documentation is your only defense.
Tax Considerations When Selling Bullion
Taxes deserve their own section because they are often the largest hidden cost of selling — and one that catches many sellers off guard.
Physical precious metals are classified as collectibles by the IRS. If you hold for more than one year, your gain is taxed at a maximum federal rate of 28% — worse than the 0%, 15%, or 20% rate on stocks. If you sell within a year, the gain is ordinary income, taxed at your marginal rate (up to 37% in 2026). Higher-income filers may also owe the 3.8% net investment income tax.
A missing Form 1099-B does not make a sale tax-free. The 2026 1099-B instructions removed a long-standing example about 25 gold coins, so most coin sales no longer trigger dealer reporting. But the tax on the gain remains. If you sell at a profit, that profit goes on your return.
If you are sitting on gains from metal you bought years ago at much lower prices, the tax bill can be substantial. It is worth running the numbers before you sell to understand the after-tax proceeds, not just the gross bid. Our full tax guide for bullion sellers covers everything from the collectibles rate to swaps, inherited metal, and IRA distributions.
When Selling Makes Sense
This is not a buy or sell recommendation — only you know your financial situation. But there are several scenarios where selling part of a bullion position makes practical sense.
Portfolio rebalancing. If precious metals have appreciated to the point where they represent a disproportionate share of your portfolio, trimming brings you back to your target allocation. This is the same logic as rebalancing stocks and bonds.
Taking profits after a run. Gold has pulled back from its all-time high of $5,589, but even at $4,165 it is still well above where most long-term holders bought in. If you have a meaningful gain and a use for the cash, locking in some profit is a legitimate strategy.
Meeting a financial need. A down payment, tuition, medical expense, or other major life event. Bullion is liquid for exactly this reason — it converts to cash within days through an online dealer, or same-day at a local shop. Knowing where to sell gold and silver for the best price turns that liquidity into real purchasing power.
Liquidating inherited metal. If you have inherited gold or silver coins and do not plan to hold them, selling makes sense. Inherited metal typically receives a stepped-up cost basis to the fair market value on the date of death, which means the taxable gain may be smaller than you expect. For details on how to sell inherited gold coins, see our complete guide.
Deciding whether it is time to sell silver depends on your own timeline and financial goals. Silver’s dual nature as a monetary and industrial metal means its price path differs from gold. Our silver selling guide covers the market considerations specific to white metal holders.
The Bottom Line
Selling bullion is the other half of the investment cycle, and it deserves the same discipline you applied when buying. The difference between the best and worst offer on a common bullion product is real money — hundreds of dollars on gold, tens of dollars on silver — and that gap is there every single day.
Start with the buyback price comparison tool to see which dealers are currently paying the most for the products you own. Use the gold and silver melt calculators to establish your floor. Get three to five quotes. Then sell to the dealer offering the best net price after accounting for shipping, insurance, and payment method.
If you want competing offers from our dealer network, submit your items through the sell hub and let dealers come to you. For current bullion prices on the buy side, check the gold price comparison and silver price comparison pages, or browse the closest-to-spot gold and closest-to-spot silver pages for the lowest-premium products available right now.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment, tax, or financial advice. Buyback prices quoted are approximate and vary by dealer, product condition, quantity, and market conditions. Always verify current pricing directly with dealers before selling. Consult a qualified tax professional regarding capital gains on precious metals sales.
