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Wanted Looking to buy some affordable Gold filled scrap and any free Advice

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scrappyjoe

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 21, 2022
Messages
62
Location
canada
hi

looking to get started and just putting some feelers out for any gold filled scrap.

advice is always welcome as well.

what is the going rate or a fair rate to pay for gold filled so that everybody kind of wins ?

been looking at ebay but the prices are just crazy , or seem to be, no matter how i do the math.

replied to a few posts in the for sale section but they all seem like abandoned threads.

been collecting some e-waste for a while, but that is becoming a pita as well ... i don't have a 1000 sq feet to play in ... and modern electronics don't look that promising...and the eventual mess just doesn't seem to justify the time or any possible reward .

been collecting some sterling as well, but that as well is more for hobby than ever breaking even ....

so ... suggestions ? offers?

i'm in toronto canada

thanks
 
Gold filled is a very mixed bag. First, the gold layer can range, when new, from 1/10 to 1/40 of the weight. The karat can also vary, usually 10k, 12k, and 14k, but others are possible. But it's very important to consider the wear factor. That karat gold layer is on the outside of the item, so it is the first to be worn away due to abrasion. Jewelry probably suffers the most from this. Rings, chains, watch bands wear the most. Pins, brooches, and similar items suffer less. Eyeglasses can be anywhere on the spectrum. And remember that most gold filled watchbands only have gold filled caps on the outside of the band, while the part that contacts the skin is usually stainless steel or something similar. So, be careful when buying gold filled.

I usually have my best luck at yard sales, garage sales, etc. You might get lucky at a thrift store. Some folks buy from pawn shops. The short answer is that you have to work for it. A lot. If it was easy to find bargains, everyone would be doing it.

Dave
 
Your and me both man. Just started working with this guy that owns a modest jewelry store in my"downtown" of my town. Well I would sell him small bits of gold when I needed the Asap. Well anyways I had a great idea of asking him what he does with all of his plated jewelry scrap or nom-scrap, at first I thought to purchase these items from him for low cost but instead he gave me a small pile to get the gold from and well some of it was gold filled! About a 1/3 of it in fact
He said try this and will see how you do. Well apparently I did well. For he told me he'd like to do this again instead of selling to refiners. Which is probably a better deal for him but I did good work. He was happy with the yield and purity. Well when i was processing this small amount of gold filled I instantly remembered why g.f. is so much fun. Watching this thick foils floating around is magical.
After that I got excited and went to online shopping! Craigslist, offer up, and of course ebay! Well the 1st 2 went nowhere but what always has some. And I remember buying a good size of that stuff a long time ago. Back when I first started. But let me tell you as I'm sure everyone here knows that they are ridiculous. I seen 71g go for $64 of 12k and 14k. But lots of pieces that needed to come off so weight would probably have been about half that. Making it. Go from 71 to 35-50g? I could be wrong and totally guessing but after all the bid I put in I got stepped on for way more then I could even think to pay for that. So please tell me I'm curious how much you guys think that lot should go for? And like the op, i am also looking to buy nom-crazy prices too. Because I'd like to see those thick foils again.
 
Rreyes097 said:
Your and me both man. Just started working with this guy that owns a modest jewelry store in my"downtown" of my town. Well I would sell him small bits of gold when I needed the Asap. Well anyways I had a great idea of asking him what he does with all of his plated jewelry scrap or nom-scrap, at first I thought to purchase these items from him for low cost but instead he gave me a small pile to get the gold from and well some of it was gold filled! About a 1/3 of it in fact
He said try this and will see how you do. Well apparently I did well. For he told me he'd like to do this again instead of selling to refiners. Which is probably a better deal for him but I did good work. He was happy with the yield and purity. Well when i was processing this small amount of gold filled I instantly remembered why g.f. is so much fun. Watching this thick foils floating around is magical.
After that I got excited and went to online shopping! Craigslist, offer up, and of course ebay! Well the 1st 2 went nowhere but what always has some. And I remember buying a good size of that stuff a long time ago. Back when I first started. But let me tell you as I'm sure everyone here knows that they are ridiculous. I seen 71g go for $64 of 12k and 14k. But lots of pieces that needed to come off so weight would probably have been about half that. Making it. Go from 71 to 35-50g? I could be wrong and totally guessing but after all the bid I put in I got stepped on for way more then I could even think to pay for that. So please tell me I'm curious how much you guys think that lot should go for? And like the op, i am also looking to buy nom-crazy prices too. Because I'd like to see those thick foils again.
Click to expand...
I’ve been seeing the same thing. I scratch my head wondering how people are paying such high prices for scrap gold filled when spot prices for pure gold is a bit cheaper. It looks like these scrap gold filled auctions on eBay are going for over $1 a gram before tax and shipping.

So, say a 100 gram lot sells for $100 and if you’re lucky (BIG IF), you’ll get 2 grams of pure gold out of it. Then, at current spot for gold being around $60 a gram, then you will have about $120 worth of gold.

This doesn’t take i to account your acids and electricity or other supplies. Also, it’s unlikely you will get a 2% yield because you will have to remove stones and steal and other non refineable parts. Also, gold filled can vary in how much material has worn away over the years.

Some of these auctions are going for $1.25+ per gram. This puts the price OVER spot for pure gold. I just don’t get it. This is for scrap mind you.

I made myself some business cards and am going to hit all my local pawn shops in a 4 county radius of my location and try to build relationships. I don’t know. As many have said, it’s all about sourcing the materials. i’m happy if I can find good gold filled for $250 a pound, but i don't know if I can. At that price, it becomes worth it for ME to refine.

Good luck and cheers. I’m interested to hear what others have to say too.
 
FrugalRefiner said:
I usually have my best luck at yard sales, garage sales, etc. You might get lucky at a thrift store. Some folks buy from pawn shops. The short answer is that you have to work for it. A lot. If it was easy to find bargains, everyone would be doing it.

Dave
Click to expand...
And there's a lot more people looking for bargains than there used to be.

Meaning, nobody should expect to be able to post on a forum, then make money.
 
This is a common question on the forum, where to find materials to actually refine and more specifically at profit and the only answers I can give is perseverance, knowledge and luck, which is usually a combination of the first two.
From what I have seen posted here on the forum it seems all gold bearing scrap fetches more on eBay than the value including plated pins and other types of e scrap.
There is material out there but you have to work hard to find it and as has been pointed out by Sno there are a lot more people looking for it now and with budgets getting tighter for many expect even more people to look for new sources of income.
 
ok, all fair enough points, however who is buying all this crap at a loss and why ?
what do they think they are accomplishing with it ?
all the power to the sellers, if i had some i would also sell for more than process it ...
who is driving this market up ? makes no sense
 
People that think they are getting a deal. The scrap gold filled market isn't that big, and there's less and less of it every day.
 
I buy a reasonable amount of rolled gold as in UK, but occasionally manage to acquire gold filled material which I believe is very similar, please correct me if I'm wrong.
If I buy a mixed lot, I am usually happy to pay up to £1 per gram as, if it is all as stated, RG or filled, I am guaranteed to turn a small profit depending how I refine it. With rolled gold you are going to get a minimum of 1/20th carat gold. It takes time, but you start recognising manufacturer stamps & learning which ones have minimum gold & which ones have up to 1/5th carat gold content. Some are stamped as such, where others state, 9ct gold metal core, guaranteed 10yr, 20yr, 25yr or 10 micron-50micron.
9ct gold metal core for example have always had between 1/10th & 1/5th cold content.
An example of a single item I purchased from eBay (see pic) 39.3gm 9ct metal core bangle. I paid £1 per gram including delivery. From experience, I know I will yield a minimum of 1.5 grams of, close to 24ct.
Between 3.93 & 7.86 of 9ct gold /24 x9 highest yield potential 2.94 grams at £49/ gram = £144
If I could drop on items like this all the time I would of course be very happy, but as a hobby I usually bag a few similar bargains every week, but I do have to look for them :) Hope this helps

I don't post often, but I do enjoy my daily checking of posts on this forum. Thanks to all that make this site what it is, and a great place to learn! & can also be very entertaining sometimes :)
 

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if i can get to the point where i can grab a few of those week i'd be more than happy :D

i will keep looking and trying
 
scrappyjoe said:
if i can get to the point where i can grab a few of those week i'd be more than happy :D

i will keep looking and trying
Click to expand...
Probably sounds a bit unscrupulous, but I have fair success scrolling through eBay, making low offers to sellers who don't know what they are selling. It's easy to think filled or RG is just plated. Also works the other way where sellers ask way over its value. I love the mixed job lot bundles but I'm careful not to buy plated advertised as rolled gold/filled, or plated with the odd RG thrown in.
 
If you have any "we buy gold or cash for gold" shops they sometimes have a huge amount of gold plated and gold filled that is bought along with a lot of karat gold or is mistaken for karat gold and don't know what to do with it. They may let you give them a offer to purchase their box of non karat gold.
 
Golddigger76 said:
If you have any "we buy gold or cash for gold" shops they sometimes have a huge amount of gold plated and gold filled that is bought along with a lot of karat gold or is mistaken for karat gold and don't know what to do with it. They may let you give them a offer to purchase their box of non karat gold.
Click to expand...
Is there a formula for pricing it profitably? I wouldn't know where to start. I've traded, bought, and sold most of my life, but that's when I have a buyer in mind or know what the resale value is.
 
the problem with that calculator is that any seller that finds it thinks they are sitting on a" gold mine" and then want to ask spot value or higher , much like most ebay sellers nowadays. even after patiently trying to explain to them the costs of refining and the value of my time they still don't get it. then try to explain to them that the calculator is innacurate because in many cases 50% of the gold has been worn off many pieces after 100 years of wear.
 
For Shruli and any others wondering we call gold filled rolled gold in the UK so the same thing the only difference is the carat gold used to clad the item.
As has been pointed out with wear the gold content will drop and it’s probably already below actual content when sold new as any finishing or polishing will remove some gold as the gold is what’s on show not the base metal behind or under it so it has to look pretty and shiny.
 
scrappyjoe said:
hi

looking to get started and just putting some feelers out for any gold filled scrap.

advice is always welcome as well.

what is the going rate or a fair rate to pay for gold filled so that everybody kind of wins ?

been looking at ebay but the prices are just crazy , or seem to be, no matter how i do the math.

replied to a few posts in the for sale section but they all seem like abandoned threads.

been collecting some e-waste for a while, but that is becoming a pita as well ... i don't have a 1000 sq feet to play in ... and modern electronics don't look that promising...and the eventual mess just doesn't seem to justify the time or any possible reward .

been collecting some sterling as well, but that as well is more for hobby than ever breaking even ....

so ... suggestions ? offers?

i'm in toronto canada

thanks
Click to expand...
it will be very difficult for you to find good stuff with a good price, on small online market the price of scrap plated stuff is bigger than amount of precious metal that you will recover.
I don't recommend you to start recovering precious metals for money because in your situation is not worth, you live in Canada you can easily take a job and work you will get more money working.
If you wanna recover precious metals like a hobby everything is okay, you can start searching scrapers who make dumbster diving and try to buy from them electronic scrap giving them a better price than junkyard this is the simplest way.
 

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