I've never written a Yelp review. BUT, since I do not personally know anyone selling gold and who could thus benefit from my experience with American Gold Refinery I figured this would be as good a place as any to share it.
I had two gold items to unload. The first was a substantial piece, the second a relative trifle.
I concur with an earlier sentiment in these reviews. It is "absurd" that AGR does not have more positive reviews than it gets here.
If you are in the tri-state area and selling gold or jewelry DO NOT GO ANYWHERE ELSE but AGR. Do not waste your time or throw away your money with local jewelers. At the end of the day all those jewelers do is take your gold to AGR or other 47th Street refineries and pocket the difference between what they paid you and what AGR pays them.
I shopped around two pieces at some local jewelers in Astoria. I'd rather talk in dollars than percentages so to avoid being too-too gauche I'll focus on the trifle piece I sold 4/14/2021. A 14k gold necklace, 1/2 an ounce.
One local Astoria jeweler offered $215. Another offered $415. From the latter jeweler I came away thinking I could probably get $500 from AGR. I did. $500 for what one local jeweler offered less than 1/2 that amount.
Local jewelers are almost always the middleman when buying gold. They buy it from you at a percentage less than the refineries would, then sell it to the refineries. American Gold Refinery, per its name, is the refinery. Some jewelers will take 15%, others in excess of 50%. AGR takes about 6-7%. Why would you sell anywhere else?
The previous gold piece I sold to AGR was quite a bit more substantial. I had never sold gold before and was nervous about getting ripped off or taken advantage of. I was also just plain nervous all around letting go what could be called a family heirloom.
Before settling on AGR I shopped this gold piece around to local jewelers. These encounters only stoked my anxieties. They played hard sell (hard buy?). Some of them yelled at me, increasing their buy offers only by double-digit figures every time I turned around to leave. Others chalantly offered prices I knew, from my research, were substantially less than the gold was worth. One even took my gold piece off to a place in his shop where I could not see it, a total no-no in this realm.
I am so glad I chose AGR for that sale, and not solely because they paid so much more than the others offered. AGR treated me with respect, kindness, even curiosity about who I am and what I do.
The transaction at AGR was conducted with 100% transparency. I believe the main person I worked with was named Arnold but AGR, if you are reading this, don't hate me if I'm wrong.
Unlike that aforementioned local jeweler he made sure the gold piece was in my sight throughout the transaction. The cash was on hand for immediate payment. The local jewelers all told me I would have to come back later so they could get cash from their bank or arrange to have a check cut, or somesuch. It was enough to make me think it was some kind of setup. Paranoid, I know, but as a first-time gold seller can you blame me for being a little over-careful and anxious?
Bottom line: If you are selling gold, silver, or jewelry in these parts do not go anywhere else but American Gold Refinery. I only wish I had more reason and opportunity to do business with them. Welcome to my first-ever Yelp review! Haha. read more
