Frequently asked questions

What We Buy

We will buy as much gold, silver or platinum as you wish to sell. No matter how much you send, we will make it as easy and secure as possible for you to get it to us. Your shipment is automatically covered up to $500. If – based on your estimate using our Prices We Pay page – you believe that we would pay more than $500 for your items, before shipping please email or call us for special-handling assistance, at customerservice@shophqgoldexchange.com or 1-888-434-3518.

The price we offer is based only on the items’ gold, platinum, or silver content. We cannot remove, return, or compensate for stones. If your jewelry contains stones that you wish to keep, we encourage you to remove them before shipping. Tiny diamonds, however, are of negligible value and generally not worth the effort to remove them.

Shipping

The first step is registering for a Gold Seller account with us. Next, select one of our two shipping methods:

  1. Have us mail you a free shipping kit with your free prepaid USPS label included.
  2. Print your free prepaid USPS label online for immediate shipping.

Regardless of the option you select, you’ll receive a unique Transaction Number, a USPS tracking number, and an email confirmation.

If you use our kit, simply follow the enclosed instructions. If you print your own label, be sure to pack your items in a sturdy, well-sealed mailer or box, and affix your USPS label to the package.

When your package is ready give to the Post Office, make sure it is scanned for acceptance by the U.S. Postal Service. USPS will not honor any claim for a lost package that has not been scanned to verify acceptance. Dropping your package in a mailbox, or handing it to USPS personnel without having the label scanned, may not guarantee valid proof of shipping.

If you need assistance with our online form, or if you’d prefer to register via phone, call us at 1-888-434-3518 and we’ll be happy to help.

Yes, but you must first Contact Us for special instructions.

Yes, but we cannot return jewelry boxes or bags. Please don’t send us any packaging materials that you wish to keep.

Depending on your “Ship From” location, your shipment will take 1-3 business days to arrive. Sundays and major US legal holidays are excluded.

You can track your shipment by logging in to our site as an Existing Seller, by visiting USPS.com and entering your tracking number, or by calling USPS at 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777). As soon as we receive your package, we’ll send you an email alert. We document the opening of your package by video, which enables you to observe your items being unpacked and weighed by our knowledgeable, experienced assayers, and verifies that we received everything you enclosed.

On rare occasions, a package may be damaged or lost in transit. To prevent monetary loss, we strongly urge you to make sure that USPS electronically scans your label’s tracking barcode for acceptance into its system.

Your shipment is automatically covered for up to $500. If – based on your estimate using our Prices We Pay page – you believe that we would pay more than $500 for your items, before shipping please email or call us for special-handling assistance, at customerservice@shophqgoldexchange.com or 1-888-434-3518.

We want you to have peace of mind when using our Gold Exchange program. We carefully keep track of every shipment given to USPS. If your package fails to arrive within a reasonable timespan after its expected delivery date, we’ll ask you for a description of your items so we can compensate you. Please note: if you choose to use a carrier other than USPS, you will be responsible for filing any claims with your carrier.

Security & Accuracy

Your peace of mind is important to us, because you are entrusting us with your valuables and counting on us to pay you a fair price, and we value your trust. We take security extremely seriously, and assume full responsibility for your property while it is on our premises. All deliveries to our Refinement Services center are immediately logged into our system. Our video receiving method assures our Sellers of the highest level of transparency in the industry. Our facility is equipped with alarm systems and multiple surveillance cameras, and only two high-level staffers can access our vault – if neither one is on site, the vault cannot be opened. We are also insured by Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company.

Our employees are carefully screened and trained in the latest, most accurate precious-metals assaying methods. Our scales are regularly tested and government-certified, and we weigh every item at least three times: (1) during the receiving video (at which time the gross weight of your items is recorded in our system), (2) during processing, and (3) upon final management approval – ensuring that nothing, no matter how small, ever falls through the cracks.

Process

We use environmentally-friendly X-ray fluorescence (XRF) for the most accurate and reliable results. No toxic or corrosive chemicals are used in the testing of your jewelry. Our assayers also rigorously inspect each item, relying on their years of experience handling, scrutinizing, and evaluating countless precious-metal items of all kinds.

Payment

The amount we pay is based on precious-metal content only, because all of our Sellers’ items must be evaluated fairly, using the same criteria, and by the same standards. After you accept your payment, your items will be melted down for refinement.

We use three critical factors to determine the value of your items:

  • Precious Metal Purity (karat value or percentage)
  • Precious Metal Weight (excluding any stones, etc.)
  • Market-Based Price (on the day your shipment is received – see Prices We Pay)

New retail fine jewelry pricing is based on a great deal of added value above just the precious-metal raw materials. And appraisals performed for legal or insurance purposes are known to be inflated to well over the retail price. The bottom line is: what you originally paid for your jewelry (or had it appraised for) – as beautiful new jewelry to be worn and enjoyed for years – is not the same as what the actual pure gold or silver is worth on a given day, as scrap precious metal to be melted down and refined. For most pre-owned jewelry it would be unrealistic to expect to receive anything close to your original retail cost or appraisal value. Its remaining value is its precious-metal content.

We send your payment as soon as your items are evaluated and your payment is approved by Management – generally no later than the end of the next business day following receipt of your shipment. When you first register for a kit or label, you are offered a choice of three payment methods:

  1. Check by US Mail – First-Class Mail usually takes 3-10 days to arrive. You retain the option to return the check and have us return your items, at our expense.
  2. eCheck – Your eCheck is immediately emailed to you. Print and use it like any other paper check – bank, mobile deposit, etc. You retain the option to return the printed eCheck and have us return your items, at our expense.
  3. PayPal – Instant online money transfer. You retain the option to return the PayPal payment and have us return your items, at our expense.

No matter which payment method you’ve chosen, we’ll email you as soon as your payment is sent. In the email we’ll encourage you to log back in to your Seller Account to see your video and review your transaction details. If you chose to be paid by a check in the mail, you’ll see the amount in your Seller Account before the check arrives in a few days. If you chose eCheck or PayPal, at this point you should have already received your eCheck email or PayPal payment – if you haven’t, please let us know ASAP. You can always Contact Us if you have any questions about your transaction.

We will consider your payment as accepted and your transaction as closed after:

  • You cash or deposit your check or eCheck;
  • 48 hours pass after your PayPal payment was sent.

At that point, your items will be melted down for refinement and will no longer be returnable.

Our Satisfaction Guarantee

Simply Contact Us and ask to have your transaction placed on hold. Then mail back your uncashed check or uncashed printed eCheck to: R. S. LLC, PO Box 507, Cedarhurst, NY 11516. For a PayPal return, you must request our PayPal refund instructions within 48 hours of payment. Once we receive back your payment, we’ll ship your items back to you at our expense. You will receive an email notification confirming your return shipment.

Unfortunately, we cannot separate out specific items from shipments and return them. Please send only items that you’re willing to part with if you later accept the payment. The only way to get any items back is to decline your payment and have us return your entire shipment. In that case we’ll enclose a new kit with your return, which you can use to ship items back to us for payment under a new transaction.

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“Just want to drop you a note to let you know how impressed I am with your system. It’s incredible!!! I will be sure to let family and friends know. Thank you so much!”

Carol in Rhode Island

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“Thank you! My transaction was so smooth and my check was sent to me lightning fast. I was very pleased with the amount you gave me for my gold. You have such an impeccable reputation in the jewelry business, I knew I could trust you. I have already referred several of my friends. The whole transaction from start to finish was a very pleasant one. Thanks again.”

Lillian in Ohio

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“Just wanted to let you know I received the check yesterday and am very pleased with the whole experience. I am very pleased with the promptness of getting the check and also the amount. Thank you very much!”

Mary in West Virginia

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