Cash for gold: the three numbers that decide what you are paid

Cash for gold is decided by three numbers: purity, weight and the rate per gram. You should be shown each one before anyone names a total. We are in Noida Extension (Greater Noida West), and pickups cover Delhi NCR. The same three questions apply at any counter you visit.

A poor counter rarely lies about the total. It hides a cut inside one of the three numbers, where you cannot see it. So the safest habit is simple. Ask to see each number on its own, in this order.

What is purity, and how should it be shown to me?

Purity is how much of your piece is actual gold. The rest is other metal, mixed in to make jewellery hard enough to wear. Most purana sona is 22 karat, often written as 916. Older or hand-made pieces can read differently.

A fair reading looks like this:

• The piece is tested in front of you, not taken to a back room.
• You see the result on the karatmeter screen yourself.
• The test touches the piece in a way that reflects the whole piece, not one soldered spot.
• The number is said aloud and you are told which number will be used.

At our counter, we test your gold on a karatmeter while you watch. If a buyer says "this is lower than the stamp" and does not show you a reading, ask one thing: "Can I see the screen?" A stamp can be wrong, and a worn piece can read a little differently. A reading you can look at settles that. A reading you are only told about does not.

If you want to know what happens during the test, read how a karatmeter reading is taken. For what the stamp does and does not prove, see what a karat stamp does not tell you.

How is my gold weighed, and what should I check?

Weight is the second number, and it is the easiest one to get wrong without anyone noticing. You are paid for the gold, so the weight should be the weight of the piece in grams, read off a scale you can see.

Check these four things:

1. The scale display faces you, or the buyer turns it so you can read it.
2. The scale shows zero before your piece goes on.
3. The weight is stated in grams. If your family thinks in tola, ask for the gram figure and convert it yourself.
4. Every piece is weighed, and the weights are noted down as you go.

The cut here is often quiet. A buyer may weigh a set together and then deduct for "stones" or "dirt" without showing you what was taken off. Some pieces do have stones, meena or lac work that is not gold. That is fair to take off, but you should see it taken off, and be told the reason. The post on stones, meena and clasps explains how this works. We buy gold only, so we do not buy or value stones.

If the weight is not shown, ask: "Can you read me the weight in grams, and the weight after any deduction?" Two numbers, not one. For more on grams and tola, see how your gold is weighed.

What rate should I be given for cash for gold?

The third number is the rate per gram, and it is the one buyers talk about most and explain least. The rate printed in the news is a reference. What a shop pays is worked out from a rate for your purity, and that is the number to ask about. We explain the gap in why the published rate is not your payout.

A fair way to be shown the rate:

• The buyer names the rate per gram for your purity, out loud or in writing.
• You can compare it with a rate you checked yourself. Our own page is at gold rate today, and how to check the rate before you sell shows other ways.
• If there is a difference from the published figure, the buyer can say what it is and why.

Ask this if the rate is not shown: "What rate per gram are you using for my purity?" If the answer is a total only, with no rate, you cannot tell where the cut is. A total with no rate behind it is the single most common way a poor counter hides its margin.

Why do the three numbers matter more than the total?

Because the total is only these three multiplied together. If you have purity, weight and rate, you can check any total yourself with a phone calculator at the counter. If you do not have them, you can only trust or not trust. Nobody should ask a first-time seller to do that when the gold may be needed for something important.

This is also how you compare two shops fairly. A higher total at one shop can hide a lower purity reading, or a heavier deduction. Comparing the three numbers shows which shop is actually better. For why two quotes differ, see why two shops quote different rates.

We do not print a figure for your piece before it is tested. The amount is worked out at the counter once purity and weight are read in front of you.

What if a buyer will not show me one of the numbers?

Then stop and take your time. Nothing has to happen today. You can pick up your gold, say you will think about it, and go. A buyer who is straight with you will not mind. A buyer who gets short with you has told you something.

Before you carry anything anywhere, the five questions to ask any buyer are worth reading. If you are unsure whether a shop is right, our guide to choosing a gold buyer in Noida Extension covers what to look for.

If you want us to walk you through a piece before you decide, call or WhatsApp 9217742656 and ask what to bring. For a plain description of what the visit looks like, read cash for gold: what you actually get, how it is paid, and what to bring. For gold bechna hai questions in Hindi, our page on gold bechna hai answers them in the language you use at home.

Questions people ask

What decides how much I get for cash for gold? Three things: the purity of your gold, its weight in grams, and the rate per gram for that purity. Ask to see each one before a total is named.

Can I check the weight and purity myself at a gold shop? Yes. You can ask to read the scale and the karatmeter screen. A buyer who tests in front of you has nothing to hide from a careful seller.

Who can I call to ask before I come in? Call or WhatsApp 9217742656. You can ask what to bring and how the test is done, with no commitment to sell.

How the karatmeter reading is taken · Why the published rate is not your payout