Pop-up and hotel "buying events"
Advertised for a few days, then gone. No permanent address means nowhere to return with a question or a complaint.
Seller protection guide — Montreal
How to avoid getting ripped off selling gold in Montreal
Short answer: never accept an offer you cannot check. Before you say yes, you should have watched your gold being tested (by XRF, not just read off the hallmark) and weighed on a scale you can see, and you should hold a written, itemised offer showing the payable weight, the tested purity and a dollars-per-gram rate for each karat. Convert that rate into a percentage of the live spot price, get a second offer, and walk away from pressure, lump sums and anything done out of sight. A legitimate buyer will agree to every one of these.
Published 27 October 2026 · About 9 minutes to read
The checklist
Ten checks, from your kitchen table to the receipt
Getting ripped off when selling gold is rarely outright fraud. It is almost always an offer you had no way to check. These ten steps make every offer checkable, at any buyer, including us.
Before you go
- Sort by karat and weigh at homeGroup pieces by hallmark (10K / 417, 14K / 585, 18K / 750) and weigh each group in grams on a kitchen scale. It will not be exact, but you will notice if a buyer's figure is far off. Set aside anything signed, antique or collectible.
- Check today's spot price and posted ratesNote the gold spot price in Canadian dollars the day you sell and look for buyers that publish per-gram rates by karat. A buyer who will not state any rate before you travel is asking you to negotiate blind.
- Check that the buyer is a real, fixed businessA permanent address, a Québec enterprise number (NEQ), tax registrations and a long review history. A hotel room booked for the weekend has none of these.
At the counter
- Watch the purity testAsk for an XRF test and look at the reading on screen. A hallmark is a claim, not a measurement. If acid is used, ask where the scratch will be made before it happens.
- Watch the weighing, from zeroThe scale display should face you and read zero before your items go on, in grams. Scales used in trade in Canada are regulated by Measurement Canada.
- Have each karat weighed and priced separately18K mixed in with 10K and paid at the 10K rate is one of the most common ways sellers lose money without noticing.
- Have every deduction explainedStones, steel clasps, springs, resin and watch movements are not gold and may be deducted, but you should be told what was deducted and how it was measured.
Before you accept
- Get the offer in writing, itemisedWeight per karat, tested purity, rate per gram, any fees and the total. If the paper does not add up to the total, ask why.
- Convert to a percentage of spot and get a second offerThe percentage of spot is the only figure that compares two buyers fairly. A genuine offer survives a trip to a second counter.
- Leave with a dated receiptBusiness name, address, registration, date, items, weight, purity and amount paid. Expect to show ID: a buyer who records the sale properly is behaving the way a legitimate business should.
The one rule behind all ten: if you cannot see it, measure it or read it on paper, do not accept it. A free, no-obligation valuation lets you leave with a figure and compare, which is the most effective protection you have.
Know the tricks
12 tactics that cost sellers money
Most of these are not illegal on their own. Each one simply moves money from you to the buyer in a way that is hard to notice at the counter. Every one has a simple defence.
| Tactic | How it costs you | Your defence |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Weighing out of sight | A weight you cannot verify. A few grams off on a 14K lot is real money. | Ask to see the display, from zero, before and after your items go on. |
| 2. Mixing karats together | The whole lot is paid at the lowest karat's rate. | Ask for each karat to be weighed and priced on its own line. |
| 3. Rounding purity down | A piece that tests at 17.1K is paid as 14K, or a 14K mark is paid as 10K "to be safe". | Ask what the test read and which purity the rate applies to. |
| 4. "It's probably plated" | Real gold is dismissed and bought for next to nothing. | Ask for a test result, not an opinion. An XRF reading settles it in seconds. |
| 5. Unit games | Rates quoted per pennyweight (1.555 g) or per "ounce" without saying troy (31.1 g) or ordinary (28.35 g) look higher and cannot be compared. | Ask for dollars per gram, for your karat. |
| 6. Advertising the pure-gold price | A headline "$X per gram" applies only to 24K or the top volume tier. Your 10K is paid far less. | Ask the rate for your karat at your weight. |
| 7. The lump sum | "I'll give you $600 for all of it" hides the weight, purity and rate behind the number. | Ask how the total was calculated, line by line. |
| 8. Fees that appear at the end | Testing, melting, refining or "processing" fees subtracted after the quote. | Ask "Is this exactly what I will be paid?" before you agree. |
| 9. Generous deductions | Stones, clasps or "solder" estimated high and subtracted from gold weight. | Ask what was deducted and how it was measured. |
| 10. Pressure and expiring offers | "This price is only good right now" exists to stop you from comparing. | Ask for the offer in writing and how long it holds. Prices move with spot, but a fair offer does not vanish when you reach the door. |
| 11. Melting collectibles | A signed piece or a numismatic coin bought at melt value loses its collector value for good. | Have unusual pieces identified before anything is sold by weight. |
| 12. Taking your gold out of your presence | Mail-in kits and "we'll call you with a price" mean the measurement happens where you cannot see it, and the gold may be melted before you object. | Sell where you can watch. If you must mail, photograph, weigh and read the return terms first. |
Know the numbers
The figures a buyer should never be able to blur
Karat, unit and spot are the three numbers behind every gold offer. Know them before you go and most of the tactics above stop working.
| Mark | Gold content | Fineness stamp |
|---|---|---|
| 10K | About 41.7% | 417 |
| 14K | About 58.3% | 583 / 585 |
| 18K | 75.0% | 750 |
| 22K | About 91.7% | 916 / 917 |
| 24K | 99.9% and above | 999 |
1 gramThe unit to insist on
1 troy ounce= 31.1035 g · used for spot
1 ordinary ounce= 28.35 g · not used for gold
1 pennyweight (dwt)= 1.555 g · older US unit
Purities are nominal. An XRF test measures actual composition, which can differ from what a hallmark claims, in either direction.
Word for word
8 questions to ask any gold buyer
Ask these out loud. A transparent buyer answers each in a sentence. Hesitation, vagueness or irritation is itself an answer.
- "Can I watch you test and weigh it?"The answer should be yes, without conditions.
- "What did the test read for each piece?"You want a measured purity, not a guess from the stamp.
- "What is your rate per gram for this karat, at this weight?"Dollars per gram, by karat, and which volume tier applies.
- "Are you weighing and paying each karat separately?"Mixed karats should never be paid at the lowest rate.
- "What are you deducting, and why?"Stones, steel and springs, named and measured.
- "Are there any fees, or is this exactly what I will receive?"The total on paper should be the total in your hand.
- "Can I have this offer in writing, and how long does it hold?"So you can compare it with a second buyer.
- "Will I get a dated receipt with your business name and registration?"Your record for any dispute, insurance claim or tax question.
Higher risk
The riskiest ways to sell gold
Some situations make the checklist above hard or impossible to apply. That does not mean every operator in them is dishonest, but the odds shift against you.
Mail-in kits
The measurement happens out of your sight, and the offer arrives after your gold has left your hands. Read the return terms before you seal the envelope.
Buyers who come to your home
In-home visits and "gold parties" add social pressure and remove the second offer. Selling at a counter keeps the decision yours.
Selling under time pressure
Needing cash today is exactly when sellers skip the comparison. If you can, get the written offer first and decide an hour later.
No posted rates at all
A "We Buy Gold" sign without a single per-gram figure gives you nothing to measure the offer against.
Private buyers online
Marketplace buyers rarely test or weigh properly, and meeting a stranger with gold carries its own safety risk.
For an even-handed comparison of every channel (specialist buyer, jeweller, pawnbroker, mail-in, auction), see where to sell gold in Montreal.
Recourse
If you think you were ripped off
Keep everything: the written offer, the receipt, photos and your home weights. Then use the route that fits what happened.
Before you accept, you can simply leave
A valuation is not a commitment. You may take your items back and go elsewhere at any point before you agree to sell.
Doubts about the scale
Measurement Canada oversees scales used in trade and accepts complaints about inaccurate measurement. Note the date, the business and what you saw.
Misleading karat or quality claims
The Competition Bureau of Canada enforces the rules on how precious metals are marked and represented, and accepts complaints.
Deception or fraud
Report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and to the police. The Office de la protection du consommateur can tell you whether Québec's Consumer Protection Act applies to your situation.
Our own standard
How FairGold Montreal meets this checklist
A guide like this is only credible if its author can be held to it. Here is what you can expect at our counter in Côte-Saint-Luc, point by point.
| Check | What happens at FairGold |
|---|---|
| Purity tested in front of you | Every item is tested with a Vanta XRF analyser, with the reading on screen as you watch. Testing is non-destructive and free. |
| Weighing you can see | Items are weighed in grams on a Measurement Canada certified scale in view. |
| Each karat priced separately, at measured purity | Each karat is paid at its own rate, and a piece that measures 17.1K is paid as 17.1K, not rounded down. |
| Published rates per gram | Buying rates by karat and volume tier are on the prices page, updated every 30 minutes from 9 AM to 5 PM (Montreal time) on market days. |
| Itemised offer in writing, no hidden fees | You see tested purity, payable weight, rate and total before you decide, and you can take the written offer elsewhere to compare. |
| Registered business, dated receipt | NEQ 2267214114 (Entreprise Québec), QST 1040366991 TQ0002 (Revenu Québec), GST/HST 804348357 RT0001 (Revenu Canada). A receipt is issued for every transaction. |
| A second offer works in your favour | Best Price Guarantee: bring a written offer from a registered Montreal gold buyer for gold jewellery and we will match or beat it on the spot, before you decide. Bullion, bars and coins are excluded. |
| No pressure, same-day payment | The valuation is free with no obligation. If you sell, you are paid the same day. |
Where we are not the right choice: signed designer pieces, collector watches and numismatic coins can be worth more than their metal. We say so and point you elsewhere rather than buy them at melt. See when FairGold is the wrong choice.
Frequently asked questions
Avoiding gold-selling scams in Montreal
How do I avoid getting ripped off when selling gold in Montreal?
Never accept an offer you cannot check. Watch your gold being tested for purity (ideally by XRF, not just read off the hallmark) and weighed on a scale you can see. Have each karat weighed and priced separately, and have every deduction for stones or steel explained. Get the offer in writing with the payable weight, tested purity, rate per gram and total, then convert the rate into a percentage of the live spot price and compare it with a second offer. Walk away from weighing out of sight, lump sums with no rate, fees that appear at the end and pressure to decide on the spot. Leave with a dated receipt from a registered business. The 10-point checklist covers each step.
How can I tell if a gold buyer in Montreal is legitimate?
Look for things you can verify rather than claims. A legitimate buyer has a permanent address, a Québec enterprise number (NEQ) and tax registrations, publishes per-gram rates by karat, tests and weighs in front of you, gives the offer in writing and issues a dated receipt. It will also usually ask for ID and record the sale, which is a good sign. A buyer that operates from a hotel for a few days, will not state a rate, or refuses to show the scale is asking for trust without evidence.
How do I know if a gold offer is fair?
Convert it into a percentage of spot. Divide the spot price per troy ounce by 31.1035 to get the value of one gram of pure gold, multiply by your karat's purity (about 0.417 for 10K, 0.583 for 14K, 0.75 for 18K), then divide the offered rate per gram by that figure. The result is the share of the metal's market value you are being paid. Two offers in percentages are directly comparable; two lump sums are not. The worked example shows how a difference of a few dollars per gram adds up.
Are mail-in gold buyers and hotel buying events safe?
They carry more risk because they remove the protections that matter most. With a mail-in kit, the testing and weighing happen out of your sight and the offer arrives after your gold has left your hands. A pop-up event at a hotel leaves town after a few days, so there is nowhere to return with a question. If you use either, photograph and weigh your items first, keep the tracking and read the return terms before you send or sell anything.
Can a gold buyer damage my jewellery when testing it?
An acid test requires scratching the piece on a stone and, for some tests, filing into it, which can leave a mark. XRF testing reads the metal's composition from the surface without touching it. If a buyer uses acid, ask where they will test before they start. At FairGold Montreal every item is tested by XRF, at no charge.
What should I do if I think a gold buyer cheated me?
Keep the written offer, the receipt, photos and any weights you took at home. For concerns about scale accuracy, Measurement Canada accepts complaints about measurement in trade. For misleading karat or quality claims, contact the Competition Bureau of Canada. For deception or fraud, report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre and the police. The Office de la protection du consommateur can tell you whether Québec's Consumer Protection Act applies. Before you accept an offer, you can always take your items back and leave.
Why does a gold buyer ask for my ID?
Recording the seller's identity is normal practice for legitimate precious-metal buyers and helps keep stolen goods out of the trade. A buyer who pays without asking for any identification or giving a receipt is not offering you a better deal, just less protection.
Does FairGold Montreal beat other buyers' offers?
Yes, for gold jewellery. Bring a written offer from a registered Montreal gold buyer and FairGold will match or beat it on the spot, before you decide. Bullion, bars and coins are excluded, because they already trade close to spot. Rates are published by karat on the prices page, every item is XRF-tested in front of you, and the valuation is free with no obligation to sell.
More answers: the full FAQ, the Sell Gold page, or call 514-234-0192.
Independent verification
Primary sources
Independent government references on precious metal marking, measurement by weight and fraud reporting in Canada and Québec.
- Measurement Canada — Buying gold and other precious metals by weight
- Competition Bureau Canada — Detailed requirements for marking precious metals
- Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
- Office de la protection du consommateur (Québec)
This guide is general information, not legal advice, and is not a guaranteed quote. The final amount depends on the items presented, the verified composition, the payable weight and the rate in effect at the time of valuation.