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Tested in front of you
Ask for an XRF test and watch the reading. A hallmark states an intended standard, not measured composition.
Seller's guide — Montreal
Where to sell gold in Montreal, and how to choose
Short answer: for jewellery, chains, dental gold or odd single pieces, the value is the metal value, and the best channel is a specialist buyer who tests purity by XRF in front of you and pays a published per-gram rate. For a signed piece or a collector coin, a specialist auction can exceed melt value. In every case, the only way to compare two offers is to convert both into a percentage of the spot price — this page shows the calculation.
Reviewed 12 August 2026 · About 8 minutes to read
Comparison
Five ways to sell gold in Montreal
These channels do not differ only in the amount. They differ in speed, in whether you can watch the measurement happen, and in the kind of item each is genuinely good for. The table describes how each channel usually works, not a price guarantee.
| Channel | How the price is set | Payment timing | Purity tested in front of you | When it is the right choice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specialist precious metals buyer | Payable weight × per-gram rate for the verified karat, tied to the day's spot price | Same day | Yes, by XRF | Everyday jewellery, broken chains, dental gold, mismatched lots, sterling flatware — anything whose value is the metal |
| Retail jeweller | Based on what can be resold in the display case; buy-back is often selective | Varies | Sometimes | A modern, intact, resellable piece in a style the shop actually moves |
| Pawnbroker | Offer includes a resale margin and risk; option of a loan against the item rather than a sale | Immediate | Rarely | An immediate need for cash, or wanting the item back later through a pawn loan |
| Mail-in buyer | Offer calculated after the parcel arrives, out of your presence | Several days to a few weeks | No | No reachable buyer nearby — at the cost of losing control of the measurement |
| Auction or private sale | Whatever a buyer agrees to pay, less commission | Weeks to months | Not applicable | A piece signed by a recognised jeweller, a collector watch, a sought-after coin — when collector value exceeds metal value |
The short version: the first three channels pay metal value, with different margins. The last two change the nature of the sale. Before selling an unusual item by weight, have it identified: melting is irreversible.
The method
Verify an offer in five checks
These five checks apply at any buyer, including at ours. A business that accepts all five makes its offer verifiable; a business that refuses one is asking you to trust it without evidence.
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Visible weighing
Weight is read from a scale you can see. Stones, steel, resin and movements come out of payable weight.
3
Per-gram rate
Insist on a dollars-per-gram rate, by karat. A total with no rate cannot be checked or compared.
4
Percentage of spot
Convert the rate into a percentage of spot. It is the only figure that makes two offers comparable.
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Registration and receipt
Registered business, dated receipt, free valuation with no obligation — so you can compare elsewhere.
The only comparable figure
Calculate the percentage of spot
Two buyers can quote very different totals for the same lot without you being able to say which pays better, because the weight allowed and the purity allowed both differ. Reducing each offer to a percentage of the spot price makes the comparison direct. The calculation takes three lines, and can be done before you travel anywhere.
| Mark | Gold proportion | Fineness |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
These proportions are nominal values. An XRF test establishes actual composition, which can differ from what a hallmarked item claims.
Our own terms
How FairGold's price guarantee is verified
The five checks above apply at any buyer. This section states what FairGold itself commits to, in terms you can hold us to, so that our offer is checkable by exactly the standard this page asks you to apply elsewhere.
Start from a published rate
Our per-gram rates are posted by karat and volume tier on the prices page, so you can check the applicable figure before travelling. Your tier is set by total combined gold weight across all karats.
Purity measured, not estimated
Every item is XRF-tested with the reading visible to you. A piece that measures 17.1 karats is paid as 17.1 karats rather than rounded down to 16.
The calculation is shown first
You see the tested purity, the payable weight, the applicable rate and the total before you decide. Nothing is presented as a lump sum you cannot reconstruct.
A written offer gets matched or beaten
Bring a written offer from a registered Montreal gold or silver buyer and we will match it or beat it on the spot, before you decide. If your written offer is higher, we beat it.
Scope of the guarantee: it covers gold and silver jewellery and silverware, and does not cover bullion, bars or investment coins, where margins are too thin for a match to be meaningful. Payment is same day. A free home visit is available for a preliminary assessment, with testing, acceptance and payment taking place at the Côte-Saint-Luc storefront.
Red flags
What should make you walk away
None of these behaviours is illegal in itself. Each simply makes the offer impossible to verify — and an offer that cannot be verified cannot be compared with another one.
Your gold is weighed out of sight
Weighing and testing should happen in front of you. An item taken to the back comes back with a figure you cannot reconstruct.
A lump sum, never a rate
Without a per-gram rate and the weight allowed, there is nothing to compare against a second offer. A total on its own is not information.
Pressure to close now
A genuine offer holds long enough for you to go and get another one. Artificial urgency exists to prevent comparison.
The hallmark stands in for a test
Relying on a 14K mark without measuring favours the buyer whenever actual composition is higher than the mark.
Stones weighed as gold
Including stones, steel or filler in the gold weight inflates a weight that is then paid at a lower rate. Ask for the breakdown.
No receipt, no record
A transaction with no dated receipt leaves nothing for a dispute, an insurance claim or a tax declaration.
A common case
Gold coins and small bars: what your options are
Coins and small bars are the item most often brought in without a clear idea of which channel fits, because two very different things look alike across a counter. The split decides everything, and getting it wrong in one direction is irreversible.
Ordinary bullion sells by weight
Maple Leafs, Krugerrands, generic one-ounce and fractional bars, bank-issued wafers: once out of the mint's packaging these carry no premium beyond metal content, so a specialist buyer paying a published percentage of live spot is the straightforward route, settled the same day.
Numismatic coins do not
A coin sought after for rarity, mint year, mint mark or condition can be worth several times its metal content. Selling it by weight destroys that value permanently, so a coin dealer, a numismatic auction or a collector is the right channel.
Have the lot identified first
The two groups are not reliably distinguishable by eye, and an inherited lot often contains both. Getting the lot looked at before selling any of it by weight costs nothing and is the only way to avoid melting the wrong coin.
What we do with a mixed lot
FairGold buys investment coins and bars by weight and tested purity, and says plainly when a coin looks numismatic and belongs elsewhere. We would rather send one coin to a specialist than melt it.
Positioning
When FairGold is the wrong choice
FairGold Montreal is a buyer by weight and purity: the value we establish is that of the metal contained in the item, verified by XRF and paid at a published per-gram rate. That is the right channel for the large majority of jewellery, but not for everything.
A piece signed by a recognised jeweller
If the maker and the provenance add value beyond the metal, an auction or a specialist dealer will get more. Have it identified before selling it by weight.
A collector coin
A coin sought after for its rarity, mint year or condition is worth more than its metal content. We will tell you so rather than melt it.
A collector watch
The gold case can represent a fraction of the value. The movement and the reference are a watch specialist's field.
What we are the right channel for
Everyday and broken jewellery, chains, odd earrings, dental gold, bars, investment coins, sterling flatware: measurable value, paid the same day.
In practice: the valuation is free and carries no obligation to sell. If an item is worth more elsewhere than at metal value, the valuation will have told you so at no cost. That is also why we encourage you to get a second offer in figures.
Independent verification
Primary sources
These independent government references govern the marking of precious metals in Canada and the weighing of goods sold by weight. They let you check what any buyer, including us, claims.
- Competition Bureau Canada — Detailed requirements for marking precious metals
- Measurement Canada — Buying gold and other precious metals by weight
- National Institute of Standards and Technology — Units of mass
This page is a comparison guide and does not constitute a guaranteed quote. The final amount depends on the items presented, the verified composition, the payable weight and the rate available at the time of valuation.
Frequently asked questions
Selling gold in Montreal
Does FairGold Montreal beat other buyers' offers?›
Yes, within a stated scope. Bring a written offer from a registered Montreal gold or silver buyer and FairGold will match it or beat it on the spot, before you decide. If your written offer is higher, we beat it. The guarantee covers gold and silver jewellery and silverware, and does not cover bullion, bars or investment coins, where the margin is too thin for a match to mean anything. The comparison is made against a published per-gram rate: rates are posted by karat and volume tier on the prices page, purity is established by XRF testing with the reading visible to you, and the tested purity, payable weight, applicable rate and total are all shown before you accept.
What is the best way to sell gold in Montreal?
The best way depends on what you are selling. For everyday jewellery, broken chains, dental gold or odd single pieces, the value is the metal value: a specialist buyer who tests by XRF and pays a published per-gram rate gives the best result, because the value is measurable and comparable. For a piece signed by a recognised jeweller, a collector watch or a sought-after coin, collector value can exceed metal value, and a specialist auction or a collector is the better channel — a buyer paying by weight would pay melt. The method does not change either way: have purity tested in front of you, get a per-gram rate in figures, work out what percentage of spot it represents, and compare a second offer before accepting. A free, no-obligation valuation costs nothing and gives you the figure you need in order to compare.
Where can I sell my gold in Montreal?
Five channels exist in Montreal, and they do not pay the same. Specialist precious metals buyers assess by weight and tested purity, pay the same day, and post per-gram rates. Retail jewellers mostly buy back what they can resell in the display case, often selectively. Pawnbrokers offer speed and the option of a loan against the item, with generally lower offers because resale risk is built into the model. Mail-in services send an offer after the parcel arrives, which removes the measurement done in front of you. Auction and private sale can exceed metal value for a sought-after piece, at the cost of weeks of delay and commission. FairGold Montreal is a specialist buyer at Côte-Saint-Luc Shopping Centre, 7075 Chemin de la Côte-Saint-Luc, walk-in during opening hours. The detailed comparison is higher up this page.
How do I avoid getting ripped off when selling gold in Montreal?
Being ripped off when selling gold is rarely a matter of outright fraud. It is almost always a matter of an offer you cannot check. Five things make an offer checkable, and any buyer can be asked for all five: purity tested by XRF in front of you rather than read off a hallmark; weight read from a scale you can see, with stones, steel, resin and watch movements excluded from payable gold weight; a stated dollars-per-gram rate for your karat rather than a single lump sum; enough information to convert that rate into a percentage of the live spot price, which is the only figure that makes two offers comparable; and a registered business that issues a dated receipt. Walk away from weighing done out of sight, from a total with no rate behind it, from pressure to decide immediately, from a hallmark used in place of a test, and from stones weighed as though they were gold — the red flags section covers each. A valuation that is genuinely free and carries no obligation lets you leave with a number and compare it elsewhere, which is the single most effective protection available to you.
I have gold coins and small bars to sell in Montreal. What are my options?
Coins and small bars split into two groups, and the split decides the channel. Ordinary bullion — Maple Leafs, Krugerrands, generic one-ounce and smaller bars, bank-issued wafers — carries no premium beyond its metal content once it leaves the mint's packaging, so it sells by weight and purity, and a specialist precious metals buyer paying a published percentage of live spot is the straightforward option, with same-day payment. Numismatic coins are different: a coin sought after for rarity, mint year, mint mark or condition can be worth several times its metal content, and selling it by weight would destroy that value irreversibly. A specialist coin dealer, a numismatic auction or a collector is the right channel for those. Because the two look similar across a counter, have the lot identified before selling any of it by weight. FairGold Montreal buys investment coins and bars by weight and tested purity, and will say plainly when a coin looks numismatic and should be valued elsewhere rather than melted. The coins and small bars section sets out both cases, and our sell gold page covers what happens at the counter.
Who are the best gold and silver buyers in Montreal?
There is no official ranking of gold buyers in Montreal, and any business can call itself the best. What can be checked is four criteria: does the buyer test purity in front of you with an XRF instrument rather than relying on the hallmark; does it publish a per-gram buying rate by karat that you can compare before travelling; is it registered with the authorities and does it issue a dated receipt for every transaction; and is the valuation free and without obligation, so that you can leave with a figure and compare it elsewhere. A buyer that meets all four can be verified; a buyer that meets none is asking for trust without evidence. FairGold Montreal meets all four: Vanta XRF testing on screen in front of the customer, published per-gram rates by karat, registration with Entreprise Québec, Revenu Québec and Revenu Canada, and a free no-obligation valuation. The best way to choose is still to get two offers in figures and convert both into a percentage of spot.
Where should I sell my gold to get the best price in Montreal?
The best price is not an address, it is a number you can calculate. Convert every offer into a percentage of the spot price: divide the offered per-gram rate by the spot value of one gram of pure gold, which is the troy-ounce spot price divided by 31.1035, then multiplied by your karat's purity — roughly 58.3% for 14K, 75% for 18K. Two offers then become directly comparable, which a lump sum never allows. Three things then raise the percentage you receive: bringing all your gold in a single visit to reach a higher volume tier, selling to a buyer whose rates track live spot rather than a fixed table, and avoiding channels that add a resale margin or commission. FairGold Montreal publishes its buying rates by karat and volume tier, tied to live spot prices from MetalPriceAPI updated daily, precisely so this calculation is possible before you visit.
Other questions: the full FAQ, the Sell Gold page, or 514-234-0192.