GUIDES
Jewelry buy vs recycle
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Searches such as “is recycling gold worth it?” often subtract this site’s estimated sell from the recycle column and treat the gap as a personal loss. Those figures answer different questions. Theoretical buy is an international reference restated in TWD. Estimated sell only sketches the premium when you buy from a shop. The recycle estimate only sketches fine-gold content when a shop buys from you. This page separates the directions. It does not copy or invent a shop sell price, a recycle bid, or a spread.
Three columns, three directions
The jewelry page lists theoretical buy, estimated sell and a theoretical recycle together. Theoretical buy is a COMEX gold reference (or a labeled public spot fallback) times Bank of Taiwan USD spot-sell, then TWD per qian. This site uses 1 qian = 3.75 grams. It is not what a shop will sell you, and not what a shop will pay you.
Estimated sell is theoretical buy plus about 4%, a fixed site assumption for a common ask band when you buy jewelry. It excludes making charges, brand and tax, and it is not a posted board. How to read that column is in “How to read jewelry gold prices.” Theoretical recycle multiplies theoretical buy by purity; the table column is often 999.9. It sketches fine-gold content when a shop buys from you, before assay, melt loss and fees. It is not a bid. The formula is in the recycling estimate guide.
Why sell minus recycle is not your loss
Estimated sell is not what you paid. A shop may add making charges, brand and tax that are outside the 4%. This site does not publish or invent any shop’s making charge. The recycle estimate is not what a shop will pay either. Karat pieces, settings and plating are often deducted further — see the purity guide. Subtracting estimated sell from the recycle estimate uses two non-trade numbers and does not yield “how much I lose.”
Bars should not inherit a jewelry expectation. Making charges on bars are often lower, but the bid and offer are still the shop’s own board, not theoretical buy. This site does not publish a spread band, and it does not treat “closer to the international price” as a price you can trade. See “Gold bars vs jewelry.”
Decide which question you are asking
If the question is where a purchase might sit in theory, read estimated sell on the jewelry page and remember it is not a board. If the question is fine-gold content for a recycle visit, use the recycling page: match purity and weight, then read the process. Do not type estimated sell into that calculator. The international print itself is on the COMEX page and today’s gold price. Do not subtract a USD-per-ounce figure from the recycle column.
Use the three columns only after you know the piece is gold. White gold needs the purity guide. Platinum and silver are other metals; do not run them through this table, and this site does not invent a platinum buy price. When the market is closed or delayed, quote pages keep the last valid print and label the status. Live figures stay on those pages. This article does not copy them.
HOW TO
Separate buy, sell and recycle before comparing
Choose estimated sell or the recycle estimate. These steps contain no board prices and do not subtract the columns.
- Write down the directionBuying from a shop and asking a shop to buy from you are opposite trades. Estimated sell serves only the first. The recycle column serves only the second.
- For a purchase, read what estimated sell isEstimated sell is theoretical buy plus about 4%. It excludes making charges and brand. It is not a shop board, and it is not subtracted from the recycle column.
- For recycling, use the fine-gold estimateMultiply theoretical buy by purity, and align grams or qian (1 qian = 3.75 g). Assay, melt loss and fees are not deducted. Read the purity guide before karat pieces.
- Do not give bars a jewelry expectationBars and jewelry do not share the same making-charge structure. This site publishes no spread band and invents no bar or jewelry trade price.
- Leave the trade to the shop’s same-day termsThis page has no shop’s sell price and no recycle bid. A theoretical figure is not a loss, a gain, or an amount you can require a shop to pay.
Related quote pages
This page only separates theoretical buy, estimated sell and the recycle estimate. It does not supply or invent a shop sell price, a recycle bid, or a spread. Making charges, tax, assay and fees are excluded. Not investment advice. No Product/Offer.
Jewelry buy vs recycle FAQ
Can I subtract the recycle estimate from estimated sell and call that my loss?
No. Estimated sell is not what you paid, and the recycle estimate is not what a shop will pay. The difference is not a loss. This site does not publish a spread band or invent a shop board.
If recycling is far below what I paid, is the calculator wrong?
Not necessarily. Jewelry purchases often include making charges and a retail premium. Recycling mostly follows fine-gold content and may deduct loss. The directions differ. Confirm the figure in store. We do not publish making charges.
Can I use this page to decide whether to recycle a gold bar?
Use it to separate directions, not to copy a jewelry expectation. Bars often carry lower making charges, but the price is still the shop’s own bid and offer, not theoretical buy. We do not invent a bar bid.
Does this site publish a normal gold buy-sell spread?
No. The 4% figure is only the fixed assumption behind estimated sell. It is not a spread standard and it excludes making charges. No normal spread and no shop board appear on this page.