Getting Gold Dealer Prices
While the value of processed gold is clear twice a day, it is nearly impossible to know what individual gold nuggets or groups of them are worth. Even if you are not going to sell your gold nuggets on Ebay, you should view their completed auctions to get an idea of what the high market value of your gold nuggets might be. Buyers, sellers, and jewelers keep a close watch on the prices gold nuggets are being sold for on Ebay.
Knowing how much to ask for your gold nuggets, and what you are likely to be paid for them is an important step. Equally important is establishing the credibility you will need to be a successful Ebay seller. This is done by raising your feedback score through successful transactions. Your positive feedback score will need to be relatively high (at least 90%), and buyer confidence increases with the number of transactions you have made.
Even with established credibility on Ebay, some buyers will look to see if you have actually been selling gold nuggets. To make a smooth transition into bigger sales, consider making your first few auctions for only a small portion of what you will eventually be selling. You will probably notice that successful sellers tend to auction their better nuggets separately. It is also a good idea to hold these back until your final auctions, since your previous gold nugget sales will have elevated your credibility on Ebay.
Look at the listings for the gold nuggets that have sold for high prices, and the descriptions and pictures that were used by their sellers. Having your own style is fine, but you want to use some key elements and phrases in your auction. Try to take pictures of your nuggets that will get a buyer's attention. Show multiple sides of the nuggets you think a prospective buyer will be most interested in, and include at least one image of your nuggets on a gem scale.
Give careful consideration to how your auctions will be structured, in terms of what will be included in each. It is often best to combine nuggets of a similar size if you wish to sell them in groups. If you have a significant amount of gold flakes, selling them together in one auction should fetch a good price. It is usually best to sell nuggets that are likely to go for a premium price separately on Ebay.
While there are some items on Ebay that can benefit from being a "Featured Auction" or otherwise highlighted in their search results, such options are fairly expensive. If you are selling gold, buyers will find it. Someone who is willing to invest that kind of money is going to do a thorough search before bidding or buying, looking at most or all of the auctions for the type and quantity of gold they wish to purchase. The best way to highlight your auction will be to write it in a way that seems highly credible, and to have pictures that attract attention to your gold nuggets.
Once you have begun auctioning your gold nuggets, answer questions and read suggestions from prospective buyers. Compare the number of times your item was viewed to the view count of similar auctions, and consider minor editing that may increase interest in your auction. When a gold nugget listing ends with a sale, inform the buyer of any other gold nuggets you are intending to sell.
Keep in mind that Ebay is also a good option based upon the security it typically affords to people selling something that may otherwise run them into a scam. Craigslist is a great resource for sellers of a number of goods and services, but gold is not one of them. While selling a lawnmower on Craigslist and meeting the buyer in a parking lot to complete the transaction is entirely reasonable, advertising gold on Craigslist can attract scam artists who wish to rob you in person or burglarize your home. Having your gold nuggets stolen is a foolproof way to ensure that you will not get the best price for them.
