Metal that lasts
How to Buy Gold Online Without Getting Scammed
Melt value is a calculator, not a feeling. A 10 g “14k” chain at $99 when melt is $400+ is fake, hollow, or stolen. Demand stamps, grams, and a return.
Updated 27 Aug 2026 · 8 min read · how to buy gold online without getting scammed
The arithmetic before the cart
Look up the live gram price of gold. Multiply by 0.375 (9k), 0.417 (10k), 0.583 (14k), or 0.750 (18k), then by the grams in the listing. Retail on a simple chain is melt plus $50–$200 of labor, sometimes more for a brand. Under melt is the loudest alarm. Eight times melt on a plain 2 mm cable is a brand tax; that is not a scam, it is a choice.
Hollow chains list a millimetre and hide the grams. Demand grams. A 18 inch 3 mm “solid” at 3 g is hollow or plate. Solid 3 mm 18 inch 14k is a serious weight.
Photos, stamps, and the words that mean plate
Macro of the clasp or inner band: 14k, 585, 18k, 750, 10k, 417, GF, 14/20. GP, HGE, “18k gold plated,” “gold dipped,” and no stamp means plate. A stamp that is too deep, too centered, or only on a jump ring is a prop. Run the same suspicion you would with in-person testing — the camera is not an XRF gun. After it arrives, weigh it on a $15 jeweler scale. If the listing said 8.0 g and your scale says 3.2 g, return it the same day.
| Red flag | What it usually is |
|---|---|
| Under melt on “solid 14k” | Fake, plate, or stolen |
| No grams, only mm | Hollow or plate |
| “Italian gold” with no number | Not a hallmark |
| Final sale, overseas, 4.2 stars | Your chargeback is the warranty |
| 14k and GP in the same sentence | Plate |
| Stock photo only | Could be anything |
Who to buy from anyway
A maker who lists karat, grams, and inner diameter, with a 30-day return, is the job. A local jeweler’s site with a phone number. A platform with actual buyer protection you will use. When it arrives, XRF if the ticket is over $300. Keep the listing screenshots until the return window closes. If they refuse a hallmark photo before purchase, there is no purchase.
Questions, answered
- Is gold-filled a scam when sold as gold?
- Gold-filled sold as GF / 14/20 is honest. Gold-filled sold as “solid 14k” is a scam. The stamp should match the sentence.
- Are pawn-app videos a good test?
- A magnet video proves it is not iron. Brass also fails a magnet. Without weight and XRF you have theatre.
- What if customs seized my “14k” chain?
- That is a shipping and declaration problem on top of a jewelry problem. Buy from someone who already has the piece in your country when the amount hurts.
