If you’re looking for the best place to sell gold in the UK, the right answer depends on what kind of gold you own, its value, and how quickly you need the cash back in your pocket or bank account.
Whether you are looking to sell gold bullion, jewellery, or scrap gold, there’s usually one option that will give you the best price.
Read on to get a TL:DR answer, discover the 5 key factors you need to consider before selling your physical gold, and finally see your best options for each type of gold sale.
Why You Can Trust This Guide
The Pure Gold Company team has been helping clients navigate the precious metals market since 2014.
We are proud to be:
- Members of the London Bullion Market Association
- Official Partners of The Royal Mint
- Suppliers to the trade through our wholesale arm
- Voted the UK’s Best Gold Broker*
*Metals and Mining Review August 2025
Quick Answer (TL:DR)
Gold bullion (coins/bars)
Professional bullion dealers and brokers such as The Pure Gold Company, Bullion by Post or Stone X Bullion;
See below to see how they rank.
Gold jewellery
High-end: large auction houses such as Bonhams and Sotheby’s;
Quality but not antique: reputable jewellers; Lower-end: jewellers or eBay (with accurate descriptions).
Scrap gold
Certain bullion brokers such as Bullion by Post or Stone X Bullion, trade specialists such as Cookson Gold;
Avoid “cash 4 gold” shops unless urgent as their prices will be lower.
Urgent sales
If speed outweighs getting the best price, then pawnbrokers or “cash 4 gold” shops (lowest payout).
Or check with a bullion broker to see if they can fast-track.
Best Places to Sell Gold in the UK
One of gold’s greatest attractions is its ability to act as a store of wealth, no matter what form it may be in.
Our comprehensive guide will help you to make the right choice when it comes time to sell – whether you own gold bullion, gold jewellery or a selection of scrap gold.
All forms of gold are highly valued, and each has a “best option” for selling.
5 Key factors to consider before selling your gold
- How much gold are you selling?
- What form is your gold in?
- What purity is your gold?
- What condition is it in?
- How quickly do you need to sell it?
We’ll explain briefly why each of these matters and then we will get on to the best place to sell your gold.
1. How much gold are you selling?
This will make a big difference to who you choose to sell to, as different companies are more interested in either larger or smaller transactions. For example, The Pure Gold Company specialises in gold bullion amounts over £5,000. Whereas a local jewellers may be more interested in purchasing smaller amounts of lower-value gold jewellery.
Gold bullion coins and bars have identifiers on them which means you can check their specified weights (and purity) online.
2. What form is your gold in?
Gold bullion brokers like The Pure Gold Company trade exclusively in investment gold (gold bullion coins and bars) and hence many do not purchase scrap gold or jewellery.
By contrast, a “cash for gold” business will happily purchase any gold but are unlikely to give you the best price for bullion or quality jewellery. For antique or highly collectable gold jewellery, a specialist auction house may be your best option.
Don’t forget that if your item is only partially made of gold, you cannot base the gold value on the overall weight of the item.
3. What purity is your gold?
UK-minted gold bullion coins are either 22 or 24 carat gold (24 carat being 99.99% pure), whilst UK investment-grade gold bullion bars are 24 carat, meaning the entire weight of the bar can be considered as pure gold.
With jewellery, things get more complex as even 9 carat gold can be hallmarked (look for a .375 fineness stamp). If you had a 9 carat gold ring that weighed 10g, only 3.75g of that would be pure gold.
The World Gold Council has a good guide to different purities here: https://www.gold.org/about-gold/about-gold-jewellery
If your item isn’t hallmarked then testing its purity is the only sure way to know. A reputable gold purchasing business will do this for you before offering a price – it normally takes a few days.
4. What condition is your gold in?
Pure gold is very soft and can be easily damaged. This won’t affect the value of the actual gold content should it be melted down, but it can impact the overall value of the item.
The value of pure gold at any given time is based on the gold spot price. The value of an item above this price is known as the premium. For example, UK minted gold bullion coins typically carry a premium because of their tax-free status.
If your gold items are badly damaged, a scrap gold purchaser may be your only option.
5. How quickly do you need to sell your gold?
Some individual items of gold, such as hallmarked gold jewellery, are fairly easy and low-risk to value. But larger volumes of gold nearly always need testing, due to the values involved.
This process can take several days but is nearly always worth it in order to obtain the best price.
“If you are customer of The Pure Gold Company with your gold kept with us in secure storage then you don’t have to worry about timescales.
Because we know where your gold came from, and we know it hasn’t left our storage, we can normally repurchase it from you at a competitive price within a matter of hours. One of the many benefits of our Buyback Guarantee.”
Best places to sell gold bullion (bars or coins)
Based on our knowledge of the market and the reputations and accreditations of the businesses, these are in our opinion the best places to sell your gold bullion in the UK:
1) The Pure Gold Company
The Pure Gold Company heads this list because they tick every box for the serious gold investor: They are LBMA members, Royal Mint official partners and were voted the UK’s Best Gold Broker in 2025*.
- Existing customers benefit from a Buyback Guarantee that ensures they can sell their gold holdings back to The Pure Gold Company quickly at a competitive price without paying any additional fees.
- TPGC are rated “excellent” on Trustpilot and are “top-rated” on BullionDirectory.com.
The Pure Gold Company only deal with transaction values over £5,000 so won’t suit sellers of small amounts of bullion.
2) Bullion by Post
Bullion by Post are one of the UK’s biggest online bullion dealers and highly respected as a business. They are LBMA members (under the name of Jewellery Quarter Bullion Ltd – Bullion by Post is a trading name), rated “excellent” on Trustpilot and are happy to purchase small or large bullion volumes.
- You can find the live prices that Bullion by Post will purchase for on their website, and they purchase scrap gold (as well as scrap silver and scrap palladium) as well as good condition bullion.
3) Stone X Bullion
Stone X are one of the larger bullion dealers, are members of the LBMA and are rated “excellent” on Trustpilot.
- There are no hidden fees when they quote you a price for your gold and they aim to provide a quote and authorise payment within 2 days of your bullion being received in their warehouse for checking.
4) The Royal Mint
The Royal Mint needs no introduction, so it is safe to say they can be trusted as an institution. If dealing with a worldwide-recognised brand is your prime concern, then start here.
There are potential downsides, however. There can be additional fees involved, and The Royal Mint is rarely the most competitive on either pricing or speed. They state it can take “as little as five working days” for funds to reach your account, which we consider long by industry standards.
The Royal Mint only buys investment bullion coins and bars. If you are selling gold jewellery, medals or scrap you need to look elsewhere.
Book a free consultation
We offer free 15 min, 30 min and 45 min consultations so you can ask as many questions as you like without feeling rushed.
Our experts know all the ins and outs of pension gold investment.
Best places to sell gold jewellery
There is a bit of a hierarchy when it comes to selling gold jewellery, and that affects your best choice of potential sales options.
At the top end, if you are selling a high-end (Gucci, for example) or antique piece, then the better auction houses are generally a good option. If the likes of Bonhams or Sotheby’s are interested in selling your jewellery then they will almost certainly be your best choice. Make sure you are aware of their seller fees and the timescales involved.
For quality, but not top-end, gold pieces a jeweller’s shop would be our first suggestion. Try and find shops that typically sell pieces of a similar quality and that have been in business for a long time. And take your piece to several jewellers to compare prices. Many cities have jewellery quarters that make this easier – for example the world-famous Hatton Garden in London.
For lower-end pieces, try an appropriate jeweller’s – or consider an online marketplace such as eBay. Just be absolutely certain you are being honest in your description of the weight and quality of the item and its gold content to avoid any potential counterfeit claims being made by the buyer. Some platforms (eBay, for example) even have a specific bullion policy you must conform to..
Best places to sell scrap gold
This really is a case of shopping around for the best price. Some of the well-known bullion brokers (see above) offer fixed rates for scrap gold, as do a number of the main trade suppliers such as Cookson Gold in Hatton Garden.
Unless you are in a rush, these are normally better places to start than a “cash 4 gold” shop.
Best places to sell gold in a hurry
This is the only time we would suggest speaking to a pawnbroker or “cash 4 gold” shop, and even then, only if you really need your money the same day. Even then, you should only sell as little as you really need to in this way.
Unless it is absolutely unavoidable, never do this with gold bullion or high-end jewellery, because at best you will probably only receive a low scrap rate at best. Bear in mind these shops know their customers are in a hurry for cash.
For gold bullion, speak to all the brokers mentioned above and explain the need for a quick turnaround and find out what they can do.
Remember, if you are an existing customer of The Pure Gold Company with your gold kept in secure storage then you don’t have to worry as we can normally turn a repurchase around in a matter of hours.
Final tip
Always get multiple quotes, check buyer credentials (LBMA membership, reviews), and know your gold’s weight, purity, and current spot price before selling.
Key Takeaways:
Selling Gold in the UK
Always Verify
Before selling, check a dealer’s credentials. Look for membership in trade bodies like the LBMA and check independent reviews.
For Investment Gold (Bullion)
Your best option is a specialist bullion dealer. They offer the most competitive prices and have the expertise to value your assets correctly.
For Jewellery & Antiques
Reputable local jewellers are good for convenience, while specialist auction houses are best for high-value, rare, or antique pieces.
For Speed vs. Price
Understand the trade-off. Fast-cash options like pawnbrokers offer the lowest prices. Getting the best value often takes a few days for proper verification.