Gold Shop

[qwunk89]

hi all,

anyone have any advice about buying from a gold shop. anyone know a more reputable one? haggling is the norm, right? thanks in advance.

[wester]

IMHO you should not buy bullion from a traditional thai gold shop. Their bars - while neat and cool - usually don't have an assay certificate which you will need if you sell out of the country. This'll cost you extra if you leave the kingdom.

here is an interesting site - they might be a better deal, more serious and upscale for you than the average thai gold shop (which will likely try to negotiate a price with you):

ausiris - 25th floor central world

If you must buy from a Thai gold shop then be prepared to sell it in Thailand for Baht. And be ready with that day's London gold quote and be ready to bargain for your life. That's all ya gotta know.

[scorecard]

IMHO you should not buy bullion from a traditional thai gold shop. Their bars - while neat and cool - usually don't have an assay certificate which you will need if you sell out of the country. This'll cost you extra if you leave the kingdom.

here is an interesting site - they might be a better deal, more serious and upscale for you than the average thai gold shop (which will likely try to negotiate a price with you):

ausiris - 25th floor central world

If you must buy from a Thai gold shop then be prepared to sell it in Thailand for Baht. And be ready with that day's London gold quote and be ready to bargain for your life. That's all ya gotta know.

My family will only buy gold from gold shops which have accreditation from the king.

Why? They believe that if they sell, many gold shops will not buy if the gold doesn't have the said certification, because of suspicion that it's not real gold, or it's a mix.

I wonder if Wester might be talking about more serious international trade stuff.

[nokia]

So which gold shop in Chiang Mai is more reputable & reliable, assuming you buy & sell within thailand?

Warorat market? Carrefour?

Must you sell back to the same gold shop or can you sell to another gold shop?

Thanks in advance!

[Cobalt60]

They will test the gold somehow when you trade in or sell your gold.

There is never much room for negotiation as the price is the price of gold at that minute, there is a craftmanship cost on top of this.

I managed to get them to waive the credit card percentage charge, mainly I think because I bored them with my attempted negotiating and stupid questions, to the point of loosing the will to live, then when they mentioned the CC charge I got up to leave, suppose they had put so much effort in to sell to me, they gave up and waived it.

[Mahseer]

There are 3 gold shops side by side that I walk pass when I go to Wararot market and every single time the one on the corner always has more custom than the other 2 combine. There is also a fancy merc sports car often parked out front as well so no question than some golds are more fancied than others.

[qwunk89]

nothing major, just buying a gold necklace for my girlfriend's birthday and don't want to get ripped off

[Cobalt60]

Look up the price of 1 baht gold and add about 500 baht and thats roughly the price to expect, unless of course you are buying 2 baht or more weight chain.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Yup, there's almost NO haggling to speak of. There's the price of gold, which is in the newspaper every day, so the only thing that COULD be somewhat negotiable is the fee for the design and workmanship.. But that's a couple hundred baht, so even if you get a discount there it won't significantly sweeten the deal.

[Ajarn]

It is my suggestion that you buy from the main gold shop at Worarot Market. It is the oldest in Chiang Mai, and I feel they have the best designs, and the best service. I have been buying and selling through them for more than 20 years with no problem.

[qwunk89]

thanks everyone, that helps