Best Place To Buy Gold?

[rmicheald]

My wife's birthday is coming up and I wanted to buy her something nice in gold. Are all those shops selling gold pretty much the same or is there somewhere you can get a better price for real - quality items?

Thanks

[necronx99]

If you are talking about Thai gold and not 9 or 18k then it's sold by weight at the same price everywhere.

My missus prefers the shops in chinatown for some reason.

[Upnotover]

You can certainly buy nicer stuff from a proper jeweler rather than gold shop, but it will be at a far higher price as you're paying for the workmanship and quality. I think most girls/women like the gold itself, not the quality/appearance, as it is over time worth more than money and as easy to sell as it is to buy.

[Gone]

If you are talking about Thai gold and not 9 or 18k then it's sold by weight at the same price everywhere.

My missus prefers the shops in chinatown for some reason.

Pattaya does not have a China Town.

Wait it out as long as you can mate before buying because just finishing the chinese New Years the price is still very inflated.

If you do happen to go buy any gold shop where you see a lot of Thai's in there looking then I recommend trying that store right then right away.

Yes if the OP was in Bangkok then for sure China Town is the way to go but here in Pattaya look for the stores with the most people in them for real.

[jehricaholic]

same same

[tropo]

You can certainly buy nicer stuff from a proper jeweler rather than gold shop, but it will be at a far higher price as you're paying for the workmanship and quality. I think most girls/women like the gold itself, not the quality/appearance, as it is over time worth more than money and as easy to sell as it is to buy.

The number one reason why Thais like the 23k gold is because it is instantly convertable to cash. It's an investment and they can change from one necklace/bracelet to another anytime they wish for very little cost. Another reason is that Thais like to keep money in gold to hedge against inflation or financial disaster and enjoy wearing it at the same time. It's a very sound strategy.

If you try to sell 18k jewelry you'll only get the price of the gold back, which usually represents a rather dismal percentage of a piece's original cost.

[tropo]

Yes if the OP was in Bangkok then for sure China Town is the way to go but here in Pattaya look for the stores with the most people in them for real.

I don't see any advantage of buying in China Town. The most popular stores there have long queues and the staff are very rude because they have too many customers. They are certainly not Farang friendly and don't need our business.

The advantage of some of the high turnover stores in China Town is the buy back price - their margin is lower - that's why these stores are so busy.

It's better to buy from a convenient local store in Pattaya where you can easily go back and trade because you get a better price selling back to the store where you bought it. There are some very good stores here with very helpful staff - but there are plenty of bad ones too - just as in China Town or anywhere else.