7 mistakes first-time online gold buyers make
Gold is honest, but the internet isn't always. Here are seven mistakes we see every month in customers who come in to fix what they bought elsewhere.
Ariel
Founder· Ariel's Jewelry
Every month two or three customers walk in with chains they bought online for unreal prices, asking us to 'fix them'. Truth is, many aren't gold at all, and the rest are very poor quality. Here's what we see most.
1. Buying by price, not by weight
A 14K Cuban link chain, 22 inches, 10mm solid weighs around 90 grams. At market price that's about $5,500 just in gold. If someone offers you the same piece for $1,200 — it's not real gold, or it's very thin hollow with misleading descriptions. Always ask the gram weight.
2. Not demanding a karat-stamp photo
Every real gold piece has a stamp: "10K", "14K", "417", "585", "750". If the seller won't show you a photo of the stamp on the clasp or inside ring, assume it's not there.
3. Confusing 'gold filled' with gold
Gold filled, gold plated and gold tone are NOT gold. They're a very thin layer of gold over another metal. After a few months of wear, the layer wears off and the base metal shows (usually brass). If the description says 'gold plated' or 'gold tone', it's not gold.
4. Buying without verifiable returns
Serious stores have exchange policies or authenticity guarantees. If your only option is Venmo or Cash App to an Instagram profile with no physical store, you know how this ends.
5. Not checking the clasp
The clasp is the first thing to break on a low-quality chain. Box clasps with double safety are the standard. Tiny lobster clasps on a 100-gram chain are a time bomb: the gold's weight pops the spring open by itself.
6. Paying without shipping insurance
A jewelry piece sent without insurance and without signature on delivery is a piece that potentially never arrives. Any real jeweler ships 100% insured with adult signature required.
7. Thinking more expensive = more real
Gold has a fixed, transparent, public market price per gram. A piece can have a fair markup for craftsmanship (handmade Cuban, exclusive design, certification), but if the price is 5× the contained gold and nobody explains why, they're selling you air.
“When a customer comes in with a doubtful piece, we offer to verify the gold for free at any of our 7 stores. If it's real, we confirm it. If not, also. No commitment.”
— Ariel
