Frequently asked questions

No. Sellers pay nothing. Buyers pay Melt Exchange a monthly fee and a fee on each lot they win.

Only the winning buyer, and only after you accept that buyer's final price. Until then you talk in a private thread on the site that blocks emails, phone numbers and links. Other buyers see the materials, weights, any photos, and a short history summary, but never your name or email.

No. The highest bid is an offer from the buyer, and you decide whether to go ahead. You may also decline a revised price after the buyer tests your material.

The buyer must give you the written test results. You can accept the revised price or reject it. If you reject it, the buyer returns the material to you, insured, at the buyer's expense.

By USPS Registered Mail, from a post office counter. Photograph the sealed package on a scale with your code paper beside it, send it, and enter the registered number on your lot page. The buyer reimburses your postage and insurance. Add a return receipt for a signed record of delivery; it is required at $2,000 or more. Larger lots go in more than one package, up to $50,000 declared each.

The buyer pays you directly by a traceable method within five business days after you accept the final price. Melt Exchange never holds or sends your money.

It shows that a real person controls the address and keeps fake lots away from buyers. Your lot opens for bidding when you click the link, and the 24 hours start then. A lot that is not confirmed within 48 hours is removed.

Yes. We list lots worth about $500 or more, because refiners and dealers bid on larger lots. Catalyst ceramic and other items priced by assay need at least 1 kg. Several items can be listed together as one lot.

Every lot needs three photos: all of it together, a close-up, and the material on a scale. You write the single-use code we give you on paper and place it beside the material, which shows the photo was taken for this listing.

Gold, silver, platinum, and palladium: jewelry, dental scrap, coins and bars, flatware, electrical contacts, brazing alloy, paste and film, and catalyst ceramic, which buyers price by assay.

The lot closes with no offer, and you owe nothing. You are welcome to list it again.

No. It is a range based on your entries and reference metal prices. A buyer's final price depends on testing the material the buyer receives.

Adults located in the United States. Please follow the laws that apply to selling precious metals where you live.

Write to legal@meltexchange.com with your business name, the metals you buy, and your license information or the reason you hold none. We approve each business individually after an intake review and issue an access code.

$99 per month, plus 2% of each winning bid with a $10 minimum per lot. The transaction fee is charged to your card on file when bidding closes. It is 1% when you win from a seller you have already completed a deal with.

When the seller accepts your final price. After your fee is charged you can message the seller on the site, but contact details stay hidden until then.

In full if the seller confirms that no sale happened. Partially if the seller confirms a lower final price. If a seller never answers you, you can report it two days after the lot closes, and if the seller does not respond within seven days, the fee is credited in full.

Pay the seller within five business days after the seller accepts the final price, and confirm the price you paid on the site within 14 days.