Terms of Service

Last updated: October 21, 2026. Effective on publication at meltexchange.com.

These Terms of Service (the “Terms”) are a contract between you and Melt Exchange, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Melt Exchange,” “we,” or “us”). They govern the website at meltexchange.com and every service we provide through it (the “Service”). Part A applies to everyone who uses the Service. Part B adds terms for sellers. Part C adds terms for buyers. Schedule 1 states the buyer fees. If you use the Service, you agree to the Terms that apply to you.

Part A. General Terms (all users)

1. Who may use the Service

You must be at least 18 years old and located in the United States. If you use the Service for a business, you represent that you have authority to bind that business, and “you” means the business.

A “seller” is anyone who submits a lot. A “buyer” is a refiner, dealer, or other business that we have approved to bid. A person who only visits the site is a “visitor.”

2. What Melt Exchange does and does not do

Melt Exchange provides software that lets sellers describe precious metal scrap, shows sellers an estimated range, and invites approved buyers to bid for a 24-hour period. That is all it does.

Melt Exchange is not a party to any sale, except a test lot under Part C, Section 6. We do not buy, sell, hold, test, appraise, insure, or ship metal. We do not hold or transmit a seller’s sale proceeds. We act as agent for neither the seller nor the buyer. We do not verify the identity, licenses, records, or conduct of any user, and we make no promise that any sale will occur or that any price will be paid.

The only money that passes through us is the buyer fees described in Part C.

3. Estimates and prices

Estimates are ranges calculated from the weights, materials, and percentages entered by the user and from reference metal prices that we display. They are not appraisals and not offers. Reference prices can be out of date or wrong. A buyer’s final price depends on testing of the material the buyer receives.

4. Lawful use

You will use the Service only for lawful purposes and in compliance with all laws that apply to you, including laws on the sale, purchase, and transport of precious metals, secondhand goods, taxes, recordkeeping, and anti-money-laundering. You will not submit, bid on, or offer material that you know or suspect is stolen, counterfeit, or subject to another person’s claim.

We may refuse, remove, or hold any lot, suspend or block any user or email address, and report suspected unlawful activity to law enforcement, in each case without liability to you.

5. Accounts and access codes

Buyers sign in with an access code that we issue. You are responsible for all activity under your code, you will keep it confidential, and you will tell us immediately if it is lost or misused.

6. What you submit

You are responsible for everything you submit, including descriptions, weights, percentages, and photographs, and you represent that it is accurate and that you have the right to submit it. You give us a non-exclusive license to use it to operate, secure, and improve the Service and to show it to buyers as described in these Terms.

7. Prohibited conduct

You will not: (a) submit false or misleading information; (b) bid on your own lot or arrange for another person to do so; (c) interfere with or overload the Service, probe it for weaknesses, or use automated means to collect data from it; (d) use the Service to contact or solicit another user outside these Terms; (e) circumvent a fee or access control; or (f) violate Part C, Section 5.

8. Privacy

Our Privacy Policy describes the information we collect and how we use it. It is part of these Terms.

9. Disclaimer

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE.” TO THE FULLEST EXTENT THE LAW PERMITS, MELT EXCHANGE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THE ACCURACY OF ANY ESTIMATE, PRICE, OR USER, OR THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE.

10. Limitation of liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT THE LAW PERMITS, MELT EXCHANGE WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR LOST PROFITS, OR FOR ANY LOSS OF OR DAMAGE TO METAL IN TRANSIT OR IN A BUYER’S POSSESSION, OR FOR ANY USER’S CONDUCT.

OUR TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ALL CLAIMS RELATING TO THE SERVICE WILL NOT EXCEED (A) FOR A BUYER, THE FEES THE BUYER PAID US IN THE 12 MONTHS BEFORE THE CLAIM AROSE, AND (B) FOR A SELLER OR VISITOR, ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($100). THIS LIMIT DOES NOT REDUCE ANY FEE, CREDIT ADJUSTMENT, OR OTHER AMOUNT A BUYER OWES US.

11. Indemnity

You will defend and indemnify Melt Exchange and its members, managers, and employees against claims, losses, and costs (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising from your content, your breach of these Terms, your violation of law, or your dealings with another user.

12. Suspension and termination

We may suspend or end your access at any time for any reason, including a breach of these Terms. You may stop using the Service at any time. Sections that by their nature should survive will survive, including Section 6 and Sections 9 through 15 of Part A, Section 5 of Part B, and Sections 3 through 9 of Part C. Ending your access does not cancel fees already earned.

13. Disputes and governing law

Disputes between users are between those users, and Melt Exchange has no obligation to resolve them. Delaware law governs these Terms, without regard to conflict-of-laws rules. Any claim between you and Melt Exchange must be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Delaware, and you consent to their jurisdiction. Each party waives trial by jury to the fullest extent the law permits, and each will bring claims only in its individual capacity and not as part of a class action.

14. Changes

We may change these Terms by posting a new version and updating the date at the top. A change applies to use of the Service after it is posted and does not change the fee for a lot that has already closed. We will give buyers at least 30 days’ notice by email before a fee increase takes effect. Continued use of the Service after a change takes effect is acceptance of the change.

15. General

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any fee schedule, are the entire agreement between you and Melt Exchange about the Service. If a provision is unenforceable, the rest remains in effect. You may not assign these Terms without our consent; we may assign them to a successor. A failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver. We may give notice by email or by posting on the site. Notices to us go to legal@meltexchange.com. Electronic records and signatures are valid.

Part B. Seller Terms

1. Your authority and your lot

You represent that you own the material or have the right to sell it, that it is free of liens and claims, that it is not stolen, and that your description, weights, percentages, and photographs are accurate and show the actual material. You also represent that you are the person who controls the email address you give us.

2. Bidding and your freedom to decide

Buyers may bid for 24 hours after your lot opens for bidding under Section 6. You have no obligation to sell. The highest bid is an offer from the buyer, and you decide whether to accept the buyer’s final terms.

3. Your email address and the private thread

Buyers see the materials and weights you submitted but not your identity. After bidding closes and the winning buyer’s fee has been successfully charged, we open a private message thread on the Service between you and that buyer, and we show you the buyer’s business name. The thread blocks email addresses, telephone numbers, and web links until you accept a final price. We release your email address to the winning buyer, and the buyer’s email address to you, only when you accept the buyer’s proposed final price under Section 4. We do not release your email address to any other buyer. We store the messages and may read them to enforce these Terms, investigate fraud, and resolve disputes.

4. Testing and revised prices

The winning bid is subject to testing of the material the buyer receives, under the testing standard in Part C, Section 3A. You and the buyer arrange shipping in the thread. After testing, the buyer may propose a final price on the Service. A price below the winning bid is valid only if the buyer completes the test report described in Part C, Section 3A, and the report shows a difference larger than the tolerance stated there. You may accept the proposed price or reject it. If you reject it, the buyer must return the material to you, insured, at the buyer’s expense. If a buyer proposes a lower price on the strength of a test report, you may instead ask for a retest of a retained sample at an independent assayer under Part C, Section 3A(g). If you accept the price, we send each of you the other’s email address, and the buyer pays you directly by a traceable method as stated in Part C. You deal with the buyer directly on payment and shipping, and you should insure anything you ship.

5. Confirming the outcome

After bidding closes, we will email you a link asking whether the sale was completed and for what price. You agree to answer accurately. We use your answer to adjust the buyer’s fee and to monitor buyer conduct. Your answer never costs you anything. If a buyer reports that it could not reach you, we will email you, and if you do not respond within seven days we will record the lot as not sold.

6. Photographs, confirmation, and what we do not verify

A lot opens for bidding only after you confirm your email address using the link we send you, and the 24-hour bidding period starts at that moment. A lot that is not confirmed within 48 hours is removed. If your lot is estimated at $2,000 or more, you must include at least one photograph. Each photograph must show the single-use code we give you, written on paper beside the material. We do not verify photographs, ownership, identity, or the condition or quality of any material, and a photograph is not a statement by us that the material exists or is as described. Buyers rely on their own inspection and testing.

We may refuse or remove any lot, and we may block any email address, at any time and without giving a reason.

We keep a record of lots, outcomes, and reports for each email address, treating variants of the same mailbox, such as dots or “+” tags, as one address. We show buyers a short summary of that record next to your lot, such as “New seller” or “2 completed deals.” The summary is not a verification, endorsement, or guarantee of you or of any buyer.

7. No fee to sellers

We charge sellers nothing. You are responsible for your own taxes and for any identification or recordkeeping that the law or the buyer requires of you.

Part C. Buyer Terms

1. Approval

We approve buyers at our discretion, and we may refuse or end any buyer’s access at any time. Each approval is for one business. You will not share your access code. You must keep a valid payment card on file with us to bid.

2. Licenses and compliance

You represent that you hold, and will keep, every license, registration, and permit required for your purchases wherever you operate, including any dealer, secondhand dealer, pawnbroker, or precious metals dealer license. You are solely responsible for compliance in every transaction, including identification of sellers, recordkeeping, holding periods, reporting, tax collection and reporting, and anti-money-laundering rules. We do not verify, review, or keep any of those records for you, and you will not rely on us, on a seller’s email address, or on a photograph for any of them.

3. Your bid is a binding offer

A bid is a binding offer to buy the described material at the bid price. You may adjust the price after receipt only as Section 3A permits. You will pay the seller promptly, and in any event within five business days after the seller accepts the final price, by a traceable method. You will not pressure a seller to accept a revised price and will return rejected material as stated in Part B, Section 4. Risk of loss passes to you when you receive the material.

3A. Authorized testing

(a) Receipt. When the package arrives, record receipt on the Service. Before opening it, photograph the sealed package, then photograph the contents on a scale. Keep those photographs, your readings, and a retained sample of any material you melt or cut, for 90 days after the final price is accepted or rejected, or longer while a retest or dispute is open.

(b) Methods. A surface scan (XRF) is accepted only for a lot estimated below $2,000 that has no bars, coins, or mixed-material classes. For any other lot, you must use a melted sample assay or a fire assay. A surface scan alone cannot reduce the price of a lot that requires an assay.

(c) Test report. To propose a price below the winning bid, you must complete the test report on the Service: the method and instrument, the listed and tested gross weights, the largest purity difference you found, and any notes on the readings. The date you recorded receipt is part of the report. A price below the winning bid without a complete report is not valid.

(d) Tolerance. You may not reduce the price if the tested gross weight is within 1% of the listed weight and the purity is within 0.5 percentage points of what was listed. Beyond that tolerance, you may adjust the price only by the difference you measured.

(e) Deadline. You must propose a price below the winning bid within five business days after you record receipt, or eight business days if you melt a sample or use a fire assay. After that, the winning bid stands unless the seller agrees to a different price.

(f) No destruction without agreement. You will not melt, cut, or otherwise destroy an item before the seller agrees in the thread, unless the item is dental scrap, brazing alloy, electrical contacts, paste and film, or catalyst ceramic.

(g) Retest. If the seller asks, you will send a retained sample to an independent assayer chosen by Melt Exchange. The retest result governs the price. If the retest result is within the tolerance in paragraph (d) of the listed weight and purity, you pay the retest cost and the winning bid stands. Otherwise the seller pays the retest cost and the price is calculated on the retest result.

(h) Accuracy. A test report that you know to be inaccurate is a breach of these Terms and a ground for suspension under Section 9.

4. Fees

Fees are stated in Schedule 1. You authorize us to charge your card on file for all fees.

(a) Access fee. A monthly access fee is charged in advance to your card.

(b) Transaction fee. When bidding closes on a lot you have won, we charge your card the transaction fee in Schedule 1, calculated on your winning bid. The fee is earned when you win, whether or not the sale is completed, subject to the credits in paragraph (d). After the charge succeeds, you may message the seller in the thread on the Service. We release the seller’s email address to you only when the seller accepts the final price you propose after testing. If you have already completed a deal with the same seller through the Service, the reduced repeat-seller rate in Schedule 1 applies. A deal is completed when the seller reports it as sold and your confirmed price is within one percent of the seller’s reported price.

(c) Failed charge. If a charge fails, we may void your bid, relist the lot or offer it to other bidders, suspend your access, and recover the unpaid fee from you as a debt, and you will pay our reasonable costs of collection.

(d) Credits and adjustments. The seller will be asked to confirm the outcome. If the seller confirms that no sale occurred, we will credit the transaction fee in full. If the seller confirms a final price lower than your winning bid, we will credit the difference between the fee on your winning bid and the fee on the final price. If the seller confirms a final price higher than your winning bid, or we learn of one, the fee is calculated on the higher price and you will pay the additional amount. If the seller does not respond to you, you may report that to us at least two days after bidding closes. We will notify the seller, and if the seller does not respond within seven days we will record the lot as not sold and credit the fee in full. You may use this only for a seller who did not respond to you, and a false report is a breach of Section 5. You may also request a credit by giving us written test results and the seller’s written acceptance of a lower price. Credits are issued to your card within ten business days after we receive the seller’s confirmation or your documents. You may not cancel or dispute a fee on any other ground, and you will not initiate a chargeback for a fee that these Terms make payable.

(e) Other terms. Fees exclude taxes. Fees are not otherwise refundable. You may cancel the access fee at any time, effective at the end of the current month, but fees already earned remain payable.

5. No circumvention

For 12 months after you most recently receive a seller’s contact information or lot details through the Service, any purchase of precious metal material from that seller, or from anyone the seller controls or is controlled by, is an “Introduced Transaction,” whether or not it is made through the Service. The transaction fee in Schedule 1 is payable on every Introduced Transaction made outside the Service at the standard rate, not the repeat-seller rate, calculated on the price paid.

You will not use the Service to identify sellers in order to deal with them outside the Service, will not try to share or obtain contact details in the thread before the seller accepts a final price, will not induce a seller to withdraw a lot or to decline your bid so that you can buy outside the Service, and will not disclose a seller’s information to anyone except as needed to complete the sale.

If you complete an Introduced Transaction without paying the transaction fee, you will pay us three times the fee that was due. The parties agree that this amount is a reasonable pre-estimate of our loss, which is difficult to detect and to measure, and is not a penalty. You will also pay our reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs of collecting it.

6. Records, verification, and test lots

On request, not more than once each calendar quarter, you will give us records sufficient to show the price paid for each lot you won and for each Introduced Transaction, and you may redact the sellers’ identification documents. We may confirm outcomes directly with sellers. We may also submit test lots and deal with you as a seller in order to monitor compliance, and you agree that doing so is permitted.

7. Confirming deals and seller records

After you complete a purchase, you will confirm the final price you paid on the site within 14 days. A deal counts as completed only when your confirmation and the seller’s confirmation match to within one percent. If they differ, we may review the records and calculate the fee on the higher price. The seller summary we show you is not a verification or a guarantee, and you remain responsible for your own inspection and testing.

8. Use of seller information

You will use a seller’s information only to complete the sale of that lot and to meet your legal obligations. You will not sell it, use it to market to the seller, or add the seller to a mailing list.

9. Suspension

We may suspend your access immediately if a fee charge fails, you breach Section 5, a seller reports a serious complaint about you, you give us false information or a test report you know to be inaccurate, you retrade bids repeatedly, or a license you need lapses or is revoked. Suspension does not cancel fees already earned.

Schedule 1. Buyer fees