Seattle Gold is a family-owned and operated precious metals buyer and seller operating physical locations in Seattle, Washington and Portland, Oregon, plus a mail-in service. The company positions itself as an alternative to traditional pawn shops, focusing exclusively on precious metals, jewelry, and bullion transactions rather than general collateral lending. They display real-time spot prices for gold, silver, platinum, and palladium on their website and emphasize transparent pricing based on purity, weight, and current market conditions.
The company claims to be "the largest network of neighborhood gold buyers and sellers" and maintains that they continue purchasing precious metals even when other businesses have paused such services, suggesting they are well-capitalized. Their three-step process (welcome, assessment, purchase) is designed to make selling metals straightforward, with free quotes and written offers before any transaction. Seattle Gold explicitly distinguishes itself from traditional pawn shops by offering a best-price guarantee and focusing solely on precious metals rather than general goods.
They also offer mail-in services as a secure alternative to national "cash for gold" operations, with all processing handled through their Seattle office. 25 carats, they operate in a commodity-based business where margins depend on the spread between their purchase price and current market rates. Like any precious metals buyer, their profitability relies on purchasing metals below spot price and selling above it.