Bullion buyer center
Spot price, dealer premiums, and the price you actually pay
Understand spot, fabrication, wholesale premiums, retail markups, payment fees, shipping, tax, and dealer spreads.
What changed
The guide adds a worked premium framework that separates dollar premium, percentage premium, and round-trip spread.
Why it matters
Premiums can widen when fabrication capacity, wholesale inventories, or logistics tighten even if the spot price is flat.
- Use the same spot timestamp for comparisons.
- Include payment and delivery charges.
- Check sales or use tax treatment in your jurisdiction.
- Capture the dealer’s buyback bid.
Historical context
Precious-metals markets mix a globally traded raw material, manufactured investment products, and retail distribution. The price of the metal and the price a buyer actually pays can therefore diverge for long periods.
What could change the conclusion
A high premium is not automatically a shortage signal. Product mix, minimum order size, dealer inventory, and marketing can produce large differences.
Reproducible by design
Methodology and limitations
- Dollar premium = delivered price − melt value.
- Premium % = dollar premium ÷ melt value.
- Round-trip spread = purchase price − immediate buyback quote.
Educational information only. GoldKnows does not provide individualized investment, tax, legal, appraisal, custody, or trading advice.
Evidence ledger