Should I sell my gold for cash, or trade it in?

Big Bullion · Published 12 October 2026 · Updated 12 October 2026 · 6 min read

Reviewed by the Big Bullion team, 12 October 2026

You can take the money, or put the value towards a gold or silver bar or coin instead — that second option is a trade-in. A trade-in pays the share of your batch going towards the new bullion at a higher rate than a straight payout, and you see both figures before you choose.

Two ways to get value from what you're selling

When you sell bars, coins, jewellery or scrap to us, there are two ways to take the value out. The first is a straight payout: we pay you, by PayNow or bank transfer, at the standard rate for whatever you've brought in. The second is a trade-in: instead of taking the money, you put it towards a gold or silver bar or coin you're buying from us.

The difference is the rate. A trade-in pays the share of your batch that goes towards the new bullion at a higher rate than a straight payout does. The rest of the batch, if any, is still paid out at the standard rate. Either way, nothing is priced until you've confirmed the weighed and tested figures, so what's agreed at the counter is what you get.

Seeing both figures before you decide

You don't have to choose blind. Once what you're selling has been weighed and tested, we show you the cash payout figure and the trade-in figure side by side, so the comparison is a real one rather than a guess.

When a straight payout suits you better

If you want the value back as money and don't have a particular bar or coin in mind, take the payout. It's paid the same day under S$20,000, and within two to five business days above that, always to an account in your own name. Selling outright is final: the piece is gone, you're paid, and there's nothing to redeem later, because it isn't a loan.

When a trade-in suits you better

If you were already planning to buy gold or silver, a trade-in gets you there at a better rate on the portion you're putting towards it than cashing out and buying separately would. It suits someone upgrading older jewellery into bullion, consolidating odd pieces into one bar, or simply already in the market to buy.

It still works the same way underneath — your batch is weighed, tested and priced first, and only then do you decide how much of the value to take as cash and how much to put towards the new piece. You're not locked into converting the whole batch; the remainder, if you leave any, is paid out in the ordinary way.

Does this apply to bars and coins too, or only jewellery?

All of it — bars, coins, jewellery and scrap. The trade-in choice isn't a jewellery-only feature; it's available whenever you're selling us metal, whether that's a single bar you no longer want or a mixed batch of old jewellery.

We sell physical gold and silver. Nothing on this page is financial advice.