Sound Gold Buyers

First of all, Ben provides the best selling experience. It’s a one on one, by appointment only meeting in his shop with a parking spot out back and tons of street parking in the neighborhood one street behind. He’ll let you in and ask if you want anything to drink and then start getting to work. I met up to sell about a year ago and that was a great experience as well, so I figured this time would be no different. Ben remembered me by the items I brought in (like 5,000 rings) and was patient enough to go through the new batch I brought in for him. He tested the majority, mostly the bigger pieces, took some half dollars I had, gold caps and a gold necklace. You can tell he is extremely knowledgeable about his trade and passionate about sharing that knowledge, because he can answer every question you have about precious metals, the business and things similar to the market. His family has dealt with jewelry, particularly in Seattle, for many decades so he was definitely born into it and can back up the information he gives about your jewelry, scrap metal, etc. He will direct you in the best way possible whether it be to melt down, sell to him or try selling elsewhere — like eBay. He tests properly, explains the reactions the metals have and goes over content percentage and has current prices for various precious metals listed on his wall. Basically, you’ll get a fair price and either leave happy with money or happy from the experience and conversation, even if you don’t end up bringing in something he buys from you.
I give the business five stars because it’s legitimate, honest and more than simply trying to get money (you’ll actually learn some interesting facts).
There’s nothing wrong with scoping the field and getting quotes from other buyers, but I assure you, you’re in good hands with Sound Gold Buyers. Time to look for more scrap metal to fatten my wallet!

Greetings Unilocalers, I met with Ben recently and really enjoyed doing business with him. Ben is a seasoned Professional and there are no games here. Ben weighed my gold, we chatted a bit, he educated me on some of the nuances of what I brought it, then he made a very fair and reasonable offer. I had compared with another well-​known and popular buyer of scrap gold/​coin/​etc. in the area, and Ben was right on the money. Bottom line there’s no need to shop around, Ben will do you right!

Excellent experience during my appointment with Ben. He gave me market rates for my jewelry after testing and explaining the testing process in front of me. He’s honest, professional and approachable.
Be sure to make an appointment, the door is kept locked for security reasons and you need to ring the bell to be let in the office. The whole experience is smooth and efficient when you have an appointment and he expects you.
He will cut you a Bank of America check on site right then and there, which you can take to the BOA just up the street.

Like other reviewers, I had a very satisfying experience with Ben at Sound Gold and found him to be smart, patient, honest and helpful with information. I will definitely choose him next time as well.
One suggestion I have for Ben is to use a worksheet for each customer that specifies the weight of the silver/​gold in each carat and the value based on the prices of the day, and then another line for the percentage fee he takes so that customers can easily see how he got to the bottom line offer. When I left his shop, I realized that I didn’t know how much my stuff weighed (my bad — I didn’t ask), or even just have an opportunity to check the math. I think that a worksheet with all the pertinent info would be useful for all parties and take the professionalism at Sound Gold Buyers up yet another notch.

If you take your gold or jewelry to Sound Gold Buyers, don’t accept SGB’s offer until you’ve compared it with other dealers. We took about two dozen items of gold and diamond jewelry to SGB, and while Ben was polite and personable, and carefully tested each item, his offer was a low $ 6700. Fortunately, we didn’t accept and took some of it to a local jewelry store, which bought several pieces for $ 18,000 (including a ring that Ben had offered $ 2500 for but which the jewelry store purchased for $ 10,000). We also took several items to West Seattle Coins, and while their price was closer to Ben’s, it was still higher than Sound Gold Buyers. So, do your research. Maybe you’ll get a good price at Sound Gold, maybe not, but you should at least know the genuine value of your items before any sale.

I visited multiple gold buyers before stopping here. I refused other offers due to the fact that many of the buyers were very unfriendly and offered me close to nothing. Coming here was a great experience! Professional, welcoming, and knowledgable! So happy I can feel good about this transaction!

One of the most honest, transparent, and fair businesses I have ever dealt with.

Yet another Unilocal discovery! Solid, sound, patient, fair and honest jewelry buyer. Ben way exceeded my expectations even given all the great reviews he already had. I was surprised to note we even shared some long term friends in common.
Wouldn’t even dream about selling jewelry, gold or silver to any other local business. Make sure you are punctual to your meeting time and polite on the phone. I am sure they have to deal with a lot of flakes and otherwise shady people so establishing yourself differently and respectfully, will make a big difference in the quality of your experience.

I was cleaning out my jewelry box and I had jewelry that I bought back when I was in my 20’s, stuff I haven’t used for over a decade and would not use now and nothing my daughter wanted. I checked on Unilocal to see who I should bring my jewelry to and this is how I found Ben. (Thanks to all the Unilocalers, your input was very helpful).
I brought my items to Ben and he gave me a very fair price $$$$$.
He explained the process and how he test the metals. He is very nice and professional.
Quick tip: If you are going to see him it is best to make an appointment.

This guy is wonderful. Very easy going and knowledgable. I learned some things. Ingdependently owned. Not one of the hyped radio sales pitches. I was extremely happy with what he gave me for my old and broken jewelry. I highly recommend Ben. You won’t be disappointed.

Wonderful experience. Ben explained everything clearly and made sure I was fully aware of his process and what went into the price quote. I recommend SGB to anyone!

My wife and I had a number of items of gold jewelry that we had been holding onto for years. These were pieces that we had inherited or just had in our personal jewelry boxes. We were never going to wear any of it or have the stones reset so we decided to see what we could get for them. We found Ben’s business through Unilocal reviews and are so happy that we chose to deal with him. He offered us more than double what a pawn shop quoted (we wanted to check). He is personable and easy to work with. We had our items evaluated initially by him 3 weeks before we decided to take the plunge and sell and gold had gone up a little so i worked out well and we heartily recommend him.

Great service, honest guy, fair price for the items we brought in.

This guy is wonderful and I felt like he was honest. We came here a year ago after just moving to Seattle and needed some extra cash. I brought in a few gold chains, wedding ring and diamond ring. The place itself isn’t very big and I felt a little awkward (first timer) but he was very polite, attentive and quick. Plus all the good reviews!
Found out one chain was magnetic and probably just plated (basically worthless) so I kept it but I got a good price for the gold wedding ring and other chains. The diamond ring I wasn’t sure on because you always expect to get more then you’re offered especially if you have certificates and previous appraisals, but I didn’t want to go through the hassle of selling it online. He gave us a day to consider it and honored his offer the next day which made me both happy and relieved after doing some online research myself.
If I ever need to sell anything in the future he is definitely the person I will go to. I also now know how to test my jewelry metals for fakes and learned the difference between selling IGI vs. GIA certified items thanks to him. So in a way he helped us out with future investments. Thank you Ben!

I reluctantly sold for scrap a partial set of antique silver flatware in less-​than-​excellent condition that had been my great grandmother’s and agree with the overwhelming tide of Unilocalers that Ben Robbins and Sound Gold Buyers are great to work with. Given the financial and emotional difficulty that can be a factor when selling precious heirlooms, I appreciate Sound Gold Buyers’ appointment-​only discretion, Ben’s relaxed business demeanor and the small personal touch of being offered a beverage before sitting down to have my valuables inspected. Ben takes a reasonable commission, issues a check, and you’re done — in and out quickly, with a minimum of extra stress at what can be a difficult time.
Thanks.

True to the fabulous Unilocal reviews this business has, my experience was wonderful. I was able to make an appointment the day that I called. This was my first experience selling jewelry/​gold. I found some old childhood earrings and necklaces that I no longer had use for.
When I arrived the gentleman who greeted me was very friendly and offered me a beverage right away. When I explained to him that this was my first experience he walked me through the process the entire time. Explaining to me what he was doing to determine the quality of gold. I felt comfortable and secure during the entire process. If I ever need to sell gold in the future I will certainly be back!

Sadly enough, there occasionally comes a time in a lady’s life once sentimental diamond baubles becomes less appealing than a fat pile o’ cash.
So when this time came, Ben Robbins (does the mega jewelry store Robbins Bros ring a bell?) was my go-​to guy. I had considered doing the CraigsList route, but some of my diamonds didn’t come with certifications and it was difficult to prove authentication by just pics. And frankly, when you just want the cash without the hassle, Ben delivers.
*****(Just an FYI, these non-​filtered, honest 5 star reviews aren’t based on any of Ben’s encouragement or promoting. No Unilocal Affiliations or anything. It’s not a promotion or a encouragement from the business, it’s pure great service and professionalism that made a ton of people genuinely happy)****
Ben was polite and professional when I walked in for my appointment and when I recognized his las name from his biz card he confirmed his family has been in the jewelry business for many, many years. The whole process was very quick, he tested each diamond for authenticity (dear, sweet exes best not be liars!!!), the carrats, the weight of it all and did some calculations.
I didn’t exactly know what to expect on the price, and I’m sure he could have explained to me his calculations, but whatever they were I was happy with the price offered. The jewels ranged from widdle bebe starter kit jewels from my teen years to more sizeable pieces from more serious suitors and Ben looked over each piece thoroughly. He cut me a check instantly and even referred me to a nearby bank that allowed me to cash the check without a fee at that location (See? Even the neighbors like him.)
Overall, highly recommended. Let Ben turn your past disappointments into your future excitements.

Sound Gold Buyers may not look like much from the sidewalk. You have to make an appointment, then be buzzed in. The office is pretty sparse, just a big desk and a couple chairs. But working with Ben was a good experience.
I had a few items that I believed were silver, but were not marked as «sterling». West Seattle Coins (WSC) would not purchase these items, but Ben was willing to look through them and test them to make sure they were silver (they were). He also took the time to sort through a tangled mess of necklaces to pick out the few that had silver in them.
Ben seemed to be a smart guy, and told us about the gold buying business and talked about the market in general. He explained how he priced small diamonds also and that «estate jewelry» doesn’t have much of a market over scrap prices unless the items are big brand names (Tiffany, etc.). His commission percentage (20%) was the same as WSC.
I gave him 4 stars because the one item of gold I brought in was an older engagement ring with a small diamond, which he priced a little below WSC. I ended up selling to Ben anyway because he was willing to buy my silver (WSC was not) and it wasn’t worth the few dollars to drive back out to West Seattle.
If you have the time, get a couple estimates on your gold/​silver. I’d suggest including Sound Gold Buying as one of your estimates.

Sometimes selling a beautiful piece of jewelry can be tough, there’s a that sentimental value to it, but at the same time the need for make decent money and move on from the past.
I have to thank Ben for being so kind, showing me how gold is tested, and for not breaking my gems apart when I agreed to sell him the gold. Ben purchased my ring and then was able to return my gems to me for free. Although we both knew that taking the ring apart may break the gems, he did his best to do it in a manner so they would not break. And I got my beautiful stones back for free since he just purchased the gold.
I have taken my ring to approx 4 other buyers, many of them had terrible attitudes, quoted me a price without even barely looking at the ring, and brushed me off. Ben gave me slightly more than most of the other buyers, not much, but I knew that it was the best I was going to do with the piece I had. The reason I sold was that I already knew the approx. amount I would get, he was polite, paid attention to the ring, explained how the process goes, and had his prices listed, which is much more than anyone else did.

Last Saturday I went on a journey to sell some scrap gold that I inherited from my Mother. I went to 3 other places before my appointment with Ben at Sounds Gold Buyers and I’m SO glad I went to his business last. He offered me a significantly larger amount of money than anyone else I saw that day. Here are the businesses I visited before going to Sound Gold Buyers:
1) Marci Jewelry in Bellevue– The gold buyer, Rex, seemed too busy to be bothered with my business. He passed over several things that Ben ended up finding value in, such as an old 14k gold wedding ring. Just because the 14k etching was rubbed off, he didn’t want it and said it was «no good.» He offered me $ 400 and when I said I had a couple more places to visit he rudely asked me to come back the next day if I was still interested in his offer because they were so busy that day. His snide comments and what seemed like a total disinterest in my business lost me as a return customer immediately. I will never even go there to shop for jewelry in the future.
2) Gold & Silver Traders in Bellevue– The guy who evaluated my jewelry did so with a whole bunch of fancy machinery and tools. When in reality, I think it was all a façade to make it look like they knew what they were talking about to make you feel like you were getting the best deal. This was my lowest offer of the day at a measly $ 364.
3) Northgate Rare Coins & Precious Metals in Seattle (Northgate area) — When I walked into this shop there were three young guys standing around doing nothing. That should have been my first hint to walk out the door. One of the guys finally greeted me and then proceeded to appraise my gold within 5 minutes with just a magnifying glass, not special gold testers or machines. He offered me $ 455 which was the highest yet. But when I later met with Ben, he told me about a piece of mine that was just plated gold and worth nothing, yet the guy at Northgate Rare Coins wanted to buy it. Obviously these people have no idea what they’re looking at or buying at Northgate Rare Coins. How could you really evaluate several random pieces of gold jewelry in 5 minutes and possibly know what it’s worth?
My last stop was with Ben at Sound Gold Buyers. Ben was a very nice and laid back guy. His shop is modest and seems more like walking into someone’s house rather than a store/​office. He sat me down at his desk and began to test/​examine all of my jewelry. He answered all of my questions, was very patient and meticulous about how he looked over the jewelry and didn’t rush me at all. It seems like he had all of the gold testing equipment necessary to properly examine my gold and he explained what all of the tests/​machines did while he was using them.
Ben ultimately offered me $ 625, which was far beyond what anyone else offered me that day. He even took the time to remove some gold posts off of some earrings that I had because the tops of the earrings where the prongs were, were not gold but he discovered that the posts were. He also had no problem taking the time to remove all of the diamonds/​gems out of the jewelry he wanted to purchase and returned them to me.
Ben explained that he is a 4^th generation gold buyer and I think his experience gives him a one-​up to his competition (if you could call it that lol).
I did my research before visiting these places and they all seemed to be the highest rated around the greater Seattle area when it comes to selling gold. But there is no competition here people, Ben is the best at what he does and he’ll give you the best offer around!