What They Do
You’ve heard it on the news and no doubt seen the commercials on late night TV, the latest craze sweeping the country is turning unwanted jewelry into quick cash. And with the stock market in a free fall and the economy circling the drain it’s no wonder people are liquidating valuables they no longer need for a money this Christmas Holiday season.

If you do have unused or little-worn rings, necklaces, bracelets or other trinkets and you need to fatten the wallet, exchanging them for cash really is a great option and there are plenty of places to unload them.

You can always sell them on eBay, maybe put an ad on the paper or even hop in the car and head to the nearest pawn shop.

An online company that specializes in just that is Cash4Gold.com. The Pompano, FL-based firm says it will pay your top dollar and buy any unwanted gold, silver, platinum or smaller diamonds that you have sitting in the jewelry box collecting dust.

The Process
So how does it work?

Upon request – just complete a quick form on their website - Cash4Gold will mail you a gold return kit at no charge. You fill it up with your jewelry items, pop the prepaid insured envelope in the mail, and they will send you back a check within 24 hours for what they feel is a fair market price. The company says their payouts are based on the karat and weight of the jewelry.

Now if you are not satisfied with the amount they paid you for your gold/jewelry, you have 10 days to return the check or call them to ask for a greater payout or to have your items returned. Their 800 customer service phone number is right there on their website as plain as day.

And they also provide 24/7 online tracking on the shipments so you know where your precious jewelry is at all times.

Is It a Scam?
A couple things, though. Is Cash4Gold a scam? No. It’s a legitimate business – a booming one at that! - founded in 2001. The company and its CEO Jeff Aronson have been featured in several prominent media outlets including the USA Today, which reported the company does 25,000 transactions a month, and the RipoffReport, a favorite website of mine, which gave Cash4Gold a stamp of approval calling their website: “verified safe”.

That said, remember they are in it to make money just as you are. So before you mail them anything get your gold, jewelry, diamonds or whatever you are planning to send to them appraised. This way you have a dollar ballpark to go on when you get their check.