Gold Bullion Problems: Weight and Packaging Checks

What to take away

Gold bullion problems do not require a counterfeiter. A unit conversion, a vague listing, a switched product, or a cracked card is enough to cost real money. The controlled fixes below start with evidence, not accusation.

The wrong ounce

Gold is quoted in troy ounces. One troy ounce is 31.1034768 grams. The ounce on a kitchen scale is 28.3495 grams, about 9 percent heavier.

Divide grams by the wrong number and the fine-ounce figure is wrong, so the premium is wrong. On a ten-ounce position that error is not rounding. It is a different quote.

Keep grams through the first calculation. Multiply gross grams by fineness, then divide by 31.1034768. Label every field, and rerun every competing quote through the same convention before you compare them.

Gross mass is not fine gold

An alloyed coin weighs more than the gold inside it. A bar stamped 999.9 is close to pure, but it still carries a stated gross weight and a calculated fine content. Face value is a third number again.

Use the issuer's specification sheet. Put gross mass, fineness, and fine-gold content in separate columns. Compare measured mass and dimensions with the exact product specification and written order terms; never infer one from the product name. There is no single tolerance that applies to every bullion product, so ask the issuer or seller to state the applicable tolerance in writing rather than assuming a pass/fail margin.

A seller can display a bank-wire price for a large quantity. The buyer selects one unit, pays by card, adds insured shipping, and sends it to a different destination. The delivered total can differ from the headline.

The CFTC has a list of questions to ask before buying physical gold or silver. It tells buyers to ask about these topics:

Before paying, get written answers to these questions:

Use these as transaction-specific questions, not as verbatim CFTC wording.

Save the listing. Get a written total for your actual quantity, payment method, and destination. Work the premium from the delivered total, not the headline. Walk away if material charges stay undisclosed.

The assay card is damaged

A cracked, cut, cloudy, or resealed card lowers confidence and lowers a dealer's bid. The metal may still be genuine. The package may also hide a substitution. Damage alone proves neither.

Photograph the parcel before you open it, then photograph the card. Do not glue, polish, or reseal anything. Compare the bar, card, serial, and packaging with the listing and the issuer's product specification. Take measurements you can make safely, and do not assume there is a universal assay-card or package standard. Notify the seller inside the return window and agree in writing on who examines the piece and where it is held.

The serials do not match

The bar, the card, the invoice, and the seller's record can carry four different numbers. A fulfillment error, a record error, or a substitution all produce that result. Guessing which one weakens your position.

Quarantine the whole order. Write down each number with its context. Send one short discrepancy notice. Ask for replacement, return, or independent inspection under the contract, and watch the payment and carrier deadlines while you wait.

"Good Delivery" is used loosely

A listing says the bar comes from a refiner on the LBMA list, then implies the retail bar is itself London Good Delivery. Those are different claims.

LBMA's explanation of Good Delivery scope describes roughly 400-troy-ounce gold bars for the London wholesale market and states that other refined products from accredited refiners fall outside the Lists' scope. A one-ounce coin or a kilobar can be well made and still not be a London Good Delivery bar.

Details that identify the item:

Bullion turns into a collectible pitch

You asked for metal exposure. The salesperson redirects you to a proof, a graded coin, a limited issue, or a rare date with a much higher premium. The extra value lives in a different resale market.

Pause the order. Ask for:

Opening the package can remove the remedy

A buyer cuts the assay card open to test the metal, then finds the return policy excluded opened products. The cut can also lower future bids.

Read the return, inspection, and packaging terms before you buy. Check whether opening the card affects returns, who pays return shipping, and how to report a discrepancy. If the evidence conflicts after delivery, contact the seller first and agree in writing on who may open or test the item.

The exit market was assumed

An obscure small bar can be genuine and still draw a weak local bid, because nearby buyers lack the reference equipment or the demand. The premium you paid is not automatically the premium you get back.

Ask for live buyback quotes before you buy. Note whether intact packaging, minimum quantities, shipping, or testing apply. Price the round trip, not just the acquisition.

Incident record

Keep these for any dispute:

Use a scale appropriate for the bar's mass, and record its model, resolution, calibration status, and repeat readings. A scale result alone cannot authenticate metal. In the United States, NIST Handbook 44 provides specifications and tolerances for commercial weighing devices; states and local jurisdictions may adopt and enforce it. It does not establish one universal bullion-bar weight tolerance. If further checking is warranted, an independent bullion professional may use X-ray fluorescence (XRF) to assess surface composition or ultrasonic testing to look for internal anomalies; neither result alone proves the whole bar is genuine.

Common questions

Is a damaged assay card proof of a fake bar?

No. It is a condition and evidence problem. Document it, then verify in proportion to what is at stake.

Can a listed refiner make products outside London Good Delivery?

Yes. Accreditation of the refiner and the status of one particular bar are separate questions. Check the bar, not the brand.

Should I accept store credit after a substituted product arrives?

Only if credit is the remedy you want. Before agreeing, get the proposed remedy and any effect on your other options in writing.

Can cleaning fix a discolored gold product?

Do not clean first. Surface change can carry diagnostic information, and cleaning can strip a finish or weaken a return claim.