James Lewis Gold Exchange

The first time I took some rather heavy pieces of James Avery sterling in I only got $ 20. I never got to see the weight, all that was behind a counter in another room. This time I took in an even heavier lil bag of James Avery jewelry. I had acquired the larger silver pendants and along with some sterling chains I thought for sure it would be more than $ 20. Once again I was not able to see the weight and when I asked he just told me the weight. I asked if I could see the weighing of pieces myself and he asked if I wanted…$ 20 or not. NOT! Taking them to sell at Next to New where I can get at least $ 25-​$ 50 per piece and $ 5 per strand of sterling necklace. All the «religious» and «Christian» wall hangings in the place… is it to convince us he’s on the level and fair or so he doesn’t feel guilty ripping people off at night? I have used a jewelry seller down south on Congress. It’s worth the drive to deal with a reliable and truly honest silver/​gold buyer who weighs the pieces in front of you.

(This review is specifically about the sale of bullion coins, which are generally handled differently than jewelry metals.)
Pros:
The Burnet and Koenig location is convenient and has plenty of parking.
There’s a little waiting area to sit that seems comfy enough, if a bit ad hoc.
The gentleman working there was polite.
Con:
You can probably get more money elsewhere.
To wit, they only give you 80% of market value on bullion coins.
So, if silver is selling for $ 18.00 an ounce, and you take in a (.999) silver coin to sell (like, say, an American Silver Eagle), then you’d get $ 14.40. At another nearby local business (that I will review shortly), you would get $ 18.00. $ 18.00 is better than $ 14.40.
The stated reason for this is because he has to «make money somehow», which I understand, but these are less complicated to sell/​handle than broken necklaces or rings, especially when there’s no grading involved, and bullion coins are usually directly re-​sold to consumers at a slight premium *over* market because they are known quantities/​purities. The gentleman also said that in the case of larger lots (the number that would be «larger» was not defined), he’d give «up to 95%» of market– but I’d really rather just get market price, regardless of lot size.
Maybe this is a great place to buy bullion coins. I didn’t stick around to price any, so maybe he’s selling significantly under market value– which I suspect is unlikely, but I don’t know for sure. But I know for a fact you can get a lot more money elsewhere if you are selling, and a comfy chair to sit in for a few minutes is not worth the difference in cash.

A few months ago after my great uncle passed I ended up with what I thought was just a box of junk (really tarnished silver plates and forks and rings and twisted up chains, etc.) but I took it down to James Lewis Gold Exchange on Burnet and it turned out there was some real silver in there! which they gave me a nice amount of cash for. I have been there several times since and they always give me a fair price for my silver and gold, way more than the pawn shops, or jewelry stores offer. I’ve even leaned some things about precious metals percentages and whatnot from my dealings with them. Will, who is usually always there, is an honest guy and has always been professional with me.

I have used James Lewis a few times and on every occasion I was treated politely and fairly. I was pleasantly surprised by the offers I was made for my gold and silver. I would recommend this company. There are so many fly-​by-​night gold buyers out there. I have dealt with some I would consider shady. You walk away from those feeling like you left money on the table and should have bargained. Not so here.

I visited the Round Rock store and was pleasantly surprised at the décor and service received from their staff. Some other locations that I visited were stark and missing any comfortable seating. I had to wait just a few minutes for my turn and was very comfortable in their waiting area. Once I showed them my jewelry, I received the best price from them. The transaction was comfortable and fast and I was very pleased! I would highly recommend this James Lewis Gold Exchange!