Compare
Selling Outright vs. Borrowing
The straight comparison, with selling given a fair hearing. It wins on more rows than a lender usually admits.
No credit check and no obligation. If borrowing is the wrong answer for your situation, you will be told that first.
The whole argument, in one line
Selling is permanent and can be taxable.
A loan is neither.
65%
Advance against value
$15k
Minimum loan
Same
Bars returned
Live market
Business-purpose loans only. Not available in Nevada, Vermont, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Side by side
| Category | Borrowing against it | Selling Outright |
|---|---|---|
| Cash available today | Up to 65% of value | Closer to 100%. Selling wins here |
| Simplicity | A loan agreement and monthly payments | One transaction, then done. Selling wins here |
| Ongoing obligation | Interest-only, monthly | None. Selling wins here |
| Minimum size | $15,000 loan, about $23,000 of metal | No minimum. Selling wins here |
| Tax treatment | Not a disposal, so no gain by itself | Can be a taxable disposal |
| Keeping the position | You keep it | It is gone |
| Cost of rebuilding later | None — same metal returns | Market price plus premium |
| Risk if prices fall | Possible margin call | None. Selling wins here |
| Personal (non-business) need | Cannot be funded at all | No restriction. Selling wins here |
Every row marked “wins here” is a real advantage of the alternative, and on this site the alternative wins a lot of them. A comparison where the lender wins every row is an advertisement.
The fair case
What selling outright genuinely does better
Selling ends the matter, and for a lot of people that is exactly the right outcome. There is no term to track, no ratio to watch, no payment to make and nothing that can be called. You are not exposed to the metal price any more, which matters if you had been meaning to reduce that exposure anyway. If the money is needed permanently rather than for a defined period, or if you have simply stopped wanting to hold metal, selling is the cleaner decision and borrowing against it would be a worse version of the same thing.
The limit
Where the gap is
What you give up is the position, permanently. If metal rises afterwards, that gain belonged to a holding you no longer have, and rebuilding it means paying a retail spread on the way back in on top of whatever the market has done. There may also be tax consequences to a sale that a loan does not create — that is a question for your own tax adviser, not for a lender, and anyone in this industry telling you confidently how a sale will be taxed is speaking outside their lane. The decision is really about one thing: is this money needed for a period, or for good?
Our view
The honest verdict
Selling wins six of these rows, and for a great many people it is the right answer — especially below the minimum, where the need is permanent, or where you simply no longer want to own metal. Borrowing wins on exactly three things: you keep the position, you avoid a disposal, and you avoid the cost of rebuilding. Those three are only worth anything if you would genuinely buy the metal back. If you would not, sell it.
Run your own numbers
Instant estimate
What could you borrow?
Enter the ounces you hold. We advance up to 65% of market value.
| Metal | Spot / oz | Your oz | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | $4,600.00 | $0.00 | |
| Silver | $69.00 | $0.00 | |
| Platinum | $1,840.00 | $0.00 | |
| Palladium | $1,329.00 | $0.00 |
Estimate only. Final advance rate and terms are confirmed after your collateral is inspected and verified. Spot prices are indicative and move continuously. Minimum loan is $15,000 (about $23,077 in collateral value at our 65% rate).
These are business-purpose loans and are not offered for personal, family or household use. Not available in Nevada, Vermont, North Dakota and South Dakota. If metal prices fall materially we may contact you about adding collateral or paying down the balance to keep the loan-to-value in range.
Other comparisons
Pawning It vs. Borrowing Against It
Both lend against metal. The similarity ends at the advance rate and the interest, and pawn genuinely wins on speed and access.
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Selling Now, Buying Back Later
The plan almost everyone has, and the one almost nobody costs out properly.
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Selling Half vs. Borrowing on All of It
The sensible-feeling middle option. Worth comparing properly, because the numbers land closer together than people expect.
Explore →
Waiting vs. Acting
The option nobody lists, chosen more often than either of the others, and occasionally correct.
Explore →
Next step
Run it both ways before you decide.
No credit check and no obligation. Tell us what you hold and what the money is for, and if selling is the better answer for your situation you will be told that first.
Business purpose only. Not available in Nevada, Vermont, North Dakota and South Dakota.