Frequently asked questions

Whether you buy gold as a safety net to secure your assets in the future or as an investment to benefit from fluctuations, there are many reasons why to invest in physical gold.

+ Gold has an intrinsic value. Contrary to paper or virtual money, which is no more than bits and bytes, gold has an intrinsic value. That value results from the physical traits of gold: gold is rare, sustainable, difficult to mine and globally regarded as valuable.

cash

+ Gold is currency. Gold has been used as an exchange product and payment method for more than 5.000 years. Gold also has a number of advantages over paper currency. Gold can be exchanged worldwide while not all paper currencies are. Gold can be divided, should a gold bar be divided in two, the total value of the two separate pieces will remain the same as the total value of the gold bar in its entirety.

Besides that, gold is compact. Gold is easily transportable and has a high value per weight unit. In addition, gold remains relatively rare and hard to obtain. Paper currencies do not have this trait since -in theory - they can be endlessly reproduced. Lastly, gold is durable as 99% of all the gold that has ever been mined, is still available.

+ Gold is a protection against loss of assets. In times of economic uncertainties, high inflations and currency devaluations, gold often rises to the surface as a 'safe haven'. Financial products such as shares, currencies, government bonds, government loans, saving accounts and depositories all bear the same risk that the value can be reduced to 0. Physical gold, on the other hand, does not bear a counterparty risk.

Companies and banks can go bankrupt, governments can unilaterally change their contractual commitments by no longer paying off obligations and/or by creating inflation/deflation of a currency. Physical gold is something you hold in your own hands and will always represent a value.

+ Gold production has been declining for years, while demand is rising. During the 70's South-Africa was the largest producer of gold worldwide with an official production of 2.000 tons per year. The Brazilian gold production spiked in 1982, the Canadian gold production did so in 1991, followed by the Australian production in 1996 and, finally, the American gold production peaked in 1997. 

Ever since then, there have been no more significant gold findings in these countries. Also, all 'easy to mine' gold has already been found which makes mining for new gold becomes more and more difficult every year.

+ Gold is a safety net in times of inflation. Inflation is an invisible tax purposely created by the monetary policies of central banks and governments. Contrary to what politicians and centrals banks want you to believe - that they're the guardians of your buying power - they are the primary cause of inflation.

Inflation is beneficial for everybody making debts, but not for those wanting to build equity capital. Over the last 30 years the buying power of the euro and American dollar have decreased by more than 50%. If the central banks would really want to protect us against inflation, they sure as hell did a bad job over the last 100 years.

In that same period, gold did manage to maintain its buying power. Even though you can point out periods in which it made more sense to invest in other financial instruments, when you look at the financial market long term, there has been no other investment tool that maintained its buying power as good as gold.

You do not have to make an appointment to buy gold at Argentor. During opening hours, you are always welcome in our office; from Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Our closing days and annual holidays can be found on the contact page.

Besides choosing between gold and/or silver, you will also have to make a choice between coins and/or bars. In doing so, the determination of your budget and taking the spread into account will play a vital part. The spread is the difference between our selling and buying premium. At Argentor we communicate this difference in percentages.

On this page you can always consult our current selling and purchase prices and at the same time find out which premiums are attached to our products. Purchasing goods is usually done above the spot price (current price), selling goods is usually done below the spot price. The difference between these prices is called the spread. The spread is the easiest way to compare different products. So don't focus on the selling price, but also look at the price you would receive if you were to sell the coin / bar back to us! The lower the spread, the more interesting. 

For example: A 1 troy ounce gold bar from Metalor is sold at a selling premium of 5.2%. The purchase premium for Metalor's 1 troy ounce gold bars is -1.2%. Thus, the spread on Metalor's 1 troy ounce gold bars is 6.4%. That is, the gold price has to rise 6.4% relatively speaking before you break even. A 1 troy ounce Maple Leaf coin is sold at a selling premium of 3.7% and purchased at a buying premium of -0.5%. So the spread for the 1 troy ounce Maple Leaf is 4.2%. So relatively speaking, the price only has to rise 4.2% before you break even. Based on a gold price of €55,000 per kilogram that is, €109.48 vs. €71.84 respectively. So in this example, the Maple Leaf is the more interesting purchase of the two. 

Argentor only trades with acknowledged and accredited refineries and mints. We only sell ‘good delivery’ gold bars from refineries certified by the LBMA¹ and Emeko gold bars from our own recognized production.

As for the modern bullion coins we offer, we only trade with internationally accredited traders who buy directly from the official mints. Furthermore, we possess sufficient knowledge and equipment to verify modern and historical coins we buy from traders as well as the ones we buy in our office over the counter. That way you are 100% sure you get value for money.

1: See also ‘What does ‘good delivery’ mean?

The gold bars we offer on our webshop generally come with a certificate. Depending on the brand and size of the bar, the certificate is either in paper, or the packing serves as a certificate. Whether or not the gold bar comes with a certificate will be mentioned on the product pages.

In theory you don’t need a certificate to trade your gold bar. The absence of a certificate has no influence on the value of your gold bar! Nevertheless, it is advised to keep the gold bar within its original packing to prevent it from being damaged.

Contrary to bars, coins never come with a certificate.

The choice between the different refiners is no more than a personal preference. All gold bars sold by Argentor, regardless of brand, are minted from pure gold (9999) and are equally easy to trade, both domestically and abroad. Regardless of whether you buy a gold bar from Metalor, or from Umicore or another refinery, the gold value and quality of the gold bar will always be the same.

'Good delivery' gold and silver bars are bars that come from a refinery from the LBMA 'good delivery' list.

In a nutshell, it implies that the refinery:

• Has a net worth of £15.000.000,
• processes more than 10 tons of gold per year,
• processes more than 30 tons of silver per year.

No, that is not possible. Argentor sells historic gold coins as part of gold investments and not as part of collections. We do not sort our coins by year. Therefore, you cannot order specific years or issues at Argentor. 

Our webshop staff will always - as far as possible - try to take your preferences into account, but cannot possibly sift through the entire stock to find the year(s) of your preference.

Our selling prices are adapted every minute to the actual gold rate and will be hedged once you confirm your order, either online or in our office.

No. Our selling prices are the same whether you are buying for business or pleasure. Traders and dealers should contact us for more info on our rates.

This is due to the differences in selling premiums. The selling premium of one gold bar is slightly higher than the other because we have to cover more costs (transportation, customs, production costs, etc.) ourselves to offer that particular brand. 

In terms of quality and purity, however, there is no difference between the brands. They are simply three different refineries. Therefore, you will find that they are all purchased at the same price.

A premium is the difference between the intrinsic value (weight in pure gold x current rate in euros) and the price you actually have to pay. Precious metals, you see, are almost never sold at spot (at their intrinsic value). You always have to pay a certain commission. The so-called premium is often expressed as a percentage. 

At Argentor, we always communicate the percentage premium associated with the product being offered clearly. The premium is often the easiest way to compare and communicate the price of certain products. 

The selling prices as shown in our webshop always include the selling premium. So you do not need to add the premium.

The determination of the premium results from several factors.

+ The numismatic added value: Coins, sometimes, have an additional value for collectors. In the case of very rare and historical coins, this value can sometimes be more than twice as much as the intrinsic value. In case of modern bullion coins this added value will, however, be rather limited.

+ The market: When demand for certain coins and bars increases, premiums can go up, regardless of the actual rate. That results from the basic principle of demand and supply. As soon as the demand surpasses the supply it creates a certain shortage on the market, resulting in higher premiums and prices. As soon as the supply surpasses demand again, the premiums and prices will go down accordingly.

+ The margin: The margin retailers and traders, such as Argentor, take on products is also calculated within the premium.

+ Additional costs: Storage fees, transportation fees, insurances, packing materials, administration, etc.

The selling rates as mentioned on our webshop always include the selling premium and, if applicable, VAT. No additional costs will be added to these rates. Only when buying fine gold in grains and/or plate privately, 21% VAT will be added when checking out your order.

The only additional costs that could be added are a transport fee and an administration fee for orders with a total amount smaller than €1.000. These costs will be mentioned clearly in the cart and the checkout of our webshop right before you finalize the order.

No. Argentor does not apply a minimum order amount. We do charge an administration fee of €5 (VAT excl.) when the online order is less than €1.000, and an administration fee of €10 (VAT excl.) when the purchase in our office is less than €100.

+ There is no minimum on the purchase quantity of gold bars or gold coins either online or in our office.

+ Gold in grain / plate can be purchased / ordered online from a minimum weight of 10 grams. We do not accept orders < 10 grams, neither online, nor by phone or e-mail. However, you are always welcome in our office to buy your supplies < 10 grams directly at the counter.

No, the price for bigger volumes remains the same. Given the high value of precious metals the spreads taken by retailers like Argentor are rather limited.

Traders and other retailers can contact us for more information about our selling rates.

+ As an individual, for purchases at the counter in our office, you may pay a maximum of €3,000 in cash. All amounts above that must be paid via bank transfer or payment terminal (Maestro only). 

+ Professional customers must ALWAYS pay via bank transfer or payment terminal. Since the amendment of cash payment legislation (September 18, 2017), we are no longer allowed to receive anything in cash from professional customers. All purchases, regardless of the total value, will have to be paid via bank transfer, via payment terminal (Maestro only), or satisfied by an exchange.

+ Online orders can never be paid in cash! The balance of your online order can only be paid by bank transfer.

Yes it is mandatory. Since February 20th 2012 gold sellers and buyers are obliged to identify and register their clients and suppliers. 

The legal basis for this obligation was already established at the end of 2010 in the law containing various provisions, art. 70¹. The concrete implementation of the identification procedure was laid down in 2012 in the Royal Decree on identification and registration procedures for the purchase of precious metals². The purpose of this identification procedure is to enable the tracing of healers and thieves.

1: Wet houdende diverse bepalingen - Identificatie- en registratieverplichting bij de aankoop van oude metalen en edele metalen

2: Belgisch Staatsblad 10.02.2012 | 24 januari 2012 - Koninklijk besluit houdende identificatie- en registratiemodaliteiten bij de aankoop van edele metalen

+ You needn't pay VAT on gold bars and gold coins as they’re seen as an investment¹.

+ In case you dispose of a valid Belgian VAT number, you buy fine gold in grains and/or plate under reverse charge rule². That means you will not have to pay VAT. In case you buy fine gold in grains and/or plate and gold solder privately, or, in some cases, when you are an independent in secondary profession³, you will have to pay 21% VAT on your purchase.

1: By definition, investment gold is gold with a mass of at least 1 gram and a purity of at least 900/1,000 (21.6 carats).

2:  Only if you are subject to VAT and are not exempt from VAT obligations, and if it is an expense in the context of your profession, you can purchase fine gold under reverse charge of VAT.

3: Self-employed persons in a secondary occupation subject to VAT regulations must also file a VAT return and pay VAT contributions. But if your income is under €25,000, you can request an exemption from VAT obligations. You do not then have to file a VAT return or charge VAT on outgoing invoices. Consequently, you cannot recover VAT from incoming invoices either. For this reason, you cannot purchase fine gold under reverse charge of VAT. More information on the VAT exemption rule can be found on the website of the FPS Finance.

This will be possible again in the future. Soon you will be able to set up price alerts in your account on our webshop. These alerts can be set up in the function of purchasing, as well as selling. As soon as the gold, silver, platinum or palladium rate reaches a certain value, you will receive an automatic e-mail about this.

No. Argentor does not have a duty of notification. We are, however, obliged to keep our full bookkeeping records during the mandatory period of 7 years for the event of an investigation.

Citizens of Belgium do not have to declare their investments in precious metals on their tax declaration. Only when they keep precious metals on a foreign investment account will they have to declare this in Belgium on their personal tax declaration.

Yes. Argentor sells the primary precious metals you will need as a goldsmith or jeweller to create and/or repair jewellery. With that being said, you can buy fine gold in grains/plate at Argentor.

Gold in grains/plate & gold solder are not suitable investment tools! If you do not dispose of a valid VAT number, you must pay 21% VAT because gold in grains and gold solder are not seen as an investment but as raw material. On top of that it can prove to be quite difficult to resell gold in those forms.  

You can order fine gold in grains / plate starting from a minimum weight of 10 grams. Orders < 10 grams are neither accepted online, nor by telephone or e-mail. You are, of course, always welcome in our office to buy your supplies directly at the counter.

No. Argentor sells only pure gold in grain/plate and 18 + 9 carat solder. We do not sell alloys and haberdashery.

Yes. Argentor sells all the precious metals you need as a goldsmith, jeweler or the like for making and/or repairing jewelry. You can also come to us for 18 & 9 carat solder, and in different hardnesses for both yellow, white and rose gold. 

You can’t order gold solder, neither online nor by the gram! We cut our solder into strips of +/- 2 grams. Orders for gold solder can only be placed in combination with other fine metals and/or solder starting from a combined minimum weight of 10 grams and are best communicated by phone or e-mail. Orders < 10 grams are not accepted via the webshop, by phone or by e-mail. You are always welcome in our office to buy your supplies directly at the counter.

Investing in silver offers you the opportunity to invest in precious metals at a lower rate. This not only makes it possible to buy larger amounts in one go, but also to invest smaller sums of money. Argentor sells silver bars as well as silver coins in several weights and volumes.

Silver bars serve perfectly as a purchase of physical silver but do take into account that buying silver bars is not preferable for private customers. 21% VAT will always be charged because silver is seen as an industrial good, instead of an investment product. That is why silver bars are not interesting for private customers; they will never be able to reclaim the VAT they initially payed.

Silver coins are a more interesting alternative for private investors, because they are sold under the VAT margin scheme.

You do not have to make an appointment to buy silver at Argentor. During opening hours, you are always welcome in our office; from Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Our closing days and annual holidays can be found on the contact page.

When choosing between silver coins and silver bars, it is important to consider the VAT you have to pay on silver bars. You, as a private buyer, cannot reclaim this. Nor will we pay you VAT when you, as a private person, sell silver bars to us. 

Buying silver for business purposes may be a solution, but you should first discuss with your accountant whether it is actually possible to include your purchase of silver bars in your VAT return. 

As a private person, it will in any case always be more interesting to buy silver coins, because of the VAT margin scheme.

Argentor only trades with acknowledged and accredited refineries and mints. We only sell ‘good delivery’ silver bars from refineries certified by the LBMA¹.

As for the modern bullion coins we offer, we only trade with internationally accredited traders who buy directly from the official mints. That way you are 100% sure you get value for money.

1: See also ‘What does ‘good delivery’ mean?

Silver bars generally come without a certificate. 

Generally, you do not need a certificate to trade your silver bars. The presence or absence of a certificate does not affect the value of a silver bar! Nevertheless, it is best to keep the silver bar in its original packaging to avoid any damage.

Contrary to bars, coins never come with a certificate.

'Good delivery' gold and silver bars are bars that come from a refinery from the LBMA 'good delivery' list.

In a nutshell, it implies that the refinery:

• Has a net worth of £15.000.000,
• processes more than 10 tons of gold per year,
• processes more than 30 tons of silver per year.

No, that is not possible. Argentor sells silver coins as part of silver investments and not as part of collections. We do not sort our coins by year. Therefore, you cannot order specific years or issues at Argentor. 

Our webshop staff will always - as far as possible - try to take your preferences into account, but cannot possibly sift through the entire stock to find the year(s) of your preference.

Our selling prices are adapted every minute to the actual silver rate and will be hedged once you confirm your order, either online or in our office.

No. Our selling prices are the same whether you are buying for business or pleasure. Traders and dealers should contact us for more info on our rates.

A premium is the difference between the intrinsic value (weight in pure silver x current rate in euros) and the price you actually have to pay. Precious metals, you see, are almost never sold at spot (at their intrinsic value). You always have to pay a certain commission. The so-called premium is often expressed as a percentage. 

At Argentor, we always communicate the percentage premium associated with the product being offered clearly. The premium is often the easiest way to compare and communicate the price of certain products. 

The selling prices as shown in our webshop always include the selling premium. So you do not need to add the premium.

The determination of the premium results from several factors.

+ The numismatic added value: Coins, sometimes, have an additional value for collectors. In the case of very rare and historical coins, this value can sometimes be more than twice as much as the intrinsic value. In case of modern bullion coins this added value will, however, be rather limited.

+ The market: When demand for certain coins and bars increases, premiums can go up, regardless of the actual rate. That results from the basic principle of demand and supply. As soon as the demand surpasses the supply it creates a certain shortage on the market, resulting in higher premiums and prices. As soon as the supply surpasses demand again, the premiums and prices will go down accordingly.

+ The margin: The margin retailers and traders, such as Argentor, take on products is also calculated within the premium.

+ Additional costs: Storage fees, transportation fees, insurances, packing materials, administration, etc.

As mentioned above, the determination of the premium results from several factors. The reason why the premium on silver coins is that much higher percentage-wise than the premium on gold coins also results from several factors.

+ Similar costs have to be spread over a lower value: Fixed costs linked to production, insurance, storage and transportation are similar for gold and silver. Since silver is that much cheaper than gold, these costs are, relatively speaking, much higher for silver coins than for gold ones.

+ Clearance under VAT margin regulation: Silver coins are traded under the VAT margin regulation. Bottom line that means that a trader of silver coins has to pay VAT but only on the profit he makes and not on the total revenue of the transaction. In other words, the VAT will not be charged directly to the customer but will be part of the premium you pay upon buying silver coins.

+ Supply and demand: When there is a large demand for physical silver, because supply is running low, the premium will go up. Mints can, in fact, not always produce silver coins at the same tempo as gold ones because of quota and resources.

The selling rates as mentioned on our webshop always include the selling premium and, if applicable, VAT. No additional costs will be added to these rates. If VAT applies, it will be mentioned clearly in the shopping cart and during the checkout process before you finalize the order.

The only additional costs that could be added are a transport fee and an administration fee for orders with a total amount smaller than €1.000. These costs will be mentioned clearly in the shopping cart and during the checkout process before you finalize the order.

No. Argentor does not apply a minimum order amount. We do charge an administration fee of €5 (VAT excl.) when the online order is less than €1.000, and an administration fee of €10 (VAT excl.) when the purchase in our office is less than €100.

+ There is no minimum on the purchase quantity of silver bars or silver coins either online or in our office.

+ Silver in grains can be purchased / ordered online from a minimum weight of 250 grams. We do not accept orders < 250 grams, neither online, nor by phone or e-mail. However, you are always welcome in our office to buy your supplies < 250 grams directly at the counter.

No, the price for bigger volumes remains the same. Given the high value of precious metals the spreads taken by retailers like Argentor are rather limited.

Traders and other retailers can contact us for more information about our selling rates.

+ As an individual, for purchases at the counter in our office, you may pay a maximum of €3,000 in cash. All amounts above that must be paid via bank transfer or payment terminal (Maestro only). 

+ Professional customers must ALWAYS pay via bank transfer or payment terminal. Since the amendment of cash payment legislation (September 18, 2017), we are no longer allowed to receive anything in cash from professional customers. All purchases, regardless of the total value, will have to be paid via bank transfer, via payment terminal (Maestro only), or satisfied by an exchange.

+ Online orders can never be paid in cash! The balance of your online order can only be paid by bank transfer.

Yes it is mandatory. Since February 20th 2012 sellers and buyers are obliged to identify and register their clients and suppliers. 

The legal basis for this obligation was already established at the end of 2010 in the law containing various provisions, art. 70¹. The concrete implementation of the identification procedure was laid down in 2012 in the Royal Decree on identification and registration procedures for the purchase of precious metals². The purpose of this identification procedure is to enable the tracing of healers and thieves.

1: Wet houdende diverse bepalingen - Identificatie- en registratieverplichting bij de aankoop van oude metalen en edele metalen

2: Belgisch Staatsblad 10.02.2012 | 24 januari 2012 - Koninklijk besluit houdende identificatie- en registratiemodaliteiten bij de aankoop van edele metalen

+ On silver bars, you always pay 21% VAT because they are not considered as an investment tool, but as raw material. For private customers this makes silver bars less interesting because they will not be able to withdraw the VAT. In case you dispose of a valid Belgian VAT number,  you might be able to withdraw the VAT. It is advised to discuss the possibilities with your accountant. 

+ Silver coins, on the other hand, are traded under the VAT margin regulation and are a more suitable alternative for private investors. Bottom line it means that a trader of silver coins has to pay VAT but only on the profit he makes and not on the total revenue of the transaction. In other words, the VAT will not be charged directly to the customer but will be part of the premium you pay upon buying silver coins.

+ You always pay 21% VAT on your purchase of fine silver in grains, unless you are a foreign VAT tax payer. In case you dispose of a valid Belgian VAT number, and when the transaction takes place in the context of your profession, you will be able to withdraw the VAT.

1:  Only if you are liable for VAT and are not exempt from VAT obligations, and if it is an expense in the context of your profession, will you be able to reclaim the VAT.

This will be possible again in the future. Soon you will be able to set up price alerts in your account on our webshop. These alerts can be set up in the function of purchasing, as well as selling. As soon as the gold, silver, platinum or palladium rate reaches a certain value, you will receive an automatic e-mail about this.

No. Argentor does not have a duty of notification. We are, however, obliged to keep our full bookkeeping records during the mandatory period of 7 years for the event of an investigation.

Citizens of Belgium do not have to declare their investments in precious metals on their tax declaration. Only when they keep precious metals on a foreign investment account will they have to declare this in Belgium on their personal tax declaration.

Yes. Argentor sells the primary precious metals you will need as a goldsmith or jeweller to create and/or repair jewellery. With that being said, you can buy fine silver in grains at Argentor.

Silver in grains are not suitable investment tools! If you do not dispose of a valid VAT number, you must pay 21% VAT because silver in grains are not seen as an investment but as raw material. On top of that it can prove to be quite difficult to resell silver  in this form.  

You can order fine silver in grains starting from a minimum weight of 250 grams. Orders < 250 grams are neither accepted online, nor by telephone or e-mail. You are, of course, always welcome in our office to buy your supplies directly at the counter.

No. Argentor sells only pure silver in grain and silver solder. We do not sell alloys and haberdashery.

Yes. Argentor sells all the precious metals you need as a goldsmith, jeweler or the like for making and/or repairing jewelry. You can also come to us for silver solder, and in different hardnesses.

You can’t order gold solder, neither online nor by the gram! We cut our solder into strips of +/- 2 grams. Orders for silver solder can only be placed in combination with other fine metals and/or solder starting from a combined minimum weight of 250 grams and are best communicated by phone or e-mail. When ordered in combination with gold, platinum or palladium you will obviously need to respect the minimum order quantities of those metals.

Orders < 250 grams are neither accepted online, nor by telephone or e-mail. You are, of course, always welcome in our office to buy your supplies directly at the counter. 

We do not always offer platinum & palladium coins and bars in our webshop, because in many cases they are not the most interesting investment products for private investors. 

The selling premiums on platinum & palladium coins and bars are significantly higher so that the price to be paid, in combination with VAT, is often almost double the intrinsic value. On platinum & palladium coin bars you always pay 21% VAT because platinum & palladium are not seen as an investment, but as a commodity. In that respect, platinum & palladium coins and ingots are not interesting for the private investor as he cannot recover VAT. 

That said, from time to time we have a limited stock of platinum & palladium coins and bars in stock. You may always contact us by phone or email to inquire about our availability and prices.

Yes. Argentor sells the primary precious metals you will need as a goldsmith or jeweller to create and/or repair jewellery. With that being said, you can buy fine platinum & palladium in plate at Argentor. 

Platinum & palladium in plate are not suitable investment tools! Just like the bars and coins, you must pay 21% VAT because platinum & palladium in plate are not seen as an investment but as raw material. On top of that it can prove to be quite difficult to resell platinum and palladium in those forms.

You can order platinum and palladium starting from a minimum weight of 10 grams. Orders < 10 grams are neither accepted online, nor by telephone or e-mail. You are, of course, always welcome in our office to buy your supplies directly at the counter.

No. Argentor only sells pure platinum in plate and platinum solder & palladium in plate. We do not sell alloys and haberdashery.

Yes. Argentor sells the primary precious metals you will need as a goldsmith or jeweller to create and/or repair jewellery. Not only can you buy fine platinum and palladium in plate, we also offer platinum solder in 1 hardness number: PT3. 

Platinum solder can neither be ordered online, nor in grams! We cut our solder in strips of +/- 2 grams. You can only order platinum solder in combination with other metals and / or solder starting from a combined minimum weight of 10 grams. These orders are best placed by telephone or e-mail. Orders < 10 grams are neither accepted online, nor by telephone or e-mail. You are, of course, always welcome in our office to buy your supplies directly at the counter.

You do not have to make an appointment to buy platinum or palladium at Argentor. During opening hours, you are always welcome in our office; from Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Our closing days and annual holidays can be found on the contact page.

No. Argentor does not apply a minimum order amount. We do charge an administration fee of €5 (VAT excl.) when the online order is less than €1.000, and an administration fee of €10 (VAT excl.) when the purchase in our office is less than €100.

+ There is no minimum on the purchasing quantity of platinum & palladium coins and bars, in case of stock.

+ Platinum & palladium in plate can be purchased / ordered online from a minimum weight of 10 grams. We do not accept orders < 10 grams, neither online, nor by phone or e-mail. However, you are always welcome in our office to buy your supplies < 10 grams directly at the counter.

No, the price for bigger volumes remains the same. Given the high value of precious metals the spreads taken by retailers like Argentor are rather limited.

Traders and other retailers can contact us for more information about our selling rates.

+ As an individual, for purchases at the counter in our office, you may pay a maximum of €3,000 in cash. All amounts above that must be paid via bank transfer or payment terminal (Maestro only). 

+ Professional customers must ALWAYS pay via bank transfer or payment terminal. Since the amendment of cash payment legislation (September 18, 2017), we are no longer allowed to receive anything in cash from professional customers. All purchases, regardless of the total value, will have to be paid via bank transfer, via payment terminal (Maestro only), or satisfied by an exchange.

+ Online orders can never be paid in cash! The balance of your online order can only be paid by bank transfer.

Yes it is mandatory. Since February 20th 2012 sellers and buyers are obliged to identify and register their clients and suppliers. 

The legal basis for this obligation was already established at the end of 2010 in the law containing various provisions, art. 70¹. The concrete implementation of the identification procedure was laid down in 2012 in the Royal Decree on identification and registration procedures for the purchase of precious metals². The purpose of this identification procedure is to enable the tracing of healers and thieves.

1: Wet houdende diverse bepalingen - Identificatie- en registratieverplichting bij de aankoop van oude metalen en edele metalen

2: Belgisch Staatsblad 10.02.2012 | 24 januari 2012 - Koninklijk besluit houdende identificatie- en registratiemodaliteiten bij de aankoop van edele metalen

+ On platinum coins & bars and palladium coins & bars you always pay 21% VAT because they are not considered as an investment tool, but as raw material. For private customers this makes silver bars less interesting because they will not be able to withdraw the VAT. In case you dispose of a valid Belgian VAT number,  you might be able to withdraw the VAT. It is advised to discuss the possibilities with your accountant. 

+ You always pay 21% VAT on your purchase of platinum & palladium in plate. In case you dispose of a valid Belgian VAT number, and when the transaction takes place in the context of your profession, you will be able to withdraw the VAT.

1:  Only if you are liable for VAT and are not exempt from VAT obligations, and if it is an expense in the context of your profession, will you be able to reclaim the VAT.

This will be possible again in the future. Soon you will be able to set up price alerts in your account on our webshop. These alerts can be set up in the function of purchasing, as well as selling. As soon as the gold, silver, platinum or palladium rate reaches a certain value, you will receive an automatic e-mail about this.

You surely can! You are more than welcome at Argentor Essayeurs to sell your gold. Argentor specializes in testing and buying gold bars, gold coins and scrap gold.

Argentor buys:

• bullion (bars and coins)
• jewellery & watch frames
• historical gold coins
• gold medallions
• dental gold¹
• workhouse wastes (filings, drillings, vacuum bags, polishing wastes, workbench wastes, …)²
• mined/alluvial gold³
• gold powder³
• industrial gold³

We cannot help you with the purchase of the following goods:

• gold leaf and/or gold paint
• gold plated jewellery
• very low alloys
• electronic waste and/or circuit boards
• liquid solutions
• toxic or aggressive substances

1: Teeth have to be removed first.

2: See also ‘Sell workhouse waste’

3:  The material will have to be refined and analysed in our refinery before we can continue with the purchase of and payment for your metals. For more information, see also: Refining & recycling.

You do not have to make an appointment to sell gold at Argentor. During opening hours, you are always welcome in our office; from Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Our closing days and annual holidays can be found on the contact page.

At Argentor you will not receive added value for precious stones and/or pearls, nor for the design of your jewellery, exclusive or not. If possible we remove the stones and/or pearls. Should that not be possible, we will deduct some weight of the piece of jewellery. Jewellery containing real diamonds are bought as a whole (including diamonds) at the daily rates corresponding to their purity. For large quantities of gold jewelry with diamonds, you can always contact us for a chemical solution of gold with diamond recovery. 

Inform yourself about the possible value of your diamonds and whether or not they're worth breaking out. If desired, we can always refer you to our specialist partners for selling your diamonds and/or jewellery with historical value.

No, in theory there is no minimum on the weight you can sell at Argentor. What you do need to consider is an administration fee¹ of €10 (21% VAT incl.) in case the invoice is less than €100. The administration fee will be held off the purchase price. Small amounts can therefore better be saved and sold once you have more in order to avoid the administration fee.

1:  See also : 'Are there any additional 'hidden' costs I have to factor in when selling to Argentor?'.

+ Coins and bars are purchased based on the current gold rate, minus or plus purchase premium¹. The purchase prices are adjusted every minute to the current gold rate and are only fixed at the time you present the coins and bars in our office.

+ Coins that you do not find in the above price list and all other forms of gold are purchased as scrap gold at the price corresponding to the purity of the gold. The purchase prices are adjusted every minute according to the current gold rate and are fixed only at the moment our staff has tested your scrap gold.

1: Provided the coins/bars are in good condition. See also "What does 'purchase premium' mean?

Although we have been happy to welcome private customers for years, Argentor is originally a wholesale business. Professional customers therefore receive a better rate for scrap gold than private customers.

Only if you have a valid VAT number and if the sale is for professional purposes will the purchase rate for professionals be applied. When creating your customer file, we will always check your VAT number in the VIES (European Commission control body) and request your company statutes in the Crossroads Bank.

Our purchase prices for coins and bars are the same for private individuals as for dealers.

The professional price (filing) is the classic daily price that you - as a professional - receive when you have goods tested by our colleagues at the counter on the basis of acids. The professional price (melting) is the price you get when - as a professional - you melt the goods you wish to sell together yourself or have them melted by Argentor. The purchase premium on the smelting day price is set slightly higher than that of the classic day price, as a result of which you will easily gain €2 per gram. Not only the price is to your advantage, waiting times at the counters are also drastically reduced when you deliver goods that have already been melted, or when you have them melted by Argentor.

Of course, you should keep in mind that the melting method is a destructive method. All the goods you supply will be melted together, regardless of the different contents, unless you yourself sort the goods by content in advance. If the percentage of the fused block is subsequently found to be lower than expected, there is no way for us to know which piece(s) had a lower purity. Nor can we return individual pieces once melted. Thus, the smelting method implies that you will have to check/test your goods yourself first to have a clear idea of the expected purity. We always advise against using a touchstone, as this often gives a false image of the purity of gold-plated jewelry.

You should also note that, especially old, jewelry often has a slightly different alloy; 18-karat jewelry, for example, often has a purity of 72 to 74% and rarely one of exactly 75%. 

Our classic daily prices are set to that buffer. So you will find that even if you have goods melted, and it turns out to be a "lower percentage," you will still get a better price than that of the classic " filing" daily price.

Please note that the distinction between smelting and filing is only made for professional customers when selling scrap gold. Private individuals always receive the same daily price, regardless of the goods purchased via the smelting or not the filing method.

A premium is the difference between the intrinsic value (weight in pure gold x current rate in euros) and the price you actually have to pay. Precious metals, you see, are almost never sold at spot (at their intrinsic value). You always have to pay a certain commission. The so-called premium is often expressed as a percentage. 

At Argentor, we always communicate the percentage premium associated with the product being offered clearly. The premium is often the easiest way to compare and communicate the price of certain products. 

The purchasing prices as shown in our webshop always include the purchasing premium. So you do not need to add the premium.

For example: For a 1 kg gold bar at a gold price of €55,000/kilo with a purchase premium of -1.20%, you will then get: €55,000 - 1.20% = €54,347.83. The premium can also be expressed in nominal terms, in the current example it would then be €652.17.

+ The numismatic added value: Coins, sometimes, have an additional value for collectors. In the case of very rare and historical coins, this value can sometimes be more than twice as much as the intrinsic value. In case of modern bullion coins this added value will, however, be rather limited.

+ The market: When demand for certain coins and bars increases, premiums can go up, regardless of the actual rate. That results from the basic principle of demand and supply. As soon as the demand surpasses the supply it creates a certain shortage on the market, resulting in higher premiums and prices. As soon as the supply surpasses demand again, the premiums and prices will go down accordingly.

+ The margin: The margin retailers and traders, such as Argentor, take on products is also calculated within the premium.

+ Additional costs: Storage fees, transportation fees, insurances, packing materials, administration, etc.

The purchase prices for coins and bars as shown in the "our purchase price" column are the net prices you will receive. Similarly, the purchase prices for scrap gold as shown on our website are the net prices you will receive per gram. No extra costs are deducted from these prices. 

What you do need to take into account is an administration fee of €10 in case the purchase invoice amounts to less than €100. This fee will be deducted from the purchase amount. It is therefore best to save up small quantities to be able to sell them later together and thus avoid the administration fee.

No, the price for bigger volumes remains the same. Given the high value of precious metals the spreads taken by retailers like Argentor are rather limited.

Traders and other retailers can contact us for more information about our selling rates.

We may pay out up to €500 in cash to individuals. Any residual balance is paid out via bank transfer¹, or satisfied through an exchange. We are not allowed to pay out professional customers in cash. All payouts are made by bank transfer¹ or through an exchange.

1: Our bank transfers are carried out the following working day before noon. How fast you receive the payment onto your banking account depends on the speed of the transfer between our bank and yours. Do not hesitate to contact us in case you still haven't received the payment after three working days.

Bank transfers are carried out the following working day before noon. How fast you receive the payment onto your banking account depends on the speed of the transfer between our bank and yours. Do not hesitate to contact us in case you still haven't received the payment after three working days.

+ VAT is never paid on the sale of gold bars and gold coins as they are exempt from VAT. 

+ If you have a valid Belgian VAT number¹ , you are selling scrap gold under reverse charge of VAT. This means that we will not pay you any VAT. We will never pay VAT to foreign VAT payers, the self-employed in a secondary occupation² and private individuals.

1: Only if you are subject to VAT and do not enjoy exemption from VAT obligations, and if it is an expense in the context of your profession, you can sell scrap gold under reverse charge and will be paid VAT on the sale of scrap silver, platinum & palladium and on the sale of silver bars and platinum & palladium coins and bars. 

2: Self-employed professionals who are subject to VAT regulations must also file a VAT return and pay VAT contributions. But if your income is under €25,000, you can request an exemption from VAT obligations. You do not then have to file a VAT return or charge VAT on outgoing invoices. Consequently, you are also not allowed to recover VAT from incoming invoices. More information on the VAT exemption rule can be found on the website of the FPS Finance.

This will be possible again in the future. Soon you will be able to set up price alerts in your account on our webshop. These alerts can be set up in the function of purchasing, as well as selling. As soon as the gold, silver, platinum or palladium rate reaches a certain value, you will receive an automatic e-mail about this.

Yes it is mandatory. Since February 20th 2012 gold sellers and buyers are obliged to identify and register their clients and suppliers. 

The legal basis for this obligation was already established at the end of 2010 in the law containing various provisions, art. 70¹. The concrete implementation of the identification procedure was laid down in 2012 in the Royal Decree on identification and registration procedures for the purchase of precious metals². The purpose of this identification procedure is to enable the tracing of healers and thieves.

1: Wet houdende diverse bepalingen - Identificatie- en registratieverplichting bij de aankoop van oude metalen en edele metalen

2: Belgisch Staatsblad 10.02.2012 | 24 januari 2012 - Koninklijk besluit houdende identificatie- en registratiemodaliteiten bij de aankoop van edele metalen

No. Argentor does not have a duty of notification. We are, however, obliged to keep our full bookkeeping records during the mandatory period of 7 years for the event of an investigation.

Citizens of Belgium do not have to declare their investments in precious metals on their tax declaration. Only when they keep precious metals on a foreign investment account will they have to declare this in Belgium on their personal tax declaration.

There are several ways to test whether or not you are in possession of real precious metals¹:

+ Based on the hallmarks present on the jewellery: With the aid of a magnifying glass you can check if there's an alloy stamp/hallmark² in your piece of jewellery. That mark indicates the purity of the metal. Most common alloys for yellow and white gold jewellery are 18 carats (750), 14 carats (580) & 9 carats (375). Most common alloy for silver jewellery are 925 (sterling silver), 835 and 800. The actual purity of jewellery made before 1980 can differ slightly from the hallmark. After 1980 laws regarding hallmarks were however tightened which makes chances that the purity and hallmark do not correspond a lot more slim.

+ With the aid of testing fluid: You can buy testing fluids in several shops in the Diamond quarter near Argentor or online. We advise you to file through the upper layer of the jewel in order to remove the (possibly gold/silver plated) top layer. Next, you apply the acid directly on the scratched surface. The purity of the metal is then determined depending on whether or not the acid decolours.

We highly advise against the use of a 'touchstone'. That method can create false results since only the filed layer is tested. In case your jewellery is gold/silver plated, the acid will indicate that the purity is much higher than it actually is.

+ You can always ask your jeweller for advice.

1: In case of doubt Argentor can use several other testing methods to determine the purity of your metals, one of which the spectrometer (based on x-rays) is the most common one.

2: The presence of a hallmark is never conclusive evidence of purity. Hallmarks can be forged as well

Whether it's jewellery from a heritage, coins from a collection or silver cutlery you no longer use… When you are planning to sell precious metals it's of the utmost importance that you asses the value of your material as best as you can. Take a look at following tips and think carefully when selling your precious metals.

+ Form an idea of what your gold is worth. Try to figure out the value of your gold and/or silver before you decide to sell it. By weighing the pieces and checking for hallmarks (if possible) you can easily assess the value of your items based on the actual rates. Alternatively, you can go to a jeweller (or several jewellers) for a taxation. This will help you to form an idea of the value of your items. Never send material to a buyer without having a clue of its value!

+ Try to sell directly to a jeweller you know or a well-known precious metals trader: Research has shown that a jeweller will often offer a better price for your precious metals than a small exchange office. That is certainly the case in the Diamond quarter of Antwerp, where there are a lot of jewellers located. There you can rest assured that you will receive a fair price for your gold and/or silver. Larger trade offices (such as Argentor) will also be able to offer a better, and especially more transparent, price! Do not sell your gold and/or silver to the first buyer that comes along! Chances are you'll receive a better price somewhere else.

+ Have realistic expectations when it comes to pricing! Keep in mind that terms such as 'rare', 'exclusive' and 'collectors item' have to be taken with a grain of salt. Exchange offices will often only be interested in the percentages of precious metals within your jewellery and/or other materials. They won't pay attention to the craftmanship and skills needed for the creation of certain pieces. On top of that you need to take into account that productional fees and VAT were calculated in the price you paid, meaning that the price you paid will always be higher than the actual value of the piece. In other words, it's not because you paid €1.000 for a ring that it's actually worth that much. That being said, caution is always recommended! Coins, unlike jewellery, are often worth more than solely their weight in gold and/or silver. Informing yourself about buying and selling premiums is always a good idea, but manage your expectations. The premium will always depend on the actual market situation (supply & demand) and will vary from trader to trader.

+ Check if your jewellery contains diamonds and whether or not they are of value. Unlike some jewellers, most gold traders will not pay extra for the precious stones that are inside jewellery, since it's another craft of which they don't have knowhow. That's also the case at Argentor, where you will not receive added value for precious stones and/or pearls, nor for the design of your jewellery, exclusive or not.  It is recommended that you first consult a reputable jeweler or diamond dealer as to whether or not your stones have any value and whether or not it is worth breaking them out. For large quantities of gold jewelry with diamonds, you can always contact us for a chemical solution of gold with recovery of diamonds. If desired, we can always put you in contact with a known party for selling diamonds and/or jewelry with certain historical value.

+ Compare the reputations of companies online. These days you can easily find online reviews about virtually every - trustworthy - gold trader, either on their own website, either on Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, etc. Googling the names of the companies you wish to work with will go a long way.

At Argentor we find it very important that customers can rate us. On our Kiyoh page you can read all reviews left behind by clients. Take into account that these reviews are solely aimed on the operations of our webshop! You can also find reviews about the operation of our office through Google.

Only if you are already a known B2B customer of Argentor - and depending on the quantity and composition of the material - we can have goods collected from you by Mikropakket (Belgium & Luxembourg). We charge €15 (excl. VAT) per transport for this service. Feel free to contact us if you wish to make use of our pick-up service. We will provide you with all information and the necessary documentation. 

If you send material to us on your own initiative, you do so entirely at your own risk! Argentor cannot be held liable for packages that you send to us yourself via regular or registered mail, nor are we responsible for packages that you put in our mailbox yourself. 

For appraisals without commitment to sell, we ask €20 (21% VAT incl.) per analysis.

Anyone who sells from January 2026 will have to pay a tax of 10% on the added value on all profits above €10,000. Even though a VAT exemption applies to investment gold, apparently the separate status of this category does not apply to capital gains tax. Jewellery, though, is left out of range because it is not considered investment gold.

It goes without saying that you are only taxed when an added value is realized. As long as you do not sell, no capital gains tax is due. The price of 31/12/2025 will be used as a reference to levy the tax. Historical added values are therefore not taxable. Argentor will not retain any tax itself, so you will need to declare the added value yourself in your tax return, if applicable.

You surely can! You are more than welcome at Argentor Essayeurs to sell your silver. Argentor specializes in testing and buying silver bars, silver coins and scrap silver. Argentor buys scrap silver from a minimum weight of 1 kilogram and is processed through a refinement³.

Argentor buys:

• bullion (bars and coins)
• jewellery & watch frames
• silverware¹

• historical coins
• silver medaillons
• workhouse wastes (filings, vacuum bags, polishing wastes, drillings, sanding papers, …)²
• industrial silver³

We cannot help you with the purchase of the following goods:

• silver plated jewellery and/or cutlery
• very low alloys
• electronic waste and/or circuit boards
• liquid solutions
• toxic or aggressive substances

1: Knives excluded.

2: See ‘Sell workhouse waste’

3: Goods will have to be refined and analysed in our refinery first before we can purchase and pay out the metals. See ‘refining & recycling’ for more information on fees, processing times and procedure.

You do not have to make an appointment to sell gold at Argentor. During opening hours, you are always welcome in our office; from Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Our closing days and annual holidays can be found on the contact page.

At Argentor you will not receive added value for precious stones and/or pearls, nor for the design of your jewellery, exclusive or not. If possible we remove the stones and/or pearls. Should that not be possible, we will deduct some weight of the piece of jewellery. Jewellery containing real diamonds are bought as a whole (including diamonds) at the daily rates corresponding to their purity. For large quantities of gold jewelry with diamonds, you can always contact us for a chemical solution of gold with diamond recovery. 

Inform yourself about the possible value of your diamonds and whether or not they're worth breaking out. If desired, we can always refer you to our specialist partners for selling your diamonds and/or jewellery with historical value.

+ We purchase silver coins only in the same quantities in which we sell them: tubes of 20 or 25, or boxes of 250 or 500 ounce coins, or kilogram coins. We do not purchase individual ounce coins. Individual ounce coins are purchased as scrap silver at the price corresponding to the purity of the silver. 

+ We only purchase silver bars from a minimum weight of 500 grams.

+ We only buy scrap silver from a minimum weight of 1 kilogram.

+ Coins and bars are purchased based on the current silver rate, minus or plus purchase premium¹. The purchase prices are adjusted every minute to the current gold rate and are only fixed at the time you present the coins and bars in our office.

+ Coins that you do not find in the above price list and all other forms of gold are purchased as scrap silver at the price corresponding to the purity of the silver. The purchase prices are adjusted every minute according to the current silver rate and are fixed only at the moment our staff has tested your scrap gold.

1: Provided the coins/bars are in good condition. See also "What does 'purchase premium' mean?

Contrary to the purchase prices for scrap gold, platinum & palladium, we make no distinction between individuals and professionals for the purchase prices of scrap silver.

Our purchase prices for coins and bars are also the same for individuals as well as professionals.

A premium is the difference between the intrinsic value (weight in pure silver x current rate in euros) and the price you actually have to pay. Precious metals, you see, are almost never sold at spot (at their intrinsic value). You always have to pay a certain commission. The so-called premium is often expressed as a percentage. 

At Argentor, we always communicate the percentage premium associated with the product being offered clearly. The premium is often the easiest way to compare and communicate the price of certain products. 

The purchasing prices as shown in our webshop always include the purchasing premium. So you do not need to add the premium.

For example: For a 1 kilogram silver bar at a silver price of €550/kilo with a purchase premium of -5%, you will then get: €550 - 5% = €523.81. The premium can also be expressed in nominal terms, in the current example it would then be €26.19.

+ The numismatic added value: Coins, sometimes, have an additional value for collectors. In the case of very rare and historical coins, this value can sometimes be more than twice as much as the intrinsic value. In case of modern bullion coins this added value will, however, be rather limited.

+ The market: When demand for certain coins and bars increases, premiums can go up, regardless of the actual rate. That results from the basic principle of demand and supply. As soon as the demand surpasses the supply it creates a certain shortage on the market, resulting in higher premiums and prices. As soon as the supply surpasses demand again, the premiums and prices will go down accordingly.

+ The margin: The margin retailers and traders, such as Argentor, take on products is also calculated within the premium.

+ Additional costs: Storage fees, transportation fees, insurances, packing materials, administration, etc.

The purchase prices for coins and bars as shown in the "our purchase price" column are the net prices you will receive. Similarly, the purchase prices for scrap silver as shown on our website are the net prices you will receive per gram. No extra costs are deducted from these prices. 

What you do need to take into account is an administration fee of €10 in case the purchase invoice amounts to less than €100. This fee will be deducted from the purchase amount. It is therefore best to save up small quantities to be able to sell them later together and thus avoid the administration fee.

No, the price for bigger volumes remains the same. Given the high value of precious metals the spreads taken by retailers like Argentor are rather limited.

Traders and other retailers can contact us for more information about our selling rates.

We may pay out up to €500 in cash to individuals. Any residual balance is paid out via bank transfer¹, or satisfied through an exchange. We are not allowed to pay out professional customers in cash. All payouts are made by bank transfer¹ or through an exchange.

1: Our bank transfers are carried out the following working day before noon. How fast you receive the payment onto your banking account depends on the speed of the transfer between our bank and yours. Do not hesitate to contact us in case you still haven't received the payment after three working days.

Bank transfers are carried out the following working day before noon. How fast you receive the payment onto your banking account depends on the speed of the transfer between our bank and yours. Do not hesitate to contact us in case you still haven't received the payment after three working days.

+ On the sale of silver bars, if you have a valid Belgian VAT number¹ , you will be paid 21% VAT. We will never pay VAT to foreign VAT payers, the self-employed in a secondary occupation² and private individuals.

+ Silver coins are purchased under the VAT margin scheme. In short, this means that the dealer of the coins will have to pay VAT, but only on the profit he makes from the sale and not on the entire turnover. As a professional dealer, it is best to discuss this with your accountant first.

+ On the sale of scrap silver, if you have a valid Belgian VAT number1 , you will be paid 21% VAT. We will never pay VAT to foreign VAT payers, the self-employed in a secondary occupation² and private individuals.

The correct VAT regimes and corresponding VAT codes will always be mentioned on our purchase invoice. For your own invoicing, please refer to these codes so that your bookkeeping is correct.

1: Only if you are subject to VAT and do not enjoy exemption from VAT obligations, and if it is an expense in the context of your profession, you can sell scrap gold under reverse charge and will be paid VAT on the sale of scrap silver, platinum & palladium and on the sale of silver bars and platinum & palladium coins and bars. 

2: Self-employed professionals who are subject to VAT regulations must also file a VAT return and pay VAT contributions. But if your income is under €25,000, you can request an exemption from VAT obligations. You do not then have to file a VAT return or charge VAT on outgoing invoices. Consequently, you are also not allowed to recover VAT from incoming invoices. More information on the VAT exemption rule can be found on the website of the FPS Finance.

This will be possible again in the future. Soon you will be able to set up price alerts in your account on our webshop. These alerts can be set up in the function of purchasing, as well as selling. As soon as the gold, silver, platinum or palladium rate reaches a certain value, you will receive an automatic e-mail about this.

Yes it is mandatory. Since February 20th 2012 precious metals sellers and buyers are obliged to identify and register their clients and suppliers. 

The legal basis for this obligation was already established at the end of 2010 in the law containing various provisions, art. 70¹. The concrete implementation of the identification procedure was laid down in 2012 in the Royal Decree on identification and registration procedures for the purchase of precious metals². The purpose of this identification procedure is to enable the tracing of healers and thieves.

1: Wet houdende diverse bepalingen - Identificatie- en registratieverplichting bij de aankoop van oude metalen en edele metalen

2: Belgisch Staatsblad 10.02.2012 | 24 januari 2012 - Koninklijk besluit houdende identificatie- en registratiemodaliteiten bij de aankoop van edele metalen

No. Argentor does not have a duty of notification. We are, however, obliged to keep our full bookkeeping records during the mandatory period of 7 years for the event of an investigation.

There are several ways to test whether or not you are in possession of real precious metals¹:

+ Based on the hallmarks present on the jewellery: With the aid of a magnifying glass you can check if there's an alloy stamp/hallmark² in your piece of jewellery. That mark indicates the purity of the metal. Most common alloys for yellow and white gold jewellery are 18 carats (750), 14 carats (580) & 9 carats (375). Most common alloy for silver jewellery are 925 (sterling silver), 835 and 800. The actual purity of jewellery made before 1980 can differ slightly from the hallmark. After 1980 laws regarding hallmarks were however tightened which makes chances that the purity and hallmark do not correspond a lot more slim.

+ With the aid of testing fluid: You can buy testing fluids in several shops in the Diamond quarter near Argentor or online. We advise you to file through the upper layer of the jewel in order to remove the (possibly gold/silver plated) top layer. Next, you apply the acid directly on the scratched surface. The purity of the metal is then determined depending on whether or not the acid decolours.

We highly advise against the use of a 'touchstone'. That method can create false results since only the filed layer is tested. In case your jewellery is gold/silver plated, the acid will indicate that the purity is much higher than it actually is.

+ You can always ask your jeweller for advice.

1: In case of doubt Argentor can use several other testing methods to determine the purity of your metals, one of which the spectrometer (based on x-rays) is the most common one.

2: The presence of a hallmark is never conclusive evidence of purity. Hallmarks can be forged as well.

Whether it's jewellery from a heritage, coins from a collection or silver cutlery you no longer use… When you are planning to sell precious metals it's of the utmost importance that you asses the value of your material as best as you can. Take a look at following tips and think carefully when selling your precious metals.

+ Form an idea of what your material is worth. Try to figure out the value of your gold and/or silver before you decide to sell it. By weighing the pieces and checking for hallmarks (if possible) you can easily assess the value of your items based on the actual rates. Alternatively, you can go to a jeweller (or several jewellers) for a taxation. This will help you to form an idea of the value of your items. Never send material to a buyer without having a clue of its value!

+ Try to sell directly to a jeweller you know or a well-known precious metals trader: Research has shown that a jeweller will often offer a better price for your precious metals than a small exchange office. That is certainly the case in the Diamond quarter of Antwerp, where there are a lot of jewellers located. There you can rest assured that you will receive a fair price for your gold and/or silver. Larger trade offices (such as Argentor) will also be able to offer a better, and especially more transparent, price! Do not sell your gold and/or silver to the first buyer that comes along! Chances are you'll receive a better price somewhere else.

+ Have realistic expectations when it comes to pricing! Keep in mind that terms such as 'rare', 'exclusive' and 'collectors item' have to be taken with a grain of salt. Exchange offices will often only be interested in the percentages of precious metals within your jewellery and/or other materials. They won't pay attention to the craftmanship and skills needed for the creation of certain pieces. On top of that you need to take into account that productional fees and VAT were calculated in the price you paid, meaning that the price you paid will always be higher than the actual value of the piece. In other words, it's not because you paid €1.000 for a ring that it's actually worth that much. That being said, caution is always recommended! Coins, unlike jewellery, are often worth more than solely their weight in gold and/or silver. Informing yourself about buying and selling premiums is always a good idea, but manage your expectations. The premium will always depend on the actual market situation (supply & demand) and will vary from trader to trader.

+ Check if your jewellery contains diamonds and whether or not they are of value. Unlike some jewellers, most gold traders will not pay extra for the precious stones that are inside jewellery, since it's another craft of which they don't have knowhow. That's also the case at Argentor, where you will not receive added value for precious stones and/or pearls, nor for the design of your jewellery, exclusive or not.  It is recommended that you first consult a reputable jeweler or diamond dealer as to whether or not your stones have any value and whether or not it is worth breaking them out. For large quantities of gold jewelry with diamonds, you can always contact us for a chemical solution of gold with recovery of diamonds. If desired, we can always put you in contact with a known party for selling diamonds and/or jewelry with certain historical value.

+ Compare the reputations of companies online. These days you can easily find online reviews about virtually every - trustworthy - gold trader, either on their own website, either on Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, etc. Googling the names of the companies you wish to work with will go a long way.

At Argentor we find it very important that customers can rate us. On our Kiyoh page you can read all reviews left behind by clients. Take into account that these reviews are solely aimed on the operations of our webshop! You can also find reviews about the operation of our office through Google.

Only if you are already a known B2B customer of Argentor - and depending on the quantity and composition of the material - we can have goods collected from you by Mikropakket (Belgium & Luxembourg). We charge €15 (excl. VAT) per transport for this service. Feel free to contact us if you wish to make use of our pick-up service. We will provide you with all information and the necessary documentation. 

If you send material to us on your own initiative, you do so entirely at your own risk! Argentor cannot be held liable for packages that you send to us yourself via regular or registered mail, nor are we responsible for packages that you put in our mailbox yourself.

For appraisals without commitment to sell, we ask €20 (21% VAT incl.) per analysis.

You surely can! You are more than welcome at Argentor Essayeurs to sell your platinum & palladium. Argentor specializes in testing and buying platinum & palladium bars, coins and scraps.

Argentor buys:

• jewellery & watch frames
• thermocouples
• platinum wire
• dental palladium¹
• workhouse wastes (filings, vacuum bags, polishing wastes, drillings, sanding papers, …)²
• platinum & palladium crucibles and roundels
• bullion (coins and bars)
• platinum & palladium medaillons
• mined platinum & palladium³
• industrial platinum & palladium³

We cannot help you with the purchase of the following goods:

• very low alloys
• electronic waste and/or circuit boards
• liquid solutions
• toxic or aggressive substances

1: Teeth have to be removed first.

2: See ‘Sell workhouse waste’.

3: Goods will have to be refined and analysed in our refinery first before we can purchase and pay out the metals. See ‘refining & recycling’.

You do not have to make an appointment to sell gold at Argentor. During opening hours, you are always welcome in our office; from Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Our closing days and annual holidays can be found on the contact page.

At Argentor you will not receive added value for precious stones and/or pearls, nor for the design of your jewellery, exclusive or not. If possible we remove the stones and/or pearls. Should that not be possible, we will deduct some weight of the piece of jewellery. Jewellery containing real diamonds are bought as a whole (including diamonds) at the daily rates corresponding to their purity. For large quantities of gold jewelry with diamonds, you can always contact us for a chemical solution of gold with diamond recovery. 

Inform yourself about the possible value of your diamonds and whether or not they're worth breaking out. If desired, we can always refer you to our specialist partners for selling your diamonds and/or jewellery with historical value.

No, in theory there is no minimum on the weight you can sell at Argentor. What you do need to consider is an administration fee¹ of €10 (21% VAT incl.) in case the invoice is less than €100. The administration fee will be held off the purchase price. Small amounts can therefore better be saved and sold once you have more in order to avoid the administration fee.

1:  See also : 'Are there any additional 'hidden' costs I have to factor in when selling to Argentor?'.

+ Coins and bars are purchased based on the current platinum & palladium price. Because platinum and palladium coins and bars are traded so infrequently, we are unable to offer fixed purchase premiums¹. The purchase premiums are always determined by the current market situation.

+ The purchase prices for scrap platinum & palladium are adjusted every minute to the current rates and are only fixed once our staff has tested your scrap platinum & palladium.

1: See also "What does 'purchase premium' mean?

Although we have been happy to welcome private customers for years, Argentor is originally a wholesale business. Professional customers therefore receive a better rate for scrap platinum & palladium than private customers.

Only if you have a valid VAT number and if the sale is for professional purposes will the purchase rate for professionals be applied. When creating your customer file, we will always check your VAT number in the VIES (European Commission control body) and request your company statutes in the Crossroads Bank.

Our purchase prices for coins and bars are the same for private individuals as for dealers.

A premium is the difference between the intrinsic value (weight in pure platinum & palladium x current rate in euros) and the price you actually have to pay. Precious metals, you see, are almost never sold at spot (at their intrinsic value). You always have to pay a certain commission. The so-called premium is often expressed as a percentage. 

At Argentor, we always communicate the percentage premium associated with the product being offered clearly. The premium is often the easiest way to compare and communicate the price of certain products. Because platinum and palladium coins and bars are traded so rarely, we cannot use fixed purchase premiums. The purchase premium is always determined by the current market situation.

The purchasing prices as shown in our webshop always include the purchasing premium. So you do not need to add the premium.

For example: For a palladium coin of 1 troy ounce at a palladium price of €40,000/kilo with a purchase premium of -5%, you will then get: €1,244 - 5% = €1,184.76 The premium can also be expressed in nominal terms, in the current example it will be €59.24.

+ The numismatic added value: Coins, sometimes, have an additional value for collectors. In the case of very rare and historical coins, this value can sometimes be more than twice as much as the intrinsic value. In case of modern bullion coins this added value will, however, be rather limited.

+ The market: When demand for certain coins and bars increases, premiums can go up, regardless of the actual rate. That results from the basic principle of demand and supply. As soon as the demand surpasses the supply it creates a certain shortage on the market, resulting in higher premiums and prices. As soon as the supply surpasses demand again, the premiums and prices will go down accordingly.

+ The margin: The margin retailers and traders, such as Argentor, take on products is also calculated within the premium.

+ Additional costs: Storage fees, transportation fees, insurances, packing materials, administration, etc.

The purchase prices for scrap platinum & palladium as shown on our website are the net prices you will receive per gram. No extra costs are deducted from these prices. 

What you do need to take into account is an administration fee of €10 in case the purchase invoice amounts to less than €100. This fee will be deducted from the purchase amount. It is therefore best to save up small quantities to be able to sell them later together and thus avoid the administration fee. 

• Are there other prices for bigger volumes?

No, the price for bigger volumes remains the same. Given the high value of precious metals the spreads taken by retailers like Argentor are rather limited.

Traders and other retailers can contact us for more information about our selling rates.

• Does Argentor pay in cash?

+ No, from March 31, 2024, there will be a total ban on cash payments when buying up old metals or goods containing precious metals¹. The full amount will be paid by bank transfer².  

1: https://economie.fgov.be/sites/default/files/Files/Entreprises/Guidelines-juweliers.pdf 

2: Our bank transfers are carried out the following working day before noon. How fast you receive the payment onto your banking account depends on the speed of the transfer between our bank and yours. Do not hesitate to contact us in case you still haven't received the payment after three working days.

Bank transfers are carried out the following working day before noon. How fast you receive the payment onto your banking account depends on the speed of the transfer between our bank and yours. Do not hesitate to contact us in case you still haven't received the payment after three working days.

+ On sales of platinum & palladium - in any form - if you have a valid Belgian VAT number¹ you will be paid 21% VAT. We will never pay VAT to foreign VAT payers, the self-employed in a secondary occupation² and private individuals.

The correct VAT regimes and corresponding VAT codes will always be mentioned on our purchase invoice. For your own invoicing, please refer to these codes so that your bookkeeping is correct.

1: Only if you are subject to VAT and do not enjoy exemption from VAT obligations, and if it is an expense in the context of your profession, you can sell scrap gold under reverse charge and will be paid VAT on the sale of scrap silver, platinum & palladium and on the sale of silver bars and platinum & palladium coins and bars. 

2: Self-employed professionals who are subject to VAT regulations must also file a VAT return and pay VAT contributions. But if your income is under €25,000, you can request an exemption from VAT obligations. You do not then have to file a VAT return or charge VAT on outgoing invoices. Consequently, you are also not allowed to recover VAT from incoming invoices. More information on the VAT exemption rule can be found on the website of the FPS Finance.

This will be possible again in the future. Soon you will be able to set up price alerts in your account on our webshop. These alerts can be set up in the function of purchasing, as well as selling. As soon as the gold, silver, platinum or palladium rate reaches a certain value, you will receive an automatic e-mail about this.

Yes it is mandatory. Since February 20th 2012 gold sellers and buyers are obliged to identify and register their clients and suppliers. 

The legal basis for this obligation was already established at the end of 2010 in the law containing various provisions, art. 70¹. The concrete implementation of the identification procedure was laid down in 2012 in the Royal Decree on identification and registration procedures for the purchase of precious metals². The purpose of this identification procedure is to enable the tracing of healers and thieves.

1: Wet houdende diverse bepalingen - Identificatie- en registratieverplichting bij de aankoop van oude metalen en edele metalen

2: Belgisch Staatsblad 10.02.2012 | 24 januari 2012 - Koninklijk besluit houdende identificatie- en registratiemodaliteiten bij de aankoop van edele metalen

No. Argentor does not have a duty of notification. We are, however, obliged to keep our full bookkeeping records during the mandatory period of 7 years for the event of an investigation.

Citizens of Belgium do not have to declare their investments in precious metals on their tax declaration. Only when they keep precious metals on a foreign investment account will they have to declare this in Belgium on their personal tax declaration.

There are several ways to test whether or not you are in possession of real precious metals:

+ Based on the hallmarks present: With the aid of a magnifying glass you can check if there's an alloy stamp/hallmark¹ in your piece of jewellery. That mark indicates the purity of the metal. Most common alloy for platinum jewellery is 950.

+ With the aid of a spectrometer: To determine the purity of platinum & palladium, we use a spectrometer. The spectrometer sends x-rays through the object, allowing the metal contents to be determined with great accuracy. 

+ You can always ask your jeweller for advice.

1: In case of doubt Argentor can use several other testing methods to determine the purity of your metals, one of which the spectrometer (based on x-rays) is the most common one.

Whether it's jewellery from a heritage, coins from a collection or silver cutlery you no longer use… When you are planning to sell precious metals it's of the utmost importance that you asses the value of your material as best as you can. Take a look at following tips and think carefully when selling your precious metals.

+ Form an idea of what your material is worth. Try to figure out the value of your gold and/or silver before you decide to sell it. By weighing the pieces and checking for hallmarks (if possible) you can easily assess the value of your items based on the actual rates. Alternatively, you can go to a jeweller (or several jewellers) for a taxation. This will help you to form an idea of the value of your items. Never send material to a buyer without having a clue of its value!

+ Try to sell directly to a jeweller you know or a well-known precious metals trader: Research has shown that a jeweller will often offer a better price for your precious metals than a small exchange office. That is certainly the case in the Diamond quarter of Antwerp, where there are a lot of jewellers located. There you can rest assured that you will receive a fair price for your gold and/or silver. Larger trade offices (such as Argentor) will also be able to offer a better, and especially more transparent, price! Do not sell your gold and/or silver to the first buyer that comes along! Chances are you'll receive a better price somewhere else.

+ Have realistic expectations when it comes to pricing! Keep in mind that terms such as 'rare', 'exclusive' and 'collectors item' have to be taken with a grain of salt. Exchange offices will often only be interested in the percentages of precious metals within your jewellery and/or other materials. They won't pay attention to the craftmanship and skills needed for the creation of certain pieces. On top of that you need to take into account that productional fees and VAT were calculated in the price you paid, meaning that the price you paid will always be higher than the actual value of the piece. In other words, it's not because you paid €1.000 for a ring that it's actually worth that much. That being said, caution is always recommended! Coins, unlike jewellery, are often worth more than solely their weight in gold and/or silver. Informing yourself about buying and selling premiums is always a good idea, but manage your expectations. The premium will always depend on the actual market situation (supply & demand) and will vary from trader to trader.

+ Check if your jewellery contains diamonds and whether or not they are of value. Unlike some jewellers, most gold traders will not pay extra for the precious stones that are inside jewellery, since it's another craft of which they don't have knowhow. That's also the case at Argentor, where you will not receive added value for precious stones and/or pearls, nor for the design of your jewellery, exclusive or not.  It is recommended that you first consult a reputable jeweler or diamond dealer as to whether or not your stones have any value and whether or not it is worth breaking them out. For large quantities of gold jewelry with diamonds, you can always contact us for a chemical solution of gold with recovery of diamonds. If desired, we can always put you in contact with a known party for selling diamonds and/or jewelry with certain historical value.

+ Compare the reputations of companies online. These days you can easily find online reviews about virtually every - trustworthy - gold trader, either on their own website, either on Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, etc. Googling the names of the companies you wish to work with will go a long way.

At Argentor we find it very important that customers can rate us. On our Kiyoh page you can read all reviews left behind by clients. Take into account that these reviews are solely aimed on the operations of our webshop! You can also find reviews about the operation of our office through Google.

Only if you are already a known B2B customer of Argentor - and depending on the quantity and composition of the material - we can have goods collected from you by Mikropakket (Belgium & Luxembourg). We charge €15 (excl. VAT) per transport for this service. Feel free to contact us if you wish to make use of our pick-up service. We will provide you with all information and the necessary documentation. 

If you send material to us on your own initiative, you do so entirely at your own risk! Argentor cannot be held liable for packages that you send to us yourself via regular or registered mail, nor are we responsible for packages that you put in our mailbox yourself. 

For appraisals without commitment to sell, we ask €20 (21% VAT incl.) per analysis.

You surely can! Argentor is specialised in the recuperation of gold, silver, platinum & palladium from workhouse wastes. Furthermore, we offer storage jars and tons for your workhouse wastes for free so do not hesitate to ask for these when you are in our office!

Workhouse wastes will always have to be refined and analysed first before we can proceed to purchase your precious metals. When refining / purifying workhouse wastes, the goods are melted together at high temperature causing all base metals and impurities to be separated from the precious metals. In other words, this method guarantees the most accurate results.

We process high as well as low purity workhouse wastes in almost all its forms and alloys:

• filings
• polishing wastes
• moulding wastes
• shavings
• workbench wastes
• production excesses
• crucibles
• sand paper
• brushes
• vacuum bags
• floor dust
• …

 Argentor recuperates the gold, silver, platinum & palladium from your workhouse wastes. After processing, you can sell your return to Argentor, have it delivered back to you in purified form or deposit it on a metal account. The bigger the amount delivered, the more cost-effective your material can be processed!

We cannot help you with the refining and processing of following materials:

• gold leaf and/or gold paint
• gold or silver plated pieces
• very low alloys
• electronic wastes and/or circuit boards
• liquid solutions
• toxic or caustic agents

• Do I have to make an appointment to sell/refine workhouse waste at Argentor?

You do not have to make an appointment at Argentor to deliver your workhouse waste for refining and analysis. During opening hours, you are always welcome in our office; from Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Our closing days and annual holidays can be found on the contact page.

Depending on the composition and quantity, you should generally expect the following lead times:

• refining & analysis of silver: 1 - 4 working weeks
• refining & analysis of gold & silver: 1 - 3 working days
• refining & analysis of gold, silver & PGMs: 1 - 6 working weeks
• amalgamating lavas (brushes, crucibles, vacuum bags, etc.): 4 - 8 working weeks

Based on the composition and weight of the material delivered, we can - if possible - already purchase from you or deliver back in pure form a portion of the purified precious metals. Thus, your working capital is only minimally affected.

The cost of refining gold, silver, platinum & palladium is always calculated based on the weight after smelting with a minimum weight of 1 kilogram.

The costs for lavage smelting (brushes, crucibles, vacuum bags, etc.) and recovery of diamonds from scrap gold are always calculated on the basis of the weight before smelting with a minimum weight of 1 kilogram.

For the analysis, you pay €50 (excluding VAT) per analysis.

• refining & analysis of silver: minimum €90 (excl. VAT)
• refining & analysis of gold & silver: minimum €175 (excl. VAT)
• refining & analysis of gold, silver & PGMs1: minimum €400 (excl. VAT)
• supplement smelting lava (brushes, crucibles, vacuum bags, etc.): minimum €12,50 (excl. VAT)

1: For a refining and analysis on osmium, iridium, ruthenium & rhodium, please contact us for a cost estimate.

No. Generally speaking, there is no minimum weight you can have processed at Argentor.

You must of course take the refining costs into account¹. It is therefore best to save small quantities for later processing together. The larger the supplied quantity, the more cost-efficiently the material can be processed! 

See also: 'How much does a refining & analysis cost?'

We recover the gold, silver, platinum & palladium from your material. If you choose to sell the recovered metal, you do so in pure form at the purchase price of pure scrap gold, pure scrap silver, pure scrap platinum and pure scrap palladium.

You certainly can! We recover the gold, silver, platinum & palladium from your material. You can have the proceeds delivered back to you in pure form. 

Since the adaptation of the legislation on cash payments¹ (Sept. 18, 2017), we are no longer allowed to pay professional sellers (including self-employed people in secondary employment) in cash. All purchases, regardless of total value, will have to be paid out via bank transfer, or satisfied by a bill of exchange.

1: Law on the Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing and on Restricting the Use of Cash.

Bank transfers are carried out the following working day before noon. How fast you receive the payment onto your banking account depends on the speed of the transfer between our bank and yours. Do not hesitate to contact us in case you still haven't received the payment after three working days.

Based on the composition and weight of the material delivered, we can - if possible - already purchase a portion of the refined precious metals from you or deliver them back to you in pure form. Thus, your working capital is only minimally affected.

+ If you have a valid Belgian VAT number¹ , you are selling scrap gold under reverse charge of VAT. This means we will not pay VAT when you sell the recovered gold to us after refining. 

+ If you have had silver, platinum or palladium refined and you have a valid Belgian VAT number, we will pay you 21% VAT on the sale of the silver and platinum and palladium that have been refunded.

+ We will never pay VAT to foreign VAT payers, the self-employed² and private individuals. 

+ You always pay 21% VAT on the costs of refining and analysis.

The correct VAT regimes and corresponding VAT codes will always be mentioned on our invoices. For your own invoicing, please refer to these codes so that your bookkeeping is correct.

1: Only if you are subject to VAT and do not enjoy exemption from VAT obligations, and if it is an expense in the context of your profession, you can sell scrap gold under reverse charge and will be paid VAT on the sale of scrap silver, platinum & palladium and on the sale of silver bars and platinum & palladium coins and bars. 

2: Self-employed professionals who are subject to VAT regulations must also file a VAT return and pay VAT contributions. But if your income is under €25,000, you can request an exemption from VAT obligations. You do not then have to file a VAT return or charge VAT on outgoing invoices. Consequently, you are also not allowed to recover VAT from incoming invoices. More information on the VAT exemption rule can be found on the website of the FPS Finance.

Yes it is mandatory. Since February 20th 2012 gold sellers and buyers are obliged to identify and register their clients and suppliers. 

The legal basis for this obligation was already established at the end of 2010 in the law containing various provisions, art. 70¹. The concrete implementation of the identification procedure was laid down in 2012 in the Royal Decree on identification and registration procedures for the purchase of precious metals². The purpose of this identification procedure is to enable the tracing of healers and thieves.

1: Wet houdende diverse bepalingen - Identificatie- en registratieverplichting bij de aankoop van oude metalen en edele metalen

2: Belgisch Staatsblad 10.02.2012 | 24 januari 2012 - Koninklijk besluit houdende identificatie- en registratiemodaliteiten bij de aankoop van edele metalen

Only if you are already a known B2B customer of Argentor - and depending on the quantity and composition of the material - we can have goods collected from you by Mikropakket (Belgium & Luxembourg). We charge €15 (excl. VAT) per transport for this service. Feel free to contact us if you wish to make use of our pick-up service. We will provide you with all information and the necessary documentation. 

If you send material to us on your own initiative, you do so entirely at your own risk! Argentor cannot be held liable for packages that you send to us yourself via regular or registered mail, nor are we responsible for packages that you put in our mailbox yourself.

Yes, you can. You can obtain an analysis report or "assay report" from the refinery. This is upon request, but admittedly free of charge.

+ You can place an order on our webshop 24/7. Our webshop is ALWAYS open! Our prices are adapted every minute to the actual rates, even outside of our opening hours, during weekends and on holidays. You can find the fully written out online ordering procedure here.

+ You can place an order by telephone (only for returning B2B customers). In case you have a valid VAT number and are already registered at Argentor as a client, you can place an order by telephone during our opening hours.

+ You can place an order in our office. During opening hours you are always welcome in our office to buy directly at one of our counters or to place an order.

During our business hours, you are always welcome in our office to purchase gold, silver, platinum & palladium. You do not need to make an appointment to do so, nor are you required to order online first. 

Of course, you must take into account the availabilities and delivery times of our products. Not all products are always available immediately. The availability and delivery times are always clearly displayed on our website:

• 'In stock' = the product is in stock in our office and can be purchased directly at the counter.
• 'Available' = the product is not in stock in our office but has been ordered from our supplier. You cannot purchase these products at the counter in our office, but you can place an order either online or at our counter. The delivery time of the product in question is always clearly displayed on the product page. It can range from 1 to 2 weeks to more than 2 months. 

'Temporarily unavailable' = the product is not in stock in our office and has not been ordered from our supplier. You cannot purchase these products at the counter in our office, nor can you order them. We do not know when these products will be available again. As soon as we have ordered the products in question from our supplier, they will be made available again on our webshop. There you will be able to consult the corresponding delivery time.

You do not have to make an appointment to buy precious metals at the counter or to place an order. During opening hours, you are always welcome in our office; from Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Our closing days and annual holidays can be found on the contact page.

+ When you place an order online on our webshop, you must either pay for your order in full all at once or pay a €500 deposit first. The payment of your order/deposit is made online via debit card (Maestro) via Bancontact or iDeal. We do not accept credit cards! The balance of your online order can only be paid by bank transfer.

+ When you place an order at the counter in our office, you must also pay a deposit of minimum €500. This can be done in cash¹ or by card. Payment by card is only possible with debit bank cards (Maestro). We do not accept credit cards! The balance of your order can be paid afterwards only by bank transfer.

+ When buying directly at one of the counters in our office, you can also choose to pay in cash (maximum €3.000)¹ or by card. Paying by card is only possible with debit cards (Maestro). We do not accept credit cards! Take into account that the payment limit on your card has to be sufficiently raised in order to pay certain amounts.

+ Professional clients ALWAYS have to pay by bank transfer or by debit card! Ever since the adaptation of the Belgian law regarding cash payments (18 September 2017)², we can no longer accept cash payments from professionals. All purchases and orders, no matter the total value, have to be paid by bank transfer or debit card (only Maestro), or have to be settled by an exchange of material.

1: Cash payment, regardless of total value, may not exceed €3,000 per month. All amounts above that must be paid by bank transfer or payment terminal (Maestro only). Example: You buy 3 Krugerrands worth €3,390; then you may pay €3,000 in cash. The remaining €390 will have to be paid via bank transfer or payment terminal.

2: Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing and Restriction of Cash Act

No. Argentor does not apply a minimum order amount. We do charge an administration fee of €5 (VAT excl.) when the online order is less than €1.000, and an administration fee of €10 (VAT excl.) when the purchase at the counter is less than €100.

An administrative cost is added to smaller orders via the webshop and purchases at the counter. This allows us to cover the various operations involved in your order/purchase without having to increase the margin on the smaller products. For all online orders below €1,000, you pay an administrative cost of €5 (excluding VAT), for all purchases at the counter below €100, you pay an administrative cost of €10 (excluding VAT).

The calculation of the administrative cost comes from a composition of several operations.

+ Processing costs: this includes following up your order, verifying your payment, reserving the goods ordered, serving you when you pick up your order, the administration involved in accounting for your order/purchase at the counter, etc. For us, this translates into extra costs in terms of working hours.

+ Storage costs: when you place an order with us, we ensure the secure storage of your goods until you come to pick it up or until your order is delivered to your home.

+ There is no minimum on the purchase quantity of gold coins, gold bars, silver coins and silver bars, either online or in our office. There is also no minimum on the purchase quantity of platinum & palladium coins and bars, if in stock. 

+ Gold in grain/plate and platinum & palladium in plate can be ordered (online) from a minimum weight of 10 grams. We do not take orders < 10 grams via the webshop, by phone or by e-mail. However, you are always welcome in our office to buy your supplies < 10 grams directly at the counter.

+ Silver in grains can be ordered (online) from a minimum weight of 250 grams. We do not take orders < 250 gram via the webshop, by phone or by e-mail. You are always welcome in our office to buy your supplies < 250 gram directly at the counter.

The price of your order is hedged once you place the order. That price remains hedged during 3 working days. That implies that you don't have to pay anything extra in case of a price increase. In order to reduce the price risk to an absolute minimum, the rate at which you place the order and the amount of precious metals you buy, are immediately hedged by us on the exchange market. That way you can rest assured of your price and so do we!

Argentor asks for a down payment to protect ourselves against numerous clients who fail to fulfil their purchase obligation.

Sometimes it takes a couple of minutes before your online order is processed and registered, so no need to worry.

The first thing you should always check is your spam folder! Automatically generated messages (like the confirmation of Argentorshop) are sometimes held back by certain mail providers. Secondly, please check whether the down payment has been carried out correctly. Only when the down payment has been paid successfully, your order will be registered. In case you did not pay the down payment correctly, your order will not have been placed and you will therefore not receive an order confirmation.

When in doubt, do not hesitate to contact us by telephone on +32 (0)3 303 72 72 or send an e-mail to info@argentorshop.be.

It is certainly possible to transfer the remaining balance of your order from two (or more) different accounts provided both accounts are in your name! 

+ Is allowed: 2 payments from different accounts in your own name.

+ Is allowed: 1 payment from an account in your own name + 1 payment from a common account to which your name is linked.

+ Not allowed: 1 payment from an account in your own name + 1 payment from an account in the name of a partner / family member. 

You may also not use private & business accounts interchangeably.

We hedge the price of your order for 3 working days. Please take into account that a bank transfer within Belgium can take 1 to 2 workings days, international transfers can even take longer. In order to respect our deadlines, it is therefore best to carry out the transfer right away.

In case you exceed our 3 day time limit, Argentor reserves the right to revise the price of your order. At the time of payment of the balance, you will only receive the quantity of goods purchased at the price corresponding to the day rate of the payment of the balance, to the extent that this day rate is lower than the day rate at which the order was initially placed.

Under no circumstances will we reimburse the down payment you made upon placing the order. The down payment will be used to cover administration fees. Furthermore, Argentor reserves the right to refuse any future orders.

Cancelling an order is not possible! When placing an order, you make a commitment to buy. Every order is irrevocable and binding, no matter what reason.

Under no circumstances will we reimburse the down payment you made upon placing the order. The down payment will be used to cover administration fees. Furthermore, Argentor reserves the right to refuse any future orders.

No, you cannot. The price is hedged once you confirm your order on our webshop or in our office. That price is subsequently hedged by Argentor on the international exchange market. The other way around that means that your price is also fixed should the rates go up.

No, you cannot. Even though, in most cases you can, as a consumer, appeal to your right to revocation¹, that right does not apply when the nature of the goods and/or services is speculative, and when the agreement comprises a financial service.² Argentor is, therefore, not obliged to reimburse the original price you paid when you wish to return the goods you purchased.

1: Art. VI.47.§ 1. Onverminderd artikel VI.53 beschikt de consument over een termijn van 14 dagen om de overeenkomst op afstand zonder opgave van redenen te herroepen, en zonder andere kosten te moeten dragen dan die welke in artikel VI.50, § 2, en artikel VI.51 zijn vermeld.

2: Art. VI.53. De consument kan het herroepingsrecht waarin artikel VI.47 voorziet niet uitoefenen voor: 2° de levering of verstrekking van goederen of diensten waarvan de prijs gebonden is aan schommelingen op de financiële markt waarop de onderneming geen invloed heeft en die zich binnen de herroepingstermijn kunnen voordoen.

Yes, you can. You are always welcome in our office for more information and/or advice about our products. In our office you will be able to see the products before buying them.

Argentor Essayeurs does not offer precious metals storage, but our sister company Argentor Safe does. At Argentor Safe it is possible to store gold, silver, platinum, palladium and rhodium. And that in all investment forms; both bars and coins. More information about the insured storage of precious metals can be found on Argentor Safe's website, or you can email contact@argentorsafe.be.

Because of the legislation on identification and registration requirements when buying and selling old metals and precious metals, we are obliged to link a national identification number to each customer. If you have not entered a national identification number in the checkout of our webshop, and have never done so before on previous orders, we will ask you to send us a copy of your ID (front and back) as soon as possible so that we can complete your customer details.

Orders can be delivered within Belgium & Luxembourg from Tuesday to Saturday via Mikropakket. After agreeing - by phone or e-mail - on a suitable delivery date, a courier will come and deliver your order at your location. 

Our packages to the Netherlands are sent by registered mail. Unlike our shipments within Belgium and Luxembourg, we cannot agree on a specific delivery date with you in advance. The delivery usually takes place within 3 working days after dropping off the package at the postal point. 

All shipments are handled discreetly and sent via insured transport. Specifically, this means that no brass band comes to deliver your package. The package itself, depending on the size, is packed in a standard white or brown cardboard box and is sealed with security tape.

For a shipment via Mikropakket within Belgium & Luxembourg you pay €15 (excl. VAT). For a shipment to the Netherlands you pay €20 (excl. VAT).

Mikropakket only handles insured shipments within Belgium & Luxembourg. Our shipments to the Netherlands are sent by registered mail. Transport outside the Benelux is, due to the high transport cost, not possible for individuals.

As soon as we receive your payment onto one of our banking accounts, we continue to process your order. The items you purchased are reserved and put aside for delivery. You will be notified of that by e-mail.

Our staff will contact you by email to arrange an appropriate delivery date.

In case your order is not (completely) in stock, it can take a couple of working days or weeks (depending on the product) before delivery will be possible. Our employees will of course notify you about that by e-mail so you are not kept in the dark about the status of your order. You will be contacted as soon as the missing items are back in stock.

That won't happen. The couriers are not in a position to contact customers in advance regarding delivery since they do not have all the package data while they are driving. They only see the next address on the route.

The rest of the information, such as the customer's name and contact information, is on the label on the package that is in the cargo area of the van. So the driver has no further info available while driving. 

No, that is not possible. For insurance reasons, we can only provide a single delivery address. It is not possible to provide a second delivery address where the driver can go in case you would not be home. If you are not at home when the courier arrives, the package will be taken back to the depot and a new delivery date will be set. 

Of course, you can always specify someone else to receive the package at the same address in your absence.

No. That is of course not the intention! For insurance reasons, the package may only be received by the person(s) indicated on the label. In the event that your parcel was not delivered correctly, please report this immediately¹ to Argentor so that we can follow up the matter with the courier services. If necessary, an investigation will be started by the insurance company. 

1: We can be reached by telephone Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. If the delivery of your package has not taken place on Friday or Saturday, please notify us by e-mail so that we can contact the transport company immediately on Monday.

No, that is not possible. Once your package has left our office, we cannot change the delivery address. Please inform Argentor of your absence so that we can notify the courier services. You can do this by telephone on +32 (0)3 303 72 72 or by emailing info@argentorshop.be. 

Argentor will then set a new appropriate delivery date for you. If necessary, we will have the package returned to our office¹.  

1: Any costs associated with returning your package will be at your expense.

No, this is not possible. For insurance reasons, the package may only be received by the person(s) indicated on the label. Upon delivery, identity will be checked by the courier; without a positive ID check, the package will not be delivered. For this reason, it is not possible to have your package delivered to a collection point. 

In case you are not at home at the time of delivery, the courier will leave a bill of absence¹ in your mailbox and take the package back to the depot.

1: It sometimes happens that the driver forgets to leave a bill or was unable to leave one. In that case, you can always contact Argentor so that we can contact the courier services. We can be reached by phone from Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

Argentor handles all communication regarding the shipment of your precious metal. You can contact our webshop staff at info@argentorshop.be or by phone at +32 (0)3 303 72 72.

It sometimes happens that a package cannot be delivered due to traffic or unforeseen circumstances. If you have not received your package on the agreed delivery date, you have not been contacted by phone by Mikropakket, or by one of our employees, and there is no note of absence in your mailbox, it is best to contact Argentor Essayeurs, either by phone¹ or by e-mail. In this case, our staff will check why the delivery did not take place and, if necessary, arrange a new delivery date.

1: We can be reached by phone from Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. If the delivery of your package has not taken place on Friday or Saturday, please notify us by e-mail so that we can immediately contact the transport company on Monday.

All of our packages are shipped via insured transportation. In case you receive a damaged and/or incomplete package, we ask you to report it the same working day. You can do so by contacting us by phone or email at +32 (0)3 303 72 72 or at info@argentorshop.be¹. 

When a package is lost or delivered damaged and/or incomplete, an investigation will always be started by the insurer. We ask for your full cooperation during that process. Of course we, in turn, will always do our utmost to find an appropriate solution as quickly as possible.

1: We can be reached by phone from Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. If the delivery of your package has not taken place on Friday or Saturday, please notify us by e-mail so that we can immediately contact the transport company on Monday.

The shipment of your package is insured up to €200.000. Larger orders will be split into multiple packages and deliveries for this reason so that you are insured for the full amount of your order.

You certainly can! You are more than welcome in our office for pickup of your order. We will ensure that you can view and store the goods in peace and discretion.

Please note that only the person listed on the invoice can pick up the order upon presentation of his/her identity card/passport! Only on presentation of a valid power of attorney, own identity card/passport and a copy of the identity card/passport of the person mentioned on the invoice, will the goods be given to someone else¹.

1: See also: 'Can I have my order picked up by someone else?'

As soon as we receive your payment on our account, we will proceed with the processing of your order. You will be notified by e-mail as soon as your order is ready for collection. Only if you have received confirmation that your order is ready, it will be. So do not come to the store if you have not received confirmation that your order is ready for pickup.

In the event that your order is not completely in stock, it may take several working days to weeks before a pickup delivery is possible. Our staff will notify you by email so that you are not left in limbo. You will then be contacted as soon as the missing product is back in stock.

Only upon presentation of a valid power of attorney, own identity card/passport and a copy of the identity card/passport of the person mentioned on the invoice, the goods will be given with a third party.

Our office is located in the Antwerp diamond district - diagonally across from the police station - over which the entire street has permanent camera surveillance. Moreover, our office is set up in such a way that you can trade safely and discreetly.

Argentor does not have its own parking. You can use the paid parking 'Parking Diamant' at +/- 300 meters from our office, or you can pay to park on the Quinten Matsijslei along the Stadspark.

Yes, Argentor is located in Antwerp's low-emission zone. Since February 1, 2017, the most polluting vehicles are no longer allowed to enter the city. Avoid a fine and check if your vehicle is still allowed to drive within the LEZ.

More info at http://www.slimnaarantwerpen.be

Our office is very easy to reach via public transportation. Thanks to our central location in the Diamond Quarter of Antwerp, we are accessible by train, bus and streetcar.

+ Train: Central Station

+ Streetcar: Diamant (Central Station) | Plantin | Opera | Astrid

+ Bus: Lange Kievitstraat | Central Station | Rooseveltplaats

More info at www.slimnaarantwerpen.be 

More info at www.nmbs.be 

More info at www.delijn.be

Argentor processes gold, silver, but also platinum & palladium and the lesser known PGM's (Platinum Group Metals) in almost all its forms and alloys. In a refining/purification process, the goods are melted together at high temperature, separating all base metals and impurities from the precious metals. In other words, this method guarantees the most accurate results.

Argentor processes:

• scrap gold, silver, platinum & palladium (jewelry, watches, cutlery¹, silverware, …)
• damaged gold & silver bullion and coins
• gold & silver medallions
• dentalgold²
• mined / alluvial gold, silver, platinum & palladium
• gold powder
• workhouse wastes (filings, vacuum bags, polishing wastes, drillings, sanding papers, …)³
• industrial gold, silver, platinum & palladium
• electrolytic silver
• thermocouples
• platinum wire
• osmium, iridium, ruthenium & rhodium4

Argentor recovers precious metals for you. You can sell the proceeds to us, have them delivered back to you in pure form or placed on a weight account (only for professionals). The larger the quantity delivered, the more cost-efficiently the material can be processed!

We cannot help you with the refining and processing of following materials:

• gold leaf and/or gold paint
• gold or silver plated pieces
• very low alloys
• electronic wastes and/or circuit boards
• liquid solutions
• toxic or caustic agents

1: Knives excluded.

2: Teeth have to be removed.

3: See ‘Can I have my workhouse waste refined at Argentor?’.

4: Please contact us for more information.

Yes. We very efficiently recover diamonds from jewelry without damaging them through chemical solution. 

You can sell the precipitated gold to us afterwards, have it delivered back to you in pure form or placed on weight account. With chemical dissolution of diamonds, it is not possible to return the silver, platinum and palladium. If desired, we will put you in contact with a diamond dealer for the sale of your diamonds.

Argentor is specialised in the recuperation of gold, silver, platinum & palladium from workhouse wastes. Furthermore, we offer storage jars and tons for your workhouse wastes for free so do not hesitate to ask for these when you are in our office!

Workhouse wastes will always have to be refined and analysed first before we can proceed to purchase your precious metals. When refining / purifying workhouse wastes, the goods are melted together at high temperature causing all base metals and impurities to be separated from the precious metals. In other words, this method guarantees the most accurate results.

We process high as well as low purity workhouse wastes in almost all its forms and alloys:

• filings
• polishing wastes
• moulding wastes
• shavings
• workbench wastes
• production excesses
• crucibles
• sand paper
• brushes
• vacuum bags
• floor dust
• …

Argentor recuperates the gold, silver, platinum & palladium from your workhouse wastes. You can sell the proceeds to us, have them delivered back to you in pure form or placed on a weight account (only for professionals). The larger the quantity delivered, the more cost-efficiently the material can be processed!

 We cannot help you with the refining and processing of following materials:

• gold leaf and/or gold paint
• gold or silver plated pieces
• very low alloys
• electronic wastes and/or circuit boards
• liquid solutions
• toxic or caustic agents

Depending on the composition and quantity, you should generally expect the following lead times:

refining & analysis on silver: 1 - 4 working weeks

refining & analysis on gold & silver: 1 - 3 working days

refining & analysis on gold, silver & PGMs: 1 - 6 working weeks

refining & analysis on scrap gold with recovery of diamonds: 1 - 2 working weeks

amalgamating lavas (brushes, crucibles, vacuum bags, etc.): 4 - 8 working weeks

Based on the composition and weight of the material delivered, we can - if possible - already purchase a portion of the purified precious metals from you or deliver them back to you in pure form. Thus, your working capital is only minimally affected.

The cost of refining gold, silver, platinum & palladium is always calculated based on the weight after smelting with a minimum weight of 1 kilogram.

The costs for lavage smelting (brushes, crucibles, vacuum bags, etc.) and recovery of diamonds from scrap gold are always calculated on the basis of the weight before smelting with a minimum weight of 1 kilogram.

For analysis, you pay €50 (excluding VAT) per analysis.

refining & analysis on silver: minimum €90 (excl. VAT)

refining & analysis on gold & silver: minimum €175 (excl. VAT)

refining & analysis on gold, silver & PGMs1: minimum €400 (excl. VAT)

refining & analysis on scrap gold with diamond recovery: minimum €400 (excl. VAT)

supplement smelting lava (brushes, crucibles, vacuum bags, etc.): minimum €12.50 (excl. VAT)

1: For a refining and analysis on osmium, iridium, ruthenium & rhodium, please contact us for a cost estimate.

You do not need to make an appointment at Argentor to deliver your material for refining & analysis. You can consult the complete delivery procedure on this page.

Only if you are already a known customer of Argentor - and depending on the quantity and composition of the material - we can have goods collected from you by Mikropakket (Belgium & Luxembourg). We charge €15 (excl. VAT) per transport for this service. Feel free to contact us if you wish to make use of our pick-up service. We will provide you with all information and the necessary documentation.

If you send material to us on your own initiative, you do so entirely at your own risk! Argentor cannot be held liable for packages that you send to us yourself via regular or registered mail, nor are we responsible for packages that you put in our mailbox yourself.

No. In principle, there is no minimum on the weight you can have processed at Argentor.

You must of course take the refining costs into account¹. It is therefore best to save small quantities for later processing together. The larger the supplied quantity, the more cost-efficiently the material can be processed! 

Zie ook: ‘How much does a refining & analysis cost?’

Since the adaptation of the legislation on cash payments1 (Sept. 18, 2017), we are no longer allowed to pay professional sellers (including self-employed people in secondary employment) in cash. All purchases, regardless of total value, will have to be paid out via bank transfer, or satisfied by a bill of exchange.

1: Law for the Prevention of Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism and for Restricting the Use of Cash.

Bank transfers are carried out the following working day before noon. How fast you receive the payment onto your banking account depends on the speed of the transfer between our bank and yours. Do not hesitate to contact us in case you still haven't received the payment after three working days.

Based on the composition and weight of the delivered material, we can - if possible - already purchase a portion of the purified precious metals from you or deliver them back to you in pure form. Thus, your working capital is only minimally affected.

+ If you have a valid Belgian VAT number¹, you are selling gold under reverse charge of VAT. This means that we will not pay VAT when you sell the gold you have refined to us. 

+ If you have had silver, platinum or palladium refined and you have a valid Belgian VAT number, we will pay you 21% VAT on the sale of the silver and platinum and palladium that has been refined.

+ We will never pay VAT to foreign VAT payers, the self-employed² and private individuals. 

+ You always pay 21% VAT on the costs of refining and analysis.

The correct VAT regimes and corresponding VAT codes will always be mentioned on our invoices. For your own invoicing, please refer to these codes so that your bookkeeping is correct.

1: Only if you are subject to VAT and are not exempt from VAT obligations, and if it is an expense in the context of your profession, you can purchase fine gold under reverse charge of VAT.

2: Self-employed persons in a secondary occupation subject to VAT regulations must also file a VAT return and pay VAT contributions. But if your income is under €25,000, you can request an exemption from VAT obligations. You do not then have to file a VAT return or charge VAT on outgoing invoices. Consequently, you cannot recover VAT from incoming invoices either. For this reason, you cannot purchase fine gold under reverse charge of VAT. More information on the VAT exemption rule can be found on the website of the FPS Finance.

No, that is not possible. Since February 20th 2012 gold sellers and buyers are obliged to identify and register their clients and suppliers. 

The legal basis for this obligation was already established at the end of 2010 in the law containing various provisions, art. 70¹. The concrete implementation of the identification procedure was laid down in 2012 in the Royal Decree on identification and registration procedures for the purchase of precious metals². The purpose of this identification procedure is to enable the tracing of healers and thieves.

1: Wet houdende diverse bepalingen - Identificatie- en registratieverplichting bij de aankoop van oude metalen en edele metalen

2: Belgisch Staatsblad 10.02.2012 | 24 januari 2012 - Koninklijk besluit houdende identificatie- en registratiemodaliteiten bij de aankoop van edele metalen

Yes, you can. You can obtain an assay report from the refinery. This is upon request, but admittedly free of charge.

Every dealer in precious metals in Belgium must be registered in the guarantee register of the guarantee office of the Royal Mint of Belgium¹. Consequently, no work made of precious metals may be sold on the Belgian market by anyone who is not registered in the guarantee register.

As a recognized dealer in precious metals, Argentor Essayeurs is of course affiliated with the Royal Mint of Belgium and has been registered in the guarantee register since 1997.

1: The Royal Mint of Belgium mints all official coins after which they are distributed by the national bank.

Argentor has a track-record dating back to 1987 and enjoys an excellent reputation both nationally and internationally. Our financial statements can be found in the CBE under the number 0431 852 314.

No, Argentor only has one office located in Antwerp.

This is only possible if your last transaction with Argentor was more than 7 years ago. 

Although Argentor has no reporting obligation, we do have to keep our complete accounting records for the mandatory 7-year period for possible inspection by the tax authorities. As long as you have made a transaction with Argentor within that period, we cannot delete your data from our billing system.