Why does a dealer charge more than the spot price?

Spot is the price for unfabricated metal traded in wholesale quantity. A coin or bar has to be minted, distributed, stocked and shipped, and the dealer has to make a margin, so retail price is spot plus a premium. The premium is the number worth shopping between dealers, not the spot price, which is the same everywhere.

Is a troy ounce the same as a normal ounce?

No. A troy ounce is 31.1035 grams and the avoirdupois ounce on a kitchen or postal scale is 28.3495 grams, so a troy ounce is about 10% heavier. Every precious metal spot price, coin weight and dealer listing means troy ounces.

What is the difference between the bid and the ask?

The bid is what the market will pay for metal and the ask is what it will sell for; the gap between them is the spread. The headline spot price on this site is the midpoint of the two, and both figures are shown so it is clear which is which.

XAU

$4,609.65/ozt

per gram: $148.20
per kilo: $148,204

bid 4,608.15ask 4,611.15

Gold over time

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Snapshot · retrieved 15:43 UTCCaptured when this page was published, not when you opened it. The live price replaces it as soon as the page loads.

Gold spot · XAU/USD

Gold is $4,609.65 an ounce.

Gold premiums are tight — most one-ounce coins sit within a few percent of melt — so the difference between dealers is smaller in percentage terms and larger in dollars.

No spread to draw yet.A spread needs at least two dealers quoting the same gold product.

Gold price by unit

Per troy ounce: $4,609.65
Per gram: $148.20
Per kilogram: $148,204
Per 10 oz: $46,096.50
Per 100 oz: $460,965

Gold is bought by the ounce, the tenth-ounce, and by the gram for smaller budgets.

Today’s range

Day high: $4,608.55
Day low: $4,608.03
Bid / ask: $4,608.15 / $4,611.15

Captured when this page was published, not when you opened it. The live price replaces it as soon as the page loads.

Every gold product we track

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Spot price history

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Common questions

Why does a dealer charge more than the spot price?: Spot is the price for unfabricated metal traded in wholesale quantity. A coin or bar has to be minted, distributed, stocked and shipped, and the dealer has to make a margin, so retail price is spot plus a premium. The premium is the number worth shopping between dealers, not the spot price, which is the same everywhere.
Is a troy ounce the same as a normal ounce?: No. A troy ounce is 31.1035 grams and the avoirdupois ounce on a kitchen or postal scale is 28.3495 grams, so a troy ounce is about 10% heavier. Every precious metal spot price, coin weight and dealer listing means troy ounces.
What is the difference between the bid and the ask?: The bid is what the market will pay for metal and the ask is what it will sell for; the gap between them is the spread. The headline spot price on this site is the midpoint of the two, and both figures are shown so it is clear which is which.

Gold prices and bullion tax by state

51 states with a sourced rule · tax can exceed every premium difference we compare