Rank 8 of 9 · evidence gathered 2026-07-10
Cash for Gold USA review
Cash for Gold USA scores 29/100 (C-) on the Gold Buyer Score. The biggest ad spender in the industry (~$91k/month on search ads).
Publishes nothing: no payout rate — its own calculator disclaims that melt value "is not an estimate of what we will pay" — no assay method, and a $150k insurance headline whose terms page renders blank.
Category scores
Payout
0
Proof & Transparency
5
Tracking & Process
65
Client Services
60
Technology
40
Reputation
80
The evidence, line by line
Payout · 30% of total
| Advertised payout rate | 0/50 | Nothing disclosed; calculator disclaimer expressly decouples melt from payout. |
| Rate disclosure | 0/25 | None. 10% signup bonus has invisible terms. |
| Price protection | 0/25 | None. |
Proof & Transparency · 25% of total
| Assay method disclosed | 5/25 | "GIA-certified appraisers... latest technology" — no method. |
| Assay on video | 0/35 | None. |
| Itemized offers | 0/20 | Not offered. |
| Published pricing methodology | 0/20 | None. |
Tracking & Process · 15% of total
| Shipping insurance | 25/40 | $150k headline — largest advertised — but the linked terms page is blank; scored with a haircut. |
| Status tracking | 10/30 | Carrier tracking + optional SMS only. |
| Payment speed | 30/30 | "As fast as 24 hours" claim. |
Client Services · 10% of total
| Reachable by phone | 25/40 | Number exists but is buried inside an FAQ answer; no hours, no contact page. |
| Free insured returns | 30/40 | Free returns, no questions asked; return insurance unstated. |
| Support channels | 5/20 | Email. |
Technology · 10% of total
| Live-price calculators | 30/50 | Live melt calculators — explicitly disconnected from what they pay. |
| Pre-ship estimate | 5/30 | None. |
| Digital offer flow | 5/20 | None. |
Reputation · 10% of total
| Independent reviews | 45/50 | Trustpilot ~4.8 across ~2,050; BBB A+ via parent CJ Environmental. |
| Operating history | 30/30 | Parent founded 2005, Inc 500 alum. |
| Clean record | 5/20 | Recurring lowball-offer complaints in BBB record; blank terms page. |
Worth knowing
- The gap between its ad budget and its disclosure is the rankings' cautionary tale.
goldbuyer.io is operated by the team behind Offramp, one of the buyers scored on this site. Every buyer, including Offramp, is scored against the same public methodology with cited evidence, and Offramp's weaknesses are shown like everyone else's.