Sell to Us by Mail: Start With a Phone Call

J. Austin Brokers buys by appointment at our shops in Ashland and Grants Pass. If you can’t come in, you can still sell to us, and it starts with a phone call.

Who this is for

Selling by mail is for people who can’t reasonably make the trip: sellers who live too far from the Rogue Valley to drive in, people who don’t drive, and families handling an estate from out of state. If you live in Ashland, Medford, Grants Pass or nearby, an appointment at one of our shops is usually simpler. See our locations.

How it works

1. Call us at (541) 482-3715

Call before you pack anything. Tell us who you are and what you’d like to sell.

2. We talk through what you have

We’ll ask what the items are, how many there are, what condition they’re in, and what is stamped on them. Some things are easy to describe on the phone and some aren’t. We’ll tell you plainly whether shipping makes sense for what you have.

3. If it makes sense to ship, we send you a shipping label

You pack the items we talked about, put our label on the box, and send it. Insurance, payment and returns: we’ll go over that on the call, before you send anything.

What to have ready for the call

• A short description of each item: what it is, roughly how many, and its condition.
• Markings. Karat stamps such as 10k, 14k or 18k on gold; “Sterling” or “925” on silver; maker’s names; dates and mint marks on coins.
• Weights, if you know them. A kitchen or postal scale is fine. Just tell us it’s a rough number.
• Photos on your phone, if you can take them: each piece, plus a close shot of any stamp.
• Grades on graded coins. If coins are in PCGS or NGC holders, have the grade from each holder handy.
• Boxes, papers and service records for watches, if you have them.

Packing: common-sense precautions

These are general precautions for shipping anything of value. We’ll go over anything specific to your package on the call.

• Photograph everything before you pack it, and keep a written list of what went in the box.
• Pack only the items we talked about on the call.
• Don’t clean or polish anything first. Leave coins in their holders, and don’t open a sealed assay card.
• Use a plain, sturdy box with enough padding that nothing shifts or rattles.
• Don’t write anything on the outside that hints at what’s inside: no “gold,” “coins” or “jewelry.”
• Put a note inside with your name and phone number.
• Keep your shipping receipt and tracking number until everything is settled.

Prices, insurance, payment and returns

We never quote fixed prices online, because metals move daily. Our published approach to pricing is on How We Price. How it applies to a package you ship, and the details of insurance, payment and returns: we’ll go over that on the call.

What We Buy lists everything we buy, and on the call we’ll tell you which of your items make sense to ship. If you have placer gold (nuggets, flakes or dust), note that we don’t price it over chat or the phone.

Who you’re calling

J. Austin & Company has been buying gold, silver, coins and jewelry in Southern Oregon since 1997, from shops in Ashland and Grants Pass. The number for selling by mail is the Ashland shop, (541) 482-3715. Its posted hours are Tuesday to Friday, 10 am to 5 pm.