J. Austin & Co. — Local services in Ashland

The ladies at J. Austin & Co. were very helpful and professional when I stopped in to sell my gold, silver, and platinum bullion, today. Firstly, I was unaware that they operate on a appointment - only basis, but I called and they were able to squeeze me in right away. Secondly, they were very fair and up front with their pricing, and tested each piece of metal I brought to them. I had two pieces of “german silver” in my collection, that turned out to be fake silver. They handled this with the utmost professionalism and care, not making me feel guilty or embarrassed that I had been sold fake bullion by an online retailer. They were able to buy all my other gold and silver bullion, at a price that we were both happy with. At first I didn’t understand why they operate on an appointment - only basis, but having the quiet, one-on-one time with them to go over each piece, privately, was very nice, especially when I found out I had fake silver pieces in my collection.

When I buy or sell any more bullion pieces, I will definitely be coming back to J. Austen & Co., and I would highly recommend them to others in the...

I went there with a box full of my grandfather's 1913 Stirling silverware. After weighing it, they quoted me a ridiculous price and were very evasive about why. I found out later that it was 40% of the scrap value, which is standard procedure for a jeweler. As if that weren't bad enough, when I returned home I discovered that a pickle fork was missing, worth about $40! Plus it cost me $10 for gas to get there, so it was a real kick in the teeth to me. They claimed to know nothing about it missing of course. I think they were upset because I didn't sell it to them, so to pay for the time it took to weigh it, they just helped...

They offer a very low rate for sterling silver. They try to cheat you on the weight of hollow handles and the silver content of sterling, and their fee percentage is outrageous. I did not haggle with them. I heard their offer, asked questions, rejected it, and left after 15 minutes. I got several hundred dollars more at Southern Oregon Gold & Silver in Medford, who were truly fair and transparent, and I have the documentation with the weights, rates, and percentages to prove it. If they had given me their rates on the phone when I called to ask, I never would have wasted my time...