Cash & Carry
We are asked about cash and carry more than we care to count. The question is almost always the same: do we know a seller who can do it?
The answer we give is also almost always the same, and this page is that answer.
01
What Buyers Expects
01
Instant access at a discount
The buyer believes they can inspect, agree a price below LBMA spot, pay, and leave with gold in hand — typically on the same day.
03
A simple, contained transaction
No shipping delays, no complex documentation, no extended compliance. The buyer holds the gold and assumes responsibility from that point.
The model is straightforward in theory
A buyer arrives with funds, meets a seller, inspects the gold, agrees a price at a discount to the current LBMA spot rate, pays, and takes possession. The gold travels home. An exit buyer pays a higher price. The difference covers commissions and leaves a margin.
It is a compelling proposition. The discount to spot appears credible. The speed of the transaction fits the urgency most buyers are operating under. The commission structure is familiar. On paper, nothing about it requires unusual trust.
The difficulty is not the theory. It is what happens in practice.
02
A motivated, available seller
The seller, as the buyer imagines it, is eager to move and has gold ready to go. The meeting is arranged; the rest follows naturally.
04
A clear profit at the other end
An exit buyer is waiting. The margin between purchase price and exit price, minus commissions, is the return. The logic holds together — on paper.
02
Witnessed
The broader risks of buying gold in Africa are documented on our Risks Page. What follows is particular to cash and carry, and it is drawn from direct experience.
The day of the transaction
The meeting is arranged. The seller confirms they are ready. The buyer arrives expecting to move quickly.
The first obstacle
The first obstacle appears before the gold is ever seen. There is a fee; described as a separation cost, a security charge, or a contribution toward transport. The gold, they explain, must be separated from a larger consignment before it can be released. The fee is not large relative to the transaction size. It is framed as a formality.
The pattern that follows
It is not a formality. It is the transaction. Once that payment is made, the reasons multiply. A second charge appears. Then a third. The gold remains out of reach.
The wider structure
In our experience, the same gold is sometimes being shown to multiple buyers through different intermediaries simultaneously. A newspaper photograph, dated close to the proposed transaction, is offered as proof of existence. It proves only that a photograph was taken.
When gold is presented
On the occasions when gold is presented for inspection, the risks shift. Bars are shown but drilling is refused. The tester, often introduced by the seller, confirms authenticity. What they do not confirm is what lies beneath the surface. Brass finished to resemble gold, or coated with a thin layer of gold, is not distinguishable by eye. Spectrometry tells a different story, but spectrometry is rarely offered.
The pattern that follows
It is not a formality. It is the transaction. Once that payment is made, the reasons multiply. A second charge appears. Then a third. The gold remains out of reach.
When gold is presented
On the occasions when gold is presented for inspection, the risks shift. Bars are shown but drilling is refused. The tester — often introduced by the seller — confirms authenticity. What they do not confirm is what lies beneath the surface. Brass finished to resemble gold, or coated with a thin layer of gold, is not distinguishable by eye. Spectrometry tells a different story, but spectrometry is rarely offered.
These are not hypothetical scenarios. They are things we have encountered directly. They are also, in the context of cash and carry in Africa, far from the extent of what is possible.
03
When It Can Be Done Legitimately
A legitimate structure exists. It requires specific things to be in place before a transaction can begin, and it carries costs that most buyers have not accounted for when they arrive.
An independent tester
I
Share your feature information here to attract new clients. Provide a brief summary to help visitors understand the context and background.
Funds to cover VAT upfront
II
Share your feature information here to attract new clients. Provide a brief summary to help visitors understand the context and background.
Feature Title
III
Share your feature information here to attract new clients. Provide a brief summary to help visitors understand the context and background.
Feature Title
IV
Share your feature information here to attract new clients. Provide a brief summary to help visitors understand the context and background.
We are familiar with the legitimate structures that exist within this framework. We do not describe them in full on this page because the right approach depends on the buyer's situation, their destination, and their capacity to manage the obligations involved. That conversation is private.
04
Position
We do not facilitate cash and carry in the form most buyers encounter it. We have no interest in connecting buyers with sellers who will exploit them, and we will not pretend this market is navigable without serious risk.
If you have read this page and still want to explore whether a legitimate arrangement is possible, we will have that conversation privately. We will also tell you plainly if we believe it is not the right route for your situation, and point you toward a structure that provides the same access to gold without the same exposure.