Yes. Any Thai gold shop will buy back standard 96.5 % Thai gold at its buy price for the day, which follows the price the Gold Traders Association publishes. Bars fetch close to that buy price; jewelry fetches less, because the making charge you paid is lost and the shop may deduct up to 5 % more.
That 5 % ceiling is a consumer-protection rule, and it has a catch: it applies only when you sell a piece back to the shop that sold it to you. That is why the receipt matters. This page explains the two prices, the deductions and your options. It is general information, not financial or tax advice.
The short answer: selling gold in Thailand (October 2026)
- Can a foreigner sell gold?
- Yes, gold shops buy back gold from anyone
- Who sets the price
- The Gold Traders Association (GTA), several times a day
- Bars (96.5 %)
- Bought back at about the GTA buy price; buy and sell prices are 100 baht apart per baht-weight
- Jewelry, same shop
- No more than 5 % below that day's bar buy price (OCPB rule)
- Jewelry, another shop
- No fixed rule; the shop decides
- Bring
- The original receipt and the piece itself; ask whether ID is needed
- Price line
- GTA 0-2020-9000, press 1 (Thai)
The two prices on the board
Every gold shop shows two figures for 96.5 % gold: the price at which it sells (khai ok) and the price at which it buys (rap sue). Both are quoted per baht, which here is a unit of weight, not the currency. The figures come from the GTA, which sets the Thai price from the world spot price and the baht exchange rate.
The GTA's first price of the day appears at around 09:20 to 09:40, and it can change many times after that; on 27 October 2026 the board was on its 15th change by 16:09. There is no fixed schedule. Check the price on the GTA website or by phone shortly before you go, and expect the shop's board to match it.
For bars, the gap between the GTA's sell and buy price is 100 baht per baht-weight. For jewelry (thong rup phan), the GTA publishes only a selling price. There is no separate published buy-back price for jewelry, which is where the 5 % rule comes in.
Why a gold chain fetches less than a gold bar
When you buy a necklace, you pay the gold price plus a making charge (kha kamnet). The GTA explains that this charge covers the work of making the design and the shop's running costs and profit. The GTA recommends a minimum of 500 baht per baht-weight, but the figure is not binding; detailed designs cost more, and small pieces of a quarter or half baht-weight usually carry the same 500 baht.
None of that comes back when you sell. A shop buys jewelry as gold, by weight and purity. So the difference between what you paid and what you get has two parts: the making charge, and a deduction of up to 5 % from the bar buy price. The GTA's own advice follows from this: buy bars if you want an investment, and buy jewelry if you want to wear it and save at the same time.
Bars lose the least. A bar has no making charge, and the buy-sell gap is 100 baht per baht-weight. If you are buying gold mainly to hold its value, a bar from a GTA member shop is the cheaper thing to sell later.
Selling back to the shop that sold it
A notice on the GTA's price page sets out the Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB) rule: when a shop buys back jewelry, it may deduct no more than 5 % from that day's bar buy price, and this applies only to sales back to the original shop. The buy-back price for jewelry should be posted at the front of the shop.
Bring the receipt. It shows the shop's name, the date, the weight and the purity, which is what tells the shop the piece came from its own counter. Gold shops must also label each tray with weight, purity, making charge and product type under the OCPB labeling rules, so compare your receipt with what was on the tray when you bought. Keep it with the gold; it is also the document customs officers ask about.
Selling in a different shop or another town
You can sell to any gold shop, but the 5 % ceiling no longer protects you. We found no official rule on how a shop must price gold bought elsewhere, so the offer is its own decision. Ask two or three shops; in a gold-shop street such as Yaowarat in Bangkok's Chinatown that takes a few minutes.
Bars are not always bought at exactly the GTA figure either. The GTA explains that retail shops buy their stock from producers in Yaowarat or Ban Mo and add transport, risk and profit, usually 50 to 100 baht per baht-weight and up to about 200 baht in distant provinces, and that the same costs apply when they buy gold back. Expect a small difference from the published price outside Bangkok.
A shop that does not know your piece will check its purity. The GTA lists the methods shops use: judging weight against size, a flame test, an X-ray analyzer, specific-gravity testing and, most accurately, fire assay, which melts a sample. Ask which one they use before you agree to anything that damages the piece.
ID, passports and the paperwork
We could not verify whether gold shops must ask a seller for ID, or above which amount a sale is reported under Thailand's anti-money-laundering rules; the Anti-Money Laundering Office's requirements for gold traders were not available to us. Carry your passport when you sell, and ask the shop what it needs before you hand over the gold.
If you are leaving soon, think about what you will do with the baht: our guides to exchanging money in Thailand and changing leftover baht at home cover that.
Does it pay to sell in Thailand or at home?
For 96.5 % Thai gold, Thailand is the market built for it. Every gold shop quotes the same daily price, and a piece with its original receipt can go back to the shop under the 5 % rule. At home, Thai gold (about 23 carat) is an unusual purity, and a buyer will test it and pay for the gold content at its own rate. We have no verified figures to compare the two, so get a written quote at home before you decide and compare it with the Thai buy price in our baht converter.
Taking gold home has its own costs. Several countries count jewelry against the traveler's value limit, so you may pay duty on arrival before you can sell; our page on taking gold out of Thailand covers those limits. Any tax on a gain is a question for a tax adviser in the country where you are tax resident.
Gold sold on by a new partner is an old story. Our guide on how to buy gold in Thailand describes visitors who bought gold as a gift and saw it sold soon after they left. Because any shop will buy gold back, a gift is as liquid as cash; more tricks aimed at visitors are on our page of common scams.
If a shop does not keep to the rules
If the shop that sold you a piece refuses to buy it back, or deducts more than 5 % from the posted bar buy price, ask to see the posted buy-back price and the day's GTA figure. If that does not settle it, the OCPB hotline is 1166; our page on complaints and refunds in Thailand explains how a complaint works. Why gold matters so much to Thai families, and why shops are so used to buying it back, is the subject of our article on the significance of gold in Thailand.
Frequently asked questions
Can tourists sell gold in Thailand?
Yes. Gold shops buy back gold from Thais and foreigners alike at the day's buy price. Bring the piece and the receipt, carry your passport, and ask the shop before you hand anything over whether it needs ID or other papers.
How much less do you get when you sell Thai gold jewelry?
You lose the making charge you paid, which the GTA recommends at a minimum of 500 baht per baht-weight. On top of that, the shop that sold it may deduct up to 5 % from the bar buy price; another shop may deduct more.
Do you need the receipt to sell gold in Thailand?
The receipt is what shows you bought the piece at that shop, and the 5 % ceiling only applies to sales back to the original shop. Without it, expect the shop to treat the piece like gold from anywhere else.
Where can you check the gold price in Thailand?
On the Gold Traders Association's website, which shows the time and the number of each price change, or on its phone line 0-2020-9000 (press 1). The price can change several times a day.
Sources
- Gold Traders Association – Daily gold price and the OCPB buy-back notice (Thai) (checked October 2026)
- Gold Traders Association – Frequently asked questions: buy-back, making charge, purity testing (Thai) (checked October 2026)
- Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB) – Complaint Centre and Call Center 1166 (Thai) (checked October 2026)