Austin & Co

Great customer service! Best deal ever and great selection of silver and gold and accessories.

I went there to sell some of my old jewelry and the service was prompt.
That big guy Larry is tough looking.

Went inside to ask a question and one of the guys was really rude. The place looks like such a mess too! The carpets are stained with I don’t know what and the place is so unorganized. One of the customers that was there flat out said «I could not work in here.» Just really bad customer service from one of the guys… he looked like he hated working there.

wanted to sell some old Jewelry … stop by to get a estimate from Austin but he did not want to open the door to allow me to come in …
at first I was thinking they might be closed, but as I was waking away I saw another customer going inside
I was shocked why he did not allow me to come in, but he allow the other customer to come in …

I was referred to go here by a friend. The man was reasonable with his quotes and helpful to me about where to future to buy or not buy from.

I have known the owner for many years. He is a straight up, direct and friendly
addition, I have bought and sold from him in all and every capacity of coins, jewelry, bullion and even some art. After dozens and dozens of deal… dozens of years I have referred people to, recommended and highly suggest to YOU John, The owner and Austin and Co. as There is a reason John has been around dealing in coins/​jewelry and other collectibles for some 40 years! I’d send my children to him if I died before John did to turn my coins over for their college tuition! :) Bring it to John!

I went in to sell a Gold pendant. Mr. Austin tested it and told me the outside gold rope was the only thing worth any value and that was only worth 50.00 — 75.00. I just had a hunch that it was worth more so I went to another GOld buyer — this one on Campbell and San Thomas Aquino… They paid me $ 220.00 as it was ALL 10K. I wouldn’t go here as he’s not knowledgable!

I went here after calling around for the best prices on gold and silver during a trip out to the South Bay. I would say that Austin & Co has the best prices in the San Jose area with the least markup/​dealer cut. I got a better price quote on 100oz bars than anywhere else. The guy who I dealt with was very upfront about everything, giving me an accurate price on the phone and pinpointing how far above the bullion market price he was willing to go.
There is a wide selection of jewelry, watches, and collectible coins. I also liked how there was plenty of parking, which is crucial when you are carrying a lot of valuable items. If you are in the San Jose area looking to buy or sell, this place is on top of my list.

I needed to sell a small quantity of 14K gold and an old watch. I visited several shops before going to Austin and they gave me the best price. When I arrived, it was quite busy, but I had to wait only a few minutes. I found the person behind the counter to be courteous, to the point and quite competent which is just the way I like it. He offered me a fair price and I was on my way in less than 10 minutes.

My two experiences here have been excellent. Sold my late grandmother’s jewelry here and John even volunteered to pay me back in Silver Eagles, worth more than the cash value I would have received.
It’s not pawning — If you want to convert useless jewelry into a long-​term investment, I would 100% recommend this place.
Not sure about the negative reviews regarding John’s character — he seems like a honest guy that never tries to push a sale on you.

Nice place to purchase or sell precious metals. They have a relatively lower spot price than most places and they have comparatively flexible hours.

About 3 years ago, when the prices of gold, silver and platinum went up, I had 28 grams of platinum Bullion for sale. I went to the store, the owner did not know much about platinum, and I was told that someone would help me. The guy came over looked at my platinum and told me that he does not believe it’s a real platinum, he did smell from alcohol, so I assume he had too much to drink that day. I went to another Jeweler (The Jeweler Box) who bought it right away without any hesitation. Run from this place!!!

When gold and silver get slammed in price, do not expect this business to deal with you respectfully.
They were happy as hell to deal with me when the prices of precious metals were stagnant, but once I came back after silver got slammed and the gold and silver ratio rocketed to the mid-​50s from the mid-​40s, John in particular, was a very sour businessman.
He was short and unfriendly with his responses, and when I was exiting the shop, the douchebag says out loud for me to take my business to LA (because I told him how I would have to go to LA to get the best deals and he told me he’d match my LA numbers).
WTF? Don’t you think that I could possibly come back when you do have silver in stock? What makes you think I would ever bring my business to you after you say such stupid comments?
Did I leave your business because I was arguing with your premiums? No.
I left because you had no silver in stock!
I was fine with you raising the spot price 50 or 75 cents after the slam.
I was fine driving from Oakland to San Jose.
But I’m not cool with your smart ass remark and your attitude.
A Burlingame precious metals dealer is my go-​to business now. Burlingame, CA.

Quick update for folks who want to sell their precious metals:
I’ve only sold silver to two folks… besides my mom, it’s John @ Austin & Co.
Mom doubled her money, she’s very happy (her investment in me is paying off finally haha).
& John of course. Not only is John awesome to buy from, he is very fair when you sell back to him. Most of the stuff I sold him actually came from him. His bid/​ask spread is very low.
He does not lowball you like the WE BUY GOLD junkies out there or exorbitant stores *cough cough COIN Bloker of Palo Alto, *cough cough wheeze, hack cough**.
[FYI: I hate to talk trash like this. Really. I’m not a cynical Unilocaler, I go out of my way to write about great businesses that deserve more business. For real punks, I write to warn people. For the lukewarm… I’d rather write nothing than a poor review. Just look at my review ratings that I’ve given out. ]
This isn’t like drycleaning or a good restaurant, this is about your wealth which controls your health, well-​being, quality of life, recreation, education, familial success, your circle of friends and cherished folks. This is a big deal really. Yet, it’s such a small step in picking who to sell your precious metals to.
Honestly, don’t sell. Hold. Wait till gold and silver are overvalued. They are not right now. The dollar lies. You can’t measure «value» with something that keeps depreciating. Measure the gold/​silver price in barrels of oil, real estate, corn, copper, anything that is actually tangible and not coming out of a digital printing press.
After you do that homework piece, you won’t sell. I assure you.
But if you must sell, sell to John.
Or me. =D

I went in to sell my one carat pendant. He was both rude and abrupt. Quoted me 300 $!!
Thankfully someone else told me to go to Home consignment. The guy there was nice and professional. Instead of a measily 300 $ I got 2000 $.
WHAT A JOKE AUSTIN & Co. is, my jeweler friend said he’s pretty much a pawn shop and has a bad reputation. Too bad I found out after I went in…
ZERO stars if possible

Great experience.
I had a 50 oz bar of silver that another shop offerred me 75% of spot and Austin offerred 97%!!!
I drove right over, had a nice chat with John and sold my silver.
No hassles.
I’ll be going back to sell some silver coins in the near future.

Just did my first business with them months ago. Their price is very competitive. The clerks are friendly to us and our kids. They even gave gold-​plated penny to our kdis as souvenir. From them, we are surprised to know they have been in business for more than 27 years on that street.
While I like their gold price, but I think their offered price for the junk silver dimes (pre-​1964) has too deep discount. But that’s probably because of the nature of the pre-​1964 dimes.

John is fair and has the best prices in the Bay Area — both selling and buying. I’ve had nothing but great service from him. A quality guy! I buy and sell gold and silver to him.

I had a very positive experience at Austin & Co! Everyone was very friendly and Knowledgeable. Best of all, they gave me the best deal for my 10k gold ring in all of san jose and surrounding areas. I will definately go back next time I want to sell or buy jewelry.