Selling gold without moving it

Moving bullion costs money and introduces risk. If the buyer of your gold is happy for it to remain in the same vault — as is often the case in private sales, family transfers and institutional trades — there is no need to move it at all. What needs to move is title.

How a transfer works

Both parties instruct the custodian. The custodian checks that the transferor holds the bars free of any lien, that the transferee has passed its client checks, and that both instructions match. On the effective date it re-records the bars in the transferee’s name. Physically, nothing moves.

What each side receives

• A certificate of change of ownership, issued to both parties, naming the transferor and transferee, the effective date, the basis of transfer and every bar involved.
• For the seller: their previous ownership certificate is marked superseded, so it can never be presented as evidence of current title.
• For the buyer: a new certificate of ownership in their name, listing the same bars.

The bars never leave the shelf. The record does all the moving.

What the custodian does not do

A custodian records a transfer on the parties’ instructions. It is not the buyer’s agent or the seller’s, and it does not verify the price or the commercial terms of the deal. Payment between the parties is their own arrangement — though we can coordinate timing so that title passes when payment is confirmed.

Transfers to new clients

If the buyer is not yet a client, we open an account for them as part of the transfer, after the usual identity and compliance checks. They receive their own portal login, where the new certificate is waiting for them.

Partial transfers and estate planning

Transfers can cover all or part of a holding, bar by bar. They are often used in estate planning, gifting between family members and restructuring between entities. Where tax or inheritance consequences are involved, take advice first — the transfer itself is simple; its consequences may not be.

Evidence for both parties

A transfer is only as good as the evidence that it happened. The transferor needs proof that they no longer own the bars, which matters for tax, for estate planning and for their own records. The transferee needs proof of exactly what they now own and since when. A single certificate that names both parties, lists the bars by serial number and states the effective date serves both purposes, and it is why we file a copy to each party’s documents automatically.

The previous ownership certificate is not deleted. It is kept on file, marked as superseded, and linked to the certificate that replaced it. Anyone looking at the history later can follow the chain from the original deposit through every change of ownership to the current holder.

Settlement risk

Because a custodian records title rather than handling the payment, the parties need to agree how payment and transfer will be coordinated. Common arrangements include payment before instruction, use of an escrow agent, or a simultaneous exchange arranged by the parties’ lawyers. The right choice depends on how well the parties know each other and the size of the transaction. We will hold an instruction until both sides confirm they are ready, but we cannot hold funds on anyone’s behalf.

Checks we carry out

• Identity and authority of both parties, including signatories for companies.
• That the bars are held, unencumbered and not subject to another instruction.
• That the transfer does not breach sanctions or other legal restrictions.
• That the effective date and any stated consideration are recorded as instructed.