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Gold buyers in Tacoma: a small market and a new tax rule
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By GoldGuy. First published Oct 24, 2026; text updated Oct 25, 2026. Census data retrieved Oct 24, 2026; state tax rules checked Oct 24, 2026; melt values refresh with every price update.
Washington started charging retail sales tax on gold and silver bullion and bullion coins on January 1, 2026. That ended an exclusion that dated to 1985. It is the biggest local change for anyone trading gold in Tacoma. The market itself is modest. Pierce County had 39 jewelry stores in 2023, fewer than in 2019, and 6 precious-metal wholesalers (Census CBP). Today, 14k gold melts at $72.70 per gram as of Oct 31, 2026 2:24 AM ET.
Key facts
- Jewelry stores, Pierce County: 39 (Census CBP 2023)
- Precious-metal wholesalers, Pierce County: 6 (CBP 2023)
- Tacoma median household income: $86,328 (ACS 2024)
- Washington bullion sales tax: Taxable since Jan 1, 2026 (the old bullion exemption ended Dec 31, 2025) (checked Oct 24, 2026)
- 14k gold melt: $72.70/g (Oct 31, 2026 2:24 AM ET)
Washington's bullion sales tax since Jan 1, 2026
Taxable since Jan 1, 2026 (the old bullion exemption ended Dec 31, 2025). Washington used to leave bullion and bullion coins out of retail sales tax. That exclusion ended on January 1, 2026. Retail sales of bullion and bullion coins to end buyers now carry retail sales tax and retailing B&O tax. Sales to a dealer with a reseller permit count as wholesale. The Department of Revenue announced the change on September 24, 2025.
Sources: Washington Dept. of Revenue special notice (Sept 24, 2025); Washington DOR, Currency, coins and precious metal bullion. Checked Oct 24, 2026. These rules cover buying; they are general information, not tax advice. Selling gold can raise a federal capital-gains question instead: see how to sell silver and gold.
Before and after January 1, 2026
| Transaction | Through Dec 31, 2025 | From Jan 1, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Retail sale of gold bars and bullion coins | Excluded from retail sales tax (RCW 82.04.062) | Subject to retail sales tax and retailing B&O tax |
| Sale to a dealer with a reseller permit | Excluded | Wholesale: no retail sales tax |
| Jewelry and art made from bullion | Taxable | Taxable |
Source: Washington Department of Revenue special notice, Sept 24, 2025, and its jewelry-store industry guide. General information, not tax advice.
Pierce County jewelry stores, 2019 to 2023
| Year | Jewelry stores, Pierce County | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 42 | 241 |
| 2022 | 38 | 224 |
| 2023 | 39 | 231 |
| Area | Jewelry stores (2023) | Per 100,000 residents |
|---|---|---|
| Pierce County | 39 | 4.1 |
| Washington | 354 | 4.4 |
| United States | 19,897 | 5.9 |
Source: Census CBP 2019, 2022 and 2023, NAICS 448310 (jewelry stores); per-100,000 rates use ACS 2024 population. Notes.
Precious-metal wholesalers in Pierce County
| Area | Precious-metal wholesalers (2023) | Per 100,000 residents | Change since 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pierce County | 6 | 0.6 | +1 |
| Washington | 61 | 0.8 | -4 |
| United States | 6,949 | 2.0 | - |
Source: Census CBP 2019 and 2023, NAICS 423940 (jewelry, watch, precious stone and precious metal merchant wholesalers), 95 employees locally in 2023. These are business-to-business firms, not a count of shops that buy from the public. Notes.
What the Pierce County numbers suggest
Pierce County is thin on both counts. It has 4.1 jewelry stores per 100,000 residents (5.9 nationally) and 0.6 precious-metal wholesalers per 100,000 (2.0 nationally). Jewelry stores slipped from 42 in 2019 to 39 in 2023.
Fewer local stores does not mean worse offers. It does mean fewer quotes within a short drive. That is one reason online buyback programs and Seattle-area buyers often end up on a Tacoma seller's list. The official counts cannot rank any of them.
Tacoma's median household income of $86,328 is below Pierce County's $100,529 and Washington's $99,389. 22.4% of households have retirement income. The 2026 tax affects people buying bullion in Washington. It does not change what your gold is worth, because melt comes from the spot price.
Tacoma residents (ACS 2024)
| Measure (ACS 2024) | Tacoma | Washington | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 228,187 | 7,958,180 | 340,110,990 |
| Median household income | $86,328 | $99,389 | $81,604 |
| Residents age 65+ | 15.5% | 17.3% | 18.0% |
| Households with retirement income | 22.4% | 24.3% | 24.4% |
| Median home value | $500,500 | n/a | n/a |
Source: Census ACS 2024 1-year estimates (tables B01003, B19013, B19059, B25077, S0101), city limits of Tacoma. Notes.
Melt values: the number to bring to a Tacoma buyer
Gold is worth the same in Tacoma as anywhere else: weight times purity times the spot price. As of Oct 31, 2026 2:24 AM ET, gold spot is $3,876.40/troy oz. Online dealers' published buy prices for bullion: 1 oz American Gold Eagle 98.9% of melt (Hero Bullion); 1 oz Gold Krugerrand 97.7% of melt (Hero Bullion); 1 oz gold bar (.9999) 97.9% of melt (Hero Bullion). Checked Oct 31, 2026 2:32 AM ET.
| Karat | Melt per gram | Melt per pennyweight |
|---|---|---|
| 24k | $124.50 | $193.63 |
| 22k | $114.24 | $177.67 |
| 21k | $109.05 | $169.59 |
| 18k | $93.47 | $145.36 |
| 14k | $72.70 | $113.06 |
| 10k | $51.93 | $80.76 |
Plug in your own weight with the pawn shop gold price calculator, which also shows what share of melt an offer is.
Melt = grams × purity × spot ÷ 31.1035 (spot: gold-api.com). Local offers for jewelry and scrap are below melt; the gap depends on the buyer.
Checklist for Tacoma sellers
- Price your items at melt first: 4 g of 10k is $207.72, 20 g of 14k is $1,454.01 (as of Oct 31, 2026 2:24 AM ET).
- Ask each buyer for a written price per gram for each karat.
- Plan to buy coins or bars with the money? Washington now taxes retail bullion sales (since Jan 1, 2026).
Frequently asked questions
How many gold buyers are in Tacoma?
No official statistic counts gold buyers. Pierce County had 39 jewelry stores and 6 precious-metal wholesalers in 2023 (Census County Business Patterns). Not all of them buy gold from the public.
Is there sales tax on gold in Washington State?
Yes, since January 1, 2026. Retail sales of bullion and bullion coins now carry retail sales tax, per the Washington Department of Revenue's Sept 24, 2025 special notice. Before 2026 both were excluded. General information only, not tax advice.
Where can I sell gold in Tacoma?
Coin shops, jewelers that buy gold, pawn shops and online dealer buyback programs. We do not list or rank local businesses. Pierce County's field is small, so compare local written offers with online buy prices and with melt.
More local gold-selling data
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All city pages · Pawn shop gold price calculator · Gold jewelry value by karat · 14k gold price per gram · How to sell gold step by step
Bullion Price Check publishes price data and does not buy, sell or lend on gold. No business on this page is listed, rated or endorsed. General information, not financial or tax advice.
Notes: establishment counts are from the U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 (the latest year published; NAICS 2017 codes 448310 jewelry stores and 423940 jewelry, watch, precious stone and precious metal merchant wholesalers), county level, retrieved Oct 24, 2026. Population, income, age and retirement-income figures are from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates, retrieved Oct 24, 2026. Per-100,000 rates divide 2023 business counts by 2024 population, so they mix years and are approximate. Census does not count pawnshops, coin shops or gold buyers as such: a jewelry-store count includes stores that never buy gold, and pawnshops are filed under a broader lending code that we do not use. ACS figures are survey estimates with margins of error.