Editor’s Note
This article reports on the release of China’s first specialized service standard for gold trade-in, a significant step toward formalizing and regulating this sector.
The first specialized service standard for gold trade-in has been introduced. Recently, the group standard “Specification for Gold Trade-in Business Services” (hereinafter referred to as the “Standard”), drafted and formulated under the leadership of the China Gold Association, was officially released, filling a gap in standardization.
Gold trade-in is an important consumption method for gold jewelry in China and a common marketing practice in the gold jewelry retail industry. According to incomplete statistics, related consumption accounts for about 20% of the national gold jewelry consumption. Following the release of the State Council’s “Action Plan for Promoting Large-scale Equipment Renewal and Consumer Goods Trade-in” in 2024, coupled with the high gold price environment, both businesses and consumers have seen a surge in demand for trade-in services.
However, the industry has long lacked unified regulations, and the shortcomings in consumer rights protection have become increasingly prominent. Multiple industry insiders pointed out that although gold trade-in is a common market sales model, there are still some irregularities. Issues such as ambiguous pricing, opaque gold testing, inconsistent loss standards, and inaccurate weighing are particularly prominent. Against this backdrop, establishing a unified industry standard has become urgent.
It is understood that the preparation and research for the Standard began in March 2024, and it passed review and approval in November 2025. The formulation process took nearly two years, incorporating the practical experience and collective wisdom of key industry enterprises. Adhering to the principles of “clear boundaries, rigorous logic, and strong practicality,” the Standard establishes a complete closed-loop system of “basic definition – core requirements – process specification – supervision and guarantee,” covering 8 core chapters. It provides comprehensive regulations from service principles, enterprise qualifications and management requirements, service personnel requirements, venue and equipment requirements, service content and processes, to supervision and complaints.
The Standard clearly requires that enterprises must possess legal qualifications, pay taxes according to law, and fulfill anti-money laundering obligations; practitioners must pass professional training before taking up their posts; the gold testing process should implement a “full-process monitoring + customer presence” system, destructive testing requires prior consumer consent, and test results must truthfully issue certificates containing information such as gold content, quality, loss, and discounted amount; during consultation, key information such as old gold acceptance standards, service processes, and fee items must be proactively disclosed, aiming to protect consumer rights.
For a long time, the gold trade-in market has been rife with irregularities. Some merchants tamper with the weighing process, deliberately lower prices citing insufficient purity, or charge high handling fees without clear notification, harming consumer rights. Tian Lihui pointed out that such “pricing black boxes” and “gold testing mysteries” severely undermine industry credit. This Standard, based on the principles of “integrity and transparency,” aims to curb industry irregularities from the root and rebuild consumer trust through process standardization and operational transparency.
Liu Yanhong stated that the Standard improves the governance system and strengthens consumer rights protection. By clarifying corporate obligations and responsibilities, it grants consumers the right to know, supervise, and conveniently complain, thereby practically strengthening consumer rights protection. Simultaneously, it leads industrial upgrading and provides institutional guarantees for industry development. By defining standards for enterprises, personnel, and processes, it promotes the transformation of the gold and jewelry industry towards standardization and specialization through regulated services. Through institutional safeguard measures, it strengthens anti-money laundering and information security compliance requirements, aiding the healthy and sustainable development of the industry.
Tian Lihui believes that for consumers, this Standard represents an elevation of rights from “passive acceptance” to “informed supervision.” Clauses such as transparent fee disclosure and certificate transparency directly shatter the unwritten rule of “hidden deductions.” For the industry, it is a supply-side reform of “good money driving out bad.” The Standard sets thresholds for qualifications, anti-money laundering, and personnel training, which will force shops lacking compliance capabilities to exit or upgrade, drive market concentration towards leading正规 players, and reshape a healthy and upright industry ecosystem.
Furthermore, under the national policy direction of expanding domestic demand and promoting green consumption, the Standard will inject new momentum into gold consumption in the high gold price environment. Tian Lihui stated that in the current high gold price environment, consumers are extremely sensitive to “cost-effectiveness,” and trade-in is a key valve for activating存量 assets. After the introduction of the Standard, it will further unleash the potential of the trade-in market. It will not only help stimulate domestic demand but also respond to the national strategic direction of green consumption.
