Selling Your Gold and Silver
September's Weights & Measures Tip

It’s September and before you know it, many of us will be holiday shopping! Everybody could use the extra cash and many people are finding the answer to that problem by selling their precious metals. We are all seeing more and more advertisements and commercials, offering to buy our unwanted gold and silver.

Before you sell your precious metals, here is some advice: It is extremely important to deal with a reputable company that specializes in the sale and purchase of gold and silver. If they are, their scales will have a seal of approval from the Medina County Auditor’s Office. The seal of approval will be located somewhere on the device and you have the right to see it. If you do not see a seal, request to see it. In some cases, it may be located on the bottom of the scale.

If there is not an approval seal from your auditor’s office, then the scale may not be accurate or legal for trade. If this is the case and you are interested in selling your jewelry to this company, contact Shaun Bland, the inspector for the Medina County Auditor’s Weights and Measures Division, to report the scale. He can usually be there that day, or the next day, to verify the accuracy and legality of the scale in question.

We strongly recommend that you never mail precious metal to a business. If you are not there to see the gold or silver being weighed, you will not know if you have been given a fair deal. Furthermore, you are opening yourself up to fraud and it is possible that you will never see your jewelry again or receive a payment for it.

Remember to research where the best value is and how much is being offered per ounce on the open market. The first place you go may not offer the best deal!


By Shaun Bland, a Medina County Auditor's Office Weights and Measures Inspector

Spring & Summer Reminders


Summer is here and we are all busy mowing our lawns again! Many of our complaints around this time of year are about the cost of gasoline as we are filling our plastic gas cans for the lawn mower, weed eater and other landscaping equipment.

Typically, plastic gas cans tend to stretch over time and each year they may hold a little more fuel than they did in the past. This tends to lead consumers to believe that they are getting "ripped off" at the pump. Let's not forget that the plastic gas cans are not calibrated as well. The "full" line is an approximation of where the gas should be when filled. These gas cans are also subject to a different thickness in the plastic from one can to the next which may lead to a difference in the actual volume of the can as well.

However, should you feel that the pump is not accurate, please do not hesitate to call and I will get out there and inspect the pump as soon as possible!

And please remember that the rules that are placed on equipment--gas-powered or electric--are there for a reason. Every year people lose fingers, eyes and feet (even their lives) because they did not pay attention to the rules.

Take time to enjoy this great summer weather and to be outside as much as possible. Winter comes all too soon and stays all too long!


By Shaun Bland, a Medina County Auditor's Office Weights and Measures Inspector