So how do you sell your gold once you have it?

It's very easy. If you are following my advice the time to sell gold is when everyone else is buying it. Where is the top likely to be? $2000? $5000? I have no idea. But generally when your hair dresser or cab driver is talking about gold as an investment, it's time to get out of the market.

Selling gold via online auction is quick, easy and safe. One of the best sites is Bid or Buy.  Sign up is free and selling is easy. You can set your own reserves, your own bid increments and generally it has been my experience that you can achieve better prices via an online auction than by going to a dealer.

Of course selling your coins back to the dealer you bought them from is the fastest and easiest way to 'convert to cash'. You may not get the best price however but by this stage you will probably have made so much money it doesn't really matter!

Generally selling gold coins is the easiest form of gold to sell. Your bank may even buy them from you (now there's poetic justice!). Gold coins can be sold online via the above mentioned auction methods, or you could even get creative and engage in some bartering as in "I'll give you three one ounce gold coins for that Maserati over there!"

Gold in the form of bullion (as in unworked gold in the form of bars or the like) is probably best sold to dealers. Perhaps even a jeweller would take it off your hands.

Selling gold jewelry is the most tricky, and possibly also the most lucrative. If the peice is a stunning creation you may fetch a handsome premium over the net gold content of the jewelry. But remember that when buying jewelry you want to pay no more than the nett gold weight price of the peice to begin with (you score the creativity of the peice for free).

Try and keep a steady head when selling your gold. Don't jump into any sale too quickly, but also don't be too greedy. A profit is a profit after all! Don't get too attached to your gold - when it comes time to sell it remember that it has served you well and it's job is now done. Take the cash and invest it wisely - check back here then for some tips!