A personal touch: Many customers prefer browsing and buying gold and jewellery in physical stores, expressing wariness at spending big online. — ONG SOON HIN /The Star
PETALING JAYA: Despite the rise of online retailers, legacy gold and jewellery shops with strong reputations remain the top choice for most gold enthusiasts.
Self-employed Fifie Izazi, 39, enjoys visiting her gold merchant, even just to browse.
Her monthly, sometimes weekly, trips are both a passion and an investment.
The Melaka resident regularly visits Husin Gold Melaka and Kedia Emas Azirul for jewellery and gold bars. While she does check online reviews and social media for seller credibility, she has trusted these two shops for many years.
Fifie is well aware of the risks of buying gold online. She has read many stories of people being scammed with counterfeit or impure gold.
“If you’re unsure, it’s always best to check with another jeweller,” Fifie said, emphasising the importance of consulting trusted retailers.
Eliza (not her real name), 29, only buys gold from physical sellers in Kuala Lumpur trusted by her family. She has never bought gold jewellery online and does not intend to.
“It’s hard to determine authenticity on the Internet,” she said.
Her family has trusted gold retailers in Jalan Masjid India for years, and it remains her go-to spot for jewellery shopping.
She sees gold as both a cultural tradition and a financial investment, valuing it for its resale potential and personal enjoyment.
“Most Indian families buy gold as an investment in the form of jewellery, sometimes even as gifts” she said.
Eliza was surprised to learn that physical gold retailers were targeted by Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry’s (KPDN) spot checks, but remains confident in her goldsmith.
Her jeweller’s transparency about gold sourcing, certifications and long-standing reputation gives her peace of mind and keeps her coming back.
“Buying from well-established retailers is the best way to avoid scams from seemingly legitimate sellers,” she added.
Eliza warned consumers to be cautious of jewellers offering deals that seem too good to be true, noting that steep discounts are rare due to gold’s stable pricing.
Shantini Thuraiselvam, 50, has been going to the same Indian goldsmiths in Tengku Kelana, Klang, for over 30 years.
She views gold jewellery as more than just an investment, and is often excited by the idea of it becoming a family heirloom.
“I like that they’re long lasting and that I can pass them on to my daughter and my nieces,” she said.
She remains unfazed by the KPDN spot checks, believing they mostly target smaller, newer jewellers.
Her trust in her goldsmith comes from their decades-long history as a family-owned business.
Like Eliza, Shantini ignores online gold retailers, but for entirely different reasons.
“Shopping for gold is a social occasion,” she said.
Shantini fondly recalled her last birthday when her sister and cousin took her to a goldsmith to buy a pair of gold hoop earrings.
“There’s so much fun in the experience of taking the whole family out for one person to get one thing,” she said.
