US Buy Register: Early Access
A planned buy register for US jewelers and gold buyers, with guides to the Texas, Florida and California rules.
General information, not legal advice. This page summarizes the state statute and regulator pages linked beside each point. Laws change, and cities and counties can add their own rules. Check with your local police department, sheriff or licensing authority, or a licensed attorney in your state, before you rely on it.
Sources read and checked on . Anything we could not confirm at a primary source is marked Unverified.
Short answer: The US Buy Register is a planned web app for jewelers and gold buyers who buy from the public. It would record the seller’s ID, run the hold clock on every item and produce the daily police or state report file. It is not built yet. The intended price is from $49 per location per month. Join the early-access list below; we’ll email you if it goes ahead.
What it would do
These are plans, not features you can use today:
- Seller intake: read the barcode on a US driver’s license to fill in the seller’s details, with the physical description fields your state asks for.
- Items and offer: photos, metal, karat and weight, with the offer worked out from the spot price, as in our free gold buying price calculator.
- Hold clock: a “do not melt or sell” lock on each item until your state’s hold ends, plus police hold orders.
- Daily report file: for your police department or state system, with a record of what was sent and when.
- Beside your POS: it is meant to work next to the point-of-sale system you already use, not replace it.
It would help you keep records. It would not make you compliant; you stay responsible for following your state and local law.
First states: Texas, Florida and California
Texas
OCCC registration, report to police within 48 hours, no melting before the 11th day.
Florida
Department of Revenue registration, right thumbprint, report within 24 hours, 30-day hold.
California
Local secondhand dealer license, fingerprint, CAPSS by the next business day, 7-day hold.
| Rule | Texas | Florida | California |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who must sign up | Register with the Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner (OCCC), each location (Occ. Code §1956.0612) | Register with the Department of Revenue, with fingerprints, each location (Fla. Stat. §538.09) | Secondhand dealer license from your local police chief or sheriff, processed by the state Department of Justice (B&P §21640–21641) |
| Seller ID | Driver’s license, Texas ID certificate or handgun license number, plus date of birth, height, eye color, gender and address (7 TAC §85.2001) | Government-issued photo ID; record type, issuer and number, plus a full physical description (§538.04) | One of the listed IDs, current or issued within 5 years; verified once per transaction (§21628(e), §21628.3) |
| Thumbprint | Not in the state statute or OCCC rule as we read them; check your city ordinance | Right thumbprint required (§538.04(1)(d)) | Legible fingerprint required (§21628(e)(2)) |
| Report to | Police chief (or county sheriff outside a city), within 48 hours, in the way local police approve (§1956.062–.063) | Sheriff, plus the police chief inside a city, within 24 hours; electronically if they supply the software (§538.04) | CAPSS, the state system, by the next business day (§21628, §21630) |
| Hold before melting or selling | Not before the 11th day after the report is filed (§1956.064) | 30 calendar days for precious metal, gemstones and jewelry (§538.06) | 7 days from the CAPSS report (5 days if you record the buyer) (§21636.1) |
| Police hold | Up to 60 days (§1956.064(b)) | 90 days; a court can extend it (§538.06(3)) | Up to 90 days, renewable (§21647) |
| Keep records | 3 years (§1956.063(d)) | 3 years (at least 1 year on the premises) (§538.04, §538.06(5)) | Seller ID records 3 years (§21628(e)) |
| Sellers under 18 | Only with a written parent or guardian consent (§1956.066) | Not allowed (§538.15) | Not allowed for reportable items (§21643) |
US Buy Register: early access
We’re building a simple register for jewelers and gold buyers who buy from the public: seller ID capture, a hold clock on every item, and a daily report file for your police department or state system. It is meant to run beside the point-of-sale system you already use.
It is not built yet. Join the early-access list and we’ll email you when there is something to try.
Intended price: from $49 per location per month. Nothing is charged now.
Federal rules that sit on top
These apply in every state. They are short summaries; follow the links for the full text.
- Buying over $50,000 a year from the public. A jewelry retailer that bought more than $50,000 of covered goods (precious metals, stones, jewels and jewelry that gets half its value from them) from people other than dealers or retailers in the prior year counts as a “dealer” under the Bank Secrecy Act rules (31 CFR §1027.100). A dealer needs a written anti-money laundering program approved by senior management; for a retailer it need only cover those purchases (31 CFR §1027.210). A trade-in credited to the customer’s account, with no money paid out, is not a purchase for this test (§1027.100(b)(3)).
- Cash you receive over $10,000. Form 8300 is for cash a business receives of more than $10,000 in one transaction or in related transactions, filed within 15 days (IRS Form 8300 reference guide). Cash you pay out to a seller is not cash received.
Frequently asked questions
Is the US Buy Register available now?
No. It is not built yet. We are checking whether enough US jewelers and gold buyers want it. Join the early-access list and we will email you if it goes ahead.
How much will the US Buy Register cost?
The intended price is from $49 per location per month. Nothing is charged now, and the price is not final until the product exists.
Will the US Buy Register make my store compliant?
No software can do that on its own. It would help you keep the records, holds and reports your state asks for. You remain responsible for following your state and local law.
Which states will it cover first?
Texas, Florida and California. Each has its own guide on this site, linked to the state statute.
Do I have to replace my point-of-sale system?
No. It is planned to run beside the point-of-sale system you already use.