Can You Sell Gold Without Getting Scammed? Brandon Aversano on Starting Alloy (Ep.16)

In this episode of Out of Office, Kartik Sathappan and Jack Dwyer sit down with Brandon Aversano, founder of Alloy, the online platform making it safe, simple, and transparent to sell gold and precious metals.

Brandon shares the wild origin story of Alloy—starting with a cancer diagnosis, medical debt, and a humiliating pawn shop experience. He explains how Alloy offers 80%+ payouts (versus 20–30% industry standard), the challenges of building trust in a scammy industry, and why customer empathy is his biggest weapon. We also discuss the future of jewelry resale, how Brandon bootstrapped his way from a failed app to state-backed funding, and what most people don’t understand about the value of their gold.

🔗 Check out Alloy: https://www.alloymarket.com/
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Chapters:

• 00:00 Introduction to Alloy and Brandon's Cancer Diagnosis
• 04:23 Selling Gold the Old Way—and the Idea That Sparked Alloy
• 07:57 Building Empathy Into a High-Trust Customer Experience
• 10:38 Hiring Non-Salespeople and Operationalizing Support
• 12:35 Beating the Pawn Shops: Trust, Transparency, and Pricing
• 15:07 Go-to-Market, SEO Strategy, and Early PR Wins
• 20:39 Customer Segments, Indian Gold Culture, and Repeat Use
• 25:32 Alloy’s Wild Origin: FBI Gold Scandal and Elderly Clients
• 30:01 Partnerships, Value Chain, and Expanding Beyond Gold
• 37:11 Funding Alloy: From 401k to Institutional Rounds
• 44:29 Winning Over the State of Pennsylvania
• 48:09 Fundraising Strategy in a Skeptical Market
• 49:59 Competition, Ecosystem Vision, and What’s Next
• 52:00 The Truth About Jewelry Valuation
• 56:00 Why Gold Beats Diamonds—and Advice for Founders