Since the beginning of the year, gold prices have continued to rise, prompting many consumers to join the rush to buy gold around the Spring Festival.

After checking multiple apps, it was found that physical gold bars and zodiac-themed gold bars sold online by some banks are temporarily out of stock, including Auspicious Gold Bars and Heirloom Treasures Snake Zodiac Gold Bars (some weights). However, multiple specifications of physical gold, such asCCB Gold and Wo De Gold, are still available.

Compared to online sales, is the offline channel equally popular? In response, Sina Financial Research Institute called several branch offices in Beijing, and some staff members said that the Auspicious Gold Bars at their branch had been sold out at the end of last year and have not been restocked since. Currently, the upward momentum of gold prices continues. Public information shows that on February 11th, the prices of London gold and COMEX gold both exceeded $2,900 per ounce.

Gold prices have repeatedly hit new highs since the beginning of the year,
and some banks’ physical gold bars are temporarily out of stock.

Recently, the gold buying frenzy has continued. Sina Financial Research Institute checked multiple bank apps and found that some banks’ online sales of physical gold are showing as sold out.

The ICBC app shows that the bank’s online sales of Auspicious Gold Bars in 5g, 10g, 20g, 50g, 100g, and 200g specifications are all sold out.

ICBC explains that Auspicious Gold Bars are physical gold products issued by the bank, available in multiple specifications, with a pressed and imitation cast process and a purity of Au999.9. The bank reminds customers that gold prices may fluctuate due to geopolitical, economic factors, and various unexpected events, and buyers should fully consider all risks and losses arising therefrom.

So, is offline sales as popular as online sales? In response, Sina Financial Research Institute called several ICBC branches in Beijing, all of which said that Auspicious Gold Bars are sold out. One staff member said, “Our branch’s Auspicious Gold Bars were sold out at the end of last year and have not been restocked since.”

However, upon inquiry, it was found that multiple specifications of CCB Gold, Wo De Gold, and CMB Gold sold on their respective apps are still available.

With the continuous rise in gold prices, the price of gold jewelry has also soared since the beginning of the year. For example, the Chow Sang Sang website shows that the current price of its pure gold jewelry has exceeded RMB 890 per gram; the Chow Tai Fook website shows that the price of pure gold jewelry is RMB 886 per gram.

In response to the recent surge in gold buying, the Shanghai Gold Exchange issued a notice on February 10th, warning of significant fluctuations in precious metal prices, requiring member units to prepare emergency risk plans, and advising investors to invest rationally.

In fact, gold jewelry consumption was somewhat sluggish last year. The latest statistics from the China Gold Association show that in 2024, China’s gold consumption was 985.31 tons, a year-on-year decrease of 9.58%. Among them, gold jewelry accounted for 532.02 tons, a year-on-year decrease of 24.69%; in contrast, gold bar and coin consumption was 373.13 tons, a year-on-year increase of 24.54%; and industrial and other uses of gold were 80.16 tons, a year-on-year decrease of 4.12%.

Zodiac gold, gold New Year’s money, and other products are popular,
and some banks offer limited-time promotional activities.

Around the Spring Festival, gold became a popular gift option for the Year of the Snake. In addition to the hot sales of gold bars, many banks’ launched products such as zodiac gold, celebratory gold, and gold New Year’s money have also been well-received by consumers.

Among them, several banks, including state-owned major banks such as Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and China Construction Bank, have launched various special products such as “2025 Snake Zodiac Gold Bars” and “Gold New Year’s Money,” and some banks are offering limited-time promotional activities.

For example, the 20g, 60g, and 100g Heirloom Treasures Snake Zodiac Gold Bars (second round) currently available on the Agricultural Bank of China app are all sold out. At the same time, the 5g Heirloom Treasures Snake Zodiac Gold Medal (paper-cutting version) is also sold out.

Previously, public information also showed that the National Treasure Zodiac Gold (Snake) sold on the ICBC mobile banking app was temporarily sold out.

In addition, some banks have launched limited-time promotional activities. For example, the CCB app is offering a 10% discount on the “Shan Jian Cheng Zhang – CCTV Spring Festival Snake Year Gold New Year’s Money,” priced at RMB 698 per piece, with a weight of 0.6 grams.