I usually purchase gold at that shop, which is near my home. I started buying back when the metal was around VND40 million per tael (1 tael = 37.5 grams or 1.2 ounces).

Whenever I had my salary and bonuses, or when I sold a plot of land back in my hometown, I put almost everything into gold, only keeping a savings account with VND50 million in case of emergency. I have accumulated 20 taels of 24K rings this way.

The other day, I urgently needed cash so I brought my stash to that same store to sell. The shop owner examined it carefully with a magnifying glass, checking the surface and the engraved marks before confirming it was indeed the store’s product.

At that point, the owner went to answer a phone call, then came back out and said the store was “temporarily out of cash” and could only take in up to 10% of the rings.

At the time, I looked at the price display and saw that the rate at which the store buys in was VND4.5 million per tael higher than the price at which it sells the metal to customers.

I explained that I am a long-time customer who buys gold there all the time and urgently needs money, but the store owner reiterated that it was out of cash and asked for my understanding.

When I told my friends this, they laughed and said that a gold shop is also a business, so they do not keep too much cash on hand and may face a liquidity shortage.

But I do not think so. I think they were using that as an excuse not to buy because, according to the posted prices, the profit margin was not high enough for the store. If it simply waits for the buy-sell gap to widen, any gold it purchases will bring in a lot more profit. Am I overthinking this?

*This opinion was submitted by a reader. Readers’ views are personal and do not necessarily match VnExpress’ viewpoints.