Homepage / Bullion Dealer Practices: Online Dealers




Last Updated on 10/26/2024

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Online Bullion Dealers

Learn the business practices of Online Bullion Dealers

before you deal with one.



The more you know about a business, the better off you are when you purchase from them. This page was created to help you know what to be aware of before, during, and after you buy from a online bullion dealer.

Online Bullion Shopping
The Topics discussed on this page include:







Reputable Bullion Dealers



BGASC - Buy Gold and Silver Coins

Free Shipping on Orders Over $199

4.8 star Customer Reviews



Money Metals Exchange

Free Shipping on Orders Over $199

BBB - Customer Reviews



SD Bullion

Free Shipping on Orders Over $199

4.8 star Customer Reviews



Silver Gold Bull

Free Shipping on Orders Over $199

5.0 star Customer Reviews



Royal Canadian Mint - Gold Maple Leaf w/Circular Name (in English & French)

Free Ground Shipping on Orders Over $100 (Canada & US).

RCM - Customer Reviews



Royal Mint (UK) - The Original Maker

 4.8 star Customer Reviews

The Royal Mint - Delivery Rates ($)




Walmart - Save Money, Live Better

Shipping prices vary by item








How Bullion is Priced




Pricing Bullion

Online Bullion Dealers use the spot price of a precious metal as a starting point for pricing bullion. 

You want to know what this price is before you shop.

Dealers add a charge above the spot price of bullion to help them pay for overhead.

Dealers also add premiums to bullion prices, but the market governs the amount of the premium, not the dealer.

Whether it is a bullion coin, round, or bar, premiums can vary by the bullion product; in general, the age, condition, and rarity of the item will all play into the premium above the spot price.

Graded bullion and collector coins typically command the greatest premiums; for more information on how premiums for graded coins are determined, read our Graded Bullion Buying Guide.

Precious Metal Spot Prices




Methods of Payment



When purchasing bullion online, you can select from various payment methods, which vary among bullion dealers. Dealers typically accept two or more of the following forms during the ordering process or checkout.


PayPal

 - Online service that provides Credit and Personal Account Services




Hand with Credit Card

 Debit / Credit Card




Checkbook - Cheque

 Check /Money Order / Cashier's Check

  • This form of payment has to be Mailed to the Dealer
  • May take over 10-days to clear



Wire Transfers

Wire Transfers are a method of transferring money electronically from one person or institution to another. Visit our Wire Transfer page for a comprehensive guide on the process of making a wire transfer.

Western Union

In addition, you can also visit Western Union's website to learn more about Bank Wires.




Bitcoin logo

Bitcoin

  • Irreversible Transactions - Make sure to have the Correct Address, there’s no recourse if the money goes to the wrong address



Reminder: Financial Emails

It is not advisable to click on links from a financial institution's email unless you have recently contacted the institution or its representatives.

Computer hackers often create sophisticated emails using financial logos to trick users into clicking on their links to steal financial information.

To avoid hacking, it's advisable to bypass emailed links and directly log into your financial account with the institution to address the issue.






Shipping & Packaging



Many online bullion dealers offer deals on free shipping, many deals involve the customer ordering a certain amount to receive free shipping.

The most common deal found on many online bullion dealer's websites is "Free Shipping on orders over $199.

All online dealers have an area at or near the bottom of each page on their website that provides links to individual policy pages, this is where you find a link lead to their shipping policies in detail.

Packages for Delivery

The following are standard practices that a person can expect from an online bullion dealer after an order has been placed.


  • Items will be sent once full payment is received

  • Confirmation Email - Confirming the order has been accepted, shipping details may be in this email.

  • Dealer Packaging - orders are packaged under video surveillance, and double checked to ensure you receive what you ordered. All items should be well secured in the delivery package (box, envelope, etc.) and the items should not move inside delivered package.

Package Delivery
  • Labels/Identification - Shipping package should have NO external markings that give a clue as to what is inside the package.

  • Delivery/Shipping Email - this information maybe in the order confirmation email. If not, this email should include all the information you need about the shipped package. (including: Carrier, Tracking Number, etc.)

Delivery Person with Package to Sign for
  • Tracking Number - a number for you can track your package

  • Insured Shipping for the full amount of your order

  • Signature maybe Needed at Delivery - Some Dealers do this for every order, others will require a Signature at delivery on order over a certain dollar amount.

Lastly, there is no doubt that you've seen one of the logos below, there is also very little doubt that a reputable bullion dealer will use one, two or all of those package delivery companies.

It is when you see a delivery company's name that you don't recognize that you should search on the web who that shipper is and look into how good or bad their services are before you let them ship your order.  

United States Postal Service - USPS
ups
FedEx





Buyer Be Aware of





Copper Bullion Prices


copper bullion

Copper bullion is becoming more numerous on bullion dealer's websites, thing about copper that not everyone knows is that copper is priced in pounds (lbs.) under the the Avoirdupois (pronounced: a-vo-du-pwa) system of weight, and not in Troy Ounces like the other precious metals.

This spot price (right) reflects copper's price per pound (lb.).

Copper is considered more of an Industrial Metal than a precious metal, and it is more abundantly found in the earth than other precious metals.

One other thing to keep in mind about copper is that it rarely trades above $5.00 a pound (lbs.), as seen here.

Copper Price per pound (lb.)



Investing Strategies






 Have a 1st Orders Maximum



This section is for those who've never ordered from a bullion dealer.

If you're new to this industry and you're not sure of what you want or like, the best thing to do is to make a small purchase or several small purchases of different types of bullion from several different bullion dealers to decide which ones you like and which ones you don't.

How you set your maximum is entirely up to you, you may simply want to make it the equivalent of a few ounces of silver, or a good rule of thumb is to keep the amount under the equivalent of 10 ounces of silver or less.

In addition, keeping your personal maximum at this low number will show you how the dealer treats all their customers, in regards to how much they spend.

Everyone expects good service when they are handing over a lot of money, but dealers who recognize the value of every customer will understand that everyone should receive the best service no matter how much they spend.





Stay Ahead of the Herd



When you know what bullion dealer you want to buy from and what you want to buy, you may want to consider budgeting your investment dollars.

You may want to split your investment money; meaning don't put all your eggs in one basket, at one time.

Let's say, for instance; You want to buy some silver bullion.

And let's go back in time to late April of 2011, when the price of silver was getting near its top of $49.00.

Do you want to get in at that price? Or Do you want to see if the price will dip to a lower level?

You hear the pundits saying the price is going higher. But this is your money; it is up to you when you want to start buying; not them.

price of silver

Continuing with the scenario, you want to get in the market, or you're already are in the market, and you want to accumulate more precious metals.

But, you look at the chart and the price has gone straight up over the last few weeks, and the charts are looking like the price should correct itself sometime in the near future.

So you only invest a half, a quarter or less of your money, or you stay out of the market completely and wait to see what the price will do.

Then you watch the markets and read the News on the homepage of the Free Bullion Investment Guide.

Depending on what the silver price does, you make your decision from there and either continue to hold, sell or buy.

Many investors can get caught up in the hype when a market is going through the roof. It's hard for any investor to decide when is the right time, or price, to buy and sell.

The lesson from the silver market of April 2011, is that if the price has moved more than 20% in a short period, there's a good chance a correction is around the corner.

Ultimately, it's your choice for when you get into any market, but you may not know your comfort zone.

You make the choices of how and why you are investing in the market and when is the right time to get in or out.

Budgeting your for an Investment is always the Wisest thing to do.










Buying Guides



Each buying guide offers you an in-depth discussion about each type of bullion.

At the bottom of each page, you'll find a list of reputable bullion dealers who offer that type of bullion along with links to their Better Business Bureau ratings and other customer review pages.


Gold Bullion - Buying Guide

Topics Included In this Guide are:

  • Gold is Money
  • Gold Saves the Value of Your Dollar
  • Gold is Financial Insurance / Safe Haven
  • List of Gold Bullion Dealers







Silver Bullion - Buying Guide

Topics Included In this Guide are:

  • Silver Saves the Value of Your Dollar
  • Silver as an Investment Asset
  • Understanding the Gold to Silver Ratio
  • Silver's Volatile Market
  • List of Silver Bullion Dealers





Junk Silver Coins - Buying Guide

Topics Included In this Guide are:

  • Identifying U.S. Junk Silver Coins
  • The Origins of Junk Silver
  • Junk Silver - Face Value - True Story
  • Junk Silver - Versatility
  • Junk Silver - Sold by Weight Not Face Value
  • Junk Silver - Face Value
  • Junk Silver - Dealer Practices
  • Junk Silver - Cull Coins
  • List of Junk Silver - Bullion Dealers






Bullion Coins & Rounds - Buying Guide

Topics Included In this Guide are:

  • Bullion Coin - Defined
  • Bullion Round - Defined
  • Premiums - Coins vs. Rounds
  • Be Aware of What You are Buying!
  • Copper Rounds
  • Investment vs. Numismatic Coins
  • List of Round & Coin Dealers






World Bullion Coins - Buying Guide

Topics Included In this Guide are:

  • Government Bullion Coins
  • Bullion Mintage Figures & Premiums
  • List of World Bullion Dealers



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with Bullion Market News






Bullion Dealer Practices



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Mintage Figures




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Mintage Figures




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2024 Full Gold Sovereign - King Charles
2024 Full Gold Sovereign - King Charles - reverse side





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September's

Best News

Info-Graphic: Ranked: The World’s Top Reserve Currencies in 2024 - Visual Capitalist

Silver Price Seasonality Charts: Essential Insights for Investors - Investing Haven

Dow/Gold Ratio Shows Historic Breakdown, Suggesting Very Big Moves Ahead - GoldBroker.com

Report: Gold Outlook – higher highs, higher lows - UBS (Joni Teves)

Millionaire Migration and Price Controls - Bullion Vault

Gold is a Crisis Hedge NOT an Inflation Hedge - Inflation Data

More and more women are investing in gold - Xetra-Gold

Report: How can we account for the increase in the price of gold? - Banque De France

Gold: A Way to Optimize Your Savings - GoldBroker.com

The Hidden Agenda: How Governments Use Inflation To Redistribute Wealth - International Man

New Scandal: Watch for These Dealer and Depository Red Flags - Money Metals Exchange

John Paulson: I’d go into cash and gold if Kamala Harris is elected - Fox Business

What is a Gold IRA? A 2024 guide to investing in gold for retirement - Business Insider

Report: Why We Believe Gold Stocks Are the Hidden Opportunity in 2024’s Bull Market - U.S. Global Investors

Gold Nanoparticle Cancer Research

These gold shuriken prove effective against cancer - techno-science

Audio: Unearthed: Gold Nanoparticles Under the Microscope ft. Dr. Laura Fabris - World Gold Council


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