Homepage / Bullion Dealer Practices: Online Dealers

Last Updated on 10/12/2024

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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.

The Topics discussed on this page include:

List of Reputable Bullion Dealers

How Bullion is Priced

Methods of Payment

Shipping & Packaging

Buyer Be-Aware of

Copper Bullion pricing

1st Orders - Have a 1st Orders Maximum

Bullion Market Buying Guides

Reputable Bullion Dealers

Free Shipping on Orders $199+

4.8 star Customer Reviews

Free Shipping on Orders $199+

BBB - Customer Reviews

Free Shipping on Orders $199+

4.8 star Customer Reviews

Free Shipping on Orders $199+

5.0 star Customer Reviews

Free Shipping on Orders $100+

(Canada & US) | RCM - Customer Reviews

The Royal Mint (UK) Delivery Rates

4.8 star - Customer Reviews

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.

- Online service that provides Credit and Personal Account Services

Debit / Credit Card

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.

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

Bitcoin

Irreversible Transactions - Make sure you 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.

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.

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, Signature Needed at Delivery?, 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 for who that shipper is and look into how good or bad their services are before you let them ship your order.

Buyer Be Aware of

Copper Bullion Prices

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.)

Have a 1st Orders Maximum

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 one or more online 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 your first order under the price of 10 ounces of silver.

By keeping your 1st order maximum low will show you how the dealer treats all their customers, no matter 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 understand that everyone should receive the best service no matter how much they spend.

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.