Answers.

Why can you sell gold cheaper than my local dealer?  First of all, we have replaced the retail gold buying experience with this website. Our intent is to answer every question you might have about gold here on this  site, instead of having one of our people explain it in person. By making all the relevant information available to you via the Web, an enormous amount of time is saved, and we can therefore sell gold coins for less. Secondly, the whole transaction is simplified by dealing by phone and mail, which is much more efficient than face-to-face. Third, we do not offer single coins or small orders on this site - our intent here is to offer great prices on large transactions.

How can you ship gold to me via Registered and insured mail for a lower price than going to a local source and picking it up in person? Your local dealer has overhead and expenses in making his sale, as does any brick & mortar retailer. A 'walk-in' transaction takes time, including browsing, asking questions, comparing prices, and determining availability. Then, if he actually has in stock what you are looking for, arranging payment, perhaps taking your check, then sitting down and counting the coins. Our company has done these sorts of in-person transactions for years, and we are well aware of the time and expense involved. Our prices that we offer on the Web are much lower than the prices we can offer in our retail store. Working through the Web reduces our cost of sales tremendously.

How do you ship gold coins? For most transactions, we prefer Registered, Insured U.S. Mail. We handle millions of dollars worth of gold every year with Registered Mail, and not once has a package failed to arrive intact and undamaged. Better than 99% of all shipments arrive within 3 working days, and each package is insured for its full value. Registered Mail can be insured for up to $25,000 per package, and we hold private insurance for packages of higher value. Private armored carriers such as Brinks or Loomis Fargo are often more practical on shipments valued at $300,000 or more. Delivery can be arranged directly to your bank or commercial address through one of these private, insured carriers. We will be happy to discuss with you the most practical delivery method on larger purchases.

Can I lock in the price of gold with you?  Yes. If buying from us, see our How To Order page for terms. Selling gold to us is much the same. We will 'lock in' your net price over the phone on the day you are ready to ship gold to us.

Do you take checks in payment for gold?  We will gladly accept your check for purchases up to $50,000, whether it's on a bank, credit union, or money-market fund. Just call and confirm your purchase, let us know that you're paying by check, and mail the check to us the same day. We will 'lock in' your purchase, deposit and clear your check, and call you when the funds have cleared.

Do you have the coins in stock?  At any time, our physical inventory of various forms of gold is substantial. Our policy since our incorporation in 1991 is that we do not offer to sell any gold that we cannot ship immediately.

How do I get delivery of gold coins?  Via Registered, Insured U.S. Mail. We can ship to a street address, or post office box. Delivery is usually 2-3 working days from when we ship, and we take complete responsibility for the gold being delivered safely for your signature. On trades of $300,000 or more, it may be more practical to arrange armored  carrier delivery directly to your bank or place of business. 

Do you take credit cards on gold purchases? No. Nor will any real bullion dealer. Credit card transactions cost the merchant a percentage of the sale, often a percentage which is higher than the profit margin on a gold transaction. For this reason, you cannot accomplish a cost effective gold purchase with a credit card.

Do you buy gold back at the same price you sell it?  No, there is a 'spread,' or difference between our buying and selling prices which enables us to stay in business. The gold bullion business is a very competitive one, and the profit margin, or spread, is a very small one compared almost any other inventory business. Our purpose is to provide the narrowest spread possible for the gold-buying public.

How do I pay for coins?  We can accept payment by check or electronic funds transfer (bankwire).

Can I sell gold back to you? Yes. We are always in the market for gold bullion in any form. We make a market every business days in the many forms of gold coins and bullion, and we buy for immediate payment. You can find our buy prices on this Web site for the most frequently traded forms of gold coins and bullion. The gold market is both wide and deep, and we will always offer a competitive price for any form of tradable gold.

How are my coin orders filled by a seller?   Every day, we buy and sell hundreds of gold coins. Your order is part of a stream of sales each day, and we have a constant flow of new gold coins coming and going each day. Your order is taken and filled at rates based on the current spot price at the time you phone us with your order, and simultaneously we buy newly minted gold bullion each day. When your bankwire is received, or your check clears, your order is shipped within 24 hours. Each package we send out is double-counted and weighed before going to the Post Office, and you receive a plain brown Registered Mail package, with no indication on the box of what is contained inside. 

Will you buy back my gold if the price goes way up?  Absolutely. When gold goes up, that just means that demand has increased and it takes more paper currency to purchase gold than it did previously. When that happens, we will buy gold at the higher prices, because our customers will be willing to pay us higher prices. At its heart, the gold market is a very simple one. The price of gold is constantly re-adjusted, in terms of how many U.S. dollars it takes to buy an ounce of gold. This price is determined by the whole world's faith in the dollar, and gold is the constant element that the dollar is measured against. Every day, gold is traded for dollars, and vice versa. We ask, 'what is the price of gold?' as if gold actually changed. But gold stays the same, it's just the number of dollars required to purchase gold that changes.

I've never sent a bank wire. How does that work? A bankwire is simply an electronic transfer of funds from one bank account to another. You can authorize a wire from an account containing enough cleared funds to cover the amount of the wire you wish to send. If you initiate the wire early enough in the banking day, the other party should receive those funds in his account that same day. In order to send a bankwire, you will need the name and account number of the account being credited, and the name and ABA routing number of the bank receiving the funds. Larger transactions in gold are usually paid by bankwire, and gold can be shipped within 24 hours of receipt of wired funds.

Will you store my gold for me? No. We do not store customers' gold. If you need a few days after paying for your gold in order to arrange storage, that's not a problem. But we encourage our clients to decide where the gold is going to go, before they buy it.

How old are the gold bullion coins for sale on this site?  All gold bullion coins sold on this website are brand-new, mint-fresh product, with the exception of the one ounce South African Krugerrand. All our bullion products are from current-year Mint-sealed boxes, and sent 'fresh' to you.

Where do you get your gold coins?   Modern gold bullion coins are sold by the mints to designated distributors. The coins we sell are newly minted, and straight from sealed mint boxes. We buy in the markets daily, so you always get mint-fresh coins from us, priced at that  day's rate.