Where to buy gold: seller types compared

Types of sellers

Seller	Good for	Watch for
Online dealers	Posted prices you can compare at once. Wide choice of coins and bars. Lower prices on larger orders.	Shipping and insurance costs. Lower price for wire or check than for card. Delivery wait. Check each company's address, terms and complaint record.
Local coin shops	Seeing the item and paying in person. No shipping. Advice from someone who handles coins daily.	Higher premiums on small orders are common. Prices are often not posted: ask for the price per coin and compare it to spot.
The U.S. Mint	Collector and proof coins sold direct. It is the source of the American Gold Eagle.	American Eagle bullion coins are sold to authorized purchasers, not to the public. Collector coins cost much more than their gold content.
Banks and credit unions	Some sell a small range of coins or bars. Familiar place.	Many do not sell bullion at all. Those that do may charge a higher premium and buy back at a poor price. Safe-deposit box contents may not be insured: ask.
Pawn shops	Sometimes a low price on jewelry or coins.	You must check purity and weight yourself. Items are used. Not a reliable source of bullion.

Auction sites and marketplaces also sell gold. Prices can be good, but you carry the risk of fakes and of a seller you cannot check. Use them only after you know what the real item weighs, looks like and costs; the fake coin guide explains the weight and size checks.

How to compare premiums

The spot price is $4,106.30 per troy ounce today. Every seller adds a premium to it. To compare:

1. Pick one exact item, such as a 2026 one-ounce American Gold Eagle.
2. Get each seller's price for that item at the same quantity and payment method.
3. Add shipping, insurance and sales tax ("sales tax by state").
4. Divide by the gold content at spot and subtract 1. The premium over spot calculator does it.
5. Ask what the seller would pay for the same item back today. The gap between the buy price and the buyback price is the real cost of owning it for a short time.

For dealer prices already worked out, use the compare pages, such as the 1 oz American Gold Eagle or the 1 oz gold bar. Dealer prices there are read from each dealer's own page and are usually the check or wire price.

Red flags

• No posted price, or a price that changes after you commit.
• A seller who contacts you first by phone or message.
• A price far above the gold content on coins called "rare" or "limited". The FTC says to find out a coin's melt value before you buy.
• Offers to buy with a loan or on margin from the seller.
• Pressure to pay today, wire only to a personal account, or no street address.
• Someone who says they are from a government agency and tells you to buy gold. Government agents do not ask for this.

Before you pay

• Look the company up. Check its background on Investor.gov and search the complaint record. If a salesperson pushes you to buy a particular metal, amount or time, look them up on the CFTC registration lookup. Retail metal dealers are not regulated at the federal level, so also check your state attorney general for complaints.
• Read the return and shipping terms before you order.
• Pay in a way you can trace.
• Report fraud at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Now see how to buy gold step by step, or compare physical gold with funds and stocks. Silver buyers: how to buy silver.

Sources

• U.S. Mint, bullion coin programs.
• FTC, investment scams and FTC testimony on coins and precious metal investments: mark-ups, melt value, high-pressure sales and leveraged purchases.