Posted 01/06/2012 5:14 pm
Hello, Crystal, and 
to the CCF forums! 
Buying that first silver or gold for your collection is a little scary at first, especially when dealing with an Internet vendor for the 1st time. We've all been through that time and can relate to it.
APMEX is one of the 3 on-line vendors with which I do business. I have found them to be very good suppliers. They have a large variety of products, reasonable prices, tend not to be out of stock too often, and give good service. Their shipping price can be a little high, though, especially on a per ounce basis when buying small quantities of PMs. APMEX is really good for US 90% silver coin collectors. They often have the nicer condition coins available while most other vendors just have the common circulated varieties of coins. As a collector who enjoys looking at my collection, I want the nicer grades of coins. Yes, they cost a little more but the enjoyment that they bring is worth the extra cost. They also have the circulated and even cull (really beat up, bent, holes drilled in them, etc.) grades of coins for those who just want ounces of silver and do not care how their coins look. You can save money with these or get more ounces of silver for the same money. Either way, it is nice to have that choice.
Other vendors I use include SilverTowne and Provident Metals. Both of these are also quite good as suppliers to gold and silver coin and bullion collectors. Provident has lower shipping than APMEX but is out of stock on some of the products that interest me a little more often than I would like. Their prices also tend to be a little lower than APMEX but this can vary on particular items. SilverTowne tends to have less variety but is seldom out of stock on the 5-oz. silver bars I prefer. They also have 1 and 10 oz. silver bars in their SilverTowne "donkey" bar series. SilverTowne sometimes offers free shipping on their Internet sales of bars, which is nice, but also tends to have less variety of products than either APMEX or Provident.
The bottom line is that you can't go wrong with any of these three. There are probably a lot of vendors on-line who would be good too but I have not bought from them. I am sure that other members will answer your post with good advice of their own. Just remember that when you buy on-line, you are looking at the total cost for the item(s) you order and for the shipping. By browsing the web sites of these and other vendors, you can often find sales and specials, some with free shipping, that will get you what you want at a good price.
Some collectors prefer that the bars they buy come sealed in a clear plastic covering. These are usually air tight and keep the bar from oxidizing and getting fingerprints on it for many years. If you ever sell or trade any of your bars, a dealer probably will not care about this but an individual collector might. For this reason, I prefer the SilverTowne silver bars. Other brands of silver bars may or may not be wrapped in protective plastic but new SilverTowne bars will be wrapped. If this is important to you be sure to contact the vendor and ask whether the bar you want comes this way. Good luck with your shopping!
to the CCF forums! Buying that first silver or gold for your collection is a little scary at first, especially when dealing with an Internet vendor for the 1st time. We've all been through that time and can relate to it.
APMEX is one of the 3 on-line vendors with which I do business. I have found them to be very good suppliers. They have a large variety of products, reasonable prices, tend not to be out of stock too often, and give good service. Their shipping price can be a little high, though, especially on a per ounce basis when buying small quantities of PMs. APMEX is really good for US 90% silver coin collectors. They often have the nicer condition coins available while most other vendors just have the common circulated varieties of coins. As a collector who enjoys looking at my collection, I want the nicer grades of coins. Yes, they cost a little more but the enjoyment that they bring is worth the extra cost. They also have the circulated and even cull (really beat up, bent, holes drilled in them, etc.) grades of coins for those who just want ounces of silver and do not care how their coins look. You can save money with these or get more ounces of silver for the same money. Either way, it is nice to have that choice.
Other vendors I use include SilverTowne and Provident Metals. Both of these are also quite good as suppliers to gold and silver coin and bullion collectors. Provident has lower shipping than APMEX but is out of stock on some of the products that interest me a little more often than I would like. Their prices also tend to be a little lower than APMEX but this can vary on particular items. SilverTowne tends to have less variety but is seldom out of stock on the 5-oz. silver bars I prefer. They also have 1 and 10 oz. silver bars in their SilverTowne "donkey" bar series. SilverTowne sometimes offers free shipping on their Internet sales of bars, which is nice, but also tends to have less variety of products than either APMEX or Provident.
The bottom line is that you can't go wrong with any of these three. There are probably a lot of vendors on-line who would be good too but I have not bought from them. I am sure that other members will answer your post with good advice of their own. Just remember that when you buy on-line, you are looking at the total cost for the item(s) you order and for the shipping. By browsing the web sites of these and other vendors, you can often find sales and specials, some with free shipping, that will get you what you want at a good price.
Some collectors prefer that the bars they buy come sealed in a clear plastic covering. These are usually air tight and keep the bar from oxidizing and getting fingerprints on it for many years. If you ever sell or trade any of your bars, a dealer probably will not care about this but an individual collector might. For this reason, I prefer the SilverTowne silver bars. Other brands of silver bars may or may not be wrapped in protective plastic but new SilverTowne bars will be wrapped. If this is important to you be sure to contact the vendor and ask whether the bar you want comes this way. Good luck with your shopping!
