Scottsdale Silver

I thought maybe they didn't have a great reputation since all their ebay sales seem to be 5% or so lower than others.

I've been seeing a lot of the "3 2012 ASE" auctions this week...most selling between 110-120, but Scottsdale seems to be consistant around 104-108. (All are with free shipping, so that doesn't seem to be the difference)

I really do like their stackers though.

Scottsdale is the best company I deal with. Anything above $500 is free shipping and they let you use a credit card so if your smart you can get those cash back rewards to really stack up nicely.

I've been thinking about buying a american buffalo 1 ounce gold coin. US mint offers it for around $1900, Scottsdale Silver for around $1650.

Does anyone know if the one from Scottsdale is minted by them or by the government? On their website it says "US MINT". Does it matter (like is there a code on the coin that would identify it)? I'm just trying to figure out how they can offer the same coin for $250 less (assuming it comes with a CoA)...

How long did the shipping take?

@tomcoin - The US Mint sells a "collector's" version of the same Gold Buffalo coin Scottsdale is selling. A couple of factors go into the price difference. The US Mint sells a proof version that is highly reflective, while Scottsdale is selling the ordinary bulk uncirculated bullion version.

As the US Mint web site explains, "the term 'proof' refers to the coin's finish. Proof coins are the finest quality of coin produced by the United States Mint. Their frosted, sculpted foregrounds give them a special "cameo" effect"..." As a result, proof versions command a premium price.

Also, the US Mint doesn't sell their coins based directly on the daily spot price. Regardless of the price difference, both versions of this coin are minted by the US Mint.

This does bring up an important issue; it's important to always purchase your coins, gold or silver, from a reputable dealer.

There are "copy" coins for sale via TV commercials and the Internet that have been created by private mints that are intended as inexpensive collectibles to "commemorate" the authentic bullion coins. These coins may look similar, but they DO NOT contain the same precious metal content as the authentic coin. Always read the product description carefully before buying.

Hmmmm...

All right, I've looked at Scottsdale and compared it with Goldmart (my preferred dealer) and am having trouble deciding which is better.

Goldmart seems to have lower prices if paying by bank wire, but Scottsdale has free shipping. The shipping at Goldmart isn't that much, however (and it's free for purchases over $5000).

On the other hand, paying by credit card at Goldmart is prohibitively expensive, but not nearly as much at Scottsdale. Both places take bank wires, but my bank charges me $25 for each bank wire. Which makes the CC surcharge at Scottsdale a wash but still makes it worthwhile to pay via bank wire at Goldmart.

I dunno. I think if I were to buy any more large purchases (over $5000), shopping at Goldmart with a bank wire would definitely be the way to go, given the lower prices and free shipping. For smaller purchases, though, it's a much tougher call. Let's take, for example, a 100-ounce bar:

Goldmart: $2,760.70 (payment by bank wire) + $19.95 (shipping) + $25 (bank wire fee) = $2805.65
Goldmart: $2,760.70 (payment by credit card) + $101.40 (shipping) + $0 (bank wire fee) = $2862.10
Scottsdale: $2,829.20 (payment by bank wire) + $0 (shipping) + $25 (bank wire fee) = $2854.20
Scottsdale: $2,886.94 (payment by credit card) + $0 (shipping) + $0 (bank wire fee) = $2,886.94

Even with the excessive "shipping" fee that goldmart imposes for CC payments, their base prices are still low enough to make it a better deal even if you have to pay by CC, although just barely. If you can pay by bank wire, however, goldmart looks like a no brainer, at least for a purchase of this size.

How about a smaller purchase, like a 10-ounce bar? Let's see:

Goldmart: $277.19 (payment by bank wire) + $8.95 (shipping) + $25 (bank wire fee) = $311.14
Goldmart: $277.19 (payment by credit card) + $17.13 (shipping) + $0 (bank wire fee) = $294.32
Scottsdale: $293.80 (payment by bank wire) + $6.50 (shipping) + $25 (bank wire fee) = $325.3
Scottsdale: $299.80 (payment by credit card) + $6.50 (shipping) + $0 (bank wire fee) = $306.3

Apparently, Scottsdale does charge shipping for smaller purchases, but even then the shipping reasonable. However, even if you have to pay by CC, Goldmart is still a little cheaper.

The above may be a bit skewed because the actual types of silver bars are different for each company. What about, say, a roll of ASEs:

Goldmart: $590.96 (payment by bank wire) + $11.95 (shipping) + $25 (bank wire fee) = $627.91
Goldmart: $590.96 (payment by credit card) + $29.38 (shipping) + $0 (bank wire fee) = $620.34
Scottsdale: $614.07 (payment by bank wire) + $0 (shipping) + $25 (bank wire fee) = $639.073
Scottsdale: $626.60 (payment by credit card) + $0 (shipping) + $0 (bank wire fee) = $626.60

Looks like Goldmart wins again this time, regardless of whether you're paying by wire or CC.

There may be other reasons to buy from Scottsdale (perhaps they ship much quicker than Goldmart or the customer service is better), but based solely on cost it looks like Goldmart is the winner. And I didn't even calculate the costs of paying by check, which gets you the bank wire price at Goldmart but avoids the $25 banking fee (I don't think Scottsdale accepts checks).

Yep, I mentioned that at the very bottom of my [admittedly long] post. Personally, I paid by check once and discovered I just don't have the patience to wait 3-4 weeks for my purchase to arrive. Paying by check is not an option at Scottsdale, but if you have the patience it is definitely the way to go at Goldmart.