Reliable Place To Purchase Gold/Silver Bullion?

There are plenty of reliable places, including APMEX.com, goldmart.com, providentmetals.com, scottsdalesilver.com and silvertowne.com, to name a few. They all have pros and cons with regard to prices, shipping costs, credit card policies, shipping speed, etc., but they are all reliable.

I tend to use goldmart.com the most due to their lower prices, but that's because I am usually buying enough to qualify for free shipping and also pay by bank wire to avoid the credit card fees (excuse me, "extra shipping costs for credit card payments"). That's not for everybody, though, so it really depends on your own circumstances.

I think your local coin shop is a great place to start even if the prices or selection aren't that great. I made my first purchase 2mo ago, 2 2012 Silver Eagles at $5 over spot which is a high price, and at first I kinda felt bad about how much over spot I paid.

A couple months later I know a little more and can get a little better deals, I still can't get great deals like the veterans can, but I'm learning. Before you drop hundreds or thousands online, go make a small purchase locally and learn what silver looks like, what it feels like, what it sounds like, etc. You probably won't get a good price, but you'll leave with the product in hand, and you'll get an inexpensive education.

Yeah for small purchases go local, you don't want to pay $25 shipping and insurance for a $100 order.

Thank you all for your reply. I am new to all of this and after doing research...found a place called AJPM.com which is located in Portland but distributes nationally. They are 3.50 over spot on Eagles and 1.25 over spot on rounds. Only 30 to ship up up to 100ozs. Is this good? Thanks in advance for your input!

Plus, I've never heard of AJPM, so I have no idea if they are reliable or not.

I would probably buy from one of the recommended sites and not try to go it on my own.

I read a thread a few months back when I was just lurking and someone basically said a lot of the newcomers to the hobby have more money than brains and it stuck with me not to be THAT guy!

Well said. The recommended sites come recommended for a good reason

WELL.

I tried to buy a handful of coins from Westminster Mint and I wasn't happy with their not disclosing terms BEFORE I tried to place an order so I would stay away from them.

I did use recently Silvertowne tho and even with a botched order they did, I was very pleased with their prices, selection and customer service and I would go back to them again.

Many years back when I was collecting, I used Colin over at CE Collection and they were also great and they are STILL in business.

I also recently tried APMEX and was pleased that they also were upfront with all their charges, selection and service I would go to them.

Finally, on hard to find stuff, I have had success with certain dealers on ebay that have been extremely helpful in answering my questions in detail.

so those would be my picks. I did notice that goldmart.com and moderncoinmart.com had some pretty competitive pricing as well.

hope that helps!