The ancient Mesopotamians are credited with first discovering gold back in 2600 B.C. Today, it’s a precious metal that’s still very much appreciated for its beauty and reliability as an investment, especially when it’s in a tangible physical form like bars or coins. If they’re weighing their options with gold purchases, including bars, bullion, and gold coins, Scottsdale collectors are advised to work with reputable precious metals firms, but there are some trusted sources they can turn to online as well.

Online Gold Coin Sellers

Gold coins can be a smart investment, especially if you’re a new precious metals investor. As long as the coins come from reliable sources, it’s often fairly easy to confirm you’re getting what’s being offered with gold coins before you move forward with a purchase. Avoid coins sold independently on online auction sites, since authenticity isn’t as easy to verify.

Online Gold Bar Sellers

There are also some gold sellers that exclusively or primarily sell gold bars online. Websites of this nature are worth checking out if you want more of a selection with gold bars as far as size and weight go. Look for sites that offer added signs of quality, such as:

• Individually serialized bars
• Assays included with the featured bars
• Identifying markers on the posted product photos

Government Mints

There’s something to be said for getting your gold directly from the source. Of course, this doesn’t mean you have to go mining for it yourself. What you can do is buy gold directly from government mints that sell the gold they mint online. For instance, the United States government has an official mint website where you can go to purchase coins or bars. Top mint sites also typically give you a better idea of what’s popular with investors right now, since the best-selling bullion is often featured more prominently.

Sites that Sell Pure Gold

If your goal is to buy gold online as an investment, look for sites that offer pure gold, or “investment-quality” gold. This is defined as gold that is, at a minimum, 99.5 percent (.995) pure gold. On a side note, gold cannot be 100 percent pure, since a small amount of other alloys is needed for the smelting process. Gold’s purity is usually stamped on the face of the bar or coin.

Do Your Homework before Making an Online Gold Purchase

Before you make any decisions about buying gold online, take a moment to do some homework. Once you find an online seller with gold bullion or investment-quality gold that appeals to you, look for signs of trustworthiness, such as:

• Being in business for more than just a few years
• A high Better Business Bureau rating
• High ratings from credible third-party sources
• A long history of generally positive customer reviews
• Affiliations or certifications from reputable precious metals organizations like the American Numismatic Association or World Gold Council

Whether they’re looking for expert advice on precious metals pricing or they want to buy gold, Scottsdale residents should work with trustworthy precious metals dealers who offer high-quality service and have years of experience. Call on the industry-leading professionals at First National Bullion when you’re ready to invest in precious metals, including gold, silver, platinum, and palladium. Give us a call today at 480-546-8928.

The statements made in this blog are opinions, and past performance is not indicative of future returns. Precious metals, like all investments, carry risk. Precious metals and coins may appreciate, depreciate, or stay the same in cash value depending on a variety of factors. First National Bullion does not guarantee, and its website and employees make no representation, that any metals for sale will appreciate sufficiently to earn the customers a profit. The decision to buy, sell, or borrow precious metals and which precious metals to purchase, borrow, or sell are made at the customer’s sole discretion.