Frequently Asked Questions

Which are the best products to buy?

Which product you should buy is entirely up to you. There is no right or wrong answer for this question. All of our bullion and coin products are from well-respected government mints or reputable institutions. In general, we recommend investors to buy the most liquid items (meaning the most commonly bought/sold) that also have low premiums (how much you pay above the spot price to buy it) and tight spreads (the spread is the difference between the buy and sell price).

Do I have to pay tax on my investment in bullion?

There is no sales tax on precious metals in the state of Arizona. However, if we need to ship your order to a state that does charge sales tax on precious metals, we are required to collect the taxes and remit them to that state.

Is there a charge to ship items to me?

Yes, there are shipping charges associated with sending you your bullion. The price will depend upon the total value in the package as it affects our insurance coverage along with the weight of the package. Our shipping charges are simply there to capture our costs of packing, shipping, and insuring your bullion.

How long does it take to get my bullion from you?

We ship your products usually within 1-2 business days of having cleared money from you if the items are in stock. Wire transfers received after 2 PM PST will be deemed to have been received the next business day. Once we ship your package, it would then typically take 4-5 business days to get to you.

What is your Market Loss Policy?

When you purchase bullion or coins from American Precious Metals, Inc. and you have received a confirmation from us, that the order is live, the price is locked in for you and the transaction may not be cancelled, but only offset at our current ask price. We will either record your telephone order, require you to send an email with a confirmation of your order, or have you confirm the order online if that feature is available. Any deficit between the price at which we sold to you and the offsetting purchase price and/or prices, is your responsibility only if your item(s) is cancelled or returned. That amount will be charged to you, plus a $95.00 cancellation fee. When you sell bullion or coins to American Precious Metals, Inc. and we have issued a confirmation number, the price is locked in for you and the transaction may not be cancelled, but only offset at our current buy price. Any deficit between the price at which we purchased from you and the offsetting purchase price and/or prices, is your responsibility only if your item(s) is cancelled or returned. That amount will be charged to you, plus a $95.00 cancellation fee. This is our Market Loss Policy.  Any market gain on cancellations shall remain the property of American Precious Metals, Inc.

How do you send my bullion to me?

All shipments are sent registered and insured for the full value of the order through the U.S. Post Office. An adult signature is required upon delivery. Should anything happen while your package is in transit to you it will be covered by the U.S. Post Office insurance. However, if you have left instructions with your mail carrier to leave parcels un-attended for you without the need for a signature, your claim may be denied. In addition, if you have given the carrier instructions to leave your package with someone else such as a building manager, neighbor, or use a third party mailing address or drop-off location such as Mail Boxes etc., YOUR PACKAGE WILL NOT BE COVERED. When we ship to you, if metals are lost or damaged in transit, it is your responsibility to pursue any claim with the U.S. Post Office. They will not send claim money to us. In some cases, we may have an order drop shipped to you from a wholesale supplier. Those orders are insured by the wholesaler and typically are sent through UPS. The wholesaler will file the claim with their insurance carrier and a replacement order will be sent to you from the wholesaler. For large quantities, we will discuss other shipment methods, such as armored vehicle delivery.

When can you lock in my price?

For items we have in stock, we lock in your price when you place the order, but the locked in price must be guaranteed by credit card. Payment must be received within 1 business day of lock in or the order will be cancelled. If a decline in the market price occurs and we do not receive your payment on time, you will be liable for any market loss we incur for locking in and accepting your order. See separate FAQ above on our Market Loss Policy. You will be charged the difference between your confirmed price and the market buy price when your order is officially cancelled. Any market gain on cancellations shall remain the property of American Precious Metals, Inc. Orders cannot be cancelled by the customer once placed and accepted. American Precious Metals, Inc. reserves the right to cancel orders at any time but will normally only cancel orders if payment is not received. For items we do not have in stock, a price estimate is made and the price is not locked in until payment is received. As such, there may be a small discrepancy between the estimated price (which equals the received amount) and the locked in price. Should the locked in price be higher than the estimated price, we will require cleared funds before delivering the metal to the customer. In the case where the estimated/received amount is greater than the locked in amount, then a check will be mailed to the customer for the difference along with the metal.

What forms of payment do you accept?

We accept cashier's checks, wire transfers, personal checks, cash and credit cards (up to a certain amount). Cash in excess of $10,000 requires us to fill out a Form 8900 which gets remitted to the IRS. Cashier's checks and personal checks can be dropped off at our storefront or mailed to us.  Click here for our mailing address. We highly recommend wire transfers for orders exceeding $10,000 since the holding period in only 24 hours after receipt. Orders paid by cashier's checks or personal checks will be held by us until the check clears the banking system, which ranges from 5-7 days. For wiring instructions, please call us 800-522-GOLD or 602-840-5500.