American Gold Exchange is a company that specializes in buying and selling gold and silver coins. One main benefit of the company is the option to buy and sell these products online, which is a great way to avoid heading down to the pawn shop with valuable items.
Perhaps the best asset that the brand offers is also one of the major concerns that people have about this gold exchange. Can you trust this rare coin company to send you a check for what you’re owed if you send them your valuables? How can you be sure that you’re getting real gold coins when you make a purchase?
These questions are going to be at the center of this review. Is American Gold Exchange a real company that you can trust? Right off the bat, according to their site, we could say that this is a real company that’s been in business since 1998.
The fact that this is an actual company and not just an online scam can certainly be comforting to some people. That still doesn’t answer different questions that you probably have. Does this company offer a competitive price on gold and silver if you want to sell?
When dealing with a gold exchange, all of these elements become relevant. With that in mind, we want to answer as many questions as possible about American Gold Exchange in this review. That way, if you do decide to do business with this company, you’ll do so with a great understanding of what to expect.
American Gold Exchange Products and Services
This company’s products and services can be divided into two sections. The sale of precious metals and the purchase of these same elements. What’s important to point out here, though, is that this company is not a pawn shop that turns around and sells the jewelry it bought from other people.
American Gold Exchange is a rare coin company specializing in gold and silver coin sales. The site is a place to purchase rare coins or silver bars, not somewhere you’d look for an elegant necklace. It may turn around and resell ancient coins from the Greek or Roman empires if a person sold those items directly to it.
How the Company Obtains Rare Coins and Bars
The company also engages in dealer-to-dealer trading to obtain some of the rare coins it has on file. Its core business, though, is the sale of bullion coins and bars as well as coins and bars from other precious metals. In most cases, people who make these purchases consider the precious metals a form of long-term investment.
These items could technically also be obtained through direct sales by people who go to the dealer to trade their bars in. As we mentioned, though, it’s understood that most of the items American Gold Exchange offers come from dealer-to-dealer trading.
Selling Items to American Gold Exchange
If you’re looking to sell precious items to the company, that’s also a service that the company offers. You must contact them before shipping any items directly to the gold exchange. These items are usually appraised by email, especially when selling certified coins.
Some of the negative comments about the company online revolve around the selling process. It’s a matter of contacting the company directly and following their procedures to get the items certified. Then, they can be shipped directly to its headquarters in Texas.
American Gold Exchange Online Ratings
What are other sites saying about American Gold Exchange in their reviews? TrustPilot users grade the platform a 4.9 out of 5. What’s potentially more impressive is that the company has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. That’s certainly a major positive for a gold exchange.
The industry is not necessarily known for being filled with standout businesses. There’s always a feeling that people selling gold coins to these businesses are being taken advantage of. This company claims to offer some of the best prices on precious metals.
One of the advantages of American Gold Exchange is that it’s very forthcoming with the customers regarding the prices it pays for specific precious metals. Keep in mind that these prices change daily. It will always be a good idea to strike a deal with a precious metal dealer when the price of that metal is high.
Am I Buying Actual Physical Gold or a Certificate?
You’d buy actual gold bars or palladium coins with American Gold Exchange. Other websites sell certificates allowing users to hold gold as a digital asset. This is a popular trend in trading sites that sell gold as a commodity.
People looking to buy certificates for the value of gold or silver will not benefit from American Gold Exchange. Another thing that we previously mentioned is that the exchange carries mostly coins. Silver coins are one of the more popular selling items for the company, for example.
Gold and silver bars are also part of this exchange’s products. All of these items can be shipped to different parts of the country. This is an exchange for buyers who are looking for competitive prices on actual precious metals.
What Type of Gold and Silver Coins Does the Company Sell?
There’s a wide array of American gold coins available through the marketplace. There’s also a large list of foreign gold coins on sale. Finally, the dealer features a set of uncertified modern bullion coins in the gold department.
When it comes to silver coins, there’s an even wider set of options to choose from. Again, some options will be American coins, while others come from the international market. It’s important to point out that the company does sell items of the highest quality gold on the market.
This is relevant not only because of the coins’ value but also because these coins can be stored in certified IRA accounts. The items put on sale by this exchange cater to both collectors and investors who want to tie a portion of their portfolio to the gold standard.
Buying Process
As a first-time buyer, it’s very important to pay attention to how the buying process works. American Gold Exchange offers a free gold investing packet to help potential clients understand the process better. To simplify the situation, though, let’s say that you’ve decided to buy a few gold or silver coins.
The first thing you’ll notice with American Gold Exchange is the many available options. There are nine American gold coins regularly available and many options from across the world. Are you looking for the best value coin or one that will serve as the right long-term investment?
Remember that part of their almost limitless inventory includes coins from biblical times. In many cases, these coins are better suited for collectors than investors. Once you’ve decided on the type of purchase that you want to make, the process becomes easier.
Payment Process
The payment process may even be more complex than the buying process. Other dealers may have different payment options and limits. Those listed here only apply to American Gold Exchange.
There’s a limit of $50,000 in coins for online orders. There are two ways to pay for such a large order. One option is to pay the entire bill through cryptocurrency. The company takes payments in most of the more popular cryptocurrencies.
The other way to pay a bill of up to $50,000 is to do so by setting a 5% deposit through a credit card payment. You could do a wire transfer, pay via check, or a money order to pay the rest of the bill. Customers can pay bills of up to $15,000 on online orders fully through a valid credit card.
Delivery Process with American Gold Exchange
Packages will arrive in more or less days, depending on the chosen payment type. Bank wire purchases can arrive in two or three days through FedEx Express. Orders paid through money orders, personal checks, and cashier’s checks will get shipped seven days after the payment is made.
Lower-value items are the only ones shipped through FedEx. The higher-value packages will take anywhere from 5 to 7 days to arrive. Those are always shipped through the USPS priority system. Regardless of which dealer you want to work with, it’s essentially to decide where to store the precious metals before making a purchase.
Where Can I Keep These Precious Metals?
It’s unfair to hold this against the company in this American Gold Exchange review, but it doesn’t provide a way to store the precious metals you buy from them. Luckily, there are different ways to keep precious metals safe. Historically, the most popular way to store gold and other valuables is in a safe at home.
Many investors have ultimately shied away from keeping precious items at home. People who are looking into purchasing gold, silver, platinum, or bullion coins and bars may be very well served setting up a precious metals IRA account. These accounts are mainly used for people who have valuable coins and bars as a retirement fund to store them in a safe location.
Finding the right place to store these precious metals is not only important for the safety of the items. Many of these places that serve as custodians of these items will be able to help grow the investment portfolio directly.
How to Open a Precious Metals IRA
Opening a precious metals IRA account can be a bit complex. Once completed, though, the IRA custodian could make the buying process with the gold dealer much smoother.
First Step to Open an Account
You have to select your precious metals IRA custodian. This means that you have to choose where to open an account. The custodians can be banks or trust companies that offer the service. If you already have a trusted bank, it could be a good idea to check if it offers this type of account.
Next Step to Open an Account
The next step is to choose the right precious metals dealer. American Gold Exchange can be a good option because of the quality of gold coins that the company specializes in. Usually, precious metal IRA accounts only allow gold or silver that meets specific quality standards. That’s a very important element to take into account before making a purchase.
Buying Gold, Silver, or Other Precious Metals
Once the account is set up, the transaction can be agreed upon between the custodian and the exchange directly. The owner of the account may let the account manager know how much they’re willing to invest in coins and bullion bars. With that information, the custodian can ensure that the purchase does not include uncertified modern bullion coins, for example.
Can I Cancel My Order? The Market Has Changed, and I Want the New Lower-Price
The cancellation policy on American Gold Exchange’s official site is not clear on this issue. Most signs point to the fact that the company is not open to offering return or replacement privileges due to price changes. If you recall, we mentioned that buyers need to provide a down payment of 5% through a credit card and then pay the rest of the bill through a check for large orders.
If the client does not provide the rest of the money in 48 hours, the company can charge that 5% as a restocking fee. This policy doesn’t seem to be too return-friendly. The silver lining is that American Gold Exchange has a solid reputation for offering a fair product price.
Since the return policy does not mention anything about returns due to market changes, buyers could call the company directly and ask about these situations. The answer could vary on a per-case basis. When the huge supplier network just can’t find a specific coin, it may be easier to get a refund.
There is a 14-day return policy on all certified classic US coins. Pretty much the rest of the coins can be exchanged but not returned. Even in these situations where the coins can be fully returned, the buyer has to pay the shipping fee. Unless the market completely dips, the shipping fee makes most returns bad business.
American Gold Exchange Guarantee
American Gold Exchange guarantees that buyers can access the 14-day full refund policy. The policy is rather cryptic, as we discussed. Simply put, most of the coins the company sells are not liable for a refund. It’s also true that the customer has to pay the shipping fees.
The policy is not all bad, though. If a customer is not pleased with their order, in most cases, the company is able to exchange the coin for one of equal value. That also has to occur within the 14-day window.
Is American Gold Exchange a Trusted Source?
The exchange is among the most popular dealers selling the leading national precious metals. It’s definitely not a site that people should be worried about as a scam or anything similar to that. The company sells certified gold products at a competitive price.
What buyers should really pay attention to, though, is the buying and selling processes. Previous users who have had a negative experience with this company usually didn’t read the fine print. The return policy is very specific regarding the items which customers can solicit a full refund for.
Is the coin that you want to purchase not on the list of refundable items? Then, you may want to think hard before making the purchase. Overall, the exchange provides very clear policies to ensure that misunderstandings don’t lead to client dissatisfaction.
Another element that’s worth a second mention is the quality of the coins that are on sale through this company. The fact that this dealer can work directly with precious metals IRA account managers is a big plus as well. This essentially means it’s a company that investors can trust wholeheartedly.