Purchasing precious metals is more complex than purchasing most financial products. Pricing structures vary by dealer, retirement account transactions often require coordination with a custodian or custody provider, and purchases often require direct interaction with a company representative.
To help readers compare companies with more confidence, USA TODAY has developed a weighted scoring methodology that focuses on transparency, investor protection, pricing clarity and customer experience. Price transparency and business confidence are particularly important in precious metals trading, so our methodology focuses on cost clarity, compliance signals and customer experience rather than product selection alone.
Our rankings are based on independent company research, public information, and customer feedback from third-party review platforms. Each dealer receives a composite score based on the following categories:
Pricing transparency and value (28%)
Prices for precious metals are not uniform across dealers, so cost clarity is one of the most important evaluation factors. Dealers that clearly disclose prices and maintain competitive buy-sell price differentials receive higher scores.
We evaluate:
- Premium over spot price
- Transparency of buy/sell spreads
- IRA setup, storage, and administration fees
- Minimum purchase requirements
- Clarity of repurchase price
Compliance, trust and reputation (20%)
Precious metals dealers operate differently than banks and brokerages, which makes reliability metrics especially important. This category evaluates a company’s business practices, transparency, and long-term stability. Dealers that demonstrate strong reliability signals and responsible business practices receive higher scores.
We evaluate:
- Years of establishment
- industry membership
- legal career
- marketing practice
- Risk disclosure
- business transparency
Customer experience, support, and satisfaction (18%)
This category evaluates dealer friendliness and how customers rate their experience throughout the purchase and account setup process. Because purchasing precious metals often involves direct interaction with company representatives, responsiveness and quality of service are important indicators of trustworthiness.
We evaluate:
- Customer support responsiveness and accessibility
- IRA Account Setup Guide
- Order tracking and delivery notification
- Clarity in the overall purchasing process
- Better Business Bureau ratings and complaint history
- Trustpilot, Google, and ConsumerAffairs reviews
- complaint resolution pattern
Companies that provide clear communication, prompt support, and receive consistently positive feedback receive higher scores.
Product selection and service (14%)
This category evaluates the investment options available to customers. The wider the range of services and products, the higher the dealer’s score.
We consider:
- IRA eligible metals
- Availability of gold, silver, platinum and palladium
- Direct shipping options
- Storage partnership with an approved depository
- IRA account setup support
Strength of buyback program (12%)
Repurchase policies are an important but often overlooked aspect of precious metals investing. Companies with clear and investor-friendly stock repurchase programs receive higher scores.
We evaluate:
- Is there a buyback program?
- Clarity in repurchase pricing policy
- Easy to sell metal back to dealer
- Processing transparency
Investor education and transparency (8%)
Investing in precious metals can be complicated, especially when retirement accounts are involved. Companies that clearly explain their processes and risks rank higher.
We assess whether dealers:
- Demystifying Gold IRA rules
- Differentiate between dealer, custodian and storage roles
- Provide accessible educational resources
- Disclose risks appropriately
- Avoid misleading investment-related claims
Methodology notes
Precious Metals Dealer is not a bank, broker-dealer, or investment advisor. The rankings evaluate dealers’ transparency, service, and customer experience, rather than investment performance or future metal prices.
All data is verified and regularly checked for accuracy through dealer websites, customer review platforms, and publicly available business information.
