"youz drops your stash off at da turd garbage can on da fort cornur of MLK boulafard"
The disadvantages are going to be touted by those who insist that you do not own a precious metal unless you can hold it in your hand. In the case of Kitco, you CAN hold it in your hand if you order them to send it to you, though you will incur additional fees and shipping charges, bringing you net price/ounce in line with coin stores.
But, Kitco's been around a long time and has a solid reputation in the industry. And, if THEY are holding the metal, you're not (1) liable to theft, murder, and ransom of your loved ones for keeping multi-thousand dollar amounts of metal somewhere on your property, or (2) the significant storage costs related to warehousing your metal in some off-home-site location.
Advantages: cost. Kitco's premium for purchase and discount for sale are the absolute lowest you'll find anywhere.
If you're looking for some place to stash your diminishing American dollars so that they do not lose their purchasing power, you can't do any better than Kitco.
"youz drops your stash off at da turd garbage can on da fort cornur of MLK boulafard"
PMS?
Help is pretty good, but if you really want to purchase some vintage Paul McCartney, I'd suggest Abbey Road.
I’ve bought from APMEX before.
It’s simple, the fees aren’t outrageous and they ship within a few days.
You can save a little by going elsewhere but then delivery is slow, the interface sucks, the selection isn’t as good and they don’t update you on when your order ships.
For the extra few bucks, I keep going back to APMEX.
Take an ad out in your local paper advertising that you buy gold/silver, sterling, coins etc. Learn how to buy properly or you can get hurt big-time.
It’s working out great for me. I’m heading out the door right now and will get back to you in a few hours with some tips that I learned the hard way.
later..panax
You actually want to BUY cramps?!
I have my PM delivered to the house, right after noon.
The answer to the question of how much of a premium to pay above the spot price of precious can be answered by the question of why do you want to BUY precious metals?
If you want to buy gold and silver as an investment then obviously you need to do some research and figure out how much of a premium you’re willing to pay to enhance your chances of getting the return you desire on the investment.
On the other hand, if your purchase of gold/silver is a hedge against economic collapse and just general uncertainty, then odds are you’re going to hold it for awhile. Under those circumstances, the premium you pay for buying gold/silver becomes a lot less important.
Most Prime Ministers can be purchased fairly cheaply, but you had better be careful if you try to purchase a Police Magistrate.
Shares of Philip Morris are about $69 right now.
Pocket Monsters (Pokémon), ya gotta catch ‘em all.
PageMaker, by Adobe, was discontinued 7 years ago, and is no longer being updated.
Peso Mexicano (Mexican Peso) are available at 11.677 per dollar.
The DVD of Star Wars Episode I, the Phantom Menace, can be purchased at Amazon.com for $14.54 new, or used starting at $3.65.
Patriot Missiles, without the launching system, are about $170m, and are much more useful at shooting down Scuds than Paul McCartney.
And here is the free, downloadable version of PacMan:
http://www.download-free-games.com/freeware_games/pacman.htm
You’ll pay a high markup for small quantities, and minimal if you have $10-20k to spend. What’s your budget?
eBay is an excellent choice for small amounts, if you know what you’re doing.
“So where have you bought and how?”
I buy online and have it delivered in plain brown wrappers.
“How do you manage it?”
I don’t let the wife see it.
FYI
It’s PM here in Texas.
(But it ain’t for sale.)
www.tulving.com