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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;TomSilver, post: 1895712, member: 68990&quot;]I have ordered from just about every big dealer online. On all of these orders I have used either credit card or PayPal so when I say shipping was slow keep in mind that my payment did not have to wait for a check to clear. </p><p><br /></p><p>&nbsp;APMEX has the biggest inventory, especially in world coins. They are reliable, good on shipping quickly and securely but are also usually the most expensive except for sales. Shipping is not the cheapest either although they do occasionally have free shipping for a few products or a few days. Get on the email lists of all the online dealers and they will send you notice of all their sales and promotions.</p><p><br /></p><p>Provident Metal has a decent inventory, not up to APMEX standards, but okay. Their prices are usually some of the cheapest. Sometimes that works against you when they have a great sale and get overwhelmed and you have to wait for your merchandise. I have had delayed shipments, more than ten days, a couple of times when I ordered coins that they mint. The &quot;Don&#039;t Tread On Me&quot; coin and the Zombucks series. Other than that they have been great. Shipping less than $250 order is only $6.95 which is good. Don&#039;t fall for their buy this item and get free shipping list. It was good when they started that promotion but it is now just full of overpriced stuff that you are better off without. You will pay more in premiums for one of those items than the shipping would have cost. </p><p><br /></p><p>MCM, as well as APMEX, both have websites and sell on Ebay. MCM has free shipping all the time at either place. APMEX only on the Ebay items. MCM has pretty good variety but has an emphasis on slabbed(coins graded by third party service) and other high dollar items. But they also do have fair, if not the best, prices for bullion, bars and rounds. Their shipping has been slow at times but I believe they have the problem solved now. </p><p><br /></p><p>JM Bullion has good prices and currently free shipping but I have had to wait a long time for my last shipment(14 days) and the coins were not received in good condition but had scratches, fingerprints and other flaws. Reluctant at this time to do business with them because of this. They also have very little variety which may not bother you now but will probably come into play as you get a little bored with bars and buffalo rounds. </p><p><br /></p><p>Gainseville Coins is good but I have had only two orders with them so don&#039;t have much of a track record. Their variety is better than Provident, probably about the same as MCM. </p><p><br /></p><p>Montana Rarities is okay but only stands out in that they will have a few coins you won&#039;t find anywhere else. </p><p><br /></p><p>All of my Silver Eagle buying has been from a local coin shop who have repeatedly had the best prices with of course no shipping cost. Only thing is they only accept cash which is okay because I can just hand it to them and don&#039;t have to wait for a check to clear. They don&#039;t do variety though and only sell Silver Eagles and whatever else they buy from individuals. </p><p><br /></p><p>As for how do you know your bullion is real? If buying from a reputable dealer on the list above you should have no problems. Ebay is a different story. NEVER order anything from an individual selling from a foreign country. Just my opinion but there it is. Buy a small digital scale that weighs in grams, ounces and troy ounces. Make sure it both weighs what they say it should and also weighs what a third party online source says it should. Most silver coins are going to be one troy ounce. Also you can measure the diameter and thickness and make sure they are up to snuff. If you buy something that is rare and can&#039;t be verified by weight and measurement, you will likely get ripped off. IMHO I also would never buy bars on Ebay. Too much of a chance for fakes and frauds. </p><p><br /></p><p>Lots of places on the web to buy air tites, coin tubes, etc. Just google it. Provident has all that stuff if you order from them. Some of the nicer coins come with capsules or other plastic already in place. Slabbed coins are always encased in plastic.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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