No. You do not need to open an account to either buy or sell to United Coin & Precious Metals.

No. United Coin & Precious Metals has no minimum or maximum order limitations with respect to buying or selling.

Yes. The prices indicated are the actual prices. However, on all orders under $1,500 that are shipped to California addresses, we are required to collect applicable sales tax. Also, there may be shipping charges on orders under $5,000. All pricing, including taxes and shipping and handling charges, will be detailed at the time we confirm your order.

For all orders over $5,000, UCPM pays postage, packaging, and insurance charges. Orders under $5,000 have a maximum shipping charge of $25. We will confirm any shipping, handling, and insurance charges at the time we confirm your order.

Orders are shipped via USPS registered/insured. All orders require a customer signature at the time of delivery.

Yes. Orders sent USPS registered/insured can be sent to a PO Box.

Yes. In fact, we encourage you to do that. We offer a friendly, comfortable, and secure location in downtown La Jolla, CA. ID is required.

Shipments from United Coin & Precious Metals sent to the customer are insured by UCPM. When you ship a product to us, you are responsible for anything lost or damaged in transit. You can obtain insurance by shipping USPS registered/insured. If a product is lost or damaged in transit, you will be responsible to file a claim with the third-party carrier. You will have recourse with the third-party carrier only and not with United Coin & Precious Metals.

No. When you do business with UCPM you are dealing directly with the owners. Our margins are minimal, which allows you to get the most metal for your money and provides us enough profit margin to stay in business.

The number of bullion products to choose from can be overwhelming, especially for first-time precious metal investors. If you have questions, we are happy to speak with you to get an idea of your goals and objectives. We can explain differences between the products, such as product premiums for both buying and selling, how they can shift over time, liquidity in the US and abroad, risk, divisibility, etc.

The number of bullion products to choose from can be overwhelming, especially for first-time precious metal investors. If you have questions, we are happy to speak with you to get an idea of your goals and objectives. We can explain differences between the products, such as product premiums for both buying and selling, how they can shift over time, liquidity in the US and abroad, risk, divisibility, etc.

On average, you can expect to receive your order within 4 to 6 business days of when we ship it. All orders require customer signature. Anything but a direct signature on your part voids the insurance provided by United Coin & Precious Metals.

ABSOLUTELY NOT. In fact, UCPM discourages dealer-controlled storage accounts. Our guidance is to always avoid such storage programs, even those offered by reputable and well-established firms. Literally millions of dollars have been lost when a company closes its doors and your material is nowhere to be found. Also, a common practice is for dealers to “float” your metals. In effect, they’re using your product for store inventory. We recommend bank storage, which is safe and secure. For large volumes, consider an independent storage facility such as Delaware Depository (DDSC), which is used by the Chicago Board of Trade.

Refunds in the conventional sense of dollar-for-dollar replacements are not available. However, we do buy back all the precious metals and certified coins we sell at market prices. UCPM’s hope is to buy back any product we sell for more than you paid.

When you place your order over the phone or in person, all necessary information, including where to wire payments, is provided along with your confirmation number.

Once we have issued a confirmation number, all prices are locked in whether you are buying or selling to us. It is not our intention to enter into a buying and/or selling agreement, accepting the risks, only to have them canceled.

Yes. We encourage trade-ins, as we are always looking for new inventory. As the ratio between gold and silver or gold and platinum shifts, you may want to consider reallocating your position. For example, when the ratio between gold and silver was down to 30 to 1, many investors shifted their silver position into gold

Selling to UCPM is easy. You don’t even have to open an account! Simply bring your precious metals, coins, jewelry, etc., to our showroom and you will receive an offer on the spot. Buy prices for most popular bullion items are posted in the store. For collector coins and jewelry, those items will need to be appraised before we can make an offer. If unable to visit our showroom, you can send your material to us via USPS registered/insured. ALWAYS call us prior to shipping anything to us so we know what and when to expect your items.

f you bring your items to UCPM’s location and we make an offer that you accept, you will be paid on the spot either by cash or company check. For in-person transactions in excess of $25,000, you will be given the option of company check or wire transfer. If you mail your items to us, a company check will be sent by the next business day. For amounts in excess of $25,000, you will be given the option of receiving a wire transfer.

Occasionally. Call to let us know what you have in mind. Generally, our consignments are limited to numismatic rarities.

Yes. when you receive our confirmation number your price is locked in.

On telephone orders, your payment must be postmarked within 24 hours from when you receive your confirmation number and must be received in our location within five business days.
On wire transfers, our bank must receive payment within two business days from when you received your confirmation number.
On local orders, your payment must arrive in our location within 24 hours from when you receive your confirmation number.
We realize on occasion there are justifiable circumstances that can cause delay of payment. If this is the case, call us and explain the situation and we will evaluate on a case-by-case basis. United Coin & Precious Metals reserves the right to cancel any order that does not meet the above criteria.

UCPM accepts cash, cashiers’ checks, certified checks, personal checks, wire transfers, and money orders. We also accept and encourage trade of all types: numismatic rarities, collector coins, scrap gold, jewelry, sterling, etc. Also, for repositioning—if you would like to transfer silver into gold, gold into silver, gold into platinum, etc.—we will work closely with you.

On cashier’s checks and certified checks, you can take your order with you that day as long as we can verify your check with your financial institution over the telephone. Otherwise, you must wait for your check to clear (up to 10 days depending on the location of your financial institution). On personal checks, there is a 10-business day holding period for your check to clear. Consider using a wire transfer if this wait time is too long.

We do not accept credit cards. Our profit margins are narrow, meaning the cost of credit card processing would have to be passed on to customers, considerably raising our selling prices.

Most investment professionals recommend between 10 to 20% of your overall portfolio should be invested in hard assets such as gold, silver, and other precious metals. With all the financial uncertainty, geopolitical unrest, etc., many believe an even heavier allocation is appropriate. The decision is up to you.

In general, there is a fairly close correlation with respect to the price movement of each metal, although each metal has its own unique characteristics that can cause one to under/overperform in relation to the other. For this reason, diversification is important to reduce overall risk. The allocation you choose is largely dependent on how much risk you are willing to accept.

Platinum is a soft, dense, ductile metal that is very resistant to corrosion. It has demand pressure from three economic areas: industry, jewelry, and bullion investment. Given this high demand, coupled with the fact that platinum is expensive to mine, separate, and refine, the global supply of it is dwindling, which makes it of greater interest to investors.

Currently there is no requirement to report our sales transactions to the IRS, Federal, state, or local agencies unless you fall under the Form 8300 reporting requirement.

The IRS requires precious metal dealers to report certain bullion transactions from non-corporate sellers under Form 1099-B. For a listing of the bullion items and minimum quantities that fall under this requirement, visit our Transaction Guide page.

UCPM can assist you with the process of putting precious metals into a self-directed IRA. It is a straightforward process we can help facilitate through our partnership with uDirect IRA Services.

We do our best to keep an adequate inventory on hand of most popular bullion items. We cannot possibly stock everything or control product shortages. We will confirm at the time you place your order the availability of your item and help you find an alternative if necessary.

Yes. You are responsible for accurately reporting gains and losses on your income tax returns. It is not the responsibility of UCPM or any other third party.

Nonsense. There is absolutely nothing to be gained by having your modern bullion coins graded by PCGS or other grading services. There are literally millions of high-grade, ungraded American Silver Eagles sitting in mint tubes. Don’t be fooled by the low population numbers. Save your money and buy more silver.