Where to Buy Gold in 2026
Values on this page use gold spot at $4,141.50/oz · updated
Quick answer: Gold is $4,141.50 per troy ounce today, and what you pay will be higher by a premium that depends on the product and the seller. For a single coin or a small bar, a reputable local coin shop or a mainstream online dealer is the practical choice. For a purchase of $50,000 or more, in cash or for an IRA, we recommend Augusta Precious Metals, and the sections below explain why and where it does not fit.
Start with the number that matters: the premium over spot
Every gold purchase begins with the spot price and ends with a higher one. The difference is the premium, and it is the real cost of buying physical gold. It pays for minting or refining, assay, shipping, insurance, the dealer's overhead and the dealer's profit. It is not a fee added at checkout; it is baked into the quoted price, which is why two dealers selling the same coin on the same morning can be several percent apart.
Here is a simple picture of the effect. Suppose spot is $4,141.50 and you buy a one-ounce coin at a 4 percent premium. The price is $4,307.16. If you sold that coin back the same day to a dealer paying 2 percent under spot, you would receive $4,058.67, a difference of $248.49 for a round trip in which gold did not move at all. These numbers are illustrations, not quotes, and real premiums move with the product and the market. The lesson holds regardless: the premium is paid up front, so it makes sense to ask about it before anything else.
Premiums are not uniform. As a pattern, popular government-minted coins that trade in large volume tend to carry smaller premiums than rare or low-mintage issues. Larger bars carry a smaller premium per ounce than smaller ones, because the fixed cost of fabrication is spread across more metal. Fractional coins, such as a tenth-ounce Eagle, carry the highest premium per ounce of the bullion products, since a tenth of an ounce costs almost as much to mint and ship as a whole one. For a sense of what each size contains and is worth in metal alone, see the gold bar value chart and the gold coin value chart.
Coins or bars?
Both are legitimate ways to own gold, and neither is universally better. Which suits you depends on size, resale and use.
Coins are minted by governments, carry a face value, and are easy to recognize and verify. The American Gold Eagle, the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf, the American Gold Buffalo and the South African Krugerrand are the ones dealers see most. Each is sold by weight in fractions from a tenth of an ounce to a full ounce, and each is easy to resell because the buyer already knows what it is. Their premiums are usually somewhat higher than a similar weight of bar, and in return you get a product that nearly any dealer will take back. The Eagle holds exactly one troy ounce of gold in its 22K alloy; the Maple and Buffalo are nearly pure at .9999. A one-ounce coin is worth $4,141.50 in metal at today's spot.
Bars are fabricated by refiners and mints. Cast bars are poured, minted bars are stamped and often sealed in a numbered assay card. Bars generally cost less per ounce above spot, and the saving widens as the bars get bigger: a 10-ounce bar is $41,415 in gold content and a kilogram bar is $133,139. The tradeoffs are that a large bar is harder to divide, harder to sell in small pieces, and may need to be re-assayed by a buyer who does not know the refiner. Bars from refiners on the LBMA's accredited list are more widely accepted.
A practical middle path for many buyers is to hold mostly larger bars for lower cost and a few coins for flexibility. Whichever way you go, buy products that are common and well recognized. The more a product's weight and purity are obvious to a stranger, the easier it is to sell.
How buying gold works, step by step
- Check the live price. Look at the figure at the top of any page here, so you know what spot is today. It will be the reference point for every quote you receive.
- Decide on the product. Pick coins or bars, and a weight, before you contact anyone. Starting from a decision keeps you from being steered toward whatever a salesperson wants to move.
- Ask for the all-in price in writing. That means the price per unit, the premium over spot, any shipping or insurance charge, and any other cost, stated before you commit.
- Compare at least two sellers. Because premiums differ, a few minutes of comparison can matter more than anything else you do.
- Confirm the product type. Get the exact name of what you are buying, whether it is a bullion product or a collector item, and its fine weight.
- Pay and lock the price. A reputable seller will lock the price at the time you confirm, ideally on a recorded call or in a written confirmation.
- Receive and verify. Check the product against the invoice on delivery, keep the packaging, and store it somewhere secure and insured.
Questions to ask any gold dealer
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission and FINRA publish a short list of questions for people buying physical gold and silver. The points below paraphrase the most useful of them and add the practical follow-ups. Ask every one of them of every dealer, and be wary of anyone who gets impatient.
- Who contacted whom? Be cautious of cold calls, unsolicited emails and social media pitches. Choose the dealer; do not wait to be chosen.
- What are the total costs, in writing? Commissions, markups, shipping, insurance, and any storage charge should all be listed before you pay.
- What is the dealer's spread? That is the gap between the price the dealer buys at and the price it sells at. A wide spread means you start further in the hole.
- Is this bullion or a numismatic coin? Bullion is priced close to its metal content. Numismatic, or collector, coins are priced on rarity and condition and can carry far larger markups.
- What does "semi-numismatic" mean? Regulators have pointed out that the term is a sales label with no real meaning, so a dealer using it should be asked to explain what the product actually is.
- What is the premium over melt? Ask for the number for the exact product, not for an average.
- How is storage handled, and who insures it? If a company holds the metal for you, ask where it is kept, who pays for storage and insurance, and how you can verify the holding.
- What happens if I want to sell? Ask how the buyback works, what the dealer would pay today for what you are buying, and whether you can sell to someone else.
- Can I cancel, and what does that cover? Get the cancellation terms in writing and confirm which products they apply to, since some policies cover only part of a seller's range.
- Can I verify this company independently? Look up its record with the Better Business Bureau and the state attorney general, and read recent complaints as well as the summary grade.
Regulators have also warned that retirees are a frequent target of rollover pitches that carry large markups, commissions and fees. If a sales conversation moves quickly from "protect yourself" to "move your retirement savings today," treat that as a reason to slow down.
Delivery or IRA?
You can hold physical gold in two broad ways, and they differ in practical detail more than in the metal itself.
Delivery to you. You take possession and store the gold at home, in a safe-deposit box or in a private vault. This is the simplest route and gives you direct control. It also puts security and insurance on you: a home safe is only as good as your homeowner's policy, and the contents of a bank safe-deposit box are generally not covered by FDIC insurance. Gold held outside a retirement account is also generally taxed as a collectible when sold at a gain, which carries a higher maximum long-term rate than many other assets. A tax professional can explain how that applies to you.
Gold in an IRA. A self-directed IRA can hold approved gold coins and bars, but the metal has to be held by an approved depository, not kept at home. Eagles are expressly eligible, Buffalos and Maple Leafs qualify at .995 purity or better, and the Krugerrand is not eligible. Rolling money into an IRA involves a custodian, a depository and paperwork, and fees apply. We do not publish fee comparisons because the numbers change and are easy to get wrong; ask any company for its current schedule in writing and read it before you commit.
If you are unsure which route fits, the cleaner question is what you plan to do with the gold. Metal you expect to hold for decades as part of retirement savings leans toward an IRA. Metal you want in your own hands, or to sell flexibly, leans toward delivery.
Where to buy: the main options
- Local coin shops. You can see the product, hold it and pay in person. Premiums vary, and selection is limited to what the shop stocks. Good for small purchases and for building a relationship.
- Large online bullion dealers. Broad selection and published prices that update through the day. Compare the full delivered price, since shipping and insurance can change the ranking.
- Government mint sales. The US Mint sells some products directly through authorized purchasers, and the Royal Canadian Mint sells Maple Leafs; availability and premiums differ from retail dealers.
- Brokerage-style dealers for larger purchases. These companies work with buyers who plan to hold substantial amounts, often through an IRA, and typically provide one-on-one guidance. Augusta, below, is in this group.
- Auctions, flea markets and online marketplaces. These carry the most risk of counterfeits and the least recourse. Tungsten-filled bars exist because they are plated to match gold's density. We would not buy bullion this way without a way to verify it.
Is Augusta right for you?
We recommend Augusta Precious Metals for a particular kind of buyer, and it is worth being clear about both sides of that.
Augusta may be a good fit if you are putting together a purchase of $50,000 or more, whether in cash or inside an IRA. That works out to about 12.1 ounces at today's spot. It also suits you if you want someone to explain the process before you commit, since Augusta provides one-on-one education over web conference, and if you value a price that is locked on a recorded call.
Augusta is not the right choice if you want one coin, a few small bars or a purchase well under that level. The $50,000 minimum applies to cash buyers as well as IRA buyers, so a small buyer simply cannot use it. In that case, a local coin shop or a large online dealer is more practical, and the dealer questions above still apply.
Whatever you choose, ask Augusta, as you would anyone, for the exact product, its premium over melt and the total cost in writing before you confirm. Augusta's own materials note that low-mintage products tend to carry higher acquisition prices than high-mintage ones, which is exactly the kind of detail to pin down on a call.
About Augusta Precious Metals
Augusta Precious Metals is a gold and silver dealer, founded in 2012, that sells coins and bars for IRAs and for cash purchases outside retirement accounts. It is A+ rated by the BBB and has been BBB-accredited since 2015. As of September 2026 there is one complaint on file with the BBB in the last three years, which the company answered. We treat a record like that as information to read, not as a verdict, and we encourage you to read the BBB profile yourself.
The process begins with education rather than a sales pitch. Augusta says its educators are salaried rather than commissioned, and buyers go through a one-on-one web conference before purchasing. When you are ready to buy, the price is locked on a recorded call, so what you agreed to is on record. The company states a seven-day cancellation window. Its own FAQ and the BBB's description of the policy do not read identically, so confirm which products that window covers before you buy.
The minimum is the key practical point: $50,000, for cash and IRA purchases alike. Augusta sells gold and silver coins and bars, and for IRA buyers it works with an approved custodian and depository. We do not quote its fees here, because published figures change; ask for the current schedule in writing.
We recommend it for larger purchases because the education-first approach, the recorded price lock and the long BBB accreditation are useful features for a buyer making a big decision. We are paid if you buy through our link, which is explained in our advertising disclosure. That does not change the price you pay, and it does not change what we say about who the company is not for.
Common mistakes when buying gold
Paying for rarity you did not ask for. If a product costs far more than its metal content, you should know exactly why. A high premium on a numismatic coin is only worth paying if you want the coin as a collectible.
Comparing headline prices instead of delivered prices. Free shipping on one site and a lower sticker price on another can come out the same. Add every cost before you compare.
Buying under pressure. Limited-time offers on a commodity whose price moves minute to minute are a sales technique. The market will be there tomorrow.
Ignoring the exit. Ask what a dealer would pay for what you are buying, today, and whether you can sell elsewhere. A product that only its seller will buy back is harder to exit.
Skipping verification. Look for the product on the issuer's own website, check the weight on a scale and keep the receipt. Our melt value calculator lets you confirm what a given weight should be worth in metal.
Related reading
If you already hold gold and are thinking about selling it, start with gold melt value versus what buyers pay, which explains typical payout ranges reported by the trade. To understand the chart behind these prices, read how to read a gold value chart. For a longer view of the market, the gold price history chart shows ten years of highs and lows.
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-05 | Published. Added buying steps, dealer questions, delivery-versus-IRA comparison and the Augusta write-up. |
Sources and further reading
- CFTC: ten questions to ask before buying physical gold or silver
- FINRA: consumer alerts on precious metals sales and rollover pitches
- IRS: rules for precious metals in an IRA and the tax treatment of collectibles
- US Mint: product specifications for American Eagle and Buffalo gold coins
- LBMA: Good Delivery standards for gold bars