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The United States Gold Bureau sounds like a government agency, but it’s not. They have been operating since 2003. The company is the country’s largest precious metal dealer. Does bigger always mean better?
Customer reviews indicate that the answer is no. Here’s what you should know before purchasing from The United States Gold Bureau.
- Products: Gold & Precious Metals Company
- BBB Rating-A+
- Customer Reviews-4.11-5
Contents
- 1 About United States Gold Bureau
- 2 How to buy US Gold Bureau Products
- 3 IRA Services as found by the United States Gold Bureau Review Team
- 4 United States Gold Bureau Fees
- 5 Is U.S. Gold Bureau a Scam?
- 6 United States Gold Bureau Complaints from the BBB
- 7 Pros & Cons from the United States Gold Bureau Reviews Team
- 8 Is United States Gold Bureau Legit?
About United States Gold Bureau
U.S. Gold Bureau was founded in 2003. The current owners acquired it in 2008. Lone Star Tangible Assets is the parent company, and it is one of the world’s largest financial companies.
Their website claims that investors have started the process of diversifying their portfolios and protection of assets and preserving the purchasing strength of the United States dollar for years to follow.
Texas chose Lone Star Tangible Assets to create and maintain the official Texas Depository. A bullion depository that meets IRS security regulations is the only one in Texas. Due to the Texas Depository’s association with Gold Bureau’s parent company, its vaults are available at competitive rates.
Other subsidiaries of Lone Star Tangible Assets provide many of the US Gold Bureau’s products. Investment and financial companies can help clients build and refine their portfolios.
Their vision is simple…they want to be the premier supplier of precious metals. They pride themselves on building successful relationships with each customer they serve.
How to buy US Gold Bureau Products
You are able to buy their products online from their website. Below is a partial list of precious metals available for purchase:
Gold
- Gold Bars
- Commemorative coins
- Gold Dragon 1oz. Coin
- 2022 Gold American Eagle
- Gold Pamp Bar
- 1ooz Perth Bar
- American Buffalo Coin
Silver
- America the Beautiful
- American Eagle
- American Buffalo
- Silver Bars
- Silver Peace Dollars
- International Silver Coins
Rare Coins
- Coins from before 1933
- Morgan Silver Dollar
- Coins from the modern U.S. Mint
- Pre 1965 coins.
Platinum and Palladium
US Gold Bureau also offers platinum and palladium. There is information on their website detailing all of the options available to help you make the best purchases for your dollar.
Four different ways to fund your precious metals purchases.
- ACH
- Wire xfer
- Mastercard, Visa
- Barter Credit
IRA Services as found by the United States Gold Bureau Review Team
Retirement Services is one of the most useful features on the US Gold Bureau website. US Gold Bureau provides a video teaching consumers what a precious metals IRA is, as well as how to enroll. Its mission is to promote precious metals as a sound and solid investment for everyone.
If you feel overwhelmed by this information, don’t panic. It is almost always wise to choose precious metals to protect your future, and the higher inflation, combined with National-debt, the more often people are choosing to diversify their retirement accounts with precious metals.
Selling and Buyback of Gold & Precious Metals IRA’s
You can sell precious metals back to the company. We recommend checking with additional companies to compare prices priot to making your purchases. The US Gold Bureau lists all their purchases on their website. The website also displays real-time purchase offers as the market price of precious metals changes.
Therefore, you can find out exactly how much you’ll make… even before you confirm the sale. We believe that this is one of the most transparent and convenient setups in the industry. Therefore, we suggest working with the US Gold Bureau to dispose of your existing holdings.
How to sell Gold and Silver coins and bars
The sale process consists of three steps.
Your first step is to find the items you’re selling. All listings and prices are in the ‘Sell to Us’ area. To find the exact item, you can check the Payouts Catalog.
Make your inventory list after you select the items. Adjust the numbers on the list if you have more than one item. Pricing estimates may vary slightly depending on how many items you sell.
Packaging and shipping are the next steps. A customized packing slip will be sent to you once your order is confirmed. Printed it and attach it to your package.
Payouts quoted are locked for 48 hours. But you have to ship to FedEx before then. Otherwise, you might end up getting a lower offer.
All items in the package will need to be authenticated and verified once they reach the company. A representative will verify the quality of the items in the package. Your payment will follow within five business days.
Several payment options are available to you:
- Transfer by bank wire
- As store credit, if you are exchanging metals
- Via mail
Bank wire transfers are preferred because they are faster and provide usable funds.
Does U.S Gold Bureau have a Buy Back Guarantee?
Any gold bought from the US Gold Bureau will be purchased by them. Your metals will be sold to another party if you do not like their offer. Each item has at least one liquidation option.
Buy-back payments are usually sent within 72 hours. A check or credit can be issued to your account.
In case you want a variety of prices to choose from, you might consider other buyback avenues offered by the company.
United States Gold Bureau Fees
The USA Gold Bureau’s website does not list any specific fees. This does not mean the company doesn’t charge any fees. They do offer free phone consultations.
Is U.S. Gold Bureau a Scam?
U.S. Gold Bureau is not a scam. Founded almost 20 years ago, they are a subsidiary of established company Lone Star Tangible Assets. The Better Business Bureau does not accredit them, but they do have an A+ rating.
However, there are some red flags.
First of all, there are mixed reviews across a variety of websites. On the BBB website, it has a rating of 4.14 out of 5 stars. 29 reviews make up the average. In Trustpilot’s 882 reviews, the average rating is 3.6 stars, indicating that many customers had negative experiences.
Consumer Affairs also gets mixed reviews. Averaging 2.9 out of 5 stars, there are 30 ratings in total. There are about as many 5-star ratings as 4-star ones.
Clearly, some customers are very happy with their purchases. They do provide the services they claim. However, many people have not been satisfied with the service they received. It is a sign of poor management when half of your reviewers are unhappy.
In the last three years, there have been 14 complaints on the BBB website. In the last year, 5 complaints were filed. These will give us a better idea of the way the company operates.
United States Gold Bureau Complaints from the BBB
Below are some recent complaints. However, please keep in mind this business does many, many transactions, so there are bound to be some complaints made along the way. Click Here to read all the reviews on the Better Business Bureau website.
Shipping Issues
On December 1, 2021, a new complaint was filed. In November, the customer ordered a gold American Eagle coin through the website. A representative called to confirm the order that afternoon.
This rep then tried to convince the customer to buy more coins. However, they politely rejected the additional items. An invoice was issued after the confirmation. They paid by debit card.
A debit was made from the customer’s checking account the day after the order was placed. Yet the package wasn’t delivered for several days. After a full week, the customer received their tracking number. It got worse, the package hadn’t even been shipped by November 30, so the tracking number didn’t record any movement.
After paying the full amount for their order, the customer was upset that the package had not shipped for two weeks. Additionally, the company has never offered an explanation. Upon calling, the company informed the customer that a courier was waiting to pick up the package.
In response, the company said the payment had taken a week to complete. After receiving the funds, they began shipping the order. Due to the holiday season, they followed other protocols. Over the Thanksgiving weekend, they couldn’t mail expensive packages.
Orders were shipped as soon as the holiday ended, on November 30. Delivery was scheduled for December 4. An apology was offered.
In response, the customer said that they were satisfied with the resolution.
Questionable Promotion
A promo was the subject of a complaint in November of 2021. Customers were able to buy silver bars at current spot prices without markup under the promotion. However, the customer noticed they had been charged more than the spot price.
Calling the office, they were just closing for the weekend. A message was left asking for a callback. On Monday, no one called back, but the customer got in touch with a representative that afternoon.
The agent claimed the customer’s charges were accurate repeatedly. After realizing they wouldn’t get the promotional price, the customer canceled the order. A few more representatives were needed to tell the customer the order wouldn’t be canceled or adjusted.
The customer was refunded the full price they’d paid, and the company responded. The customer was satisfied with the resolution.
Canceled orders will be charged
A customer was charged more than $900 for a non-processed order. He put everything in his cart and checked out online. Afterward, they were told the items were out of stock. The order would have been okay, except their card was charged.
No confirmation email was sent to the customer. The company could not help despite speaking to multiple representatives. Three emails had been ignored as well.
A refund was processed immediately after the complaint was received.
Pros & Cons from the United States Gold Bureau Reviews Team
PROS
- US-based precious metals dealer.
- Their subsidiaries partner with full-service precious metals companies.
- Information on the Gold Bureau website is free
- Easy-to-Use Website
- Bullion vs Investment Grade
- Investing News and Tips
- Retirement Services
CONS
- There are a lot of negative reviews on many websites.
- Incorrect charges, and being ignored when attempting to resolve the issue have been reported by customers.
Is United States Gold Bureau Legit?
The United States Gold Bureau Review Team has found that U.S. Gold Bureau appears to be one of the best precious metals bullion dealers in the USA. A reputable financial asset conglomerate owns them, as well as a long history in the industry. They do provide what they claim.
However, investigate the online reviews of this company prior to making a final decision on whether to buy gold, silver precious metals and IRA’s from them. There are many positive reviews, but also some negative ones. Customers have reported being ignored, having their calls ignored, and promises not being kept.
Some customers have complained that the company didn’t honor its own promotional pricing. US Gold Bureau has also charged clients’ credit cards after they canceled their orders on the company’s end. Customers report waiting weeks for refunds and shipments.
The pattern of company responses is perhaps most concerning. When a complaint is filed with the BBB, the company responds within a day. The company will usually refund the customer or otherwise correct the issue. However, the company doesn’t act until after the customer has been trying to get a refund for weeks.
It appears the United States Gold Bureau does care about customer satisfaction, yet still has some issues to work through to make improvements to their business.
Judge for yourself, but as we have mentioned before. Do your own research when determining whether to buy from them, or not.
A good company always does its best to make sure customers are 100% satisfied. We think this company works hard to do so, yet has some failings along the way.
In the industry, there are many options that you may want to consider prior to making your final decision.