Independent Guide to Physical Gold
Buying Physical Gold? Know the True Cost Before You Buy.
An independent guide to buying, storing and selling physical gold. Compare premiums, storage costs, resale spreads and hidden fees before making a decision.
- Independent information site
- We do not sell gold
- No provider commissions today
- Every calculator input is editable
Example: $50,000 of gold, 3 years
- Dealer premium (5%)
- $2,500
- Storage (1% a year)
- $1,500
- Sale spread (2%)
- $1,000
- Sales tax / VAT
- Not included
- Costs before any tax
- $5,000
Illustrative assumptions with no change in the gold price — not market data. Tax depends on where and what you buy, so it is left out until you enter it in the calculator.
Three questions to answer before you buy
Most surprises in a gold purchase do not come from the gold price itself. They come from costs nobody asked about up front.
What will I pay on the day?
Metal value at spot, the dealer premium, any sales tax or VAT where you buy, and shipping, insurance or payment fees.
The cost breakdown →What will it cost to hold?
Annual storage fees, minimum charges, insurance and access — at home, in a bank box or in a professional vault.
Compare storage →What will I get back when I sell?
Buyback prices are usually below spot. That spread is part of your cost from the day you buy.
Selling gold →Guides
Plain explanations with sources and an update date on every page. Where rules differ by country, we say so.
Buying physical gold
Choosing a product, checking a dealer, comparing quotes per gram of fine gold, paying and keeping records.
Read →True cost of physical gold
Premium, tax, storage, insurance and the resale spread — every layer of cost, with a worked example.
Read →Bars vs coins
Fineness, premium per gram, liquidity and partial sales: how to choose, and how to compare fairly.
Read →Gold storage options
Home, bank box or professional vault: ownership, insurance, audits, access and cost.
Read →Allocated vs unallocated gold
Do you own specific bars, or a claim on a pool? The difference that matters most when something goes wrong.
Read →Selling physical gold
How buyback prices are set, which documents speed up a sale, and what to check before you accept an offer.
Read →Ask every dealer for this — in writing
You can only compare providers fairly when every quote covers the same items, in the same currency, at the same moment.
- A final price in your currency, including any applicable tax and every other charge.
- The exact product: refiner or mint, weight, fineness, serial number, documents.
- Where the gold will be stored, in whose name, and whether it is allocated and segregated.
- Storage and insurance fees, including minimum charges and what is covered.
- The buyback policy: which reference price, what spread, and how fast you are paid.
How we work
Independent. Gold Decision is not a metals dealer and does not represent one. Today we have no commercial agreement with any provider and receive no commissions.
Honest numbers. We never show a gold price as “live” when it is not. Every figure is either a labelled example or a sourced, dated fact.
No promises. Gold can fall in value. We do not promise returns and we do not give investment, tax or legal advice.