How to compare bullion dealers by landed cost
Premium is one input. Shipping, tax, payment method, and lead time decide who's actually cheapest.
The dealer with the lowest premium is the right place to start — but not always where you should buy. Your real cost is the landed cost: the premium over spot plusshipping, insurance, sales tax, and any card surcharge — and how long delivery takes. A dealer a hair higher on premium but with free shipping, in-stock inventory, and no card fee can easily beat a headline-cheaper one. Here's how to compare properly.
Premium — shown above — is one input. Here's the full landed-cost picture.
What goes into landed cost
| Component | What to check |
|---|---|
| Premium over spot | The headline number — StackerSpot ranks this live. Lower is better, all else equal. |
| Shipping & insurance | Flat or tiered; free over a threshold at many dealers. Small orders suffer most. |
| Sales tax | Depends on your state and the product; some jurisdictions exempt bullion, others don't. |
| Payment surcharge | Card typically adds ~3–4% over the cash/wire price. |
| Minimums & availability | Order minimums, and whether the item is truly in stock. |
| Delivery time | In-stock ships in days; some dealers pre-order and ship in weeks. |
Case study: when the lowest premium hides a long wait
A real example of why landed cost includes time: one dealer frequently posts the very lowest premiums on StackerSpot — but per its own checkout policy, it doesn't hold in-house inventory and sources each order from suppliers, so shipping takes roughly ten weeks. The price is real, but the product is different: a pre-order, not an in-stock item you'll have in a few days. That's not disqualifying — some buyers happily trade time for a lower price — but it's a factor a premium number alone won't show you.
This is exactly why StackerSpot flags dealers on a documented long-lead / pre-order model with a “Pre-order” badge, and offers an “in-stock only” filter so you can compare like with like. See how each dealer is categorized on the data & coverage page.
A worked comparison
One 1 oz gold coin, spot $4,000, buyer in a no-tax state paying by wire:
- Dealer A — 2.0% premium ($4,080) + $15 shipping = $4,095 delivered, ships in 3 days.
- Dealer B — 0.7% premium ($4,028) + $25 shipping = $4,053 delivered, but ~10-week pre-order.
Dealer B is ~$42 cheaper delivered — worth it if you can wait 10 weeks, not if you want metal in hand. Landed cost andlead time together tell the real story; the premium alone doesn't.
Your pre-checkout checklist
- Premium — start from the live leaderboard.
- Shipping & insurance — flat, tiered, or free-over-threshold?
- Sales tax — does your state tax this product?
- Payment — cash/wire vs card surcharge.
- In stock & lead time — days or weeks? Check the fulfillment flag.
- Reputation — established dealer, clear policies, real availability.
Compare dealers — premium first, then landed cost
Live rankings and head-to-heads, with pre-order dealers flagged.
Common questions
Is the dealer with the lowest premium always the best deal?
No. The lowest premium is the best starting point, but your true cost is the landed cost: premium plus shipping, insurance, sales tax, and any card surcharge — and delivery time matters too. A dealer with a slightly higher premium but free shipping, in-stock inventory, and no card fee can beat a headline-cheaper one.
What is landed cost for bullion?
Landed cost is what the metal actually costs you delivered: the product premium over spot, plus shipping and insurance, plus any sales tax, plus any payment-method surcharge. Compare dealers on landed cost — not the sticker premium — to know who's genuinely cheapest for your order.
Why does one dealer have a much lower premium than everyone else?
Sometimes it's a genuine loss-leader; sometimes it reflects a different business model. For example, a dealer that doesn't hold inventory and sources each order from suppliers can post very low premiums but ship on a long lead time (weeks). That's not necessarily bad — but it's a different product, so StackerSpot flags dealers on a documented pre-order/long-lead model.
How do I factor shipping and tax into a comparison?
Add the dealer's shipping/insurance fee and your state's sales tax (if any) to the total order price, then divide by the ounces to get a true per-ounce landed cost. Small orders are hit hardest by flat shipping, so the cheapest premium on a single coin often isn't the cheapest delivered.
Methodology & sources
StackerSpot ranks dealers by premium over spot on a cash/wire basis, recomputed against live spot, and flags documented long-lead / pre-order fulfillment models — details in our methodology and on the coveragepage. The lead-time example reflects a dealer's own published checkout policy. Worked numbers are hypothetical for clarity. Related: cash vs card pricing.
Informational purposes only — not investment, financial, or tax advice, and not a licensed dealer or advisor. Prices are each dealer's cash/wire figure, change constantly, and may differ from the dealer's own site; always confirm before buying. See our methodology & disclaimer.