The economy is more uncertain now than almost any period of history. A good way to protect financial security and independence is to purchase and hold silver bullion bars. Gold bullion is expensive and would be hard to use if bad times required paying for basic needs with precious metals, but silver bullion can be bought in smaller cash amounts and is therefore more divisible. While there are many options for purchasing silver bullion, one less-known option is online forums.
SilverStackers.com
SilverStackers.com is a precious metal forum site with membership required to participate in the forum or send and receive messages. This forum is a mediated site that allows silver enthusiasts and investors to discuss news and information, or trade, barter, buy, and sell silver.
The discussions provide plenty of information and commentary about the current market and connect buyers and sellers who wish to trade or offer precious metals for sale. SilverStackers forum has a message category titled, “Buy, Sell & Swap”, and there are sub categories for individual countries like Australia and New Zealand, The United States and Canada, UK and Europe, and other international locations.
Forum members can post items for sale or trade and negotiate prices and payment options between themselves. Negative or positive feedback is given and the forum moderator will intervene on feedback that is derogatory or unwarranted. Buyers of silver bullion must communicate with the seller and ask many questions to ensure there are no miscommunications.
The bars need to be from a reputable dealer, have proper markings, assurance of purity, and the buyer must know the current market spot prices. This is a very risky way to purchase silver bars, because an individual can promise any detail as far as the type of bars and quantity and even a return policy, but there is no way to know, except for feedback, if they are legitimate.
Risks
Although silver forums can offer great deals, especially if a member needs to liquidate holdings quickly, these dealings also present an enormous amount of risk, as you rarely will know the person on the other side of the transaction.
It’s well known that buying or trading silver bars will be more secure if the seller is within traveling distance, so the bars could be inspected before wiring money. A physical look at the silver bars and ability to verify the markings will guard against purchasing counterfeit silver bars. Look to buy name brand bars only, as silver bars with no markings such as bullion blanks cannot be accurately tested for purity and weight without additional resources.
Sellers may provide photos of their silver bars for trade or sale, and again, these could be fraudulent if the photos are not of their actual items. A misrepresentation can lead to a great loss if the seller does not refund money.
There are numerous forums where numismatic topics are discussed and many of the categories have random postings about silver bars for sale. It requires research and communication to complete a transaction with these private sellers. There are no organizations or business regulations to protect the buyer. Approach this method of acquiring silver bars with caution and be well researched. It could provide a below spot price acquisition of silver bars as long as the seller is trustworthy.