Frequently Asked Questions
Shipping & Direct Delivery
Can I track my order?
Yes! As soon as we receive tracking information, we pass it along to the customer.
How much does shipping cost?
It's free (we absorb the cost).
How much does insurance cost?
It's free (we cover the cost of fully insuring your metals until in your hand).
What happens if the delivery driver leaves the package on my porch and it gets stolen?
When we say the metals are insured until they are in your hands, we mean it! If the delivery driver does not follow protocol and leaves metals on your porch where they are stolen or if they release them to someone other than you. If anything happens other than the box containing your metals being transferred from their hands to yours, the full value of your metals is covered by us and our insurance.
How long does it take to receive my precious metals?
Thor Metals Group (TMG) shall arrange delivery of the Precious Metals specified in the order to the customer’s address provided within twenty-eight (28) days after TMG’s verification that the Purchase Funds are backed by good funds, which for a bank check may take up to twelve (12) business days. For IRA transactions, Thor Metals Group shall arrange delivery of the Precious Metals specified in the order within twenty-eight (28) days after the Purchase Funds have been received from the third-party custodian.
What if my precious metals order is wrong?
We pride ourselves and have been recognized for our thorough approach to order accuracy. However, humans are humans and on a rare occasion, a mistake might occur. There is nothing to worry about as all metals are fully insured with an all-risk insurance policy (which as the name implies covers any risk including getting the wrong metals). Just give us a call and tell us what is wrong with the order. We will immediately schedule a pick-up to come to you and take the erroneous metals and then ship the correct metals fully insured directly to you right away.
What if the precious metals or even one of the coins is in subpar condition?
All bouillon coins we sell are what are known as BU or Brilliant Uncirculated. This means the coins have never been in circulation and are in perfect condition. Therefore, if you find so much as a blemish on any of your coins, you simply call us and we will replace the coin by the same process as described in the previous question.
What if I send the wire and then change my mind about the precious metals I want to acquire?
Sending a bank wire simply funds your escrow account. Your funds will remain in escrow until you make a final decision which is read back to you on a recorded line for your verbal authorization and then you are sent an order confirmation immediately. Until those two things occur, the funds are yours to acquire whatever you please. In fact, if you change your mind altogether we will simply wire the funds directly back into your bank account free of charge.
What if I make the acquisition and then something comes up a few days after and I need the money?
Thor Metals Group is if not the only dealer, one of very few that offer any sort of grace period in which the investor has the ability to change their mind and receive a full refund. Our grace period is 7 days. I anything occurs (no specific reason needed) in that time period, you will receive a refund no questions asked! Because precious metals are like any other investment, they will increase and decrease from second to second, day to day, so we rely on the honor system of our clientele to not abuse this grace period. You can imagine the possibilities available to someone who uses the grace period to save themselves from a small loss. If we see this behavior occurring, we reserve the right to refuse future business from anyone.
You look like a pretty new company, I feel that there is more security going with a more established company, is this true?
We answered this question because it will probably surprise you quite a bit. The largest, heavily marketed firms are notorious for taking several months in some cases to deliver metals on direct delivery. One only needs to look at complaints or one-star reviews on the BBB website to see what I am referring to. In fact, this inexplicable lack of urgency when shipping metals to clients was a major reason why I started my own precious metals business. I was so tired of fielding frantic calls from first-time investors who had put their entire nest egg into metals for its conservative protection. Yet fall had turned into spring without so much as a coin showing up on their doorstep. Knowing what I know about the actual shipping times for metals… if the order is properly placed and executed in a timely manner, it is completely inexplicable how it can take more than a few weeks maximum to receive them. This is a big problem and one that I feel is brushed under the rug. Thus, to make a long answer longer, newer companies such as ours that are owned by a founder with credentials and a reputation such as mine have a heightened sense of duty when it comes to things such as expedient shipping as the combination of the internet with a reputation for long shipping times combine to form a business-killing mixture.
Is there any difference in the quality of metal from dealer to dealer?
We all sell the same pasta sauce. No one sells a special Eagle or special Maple Leaf. The only difference that is important is that some retail dealers acquire from numerous sources whereas we only acquire from mint-authorized wholesalers which means the metal you acquire is coming directly from that country's mint.
IRAs
What is the difference between a precious metals IRA and a traditional IRA?
The simple answer is that they function the same but the precious metals IRA is a more expansive plan that allows for holding physical metals.
Exchanges
What is a precious metals exchange?
A metal exchange involves liquidating specific coins and/or bars in your portfolio and then acquiring different coins and/or bars immediately using the proceeds from the liquidation.
What if the price changes when the metals are being exchanged?
The liquidation and subsequent purchase of the new replacement metals happens simultaneously with Thor Metals, thus there is no risk of that occurring.
Why would I want to exchange metals in my portfolio?
There are a number of reasons but the three most common are…
1.) You want to adjust allocations of various metals, meaning you have 60% gold and 40% silver but would like to increase the silver allocation to 60% and the gold consequently decreased to 40%
2.) There are superior metal markets that your portfolio can be positioned in, thus you would facilitate an exchange to accomplish this. Given that physical precious metals not only exist in a supply/demand market but also that each specific metal (corresponding mint producing it) and even the specific weight of that metal have its very own supply/demand market dictating its market value. Given this fact, there may be compelling reason(s) why a coin produced by a specific mint or of a certain weight might perform better than a coin from a different mint or of a different weight. For example, specific coins minted by the US Mint are treated as currency by the IRS for certain purposes and thus have different requirements involving 1099s issued on acquisition and/or liquidation than a coin from a non-sovereign mint. This is appealing to many investors consequently creating heightened demand for these specific coins. Given that the mint generally produces a standardized quantity each production cycle, a heightened demand in concert with a standardized supply will create an increase in market price.
3.) Last March when SVB Bank collapsed there was a run on the precious metals market as people wanted their money out of the banks. This created an increase in the price per ounce of gold and silver as demand skyrocketed for physical gold and silver coins. Gold and silver coins are produced by most mints in 4 weights (1/10th oz, 1/4 oz, 1/2 oz, and 1 oz) with a standardized quantity of each weight produced. During this metals run, the demand for 1/10th oz gold coins usurped that of any other weighted gold coin. The logic made a lot of sense given that if gold prices continued to rise, the lighter the weight of the coin would make it more transactable and thus more appealing. Also, many people could not afford a full one-ounce gold coin at 2100 dollars per coin. They could, however, afford the relatively cheaper few hundred dollars required to purchase a 1/10th oz gold coin.
Thus, all gold went up but the 1/10th oz gold coins went up a significantly higher % than any other weighted gold coin and eventually actually sold off the market and became unattainable!