First thing to say is that I love the precious metals, especially silver! We must be careful though in buying these metals from sellers especially now that the metals are in the "Bull Market" mode. First thing is to buy from reputable and experienced precious metals sellers on Ebay with good feedback ratings showing an appreciation for customer service. Always before bidding on an item that you look up the seller's feedback rating. Look at some of the replies they get, not only from the buyers, but also from the people they buy from. There are many very good sellers of these metals on Ebay currently, but there may be some out there that are just trying to make a killing on some metals that was tucked away for a while.

Look at the spot price for the precious metals on the internet. Lets not forget that the spot price will be less than what a seller can expect for his piece as it has other processing done to make it into a bar or round. Add 2 percent to this spot price and this will give you a good start at figuring out how much you should pay for this bullion. There are the rare pcs out there that have history to them that you will have to pay sometimes a very large amount for in order to get it. Dont buy it unless you are a serious collector of precious metals. The seller will generally tell you if it is a rare pc or not. Before you bid on it, do some homework. Use Ebay as a great source to see what other people are selling this bullion for. Buy the known name brands of precious metals. Engelhard, J&M, Credit Suisse, Northwest Territorial, Sunshine, Paradise Mint, Silvertowne, just to name a few, and there are many more. These companies have been in business for a long long time and can be trusted.

The next thing to take a look at is the shipping charges that go along with the purchase of precious metals. Although the metals are heavy there is not a need with a reputable seller to overpay for shipping. Ask the seller before bidding on a piece of bullion if there are shipping discounts for multiples ect. There are many sellers that have shipping charges that are far beyond what it costs to ship a package. Ask them first about their shipping rates. If they respond to you in a positive way, and will work with you, you can add this seller to your favorites list. Once you find a good seller, keep him or her. You can always e-mail them for advise if you find one you can trust, and can help you out if you are a novice.

One of the major things that I must warn you about is not get into a "bidding war" with another bidder. Dont let your emotions lead you down a path that is really not doing you or the other bidder any good. The seller certainly makes out like a bandit, but you two dont!!! When you see an item that you are interested in do your homework and look at the prices that they are going for in the end listings of ebay in that category. This will tell you what the pc is generally selling for. Instead of just sticking to that same pc and the same seller because you have a bid on it is ridiculous. There are plenty of items out there to replace the one you were looking at. If it is not the exact pc., chances are pretty dog gone good that a pc.exactly like it will show up, and sometimes sooner than you might think.

Have fun on Ebay, but do your Homework first!!