So you want to buy Silver Bullion. Well, welcome and keep reading.

Silver Bullion is become a very hotly traded commodity lately. It is a fun hobby for collectors, a good investment for investors, and a profitable business for sellers. With silver prices on the rise demand is ever increasing. Most experts expect silver to hit the $20 to $25 Dollars (US) mark by the end of 2007. So now is a great time to buy and sell silver. Prices are up. Last year at this time silver was at $ 11 Dollars (US) per troy ounce and as of today 3/26/07 it is at $13.39 per troy ounce. This is a 21.7% increase in one years time. If you are interested in silvers historical prices check out (kiptco.com/charts.html) and look at the historical data and charts.

So where should you start. Well there is a lot of silver products available: silver bullion, silver ingot, silver round, art bars, silver eagles, to name just a few. Some silver comes graded and sealed in its on packaging from grading services: pcgs silver, ngc silver, anacs silver, icg silver, as well as many others. Silver is available in different sizes: 1/2 ounce, 1 ounce, 2 ounce, 5 ounce, 10 ounce, 100 ounce and 1000 ounces.The first thing you need to know is that all precious metals are sold in Troy ounces.In the Troy Weight system a Troy Pound is made of 12 Troy Ounces. a good definition and history are available at (wikipedia.com)  (see Troy Weight) Most of us are used to the Avoirpois Pound with 16 ounces to the pound. Precious metals use a Troy Ounce which is actually 10% heavier than the Avoirpois Ounce/Pound used at say the grocery store. So when you see the price of Silver is $13.39 per ounce it is on a Troy Ounce and not an Avoirpois Ounce.

The first question to ask yourself is what do I want to buy silver for? If you like the fun of collecting as a hobbiest you will probably want to look at art bars and rounds as they have the greatest appeal and interest for the most people. Bars and Rounds have been made in the likeness of everything from individuals, to states, scenery, animals, plants, as well as anything else you can think of. Silver is also sold as rounds. These are generally depict a theme on on side and either the mint or another theme on the other.

Most investors are looking to buy in quantity 5 Ounces or more. As a general rule the larger the quantity the closer to the spot price of silver it becomes. Hence 100 ounces is more likely to be around $1339 Dollars than 1 ounce is to be around $13.39 Dollars. For smaller quantities like 1/2 ounce or 1 ounce pieces their is usually more manufacturing costs and packaging costs. These extra costs add on to the price that you will have to pay. Generally these costs can be anywhere from $.20 to $5 or more per ounce depending on what you want to buy. The simpler the design the cheaper the cost.

Now you have an idea of how Silver is sold and what to expect as far as prices go, but what will it cost on ebay? Silver is sold on ebay as a set buy it now price or at auction with only a set starting price, usually very low, with shipping and handling extra. The seller remember has to purchase the silver, put an add on ebay, and ship you the silver. These are all costs to them. They charge shipping and handling to cover their cost. Look before you buy or bid. Some costs are right up front under shipping and handling charges and some are listed under the item descriptions. Read the adds completely and know what it is you are going to buy or bid on. If you have questions ASK!!! Once you bid it is a contract to purchase and while it is possible to not complete the transaction it is much easier to ask questions and save you and the seller the hassle of that process. Every item has a link to ask the seller a question so send them any questions you have on their items. Most sellers are very helpful and will gladly answer your questions.

Remeber on ebay we use feedback to keep everone in line and to be able to tell how good and ebayer you are. Check the feedback and feedback score of the buyers and sellers. Read the comments. You only get high scores by having good feedback as a buyer and a seller. Please leave feedback if you had a good experience or a bad one. This helps everone to tell the good from the bad.

I also recommend getting some books on silver and coins at your local library or bookstore. The more you know about the process and the product the better off you will be.

Good Luck and Good Bidding.