Frequently Asked Questions

Agate Precious Metals is an online bullion dealer founded in 2022 and based in West Seneca, New York. We sell gold, silver, platinum, palladium, and copper — coins, bars, and rounds — at wholesale-style pricing, along with rare mint drops.

We are based in West Seneca, NY, at 3521 Seneca Street. Everything we do — ordering, support, and fulfillment — runs online.

No. Agate Precious Metals is an entirely online business and there is no walk-in storefront — the Seneca Street location is not a retail shop, so please don't make the trip expecting to browse or buy in person. You can shop the full catalog any time at agatemetals.com, or reach us by phone at 716-829-9997 and email at [email protected].

Agate Precious Metals was founded in 2022 in West Seneca, New York.

Yes, two. agatemetals.com is the main retail store, open to everyone. agatepresales.com is a separate presale portal for approved dealers — see the Presales & Dealers section below.

Call us at 716-829-9997 or email [email protected]. Email is usually the fastest way to reach us with order details.

Orders are placed online at agatemetals.com. Add what you want to your cart and check out — there is no in-person or walk-in ordering.

Card payments are accepted at checkout and are processed securely through Stripe and WooPayments.

Yes. Card payments run through Stripe and WooPayments, established payment processors, so your payment is handled through their secure checkout systems.

Ordering itself is online at agatemetals.com. If you need help picking a product or have a question before you order, call 716-829-9997 or email [email protected] and we'll help you through it.

Contact [email protected] as soon as possible with your order details. What can be changed depends on where the order is in processing, and some listings lock a metal price at confirmation — support will tell you exactly where your order stands.

For a standard listing, the price you see at checkout is your price. For listings marked “spot plus,” the final price is set when the metal price is locked at order confirmation — see Pricing & Spot below.

Email [email protected] or call 716-829-9997 with the product name and we'll help.

Gold, silver, platinum, palladium, and copper.

Coins, bars, and rounds across all five metals — from 1 oz staples to fractional pieces and pre-1965 U.S. silver coinage.

We source from major mints and refiners, including the Perth Mint, PAMP, Valcambi, and Argor-Heraeus.

Yes. We carry fractional gold including small 1 gram pieces and 1/10 oz coins and bars — a lower-cost way to own gold one small piece at a time.

U.S. dimes, quarters, and half dollars minted before 1965 were struck in 90% silver. These “constitutional” or junk-silver coins are a popular way to hold silver in small, recognizable denominations, and Agate carries them.

Yes — copper is part of the lineup alongside gold, silver, platinum, and palladium, in coins, bars, and rounds.

Browse or search the Agate Metals shop first. If you still can't find it, email [email protected] and tell us what you're after.

The spot price is the current market price for one troy ounce of a metal, and it moves constantly while markets are open. Bullion prices everywhere — ours included — are built off spot.

Because spot moves constantly, product prices on the store update with the metal markets. A price you saw yesterday can be different today simply because the market moved.

The premium is the amount above spot built into a product's price. It covers minting, fabrication, and distribution — turning raw metal into a finished coin or bar costs money, and smaller pieces generally carry higher premiums per ounce than large bars.

Some listings are priced as “spot plus” — spot plus a stated premium — instead of a fixed dollar price. On those listings, your final price is set when the metal price is locked at order confirmation, so the exact total follows the market right up to the lock.

Making many small pieces costs more per ounce than making one large bar, so 1 gram and 1/10 oz pieces carry higher premiums per unit of metal. In exchange, they cost far less per piece and are easier to buy gradually or sell in small amounts.

That's our positioning: wholesale-priced bullion and rare mint drops sold retail online from West Seneca, NY. Current prices are always on the product pages at agatemetals.com, and they move with spot.

Orders ship insured and tracked. Every order is packed and sent with insurance and tracking in place.

High-value orders require a signature on delivery. Plan for someone to be available to sign on those shipments.

Yes. Orders ship insured — that is standard on everything we send.

Your order ships with tracking. If tracking information hasn't reached you or a shipment looks stalled, contact [email protected] with your order details and we'll look into it.

Contact [email protected] as soon as you notice a problem and include your order details. Because orders ship insured and tracked, we can work from the tracking and insurance records.

Shipping coverage isn't one-size-fits-all. If you're unsure whether we can ship to you, email [email protected] before ordering and ask.

Bullion — gold, silver, platinum, and palladium coins, bars, and rounds — has no ordinary returns. Metal prices move constantly, so instead of returns, Agate buys bullion back through our buyback (see below). The complete terms are in Agate's return & buyback policy.

If you want to exit a bullion purchase, we buy the metal back at our buyback price, which carries roughly a 2–3% spread. Contact [email protected] to start a buyback and get the current terms for your pieces.

Yes. Non-bullion accessories can be returned within 7 calendar days of delivery.

Returns on days 1–3 of the 7-day window carry no restocking fee. A 15% restocking fee applies to accessory returns made on days 4–7.

You do — return shipping is paid by the customer, unless we made an error with your order or the item is defective. In those cases, contact [email protected] first and we'll make it right.

Email [email protected] before sending anything back, so we can confirm the item qualifies under the 7-day accessory window and give you the return instructions.

Yes. Agate buys back bullion — gold, silver, platinum, and palladium coins, bars, and rounds — through our buyback program.

Buyback prices follow the live metal markets and carry roughly a 2–3% spread. Because spot moves constantly, contact us for the current buyback price on what you have.

Email [email protected] or call 716-829-9997 and tell us what you're selling — metal, product, and quantity — and we'll walk you through the next steps.

Buyback shipments to Agate must be sent fully insured and tracked, with signature required. You carry the transit risk until the shipment is delivered to us, so insure for full value and keep your tracking records.

No special status is required to ask — contact [email protected] with what you have and we'll tell you how the buyback would work for your pieces.

agatepresales.com is Agate's presale site — a login-gated dealer portal where approved dealers order presale pieces and rare mint drops.

Approved dealers. The portal sits behind a login, and accounts are approved before ordering opens up.

Apply through agatepresales.com. Once your application is approved, you can log in and order presale pieces through the portal.

A presale drop is a release of pieces offered through the dealer portal ahead of time — dealers reserve and order through the portal rather than the retail store.

The retail store is agatemetals.com — no dealer approval needed there. The presale portal is for approved dealers only.

They are two separate websites with separate access. Your agatemetals.com store activity doesn't carry into the login-gated portal at agatepresales.com, which requires its own approved dealer login.

We source from major mints and refiners — including the Perth Mint, PAMP, Valcambi, and Argor-Heraeus — so the products we sell come through established, reputable supply channels.

Basic checks anyone can do: compare the piece's weight and dimensions against the mint's published specifications, and compare its design details against the mint's product images. If you bought a piece from us and want help checking it, contact [email protected].

Agate's model is physical delivery: your metal ships to you, insured and tracked, and you hold it yourself. We don't hold customer metal in a vault.

General guidance: keep metal in a secure safe, in a dry place, and keep coins in their capsules, tubes, or original packaging to protect the finish. Many holders also use a bank safe-deposit box for part of a stack.

No. Cleaning coins — especially older U.S. coins — can damage the surface and reduce what they're worth. Keep coins in their holders and handle them by the edges.

Flexibility. Small pieces like 1 gram gold, 1/10 oz gold, and pre-1965 90% silver dimes and quarters cost less per piece, are widely recognizable, and can be bought or sold a little at a time instead of all at once.

Email [email protected] with your order details, or call 716-829-9997. Having your order information handy speeds everything up.

We don't publish fixed phone hours. Email at [email protected] works any time — send your question and we'll get back to you — or call 716-829-9997.

Yes. Beyond the retail catalog, Agate takes on custom projects and custom alloys for jewelers, manufacturers, and labs. Email [email protected] with what you're trying to make and we'll talk through it.

Contact us — phone 716-829-9997, email [email protected], or shop the store at agatemetals.com. If it's about presale dealer access, start at agatepresales.com.