Investing In Silver

Buy & Sell Silver

Those who want to buy silver will do so in times of crisis mainly because of the high security of the precious metal. However, there are also some points to consider when buying precious metals. First of all, the question arises in which form silver should be purchased. Basically, there are two options available here:

1. buy silver in bars
2. buy silver coins

Buying silver in bars

The bars of silver can be bought in different denominations. Thereby frequent variants are the bars to

• 10 grams,
• 20 grams,
• 31.1 grams,
• 50 grams,
• 100 grams,
• 250 grams,
• 500 grams and
• 1,000 grams.

The denomination should be chosen based on the value that is to be invested in the precious metal silver. It should be borne in mind that in times of crisis, large bars can not be as flexibly exchanged for money as smaller denominations.

Buying silver coins

The second way to buy silver is to invest in coins. In addition to the pure material value, coins also have a collector’s value or sentimental value. The silver coins come in many different varieties. The Vienna Philharmonic is one of the best known silver coins and is issued exclusively in Austria. In addition, there are numerous silver coins from Australia, Africa or South America, to name just a few.

Where can you buy silver?

If you want to buy silver, you can go to a precious metal dealer in your own city, as well as banks. In addition, you can buy silver online. Here are now countless stores to choose from. In both cases of buying silver, it should be noted that there are tax differences.

Buying silver online offers many advantages

Those who decide to buy their silver online must also familiarize themselves with the advantages and disadvantages. Reputable dealers provide a price guarantee. This means that the silver will be delivered at the silver price valid on the day of purchase, regardless of whether it will be shipped the next day. In addition, online stores will deliver silver directly to your home and a reputable dealer will insure the package accordingly. This protects buyers from any package losses. Only when the silver is received does the risk of loss pass to the buyer. Disadvantages arise when buying silver online at most when a dubious dealer is found.

Selling silver

Silver is a comparatively cheap and therefore widely used as an uncomplicated investment. Investment silver is available as coins or bars, although trading silver coins is the more popular form. Selling silver coins is also easier because of the consistent and relatively high investment value.

When selling silver, everything ultimately focuses on the question: who will pay the best price for the silver? It should also be noted that for silver – unlike gold – a value added tax must be paid.

Rates of increase in value?

In the past, the price of silver had less in common with the rapid rates of increase, but also with the ups and downs of the gold price. Nevertheless, it is currently on a downward trend. On the other hand, there are experts who expect the price to increase considerably, because silver is one of the unreservedly recognized investments, not least because no other metal on our planet is better able to conduct electricity and heat. In addition, it is antibacterial. These are massive reasons for the irreplaceability of the element and the increasing demand for silver in modern industrial and technological production. If you don’t want to wait for the silver price to rise now and sell your silver, there are a few things you should consider.

Which silver should be sold?

Not all silver sells equally well. For example, some potential buyers quickly become relatively skeptical about opulent silver bars. The reason for this is counterfeiting, which unsettles the market from time to time. Secondly, massive silver bars in the usual sizes are neither lightweight nor uncomplicated to store. The market price of the bars is also considerable. Therefore, the sale of silver coins is much less complicated. In the international markets, coin silver is popular and recognized. In order to obtain extensive proceeds through the sale of silver, it is recommended to sell larger one-kilo coins.

Where to sell the silver?

There are several ways to sell silver. On the one hand, the sale at the dealer and on the other hand, the online sale via auction portals are feasible.In the renowned precious metal trade, selling silver offers the advantage of getting money in hand immediately. Those who had paid VAT on the silver now for sale in the past will not get it back from the dealer. Generally, the professional silver dealer will pay less for the silver because of his profit margin than if you sell it privately. Renowned online portals are also suitable for selling silver. The large circle of interested parties often offers the opportunity to achieve much higher sales prices. In addition, however, it should be borne in mind that outstanding sales successes can only be generated online with popular portals as the number of positive evaluations increases.

The price of silver also rises and falls. Nevertheless, silver is one of the renowned and stable value investments. Thus, although the sale of the precious metal depends on the current price of silver, nevertheless, when selling silver to a reputable dealer yields of about 15 percent and when selling online about 30 percent above the silver price can be calculated.

Silver Bars

In recent years, the price of silver has risen significantly – and so has the higher demand around the world. Due to its importance as a precious metal in areas ranging from solar technology to electronics to medicine, silver is likely to remain a sought-after commodity in the years to come.

In the long term, the precious metal therefore still offers a lot of potential – also in view of the constantly growing population on earth. Therefore, more and more people decide to buy silver bars as a safe form of investment.

Buying silver bars – why is it worthwhile?

Compared to gold, silver is an industrial metal that is currently becoming more and more important, is constantly in use and is therefore gradually becoming scarcer. Furthermore, in the last centuries it has been used as a means of money much more often than gold – and it has never been forbidden. Thanks to its extremely low value density and good divisibility, silver is an optimal medium of exchange even in the event of inflation. Especially when it comes to smaller sums, such as in the four- or five-digit range, buying silver bullion makes perfect sense. A small disadvantage, however, is that when buying silver a value added tax is incurred. However, if the price of silver develops as expected, these additional costs will pay off in the long term in any case and make double or even triple for the buyer.

Tips for buying silver bars

Who wants to buy silver bars, should consider well before the purchase, which denomination is the appropriate. As a rule of thumb applies here: The smaller the silver bar, the higher the markup for the minting costs, which are in proportion to the pure price of the precious metal. For the mints, it makes little difference technically whether large or small bars are produced. The buyer, however, clearly benefits from smaller bars, as they can be better divided up – which can be very helpful for inheritance purposes, for example. Smaller bars also allow more flexibility in the event of a possible crisis.

For this reason, experts recommend to make a denomination in different bar sizes and even to acquire silver bars in some cases – if the price rises later, it is worthwhile to invest in larger silver bars of one, five or even 15 kg weight. Anyone who wants to buy silver bars should also be aware that they are subject to value-added tax. Private buyers should therefore not only buy silver bars, but also consider coin bars as a lucrative investment.

Before buying, it is also necessary to plan where the bars will later be safely stored. Here it is well worthwhile to rent a safe deposit box or even to purchase a safe and take out household insurance – so nothing can happen. By the way, the best way to store minted fine silver DIN bars is to save space. Here, interested parties are best to ask directly at the time of purchase what options are available.

Selling silver bars

Silver bars have been considered an intelligent form of investment for many years, since silver is known to be a precious metal that has never been prohibited. But what is the best way to proceed if someone wants to buy silver bullion? The following article provides helpful tips on this topic.

This is the right way to do it

Most people who want to sell silver bars will probably first turn to the buying office from which they previously purchased the bar. This is one option – alternatively, you can also visit the nearest bank branch. In the meantime, however, it is almost most common that selling silver bars through banks is only feasible if the bar was previously purchased there or if an account exists with the bank. Here it is quite clear that more and more banks are rather skeptical about the lucrativeness of silver buying and selling.

Especially in times of rising silver prices, selling silver bullion is of course relatively easy, since the demand for the precious metal – especially in bar form – is relatively high. If the silver price falls, however, selling silver bars also becomes much more complicated. In principle, however, owners of bars usually have a good chance with precious metal dealers, which is why the worry of not being able to get rid of the silver is actually unfounded. If, nevertheless, a bank is found for the sale, it must be noted that the money is not paid out directly, but the seller usually has to wait for some time, because the bars must first be checked. This can take up to two weeks – depending on the bank – before the value amount is then actually paid out. If, on the other hand, it is a pure precious metal dealer, such as ESG, silver bars can be sold directly at the current daily price without having to wait for the money – bank charges are also logically not incurred here.

What to look for

Another very important point that plays a major role in the sale of silver bars is the registration. In most cases, proof of identity is required when selling for security reasons alone, because there are enough forgeries even with precious metals. At banks, the person is usually registered – which is easy if an account is opened at the branch – although the sale and purchase of silver bullion is actually exempt from registration up to a maximum limit of 14,999 euros. Nowadays, many banks prefer to play it safe here.

For silver coins, the tradable size is always measured to one ounce (abbreviated as oz). Bars, on the other hand, are traded in kilograms or grams. Bars that have been produced by mints or special manufacturers are usually marked with a logo. In case of doubt, the respective bar can then usually also be sold back to them.

Silver Coins

Buying silver coins is not only a stable investment, but also a profitable way to gain. Because above a certain level the silver price changes more strongly and more frequently than the gold price – recognizable by the fluctuations of the gold-silver ratio.

This represents the ratio of gold price and silver price. Buying silver cheaply and selling it two years later at a good profit is a realistic return opportunity. For investors who shy away from the big risk, there are the so-called investment coins. These are government-authorized mintings of gold or silver, the value of which is exactly designed according to the mass of the precious metal. As a rule, it is silver or gold with the highest degree of purity. The price is not influenced by idealistic standards, as is the case, for example, with collectors who buy silver coins out of numismatic considerations. In terms of weight, the bullion coins also follow the commercial aspect by corresponding to the usual commercial volume on an ounce basis. An ounce is 31.1 grams – the average collector gold coin weighs between 4 and 8 grams.

Which silver coins to buy?

There are a number of popular silver coins that investors tend to buy in larger quantities. The popularity, of course, also depends on the motifs and the optical quality – after all, these are not neutral bars, but still coins. A certain passion for collecting also plays a role, because there are annual issues. Many a father or grandfather buys his son or grandson a bullion coin year after year, thus ensuring that his descendant will have capital later on. The most common form is the bullion coin. It has exactly the weight of an ounce. International favorites are the Canadian Maple Leaf, the American Eagle, the New Zealand Kookaburra or the China Panda. The bullion coin “Vienna Philharmonic” is the first bullion coin made of silver to carry the euro as its face value.

Buy silver coins with a view to the development

2012 was a new record year in the extraction of silver: 24,000 tons of the precious metal were extracted worldwide. Despite this, the price of silver did not fall above average. This is due to the increasing industrial production, which processes silver. The raw material is in particularly high demand for new technologies. Boom countries such as China and India are investing in silver to an unprecedented extent. Since silver is considered chronically undervalued compared to gold, many experts see a new silver run. Already in the first decade of the new millennium, the second most important precious metal recorded an exorbitant price increase with an equally sharp decline. In the future, experts believe, silver will establish itself at a higher level. This would be a long-term reason to buy bullion coins, because they allow you to buy silver cheaply.

Selling silver coins

Silver coins can be found in many households, because they are part of everyday things, inherited from grandparents or from family tradition. Until 1945, it was common that a not insignificant part of the coins in circulation contained silver components. This was generally true of higher denomination currency, but as late as the Empire of 1971 until 1918, penny coins were also minted with silver. Often people who own nostalgic items do not even know that many coins in their holdings are made of silver. Admittedly, the means of payment are usually also so worn, oxidized and discolored that nothing is left of the shine of the precious metal. Nevertheless, these silver coins can be sold.

The benchmark is the silver price

As a rare precious metal, silver has always had a special price, and is still traded comparatively expensive today. However, the price of silver fluctuates greatly. Between the year 2000 and the year 2010, for example, it grew by 400%. Currently, it is at a medium level – so it is a good time to sell silver coins. Up to 50 cents is paid for a gram of silver. This may seem low at first glance, but measured against the average old stocks in private hands, a good revenue is thus “in it”. After all, the mark pieces from the imperial era weighed 5.5 grams and contained 90% silver. This makes a today’s price of a little more than 2 euros when selling silver coins. The two-mark pieces from the 1930s also fetch a similar price. They are heavier, but contain only 625 silver. Whatever is found – sell silver coins in larger quantities always brings amounts above 100 euros.

The value for collectors

Among the general means of payment, there are only extremely rare specimens whose state of preservation is also interesting for a numismatist. That is why selling silver coins in this category is possible only at the silver price. This is true even for many larger and excellently preserved coins, because they are so abundant that there are far too few buyers for them. For example, anyone who wants to sell silver coins minted after World War II as commemorative coins will usually also receive only the material price.

Only really genuine collector’s items sell well as silver coins. Anyone who has one or more such specimens should clean them well before selling. After all, the blackening of silver is not popular even among collectors, and when the precious metal unfolds its radiant luster, the impulse to buy is much higher. The best and most gentle method is bathing in a caustic soda solution with about 15% concentration. If the result does not seem sufficient, you can “top it up” with an acetic acid bath (10 %). Changing both methods several times definitely helps. The good pieces can of course be sold better as beautiful silver coins.