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Birch Gold Group is a legitimate U.S. precious-metals investment company founded in 2003 by CEO Laith Alsarraf. It boasts A+ BBB rating, strong Trustpilot, ConsumerAffairs, TrustLink, and Google ratings.
Birch Gold offers gold, silver, platinum, and palladium IRAs, with a $5,000 minimum investment, $50 setup fee, and $100 annual custodian and depository fees. Benefits include promotional fee waivers, free shipping, and qualifying free-silver offer. Complaints include high premiums, pricing concerns, customer-service delays, and disputed valuations. Its disadvantages include no cryptocurrency or gold ETF options, no exotic or numismatic metals, restrictive refunds, limited pricing transparency, no clearly advertised lifetime support, and no guaranteed metal buyback.
Overall, Birch Gold is an imperfect but legitimate and accessible US gold dealer to most Americans looking to diversify with precious metals.
What is Birch Gold Group? Are They a Legitimate and Reputable Gold Investment Company? Or are They a Scam?
Birch Gold Group is an excellent and reputable gold and silver investment company operating in the U.S. They’ve been in business of helping Americans diversify their investment and retirement portfolios since 2003 and are one of the best and most accessible gold IRA companies on the market thanks to their low investment thresholds.
Birch Gold Group isn’t a scam. It’s a favorably rated company that offers competitive pricing, excellent customer service, and a streamlined purchasing process.
| Name | Birch Gold Group |
|---|---|
| Website | https://www.birchgold.com/ |
| Date founded | 2003, with some sources mentioning 2011. |
| BBB score and rating | A+ |
| Location and headquarters | 309 Court Avenue, Suite 809 Des Moines, IA 50309 |
| Additional offices | / |
| CEO | Laith Alsarraf |
| Precious metals | Gold, silver, platinum, palladium. |
| Industry and service focus | Gold coins, gold IRA, palladium coins, platinum coins, precious metals. |
| Endorsements | Jeff Crouere, Pat Gray, Damon Roberts, American Sunrise, Rob Carson, Dr. Gina Loudon, Vince Coglianese, Lance Wallnau, Megyn Kelly, Chad Prather, Stephen K. Bannon, Clay Travis & Buck Sexton, Ron Paul, Dan Bongino, Steve Deace. |
Who Owns Birch Gold Group? Who’s the CEO?
Birch Gold Group is a privately held company founded in 2003 by Laith Alsarraf, the company’s CEO. A detailed ownership breakdown of Birch Gold Group isn’t publicly disclosed.
Laith Paul Alsarraf’s first significant success came before founding Birch Gold Group. In the early internet era he co-founded Cybernet Ventures, Inc., whose flagship service, AdultCheck, provided online age-verification technology.
Does Birch Gold Group Have a BBB Profile? What’s Their BBB Score and Rating?
Yes, Birch Gold Group has a BBB (Better Business Bureau) profile and their rating is A+ based on 216+ customer reviews. Birch Gold Group was accredited by the BBB on 7/21/2013 and BBB has registered Birch Gold Group under Precious Metal Dealers, Bullion Coin Dealers categories.
Note: Birch Gold Group are a reputable and legit gold IRA company.
They monitor their BBB profile like a hawk for complaints and make sure to promptly address and resolve any genuine customer feedback they receive.
For example, here’s someone (my guess a Birch Gold Group customer) complaining they failed to get in touch with someone from Birch Gold, and it’s been a while.
Birch Gold Group were able to get in touch with them and resolve this issue successfully.
What are the Fees for Opening a Gold IRA With Birch Gold Group?
The fees and pricing for setting up a Birch Gold Group account are:
- One-time set up fee- $50;
- Annual custodian fee- $100;
- Annual depository fee- $100.
The special perks you get as a BGG customer:
- First-year fees waived on IRAs over $50,000
- Free shipping for cash purchases over $10,000
- Get up to $10,000 in free silver on qualified purchases.
How to Open a Gold IRA With Birch Gold Group?
To open a gold IRA with Birch Gold Group you should follow the steps below.
First, call Birch Gold Group, speak to a department representative and provide account holder information. Second, pick the precious metal bullion you wish to acquire. IRA-approved precious metals are gold, silver, platinum and palladium. Third, fund the new SDIRA (Self Directed Individual Retirement Account) through a direct cash deposit or a rollover from an existing IRA, 401(k) and 403(b).
Fourth, approve the transfer instructions for your new custodian and the purchase of eligible precious metals to be held in your new gold IRA. Fifth, have your metals insured and sent to an IRS-approved depository.
What is the Minimum Investment Amount Needed When Opening a Gold IRA With Birch Gold Group?
$5,000 is the minimum investment amount needed when opening a gold IRA with Birch Gold Group.
Birch Gold’s minimum investment requirement for opening gold IRAs it very accessible to American investors. It’s because $5,000 minimum investment threshold pales in comparison to $50,000 required by Augusta Precious Metals and $25,000 required by Priority Gold.
All three are safe and legitimate gold IRA companies, but not all are accessible to everyone. Augusta caters to high-end investors, while Birch Gold caters to everyone and Priority Gold falls in the middle.
Which Precious Metals Coins and Bars Does Priority Gold Sell?
The Gold coins, bars and rounds Birch Gold sells are listed below.
American Buffalo Gold Coin, American Gold Eagle (proof), American Gold Eagle Bullion Coins, Australian 1/4 oz Gold Florin, Britannia Gold Coins, Canadian Maple Leaf Gold Coin, Gold Gyrfalcon, Gold Indian Head Eagle ($10), Gold Laurel, Gold Polar Bear and Cub, Gold Rose Crown Guinea 1/4 oz, Gold Twin Maples, Goldbacks, Liberty and Britannia 1/4 oz Gold Coin, Liberty Head (Coronet Head) collection, Liberty Head Double Eagle ($20), Saint Gaudens Double Eagle ($20), South African Gold Krugerrand, Valcambi CombiBars.
The silver coins and bars Birch Gold sells are listed below.
2 oz Silver Twin Maples, America the Beautiful Silver Coins, American Silver Eagle Bullion Coins, American Silver Eagle Proof, Australian 2 oz. Silver Florin, Britannia and Liberty Silver Coins, Canadian Silver Maple Leaf, Morgan Silver Dollar, Peace Silver Dollar, Queen Elizabeth Silver Laurel Coin, Saint Helena 2 oz Silver Napoleon Bee Coin, Silver Bars and Rounds.
The platinum coins and bars Birch Gold sells are listed below.
American Platinum Eagle, Australian 1/4 oz Platinum Florin, Platinum Bars and Rounds.
The palladium coins and bars Birch Gold sells are listed below.
American Palladium Eagle, Canadian Palladium Maple Leaf, Palladium Bars and Rounds.
Birch Gold Group Complaints, Customer Reviews and Testimonials
Birch Gold Group has accumulated hundreds of positive customer reviews and testimonials along with a handful of complaints on major consumer watchdog websites.
| Consumer Watchdog Websites | Number of reviews | Score | Number of complaints in the past 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| BBB | 216+ | A+ | None or very few complaints |
| Trustpilot | 4.6/5 | 315+ | None or very few complaints |
| ConsumerAffairs | 4.6/5 | 198+ | None or very few complaints |
| Google My Business | 4.8/5 | 549+ | None or very few complaints |
| Trustlink | 5/5 | 134+ | None or very few complaints |
| Yelp | 18+ | 2.9/5 | 60% positive customer reviews; 40% negative customer reviews. |
What is Birch Gold Group’s TrustPilot Score? Are the Customer Reviews and Rating Positive or Negative?
Birch Gold Group’s TrustPilot score is 4.6/5 based on 315+ customer reviews (as of writing my Birch Gold Group review for 2026). Most of the customer reviews are positive and some are negative reviews and testimonials.
What is Birch Gold Group’s ConsumerAffairs Score? Are the Customer Reviews and Rating Positive or Negative?
Birch Gold Group’s ConsumerAffairs score is 4.6/5 based on 198+ customer reviews (as of writing my Birch Gold Group review for 2026). Nearly all customer reviews are positive with only a handful of complaints and negative reviews and testimonials.
What is Birch Gold Group’s TrustLink’s Score? Are the Customer Reviews and Rating Positive or Negative?
Birch Gold Group’s TrustLink score is 5/5 based on 134+ customer review (as of writing my Birch Gold Group review for 2026). Nearly all of customer reviews are either positive or ecstatic.
What is Birch Gold Group’s Google Business Profile Score? Are the Customer Reviews and Rating Positive or Negative?
Birch Gold Group’s Google Business Profile score is 4.8/5 based on 549+ customer reviews (as of writing my Money Metals Exchange review for 2026). Most of Birch Gold’s customer reviews are either positive or highly positive with only a few genuine complaints.
What is Birch Gold Group’s Yelp Profile Score? Are the Customer Reviews and Rating Positive or Negative?
Birch Gold Group’s Yelp profile score is 2.9/5 based on 18+ customer reviews (as of writing my Birch Gold Group review for 2026). Roughly 60% of customer reviews are positive with 40% being negative or very negative.
Birch Gold Group’s Customer Reviews and Testimonials- A Snapshot
Birch Gold Group’s customer complaints are scattered across multiple consumer watchdog websites. Below is a snapshot of customer sentiment towards this gold dealer company.
Here’s a Birch Gold Group’s customer who complains that Birch Gold charged substantial upfront premiums on certain coins that the customer believed were marketed as collectible investments.
The customer says they invested $30,000 in June 2024, but the coins initially showed a market value of only about $15,000, implying a 50% loss from the purchase price.
About 18 months later, despite rising precious-metal prices, Birch reportedly valued the coins at approximately $25,000, while the customer says they could sell them for only $19,000, close to spot value.
The reviewer argues that Birch’s upfront charges made it difficult to recover the original investment and advises against using the company for investment purposes. The customer says they later moved to Noble Gold, citing greater transparency about bid, ask, and fees.
This Birch Gold Group’s customer complains about Birch Gold Group, alleging they were misled by representative Brock Kelly into purchasing fixed-mintage and proof gold and silver coins instead of bullion.
According to the complaint, Kelly claimed the coins were more valuable collectibles, could outperform bullion during recessions, and that proof coins were specially IRS-approved for IRAs. The reviewer disputes these claims and says they paid premiums exceeding 100% over spot for gold proof coins and 368% for silver proof coins in fall 2023.
They estimate being overcharged by approximately $52,000, resulting in an alleged opportunity cost exceeding $220,000 compared with investing the money in bullion.
This Birch Gold Group’s customer complains and claims that after rolling over a 401(k) valued at $131,414.33 into a Birch Gold arrangement on June 12, 2026, their first quarterly statement from Equity Trust Company showed an account value of only $87,005.75, a claimed 33% reduction of $44,408.58.
The customer contacted a Birch Gold representative, who reportedly explained that the lower figure represented the spot value of the metals, while claiming the coins were worth approximately $134,000. The reviewer says they initially accepted this explanation but later became concerned that account valuations were manipulated toward spot prices, resulting in significant losses.
This Birch Gold customer complains about poor customer service response time. They called three times, and each time in vain as there was no response from Birch Gold Group.
What Are Birch Gold Group’s Customer Reviews on Reddit?
Reddit activity related to Birch Gold Group is limited. There are plenty of fake affiliate reviews of Birch Gold where the goal is to get you to click their affiliate link. And there are also some genuine Reddit threads where regular people inquire about Birch Gold Group.
Here’s a fake Reddit thread about Birch Gold when some affiliate is dishonestly asking “Is Birch Gold legit” and then continuing to give their own answer alongside the inevitable affiliate links.
Here’s another fake Reddit Birch Gold Group review.
There are some genuine Reddit activity related to Birch Gold Group. Below are two examples I found.
Here’s another affiliate review of Birch Gold Group where the reviewer is honest that they’re promting rival gold IRA companies like Augusta Precious Metals and Golden Crest Metals.
Finally, here’s one genuine Reddit thread when someone gives their honest opinions about this gold investment company. However, there are no comments within the thread so it has limited value as a resource for you to review.
5 Pros to Opening a Gold IRA With Birch Gold Group
Pro 1- Regular Promo Offers During the Year
Birch Gold Group are very generous towards their existing and potential customers.
Here are the ongoing promos they currently run.
- First year fees waived on IRAs over $50,000
- Free shipping for cash purchases over $10,000
- Up to $10,000 in free precious metals on qualified purchases.
Pro 2- Free Silver Bonus Available (for Qualified Purchases)
Birch Gold Group offers free silver on qualified gold IRA purchases. Every customer is a potential candidate to get this bonus but there’re some requirements you’d need to meet to get free silver.
The amount of free silver you can get depends on the size of the gold IRA account you open with Birch Gold Group.
- For purchases of Metals of $50,000.00 to $99,999.99, Birch Gold Group gives a silver bonus worth $500;
- For purchases of Metals of $100,000.00 to $249,999.99, Birch Gold Group gives a silver bonus worth $1,000;
- For purchases of Metals of $250,000.00-$999,999.99, Birch Gold Group gives a silver bonus worth $2,500;
- For purchases of Metals of $1,000,000.00 or more, Birch Gold Group gives a silver bonus worth $10,000;
Getting free silver is a nice benefit, but you need to spend over $1,000,000 on precious metals to receive the full $10,000 worth of free silver. This free silver offer shouldn’t influence your decision if you have no intention of investing such a large sum in precious metals.
It’s minor added value compared to the total investment required in the context of funding your gold IRA with real gold bullion,
Pro 3- Excellent Customer Support
Birch Gold Group has an excellent customer support.
The best way to contact their customer support is via telephone. Call (800) 355-2116 to have all your questions answered.
The second best way to contact Birch Gold Group is via their site’s contact page. The response there is slower, but you’ll get a detailed response answering your question.
Birch Gold Group also have active social media profiles where you can get in touch with them and ask them questions. Make sure the questions you have can be answered with a sentence or two, because a sentence or two are the best these platforms are capable of.
For more serious matters call Birch Gold or send them a message via their contact form.
Pro 4- Excellent Education-Focused Website
A clear sign of the company’s legitimacy is their willingness to educate the potential customer before trying to sell to them. As for Birch Gold Group they’ll insist you download and peruse their free info kit before doing business with you.
They literally won’t want to work with you unless you come into this properly educated.
Pro 5- Low Number of Lawsuits Filed Against Birch Gold Group
Birch Gold Group have rarely been taken to court (according to my research and my Birch Gold Group lawsuit guide). They’ve only been sued once and never by an angry or cheated customer.
7 Cons and Complaints to Opening a Gold IRA With Birch Gold Group
Con 1- No Bitcoin IRA and Gold ETF’s Options Available
You can’t add Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to your retirement portfolio if you decide to open a gold IRA account with Birch Gold Group.
Cryptocurrencies are a big part of any alternative investment strategy and you can use alternative assets to supplement and further diversify your investment portfolio. But you can’t do it with Birch Gold Group.
iTrustCapital is the crypto IRA company I recommend to investors interested in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. iTrustCapital is reputable and legitimate, and they have nearly every type of crypto asset you can think off. They also sell gold and silver similar to Birch Gold.
Birch Gold Group doesn’t sell gold ETF’s which means you won’t be able to invest in paper gold with them. With Birch Gold Group you can only invest in physical gold, either through home ownership and possession or via a gold IRA.
Con 2- No Exotic Precious Metals Available
Birch Gold Group doesn’t sell more exotic noble metals like rhodium, osmium, ruthenium and iridium. It also doesn’t sell base metal bullion like for example JM Bullion does (JM Bullion sells copper bullets, bullion and rounds).
Con 3- No numismatic coins
Birch Gold Group doesn’t sell numismatic coins like rare versions of Sacagawea dollars of 1878 Silver Morgan dollars. You need to talk to a company like JM Bullion if you’re interested in coins with value far above their base metal content.
Con 4- Strict Refund Policy
Birch Gold Group’s refund policy is pretty restrictive.
They don’t offer any refunds, except for counterfeit coins returned to their original holders within 90 days of purchase.
Con 5- Lack of Pricing Transparency
Birch Gold Group don’t show the pricing of their products on their website.
It’s a con, but not a red flag because most other gold IRA companies don’t publicly show they pricing too.
It’s just the industry standard.
Con 6- No Lifetime Support
A gold investment company like Augusta Precious Metals offer “account lifetime support”. It’s their promise and guarantee that once you become their customer you’ll be entitled to receiving lifetime support from them.
Birch Gold Group also offer superb customer support, and it might be lifetime support as well. I can’t say it in my review as they don’t say it anywhere on their site.
Con 7- No Guaranteed Metal Buyback
Birch Gold Group don’t guarantee they’ll buyback the precious metals you bought from them. It’s a definite con, but also an obligatory one.
Why?
Because, according to the US law Birch Gold Group aren’t allowed to promise guaranteed buybacks.
Note: no other gold IRA company promises guaranteed buybacks. It’s forbidden by law.
Birch Gold Group Review 2026: Legit or Scam? BBB and Reddit Ratings, Fees, Customer Reviews and Complaints Explained!
References.
- Birch Gold Group ConsumerAffairs profile- https://www.consumeraffairs.com/finance/birch-gold-group.html
- Birch Gold Group TrustPilot profile- https://www.trustpilot.com/review/birchgold.com
- Birch Gold Group BBB profile- https://www.bbb.org/us/ia/des-moines/profile/precious-metal-dealers/birch-gold-group-0664-32155670/
- Birch Gold Group Trustlink profile- www.trustlink.org/Reviews/Birch-Gold-Group-206458098
- Birch Gold Group Yelp profile- https://www.yelp.com/biz/birch-gold-group-des-moines
- Anyone here actually use Birch Gold Group, how did it go once the paperwork and statements showed up? https://www.reddit.com/r/TheERAOfGold/comments/1sfguya/anyone_here_actually_use_birch_gold_group_how_did/
- Is birch gold group legit? Anyone has experience? https://www.reddit.com/r/GoldIRARollover/comments/1uv2h4h/is_birch_gold_group_legit_anyone_has_experience/
- Birch Gold Group Pros and Cons What the Actual Track Record Shows – https://www.reddit.com/r/IRAWealthStrategies/comments/1v5byok/birch_gold_group_pros_and_cons_what_the_actual/
Nikola Roza
Nikola Roza is the owner of Nikola Roza- Everything You Can Learn About Precious Metals. He writes for people who love precious metals and jewelry and who're interested in adding gold, silver platinum and palladium to their retirement portfolios. Nikola is passionate about gold IRAs and investing in multiple asset types for a safer financial future. He also runs a successful online jewelry store where you can buy precious metal jewelry and various replicas of famous coins and bars. Learn about Nikola here.
