Money Metals Exchange Review 2026: Legit or Scam? BBB and Reddit Ratings, Fees, Customer Reviews and Complaints Explained!

Welcome to my Money Metals Exchange review for 2026!

Money Metals Exchange is a legitimate U.S.-based precious metals dealer founded in 2010 by Stefan and Mike Gleason. The company buys and sells gold, silver, platinum, palladium, copper, and rhodium, and also offers gold IRA services, secure storage through its own Idaho-based depository, and a metals-backed loan program.

Key strengths include competitive buyback rates, a monthly accumulation plan, an extensive product range, and strong educational resources. IRA fees include a $50 setup fee, $125 annual custodial fee, and storage fees up to $300 per year.

Notable drawbacks include limited international shipping (U.S. and Canada only), a strict refund policy, limited fee transparency, and a mixed Trustpilot score of 2.7/5. Customer complaints typically center on slow processing times, shipping issues, and pricing disputes.

Overall, Money Metals Exchange isn’t a scam, but a reputable, though imperfect option for precious metals investors.

What is Money Metals Exchange? Are They a Scam? Or are They a Legitimate and Reputable Gold Investment Company?

Money Metals Exchange is a reputable precious-metals dealer and bullion-exchange company that helps investors buy, sell, store, and borrow against physical precious metals such as gold, silver, platinum, palladium and rhodium. Money Metals isn’t a scam but a legitimate business that for the last 15 years has helped 750,000+ customers diversify their portfolios with precious metals.

The company states its mission is to help people “buy, sell, and hold precious metals” as protection against inflation (inflation hedge) and fiat currency devaluation.

Money Metals Exchange is mainly used by investors, bullion collectors, retirement savers, and “hard money” advocates who seek inflation hedging, wealth preservation, and tangible-asset ownership.

They’re also a gold IRA company that helps people protect their wealth through an IRS-approved SDIRA (Self Directed Individual Retirement Account).

Name	Money Metals Exchange
Website	https://www.moneymetals.com/
Date founded	2010
BBB score and rating	A+
Location and headquarters	70 E. State Street, Eagle, Idaho 83616, United States.
Additional offices	/
CEO	Stefan Gleason
Precious metals	Gold, silver, platinum, palladium, copper, rhodium and rare coins.
Industry and service focus	Gold coins, gold IRA, palladium coins, platinum coins, precious metals investing, rare coins, silver coins, silver IRA
Endorsements	/

Who Owns Money Metals Exchange? Who’s the CEO?

Stefan Gleason and Mike Gleason are the owners of Money Metals Exchange. Money Metals Exchange was launched by the two brothers in 2010, and it operates as a subsidiary of the Gleason family’s overarching holding company, Gleason & Sons LLC.

Stefan Gleason is also the president and CEO of Money Metals Exchange.

According to the company’s about page:

“Stefan Gleason founded Money Metals Exchange in 2010 in direct response to the abusive methods of national advertisers of “rare,” collectible, and numismatic coins who mark up their coins to 50%, 100%, or even higher above their actual melt value. Money Metals believes the average investor should never purchase precious metals that are not priced at or near their actual melt value. The rare coin market is only suitable for highly experienced collectors with money to blow.”

 

Does Money Metals Exchange Have a BBB Profile? What’s Their Score and Rating?

Yes, Money Metals Exchange has a BBB (Better Business Bureau) profile and their rating is A+ based on 126+ customer reviews. Money Metals Exchange was accredited by the BBB on 3/29/2011 and BBB has registered Money Metals Exchange under Precious Metal Dealers, Precious Metal Buyer, Coin Buyer, Coin Seller categories.

What are the Fees of Opening a Gold IRA With Money Metals Exchange?

Money Metals Exchange’s IRA-opening fees are $50 account setup fee, $125/yr custodial fee and $100/yr to $300/yr storage fee. Storage fee changes based on the value of precious metals stored.

Money Metals Exchange Depository Fees.

Holding value	Annual fee
Up to $15,999	$96
$16,000 to $99,999	0.59% of the holding value
$100,000 to $999,999	0.49% of the holding value
$1 million to $2.9 million	0.39% of the holding value

Money Metals doesn’t universally waive all gold IRA fees, but they frequently run promotions that waive the first year’s account setup fees and initial administration costs for new accounts reaching specific minimum funding thresholds.

Payment methods Money Metals accept are checks, e-checks/ACH, credit card, Paypal, wire, money order, bitcoin, or other cryptocurrencies. Checks and ACH, come with a clearing delay, and credit cards, PayPal and crypto payments come with a modest transaction fee.

What are the Fees for Buying Physical Precious Metals from Money Metals Exchange?

The fees for buying physical precious metals from Money Metals Exchange are the live metal spot price at the moment of purcahse+ markup (premium)+ payment-method’s processing fee.

Shipping is fully insured and free on orders valued $199+. Smaller orders incur a flat shipping fee of $7.97.

How to Open a Gold IRA With Money Metals Exchange?

To open a gold IRA with Money Metals Exchange follow the five steps below.

Step #1- choose a custodian to report to IRS, administer and safeguard your new gold IRA. Money Metals is a noble metal dealer and they’re not a custodian. This means you must first establish an account with a self-directed IRA custodian to handle your administrative requirements and make sure there’s 100% legal compliance with the U.S. law. Money Metals commonly partners with New Direction Trust Company, but they can also work with other reputable trustee services (Mountain West IRA,, Preferred Trust Company, Advanta IRA. American IRA Company).

Step #2- complete the IRA application. You’ll need to fill out the Money Metals Exchange Election Form to specify Money Metals as your dealer of choice and declare your intended purchases.

Step #3- Fund Your IRA. You can fund your new account through a direct transfer, 401(k) and 403(b) rollovers, or via annual contribution. Custodians accept funding via wire, paper check, or e-check.

Step #4- Purchase IRS-approved metals. Once your funds are available, contact Money Metals Exchange directly at 1-800-800-1865 or through their platform to purchase your metals.

Step #5. Arrange secure storage. IRS guidelines forbid home physical metal storage. For your gold IRA Money Metals will coordinate directly with your chosen custodian to securely transfer and store your metals in an IRS-approved facility such Delaware Depository or Brink’s. Money Metals also operates their own depository where you can store your precious metals both within and outside of your IRA.

What is the Minimum Investment Amount Required When Opening a Gold IRA With Money Metals Exchange?

The minimum investment amount required when opening a gold IRA with Money Metals Exchange is unknown. The number is not listed on their official website and I also checked other Money Metals reviews to find out. These other reviews give widely different answers which means they’re unreliable.

You need to call Money Metals and inquire about their IRA minimum investment amount.

Which Products Does Money Metals Exchange Sell?

Money Metals Exchange sells gold, silver, platinum and palladium and this company offers a wide range of coins and bars made from these metals.

Money Metals Exchange Complaints, Customer Reviews and Testimonials

Money Metals Exchange has accumulated hundreds of positive customer reviews and testimonials along with a handful of complaints on major consumer watchdog websites.

Here’s a brief overview and I cover these verified customer complaints and reviews further below in my review.

Consumer Watchdog Websites	Number of customer reviews	Score	Number of customer complaints in the past 12 months
BBB	126+	A+	Dozens of verified customer complaints.
Trustlink	1+	5/5	No customer complaints.
ConsumerAffairs	/	/	/
Google My Business	10+	4.4/5	No profile
Trustpilot	205+	2.7/5	None or very few complaints

What is Money Metals Exchange’s TrustPilot Score? Are the Customer Reviews and Rating Positive or Negative?

Money Metals Exchange’s TrustPilot score is 2.7/5 based on 205+ customer reviews (as of writing my Money Metals Exchange review for 2026). Roughly half of the customer reviews are positive and half are customer complaints, negative reviews and testimonials.

What is Money Metals Exchange’s ConsumerAffairs Score? Are the Customer Reviews and Rating Positive or Negative?

Money Metals Exchange doesn’t have a ConsumerAffairs profile. This means they aren’t scored and rated by this consumer watchdog website.

What is Money Metals Exchange’s Trustlink’s Score? Are the Customer Reviews and Rating Positive or Negative?

Money Metals Exchange’s TrustLink score is 5/5 based on 1+ customer review (as of writing my Money Metals Exchange review for 2026). Just one customer review makes Money Metals’s TrustLink profile unreliable and should be disregarded as a source of valuable information about the company.

What is Money Metals Exchange’s Google Business Profile Score? Are the Customer Reviews and Rating Positive or Negative?

Money Metals Exchange’s Google Business Profile score is 4.4/5 based on 10 customer reviews (as of writing my Money Metals Exchange review for 2026). 10 customer reviews in general isn’t enough to get an objective overview of the company.

Money Metals Exchange’s Customer Reviews and Testimonials- A Snapshot

Money Metals Exchange’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 Money Metals Exchange’s customer who complains about worn out silver coins that weighed much less than they were supposed. The customer regrets buying from Money Metals Exchange and they say from now on they’ll be purchasing precious metal bullion from Monument Metals.

Money Metals Exchange’s response below indicates to the customer that it’s normal for some coins to be damaged, and some to be in near-mint condition.

Here’s a Money Metals Exchange’s customer who complains about the slowness of the process of acquiring precious metal bullion from Money Metals. The customer warns potential customers to be very careful when doing business with this gold and silver dealer.

Money Metals Exchange’s response below indicates that it’s normal for the whole process to take a few weeks to complete. Bank transfers alone take 5+ days on average.

Here’s a Money Metals Exchange’s customer who complains about the company charging them two times for the same bullion.

Money Metals Exchange’s response below indicates there was no second transaction and that the customer is mistaken.

Here’s a Money Metals Exchange’s customer who complains about the company’s precious metal-backed loan program.

The customer has a range of complaints which I list below.

• Excessive processing delay. Took over two weeks for the depository to log the shipped metals. The reviewer found it unacceptable.
• Below-market appraisal. Collateral was valued significantly below current spot/market value.
• Unexpected LTV (Loan-to-Value) reduction. The loan-to-value ratio was dropped from the advertised 75% down to 60% without prior warning or adequate explanation.
• Bait-and-switch tactics. High LTV was advertised to lure customers into shipping metals, only for terms to worsen once shipping costs were already sunk.
• Loan amount too low to be useful. The combination of low appraisal and reduced LTV made the resulting loan amount pointless for the reviewer’s needs.
• Costly return shipping fees. Charged an additional ~$200 to return the metals after the reviewer canceled.
• Total financial loss of ~$800. Nearly $600 in outbound shipping plus ~$200 in return shipping, with no loan received and no benefit gained.
• Two months of wasted time. The entire process from start to cancellation consumed nearly two months.
• Poor communication. Lack of transparency and inadequate explanations throughout the process.
• Erosion of long-term trust. A previously loyal customer who built their stack with the company stated they would never purchase from or use them again.

Below is Money Metals Exchange’s response to this customer.

According to them:

“We reserve the right to lower the REMOVED maximum during periods of extreme price volatility. This is done primarily to protect the client and reduce the risk of a collateral call and liquidation of the collateral metal. Collateral is always valued based on our bid price for the items and this should not have been a surprise to the client.“

Here’s a Money Metals Exchange’s customer who complains about the slowness of the precious metal buying process. It’s the repeat of the previous BBB complaint I posted above in my review. This customer was obviously angry and vented their anger on several consumer watchdog websites.

Here’s a Money Metals Exchange’s customer who complains about the company’s unethical behavior in regards to price locking and price adjusting. This person suggests people take screenshots of agreed price with time remaining so they can compare it later with the final price.

Here’s a Money Metals Exchange’s customer who has a whole host of complaints about working with Money Metals.

I list these objections below.

• Order cancellation ignored. Canceled an order within 6 hours of placing it, yet the company didn’t honor the cancellation.
• Disputed price claim. Money Metals Exchange insisted they had purchased silver at $120/oz on the customer’s behalf, which the reviewer believes is false given that silver dropped to $82 and stayed there for over two weeks.
• Unauthorized account charge. Over $1,800 was taken from the reviewer’s account without their permission. Customer thinks this was an unauthorized transaction.
• Confrontational customer service. Money Metals’s customer service representative was immediately hostile and unpleasant rather than trying to resolve the issue amiably.
• Accused of dishonesty. The reviewer outright accuses the company of lying about being financially on the hook for silver at the higher price.
• No goodwill toward a loyal customer. No attempt was made to retain or accommodate them despite having spent over $5,000 with the company and being a repeat buyer.

The experience was so severe that the reviewer states they intend to pursue a lawsuit against Money Metals. The reviewer also says they have accounts with multiple competing dealers and won’t return to Money Metals.

What Are Money Metals Exchange’s Customer Reviews on Reddit?

Money Metals Exchange’s customer reviews on Reddit are mixed. Some customers praise the company’s service and some say not to buy precious metals from them.

It’s worth reading all of these customer reviews, just make sure you take everything you read on the internet with a grain of salt.

Here’s a Redditor who claims Money Metals have excellent customer service. And you’ve seen from customer reviews above that some of them complain of poor and hostile customer service.

It’s likely that not every staff member is the same or someone has had a bad day and vented their frustration on the customer.

Here’s a Redditor who say’s they only bought once from Money Metals and that they’ll never buy again. The customer is particularly unimpressed with their silver round replicas.

According to them:

“Their prices are too inflated, and I didn’t like the quality of their Money Metals minted replica Walking Liberty 1 Oz, 1/2 Oz, and 1/10th Oz rounds that came with the ASE and the Maple. Pretty horrible quality rounds. I have never bought from them again.”

Here’s a Redditor who favorably compares Money Metals Exchange to SD Bullion, JM Bullion and Monument Metals. The customer says Money Metals has the coins of best quality, best packed. The customer continues that they can’t say anything about Money Metals’ customer support because they never had any problems.

Here’s a Money Metals Exchange customer who praises Money Metals for their professionality in honoring the high silver spot price at the sale moment. The overall slowness of the process was the slight complaint this customer had.

9 Money Metals Exchange Pros

Money Metals Exchange stands out as a full-featured precious metals dealer. Customers can purchase directly online, and a Monthly Purchase Plan enables automatic dollar-cost averaging.

Beyond the standard gold and silver, the platform stocks platinum and palladium, as well as the exceptionally rare rhodium, setting it apart from most competitors. Numismatic collectors are also well served, with proof and graded coins available across multiple metals.

For those unsure where to start, pre-made portfolios simplify the selection process while prioritizing liquidity and low transaction costs. Investors who already hold bullion can leverage it through the Metals Equity Line of Credit, borrowing up to 65% of collateral value without selling.

The buyback program accepts any products the company sells, and customer support is reachable via phone, email, and contact form. Overall, Money Metals Exchange offers a comprehensive, accessible experience for both new and seasoned investors.

Pro 1- Online Purchase and Payment Available

Money Metals Exchange allows you to buy coins, bars and rounds directly from their website. Simply add items to you cart and check out. This greatly simplifies the process of buying physical precious metals and it’s an advantage over some other precious metal dealers.

American Hartford Gold (americanhartfordgold.com) is a good example and excellent gold IRA company that doesn’t allow orders for the site. Instead, you have to call them and one of American Hartford Gold’s sales agent will walk you through the buying process.

Pro 2- Monthly Gold & Silver Purchase Plan

Money Metals’ Monthly Gold & Silver Purchase Plan is a monthly precious metals savings program that lets you automatically invest in gold, silver, and other metals without timing the market.

By setting a fixed monthly purchase, you benefit from dollar-cost averaging, buying more metal when prices dip and less when they rise, smoothing out volatility over time. It’s an accessible way for everyday investors to accumulate physical assets that historically hold value against inflation and currency debasement.

Pro 3- Platinum and Palladium Products Available

Money Metals Exchange stocks platinum and palladium products. This separates them from many US gold IRA companies that only stock gold and silver bullion products. Silver and gold are much more popular and abundant metals that platinum and palladium and it’s the main reason why there’s more of them on the market.

Money Metals caters to smart investors who want to hedge against inflation and ensure their financial stability with four noble metals, and not just two.

Pro 4- Numismatic Coins Available

Money Metals Exchange has a wide variety of proof coins and graded coins for sale to coins collectors. Most abundant offers are gold and silver proofs and graded coins specimens, but there’s also some platinum coins available.

There’re no palladium proof coins and older specimens because palladium coins are rare compared to the three metals I mentioned above.

Pro 5 Pre-Made Portfolios

Money Metals Exchange offers pre-made portfolios of their most popular products, designed to take the guesswork out of choosing the right mix of metals. These pre-made portfolios are ideal for beginners looking to start on the right track, and convenient for experienced investors looking to quickly add to their holdings.
Each portfolio is built around the most widely traded bullion products, ensuring strong liquidity so you can sell quickly and at a fair price when the time comes. Items are carefully selected for their low bid/ask spread, keeping transaction costs down.

Pro 6- Some Exotic Precious Metals Available

Money Metals sells rhodium coins and bars. This is exceedingly rare as rhodium coins and bars are rare on the market and almost no other US company sells it.

Interestingly, the first bar on display in the image below shows a rhodium bar that’s IRA eligible. This is a mistake. According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), only gold, silver, platinum, and palladium bullion products that meet specific fineness requirements under Section 408(m) of the Internal Revenue Code are IRA-approved.

Rhodium isn’t currently recognized as an approved precious metal for inclusion in a self-directed precious metals IRA.

Pro 7- Loan Program

Money Metals Capital Group offers a gold loan program, called a Metals Equity Line of Credit (MELOC)™ that lets precious metals owners borrow against their bullion without selling it.

Borrowers can access up to 65% of their collateral’s market value, with a minimum loan of $15,000 (requiring at least $23,000 in metals). Interest rates are competitive with business credit lines, far below typical pawnshop rates of 25–50% annually. Eligible collateral includes gold, silver, platinum, and palladium bullion, and this bullion must be stored in Money Metals’ insured Class 3 vault in Eagle, Idaho.

Funds are disbursed within 48 hours of deposit.

Pro 8- Excellent Buyback Policy

Money Metals Exchange offers a straightforward buyback program through its “Sell to Us” service. The company will buy back any products it sells, regardless of whether the customer originally purchased from them.

Sellers can either call 1-800-800-1865 to lock in a sale price or visit the relevant product page online and click “Sell to Us” button. Items must be in good, marketable condition and shipped promptly via USPS Registered Mail, insured for their full value. Buyback terms are disclosed before any purchase is made, so customers can evaluate the full picture from the start.

Pro 9- Excellent Customer Support

Money Metals Exchange have an excellent customer support. You can contact them via email, via phone, via their website’s contact form or even via their social profiles. Contacting them by phone is your fastest option, followed by writing to them via contact form and email. You can access support by clicking on the email icon in the bottom right corner on their website.

Money Metals Exchange doesn’t have a chat widget embedded on their site. Chat widget would be the fastest way to contact them, even faster than via phone.

7 Money Metals Exchange Cons and Disadvantages

Money Metals Exchange has several notable disadvantages compared to competitors. It offers no free silver bonus for qualified IRA purchases and it doesn’t waive fees for eligible customers. The company also lacks fee transparency, as pricing and spread percentages aren’t publicly displayed on their website.
The company has been involved in five lawsuits, which may concern potential investors.

It doesn’t support Bitcoin IRAs or gold ETFs, limiting portfolio diversification options for those interested in cryptocurrencies or paper gold.

Money Metal’s refund policy is restrictive, allowing only partial refunds with a 5% restocking fee and additional market-loss deductions. Finally, international shipping isn’t available and overseas buyers must store their metals at the U.S.-based Money Metals Depository rather than taking direct possession.

Overall, while the company has merits, but these drawbacks are worth considering before investing.

Con 1- No Free Silver Bonus Available (for Qualified Purchases)

Money Metals Exchange doesn’t offer free silver with qualified IRA purchases. This is a disadvantage for the company compared to some of their competitors.

For example, Birch Gold offers up to $10,000 in free silver for qualified IRA purchases. Birch Gold Group is a legitimate company that’s been helping Americans diversify with precious metals for many years, and their verified-customer’s reviews are stellar.

Con 2- No Fees for the First Year Paid for Eligible Customers

Money Metals Exchange doesn’t waive fees for eligible IRA customers. This is a con compared to some of their competitors.

For example, Augusta Precious Metals waives fees for 10 years and in that criteria they’re the best gold IRA company in the United States. Read my Augusta Precious Metals review to learn more about this company.

Con 3- Lack of Fee Transparency

Money Metals Exchange has a poor pricing transparence towards their potential customers. Their fees aren’t displayed on their website and you need to call them and inquire.

Their spread percentage is also not displayed on Money Metals Exchange’s site. This is a con, but also common as most other gold investment companies hide their spread percentages too.

Money Metals does show pricing when you’re buying physical precious metals to own and secure your future. These fees change every day based on the spot price of the metal in question.

Con 4- One Previous Lawsuit Against the Company

Money Metals Exchange has been involved in five separate lawsuits.

This isn’t ideal as ideally your chosen gold IRA company should have a spotless court record. I won’t go into details here in my review, but visit my Money Metals Exchange lawsuit guide to learn more.

Con 5- No Bitcoin IRA and Gold ETF’s Options Available

Money Metals Exchange isn’t a Bitcoin IRA company. You won’t be able to add Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to your retirement portfolio if you decide to open a gold IRA account with them.

Cryptocurrencies are a major part of any alternative investment strategy and you can use alternative assets to supplement and further diversify your investment portfolio. But you won’t be able to do it with Money Metals Exchange.

iTrustCapital is the crypto IRA company I recommend to investors interested in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. iTrustCapital is a legitimate crypto IRA provider and they have nearly every type of crypto asset you can think off. They also sell gold and silver similar to Money Metals.

Money Metals Exchange doesn’t sell gold ETF’s which means you won’t be able to invest in paper gold with them. With them you can only invest in physical gold and other metals, either through home ownership and possession or via a gold IRA.

Con 6- Strict Refund Policy

Money Metals Exchange refund policy is strict. Only partial refunds are allowed with plenty of caveats along the way.

According to Money Metals Exchange:

“Returns of jewelry or silver statutes: These items may be returned within 30 days for a partial refund (rather than selling the item back at our current bid). You are responsible for shipping and insurance costs for the return, and there will be a 5% restocking fee. The item must be returned with all of the original packaging and paperwork — in good condition. If there are market losses on the value of the metal, those losses will also be deducted from your refund amount.”

Con 7- Complicated International Shipping

Money Metals Exchange doesn’t ship directly to international addresses; their fulfillment is restricted to locations within the United States.

As a foreigner you can still purchase from Money Metals, but your bullion will be securely stored within the U.S. at the Money Metals Depository. This avoids shipping logistics entirely until you are ready to personally take possession or sell the metals back.

I found this testimonial on Reddit from someone who purchased several times from Money Metals. They’ve had satisfying experiences with the company but claim Money Metals isn’t the fastest gold dealer in the US.

Money Metals Exchange Review 2026: Legit or Scam? BBB and Reddit Ratings, Fees, Customer Reviews and Complaints Explained! (Conclusion)

Money Metals Exchange is a legitimate U.S.-based precious metals dealer founded in 2010, serving over 750,000 customers. It buys and sells gold, silver, platinum, palladium, and other metals, while also offering Gold IRA services, secure vault storage in Idaho, and a metals-backed loan program.

Strengths include competitive buyback rates, a monthly savings plan, and a wide product range. Drawbacks include limited international shipping (U.S. and Canada only), a strict refund policy, poor fee transparency, and a mixed Trustpilot score of 2.7/5.

Common complaints involve slow processing and pricing disputes. Overall, Money Metals Exchange is a reputable, but imperfect choice for precious metals investors.

My Money Metals Exchange review for 2026 is over!

References.

• Money Metals Exchange, LLC- https://www.bbb.org/us/id/eagle/profile/precious-metal-dealers/money-metals-exchange-llc-1296-1000013520
• Money Metals Trustpilot profile- https://www.trustpilot.com/review/moneymetals.com
• Have any of you guys bought from Money Metals Exchange? Good customer service, no issues with shipping? https://www.reddit.com/r/Silverbugs/comments/1216rfq/have_any_of_you_guys_bought_from_money_metals/
• is Money Metals a reputable site? https://www.reddit.com/r/Silverbugs/comments/1onmge3/money_metals/
• Is Money Metals Exchange legit? https://www.reddit.com/r/Silverbugs/comments/g2520i/is_money_metals_exchange_legit/
• Secure, State-of-the-Art Depository to Store Your Gold & Silver- https://www.moneymetals.com/silver-gold-storage
• Legal Disclosures and Service, Use, and Transaction Terms- https://www.moneymetals.com/privacy/legal-disclosures
• Money Metals Shipping….- https://www.reddit.com/r/Silverbugs/comments/11ecgt4/money_metals_shipping/