Crunch Time
Ok this looks like the crunch time. I have never seen this before in the four years I have been tracking precious metals. Dealers are selling out and the price is dropping. This is really strange. I called my usual Canadian dealer Border Gold and they told me that the Canadian Mint had a delay in delivering Silver Maple Leafs. And get this all I wanted was 6 oz to totally fill up my monthly silver purchase of 800 worth of silver. So the mint is having problems getting silver to make their coins?

Jason Homel who has been following silver since 2003 reports that his mailing list subscribers are finding it hard to buy silver from coin shops even the major dealers are having trouble filling large orders (read Silver Shortage: 19 dealers reported "Sold Out"). Like he said this is crunch time. We are at the start of silver's rise. There is still a long way to go before silver matches it's inflation adjusted high of the 80's which is over 200 of today's dollars.

Buying on eBay tips
No one likes to get ripped off. I have not been ripped of on ebay when buying precious metals. The only injustice I witnessed on ebay was when a seller sent my item by mistake to another buyer and that buyer did not want to return it. I got stuck with a 10oz art bar. But it was silver and that was when silver was 6 dollars an oz.

Ok here are my tips.

1. Do not by precious metals from a new seller. You will find the bids are low for these sellers because it is risky. I was a risk taker so I made a few savings. But this was when silver was under 10 dollars
2. Buy name brands like JM or Engelhard or Mint related products.
3. Look for good feedback. Feedback that is positive but stay away from massive giant feedback numbers in the thousands because they can afford to get one negative and rip off.
4. Look at their selling history of the same product. Have they sold precious metals before?
5. Trying buying from ebay stores.
6. If silver has toning on it then it is silver.
7. Listen to your guts. Do not make a purchase you feel funny about.

Look the US dollar is tanking. Other currencies are following suit. The central banks are injecting money into the economy. Where is this money coming from? Out of thin air and worse still this created money carries interest with it. How can money created from nothing demand interest when all the money we use was made this way. There is no way it can ever be paid back.

E Rojas - March 21 2008