APMEX review: are its gold coin and bar premiums low enough to justify the service?
APMEX stocks more than 30,000 products and ships free over $199, but independent comparisons put its gold premiums above JM Bullion and SD Bullion. We weighed selection and service against the price of paying by card.
6.8/10
APMEX is honest, well capitalised and has the deepest catalogue of any US online dealer, but it is not cheap. A 1 oz gold bar runs about 5.2% over spot by wire and 9.58% by card, and discount rivals undercut it on common coins. Pay by wire or check, buy the odd item others lack, and price the standard coins elsewhere first.
Best for
Buyers who want a specific coin or bar and pay by wire or check
Catalogue of more than 30,000 products, including items discount dealers skip
Wire, check and eCheck payments keep a 4% cash discount
Free shipping on orders of $199 and over, insured in transit
Price is locked at checkout, not when the order ships
Owned since 2023 by the MKS PAMP group, a large refiner
What does not
Premiums on common gold sit above JM Bullion and SD Bullion in comparisons
Card, PayPal and BitPay payments lose the 4% discount and add about 4.17%
No published buyback spread; bids are quoted item by item
Trustpilot score of 3.9 from 8,567 reviews trails JM Bullion's 4.3
Specs
1 oz PAMP gold bar, wire/check
About 5.20% over spot (17 Sept 2026)
1 oz PAMP gold bar, card
About 9.58% over spot
1 oz Gold Eagle, check/wire
Roughly $30 to $75 over spot reported
Payment discount
4% for wire, check and eCheck
Shipping
Free over $199; $9.95 below that
Price lock
At checkout
Buyback
Online, roughly one to three weeks end to end
Catalogue
More than 30,000 products
Owner
MKS PAMP group since September 2023
The reputation is easy to state: APMEX is the big, dependable name in American online bullion. The price is harder. Every comparison we read puts its premiums above the discount dealers, and the gap depends almost entirely on how you pay.
A caution first. apmex.com returned a 403 error to our crawler, so the figures below come from named independent reviews, dated where they give a date. Check live prices before you buy.
The number that matters is the payment method
According to InvestAlternative's September 2026 review, a 1 oz PAMP gold bar costs about 5.20% over spot by wire or check and 9.58% by credit card. The difference is APMEX's 4% cash discount, which wire, check and eCheck keep and which card, PayPal and BitPay forfeit. Losing it adds roughly 4.17% to the price.
Put in dollars, on a $3,000 ounce, that is an extra $125 or so for the convenience of a card. Nobody should pay it. If you cannot pay by wire or check, APMEX stops being a sensible place to buy standard gold.
The same review scores APMEX 3.5 out of 5, calling it well capitalised and honest but priced above the discount dealers on common products, with the case for APMEX narrowing to catalogue depth and specific items. We think that is a fair summary.
Against JM Bullion and SD Bullion
For the 1 oz American Gold Eagle, the same review reports $30 to $75 over spot by check or wire. Several comparison sites say JM Bullion typically beats that, and that SD Bullion is lower again on standard bullion. One listing quoted a $17 per coin gap between JM Bullion and APMEX on an Eagle. These are roundups with affiliate motives in some cases, so take them as direction, not exact prices.
OWNx's comparison puts APMEX at roughly 3% to 7% over spot on common bullion, and higher on rare or proof coins. It adds that APMEX wins on selection, more than 30,000 products, while JM Bullion offers better value on standard items.
apmex.com
OWNx's comparison page, which gives the premium ranges and Trustpilot scores for both dealers.
Service and ratings
Trustpilot shows APMEX at 3.9 out of 5 from 8,567 reviews, against 4.3 from 2,314 for JM Bullion, per OWNx, checked 21 September 2026. Good reputations and mixed customer scores coexist here, and both dealers are regarded as legitimate.
Ownership is stable. InvestAlternative says MKS PAMP Group took a majority stake in September 2023, which matters because a dealer that holds large inventory needs capital behind it.
Shipping, locks and getting out
Shipping is free on orders of $199 or more, otherwise $9.95. Parcels are insured for sales value in transit, with cover ending at delivery. Your price is locked at checkout, not at shipment, which protects you in a moving market.
The exit is less clear. APMEX runs an online buyback with a price lock before you ship, and the process takes roughly one to three weeks. There is no published spread schedule. Bids are quoted per item, so you only learn your real round-trip cost when you sell.
apmex.com
A comparison page from Gold IRA Companies, which discloses that it may be paid for promoting dealers.
Where APMEX genuinely wins
Choose it when the product is the point. If you want a particular mint, a fractional coin, a collectible or a size that cheaper dealers do not list, the catalogue is the reason to pay a higher premium. Independent reviewers agree on this: its strength is depth, not price.
apmex.com
MGF Gold Investment's comparison page, one of several third-party views of APMEX's pricing.
A worked example
Suppose you want five 1 oz gold bars for a long hold. At the wire price of 5.20% over spot, with gold at $3,000, each bar costs about $3,156, or $15,780 for five. Paying by card at 9.58% puts each at roughly $3,287, so the five cost about $16,435. The $655 gap buys you nothing except speed. Shipping is free either way, because both orders clear $199 by a wide margin.
Now add the exit. Because the buyback spread is quoted per item, the sensible habit is to ask for a bid on your exact bar before you buy, so that the round-trip cost is a number and not a hope.
Who should skip it
Card buyers of common coins. A 9.58% premium is hard to defend.
Stackers who buy plain 1 oz coins every month. Discount dealers cost less.
Anyone who needs a quoted exit price. The buyback spread is unpublished.
Verdict
APMEX is reliable and large, and you pay for it. Wire or check brings the price to a reasonable level, but the bargain prices go to others. Gold can fall as well as rise and dealer spreads are a cost on every round trip. This is a general review, not personal advice.
6.2
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