Given the current economic issues worldwide, it makes sense that many people are looking at precious metals to keep their wealth safe. Many experts are now pointing newer investors towards putting at least a portion of their investment funds into metals. Most are pointing out that this can provide a safety net against inflation.
Unfortunately, it's harder to find an excellent precious metals company than you would expect. There are far too many bad actors in this market, especially when you consider those companies that work solely online. If you look at a company like Nationwide Coin and Bullion Reserve, you need to learn whether or not you can trust the company before giving them your money.
IMPORTANT NOTE BEFORE STARTING:
We understand that selecting a company to invest with is a critical decision. Our team has spent thousands of hours researching and reporting on the good, bad, and ugly of hundreds of gold dealers.
We take great pride in providing the most in-depth, researched, and comprehensive information as possible so you can make the best decision for yourself and/or family.
Out of the hundreds of dealers that we review, there are only 5 companies that we'd feel comfortable investing in ourselves.
-----> Find out which companies made the top 5 gold companies this year
Did Nationwide Coin and Bullion Reserve make it to the top 5? Read the above review to find out.
Who is Nationwide Coin and Bullion?
As you might guess from the name, Nationwide Coin and Bullion Reserve is a company that primarily sells coins and bullion. They sell both collector coins and bullion coins, as well as bullion bars. You might not guess from the name, though, that the company also provides some IRA services.
First founded in 2009, this Houston-based company sells to customers in the United States, those in the rest of North America, and customers in Europe.
Nationwide Coin and Bullion Reserve tend to recommend gold to its clients to hedge against inflation and against general economic instability. The company also points out that gold tends to rise when the stock market falls, making it an excellent safety net for many investors.
Luckily, this advice doesn't come from pure speculation. The company employs a number of very experienced professionals who have extensive knowledge of this part of the market. These individuals are usually hired to ensure that they'll be able to help the company's clients pick the right kind of investments for their needs.
Nationwide does work with investors of all skill levels, with a goal of being the kind of company with which anyone would want to work. Unfortunately, though, the company's actual performance doesn't quite live up to its claims.
What Do They Offer?
One of the significant offerings of this company is numismatic coins. These coins are collector items that are riskier investments than the typical bullion, as their value absolutely depends on what other collectors are willing to pay. Demand matters quite a bit here, which means that a loss is always a genuine possibility.
The good news for consumers is that the company does have quite the collection of these coins for sale. They have some fairly unique offerings, from rare coins minted before 1933 to modern sets and international coin sets. Like many other dealers, though, they do also have plenty of bullion available.
The company also offers its customers the chance to set up their own precious metals IRAs. They help consumers set up their first accounts, but they can also help them roll over existing accounts. However, this isn't their specialty, and you're likely better off going with a company that focuses specifically on IRAs if that's what you're looking into.
Their Team
As you might expect, this company relies on its team as a significant selling point. They make some bold claims about the level of expertise within the company, and they boast of individuals who have worked in roles like trend forecasting and precious metals consulting as well as in more general economic positions.
Given the range of expertise present here, customers should expect to have all of their investing questions answered. The company does do an excellent job of simplifying the learning process for investors and making it easy to sell back metals when you're ready to liquidate your assets.
Their Guarantee
The company has a 'Nationwide Guarantee' that claims that it will give customers excellent customer service and products of the highest quality by staying committed to keeping customers happy and staying accountable in their actions. In reality, this means tailoring the kind of portfolios they help to manage for natural growth.
Simply put, Nationwide seems to have a goal of helping its clients make money even if the economy is uncertain. This is definitely a solid goal to have, albeit one that's not necessarily unique to this company.
Coins Offered
The company has a wide selection of gold and silver quality in both investment and numismatic versions. Many of the more popular coins can be found in the company's catalogs, including the American Eagle coins.
Shipping
All items are shipped for free from Nationwide, regardless of how much they weigh or cost. There are no cost thresholds to meet here, nor are there any specific items for which you will have to pay special fees.
It's also important to point out that the company does a great job of getting its items shipped on time. You won't get overnight shipping, of course, but items do go out as quickly as they can.
The most significant delays you are likely to see in shipping happen around the holidays. Not only does processing tend to fall behind during this time, but shipping delays become much more likely.
However, the good news is that everything here is shipped out via FedEx and is both bonded and insured. You'll get a tracking number as soon as the package goes out so that you can feel safer about knowing when your items will arrive.
How To Purchase?
The good news about Nationwide is that it bucks many trends when it comes to buying metals online. There are no complicated steps here; instead, users can just look at the online catalog and place an order as if they were shopping with any other online store.
It should be noted that while the company will sell you metals, you're going to be responsible for storing them if you don't have an IRA. This means that you'll need to find a good storage solution on your own.
It's also worth pointing out that the company does have a welcome kit that it sends out to all of its new customers. This kit includes two magazine subscriptions, which can help you learn more about the market in general.
Pricing
Precious metals prices can shift incredibly quickly. After all, the price of these metals changes due to the market movements and changes in demand for collectible items. Collector coins tend to change in price far more rapidly than bullion, though, as the price is tied almost entirely to demand.
The best way to get an idea of what an item cost is to call the company directly. A representative will then tell you what various items cost at the moment to make a more intelligent investment choice.
Do They Have Any Red Flags? 
While everything above sounds great, that's, unfortunately, the good news. There are some big red flags with this company, which should send consumers running for a different investment company.
The first red flag you'll see is with the company's advertising. While it claims that you're going to be able to make more money with this company than with anyone else, anyone who has ever invested before knows that such claims are a bit on the dangerous side. It's impossible to guess how the markets will move in the future, and those who expect that things will always yield profits without any risks will be in trouble.
The other red flag here is that precious metals grow slowly. You're not going to see the kind of profits this company claims to generate simply because metals rarely explode in price. Instead, you're going to see slow and steady growth that is usually good as a counterbalance to riskier types of investment.
Simply put, Nationwide is trying to sell consumers precious metals instead of educating them about the market. This is not something that reputable dealers do and something that should be avoided at all costs.
Complaints
It can be hard to get a good read on this company from reviews. If you look at Trustlink, for example, you'll find mostly favorable reviews. If you look at the Better Business Bureau, though, you'll find a D+ rating that stems almost entirely from how the company deals with all of the complaints against them.
The last several years have not been great for customers of Nationwide. Many complaints have gone unresolved, and very little seems to have been done to address the underlying issues.
The biggest complaint that consumers have against the company has to do with its sales tactic. Simply put, many accuse the company of acting unethically and offering advice that actively hurts consumers.
There are several complaints from retirees that the company has worked to defraud them purposefully. There are allegations of bait and switch tactics being used and the company making wild claims about the value of the coins they sell.
Some customers claim that they haven't actually received the items purchased from the company even after their payments have gone through. Others make claims about packages being lost after being sent out.
Another big complaint is that the company has charged some customers even after they have canceled their orders. This is definitely something to keep in mind if you are concerned about the company holding on to your payment information.
While Nationwide has responded to some of the complaints, most of the responses haven't been great. In fact, they've been bad enough that the Better Business Bureau maintains a D+ rating for the company.
Pressure Sales Tactics and Fraud Claims
Several customers have claimed that this company specifically targets the savings of the elderly to take their money. It's easy to see that, at the very least, the company uses some underhanded tactics.
One underhanded tactic used by this company is hard selling. Rather than trying to work with customers to make sure that any investment is made to help the customer, the company focuses on making as much money as possible. This is primarily done by refusing to give customers real information about the value of their purchases.
This is definitely a big problem, considering that the company places so much emphasis on the experience of its team. One customer claims that they spoke to five of these so-called experts and that none would give them a straight answer.
Another big issue is that the company claims that its customers can buy metals below their market price, which is definitely not true. Though the company does offer its new customers some great prices, it charges at least the market value of its metals to those customers who have made more than one purchase.
Coin Complaints
Some customers specifically complain about the coins that the company offers.
One customer tells of a phone call with a sales representative that was set up to buy American Eagle coins. During the call, the representative made claims about limited-time offers to get the customer to spend more money. During this time, the customer began to realize that there was no real way to guarantee the value of the coins.
When questioned, the representative didn't seem to have any answers about the value of the coin. Instead, the representative continued to pressure the customer to make a purchase, claiming that any issues with the coins could be fixed after the act. When the customer pushed more, the representative suddenly ended the call.
No matter what the customer happened to bring up during the call, the sales rep would attempt to close the sale. There would be continued attempts to make the customer commit to a deal with which he was uncomfortable, and the representative repeatedly tried to intimidate the customer into making a purchase.
Given the fact that all of the orders here are done over the phone, it's really impossible to verify that there were any real issues with this call. This seems to be something that the company is happy to weaponize to force more sales.
A lesser complaint is that this company seems to sell customer information to other gold companies. This might not seem like that big of a deal in comparison, but it's still something to keep in mind.
Is This Company A Scam?
This is a tough question to answer. The company indeed sells metals, for example, which makes them slightly legitimate. The way they go about things, though, does seem quite unethical.
Nationwide has a host of issues that customers bring up. These include lying about the value of precious metals investing, lying to the elderly about their investment opportunities, failing to solve customer problems when the wrong items were shipped, bullying and intimidating customers over the phone, charging for canceled orders, and selling personal information.
Simply put, the fact that this company isn't a scam may not matter, considering all of the complaints against them. They outweigh any positive reviews by a mile.
Final Verdict: Should You Invest?
Nationwide Coin and Bullion Reserve is a company that seems like it does everything right on paper, but the reality of working with this company seems to be quite different.
This company has a reputation among its own customers for bullying and intimidation at worst and a kind of purposeful ignorance at best. According to the many reviews, this company only wants to get as much money from customers as possible without caring for how these customers do in the future.
There are honestly many other companies that do a better job than this one. If you want to invest in precious metals, there are plenty of options that will help you find a way to invest your money that makes sense for you.
We have researched and reviewed a majority of the gold dealers out there, and narrowed down the list only five from over a thousand.
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