General Buying Issues

The first, and most important question is...'WHY'.

Why would you wish to purchase/trade Gold/Silver?

There is the issue of 'Ohh, I would like Gold/Silver as an investment'
First, it is important to note what an 'investment actually' is.

-An investment would aim to provide a net-return over a period of time, either via capital gain, or dividend/income- or combination of both.

Physical Gold/Silver is...arguably NOT an investment in any conventional sense.

It 'may' increase in value of overtime, and thus produce a capital gain (even above standard price inflation), but its not a gain due to intrinsic 'growth' - as a standard Stock or ETF for instance.
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So, I will note - Physical Metals, in themselves are NOT investments. They are to be seen as a commodity, no different than a pile of bricks, a stack of wood, or large tank of purified water.

This is a hugely important distinction to make, and one that many commentators in the Metals community fail to bring up. It could of course be endlessly argued that its a matter of  'personal philosophy', but I would disagree.