The research desk · take-home checklist

Get it in writing.

Eight questions for a quote. Leave the unanswered ones open.

A record, not a safety verdict. Checking every box does not prove a seller or purchase is safe. Educational only; not financial, legal or tax advice. Metal prices can fall. Professional factual review has not been completed.

Before you compare

Ask. Document. Then compare.

Tick a box only when you have a written answer and its source. An answer can still need independent verification. Missing costs stay unknown, not zero.

Questions to request in writing

What exactly am I buying? Request the item, mint or refiner, quantity, condition, fine-metal weight, weight unit and purity. Is it bullion or a collectible?
Whose quote, and when? Request the seller’s legal name, quote date and time, currency, price-validity window and spot reference. Keep the original document.
What is the all-in purchase cost? Request an itemized total for your quantity and payment method: product price, payment charges, shipping, insurance and any applicable taxes. Ask which amounts remain unknown.
Who holds the metal? If stored, request its location, how ownership is documented, custody charges, whose insurance applies and the exclusions. Ask what happens if the operator fails.
How does it reach me? Request stock status, dispatch timing, delivery and signature terms, who bears loss risk, and the missing-or-damaged shipment claim process.
What would selling it back involve? Request a dated bid for this exact item, minimum sale requirements, testing deductions, shipping responsibility and payment timing. A buyback policy is not a fixed future price.
When am I committed? Request payment deadlines, cancellation and return terms, when the order becomes binding, and whether market-loss charges apply.
Can I review without pressure? Ask for the written basis of urgency, guarantees or a proposed product switch. Keep the reply; pause if claims or terms remain unexplained. Verify identity and payment instructions independently.

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Tick these boxes on screen or on paper. Use your browser’s Print command; add notes by hand. No entries are saved by this page.Notes & unanswered questions

Keep the evidence beside the quote.

Adapted from our bullion buying notes and source-backed journal: Read the pitch. Ask for proof. The journal records its source checks and limits; this checklist is editorial synthesis, not agency instructions or professional sign-off.

Next: compare two written quotes in the worksheet, or return to the research desk.