In the sum of service, price and offer, the online gold dealers achieve a good result in a test by the German Institute for Service Quality. However, the performance range is large and ranges from four providers with a very good quality rating to one company with only an adequate result.
The price analysis, which reveals clear differences, shows that a comparison is necessary when buying gold. Although the prices are regularly adjusted to the current gold rate, the provider prices of the gold bars and coins vary in the test. Anyone who chooses the cheapest instead of the most expensive offer can save an average of ten percent on the products examined.
An example: A 100 gram gold bar (999.9 fine gold) costs between 5512 euros and around 6086 euros at the time of the test, depending on the online gold dealer. The savings potential here is a whopping 574 euros.
The gold dealers on the Internet can shine with a very extensive range, but show deficits in terms of service. In the case of inquiries by e-mail and on the phone, interested parties receive friendly, understandable and almost without exception correct information. However, the advice is often incomplete and not very individual.
The online service performs better: the websites offer extensive and well-prepared information as well as a transparent and secure ordering process.
The differences in the shipping costs, which can add up to 39.99 euros, are striking. Markus Hamer, Managing Director of the German Institute for Service Quality, advises: “Buying gold on the Internet involves a number of e-commerce peculiarities. There is no right of withdrawal, prepayment is the dominant payment option here and no VAT is charged on the purchase. My tip : If you want to invest in physical gold, you should first check the daily rate and then compare the costs between the providers.”
With the quality rating “very good”, Goldsilbershop.de emerged as the test winner from the study. The provider convinces with the best service in comparison. The website scores with a very high information value, understandable content and user-friendliness. The employees give very competent advice on the phone. The range is also extremely extensive – in addition to gold, for example, silver, palladium and copper are also available as bars and coins. The test winner also achieved a very good result in the price analysis – the costs here are always below the industry average.
Auragentum is in second place, also with a very good overall result. The company offers the best online service with a very informative website, which also scores best in user ratings. The third-best result in the test in terms of offer and the very good result in the price analysis also contribute to the positive ranking.
Investment gold24 took third place (quality rating: “very good”). In comparison, the online gold dealer offers the most attractive prices overall: In around 89 percent of the cases, the products are the cheapest here at the time of the test. Investmentgold24 also distinguishes itself with the best telephone service, which only just misses a good result – short waiting times before the call is accepted and solution-oriented advice are positive.
