Buy silver or gold from the precious metal market and store it safely

Additional information > Services, clients and facilities > Buy precious metals at Echtgeld and store them at Swiss Gold Safe

The successful collaboration between Swiss Gold Safe and Echtgeld

Investing in precious metals and arranging appropriate storage demands a trustful relationship. Furthermore, many busy investors would prefer a comprehensive single-source service. Although Swiss Gold Safe is a specialist storage-provider and not a precious-metal retailer, it can now fulfil this requirement. A unique partnership with the renowned Swiss specialist retailer Echtgeld AG means clients benefit from the synergy of two independent companies in several ways.

Clients can purchase physical gold or silver from a professionally managed precious metals trader and arrange insured storage in Switzerland with Swiss Gold Safe. Investors can choose either allocated & segregated storage or a safe deposit box facility. Existing precious metal holdings can be merged at any time and clients are not bound by dealer loyalty agreements.

Echtgeld offers mutual customers the safe transport of precious metals to their chosen Swiss Gold Safe high-security vault – without any service obligations. This enables flexible asset management, which also means any holding can be sold just as easily when required.

Gold and silver storage at Swiss Gold Safe

Since 2006, Swiss Gold Safe has been providing storage facilities for precious metals and other physical assets in Switzerland or in the Principality of Liechtenstein. Clients from all over the world can choose between conventional storage in a safe deposit box or allocated & segregated storage in a domestic or duty-free warehouse. Asset storage includes insurance on goods held in high-security vaults entirely independent of a global banking system which continues to attract much public criticism.

Swiss Gold Safe operates without any retailer ties, which means clients can buy precious metals from their chosen trusted specialist dealer and arrange to have them delivered for storage. Thus any existing gold and silver holdings can be easily integrated, while this trading freedom also allows investors to react flexibly and still take advantage of any attractive offers. The same freedoms apply to both the purchase of precious metals and any later sale of these assets. If requested, Swiss Gold Safe can assist with storage and removal and also recommend an approved transport company. All arrangements are conducted with absolute discretion and the maintenance of individual privacy, which always remain company’s top priority.

In addition to this, Swiss Gold Safe has maintained a collaborative partnership with the precious metal dealer Echtgeld over many years – an arrangement which has proven benefits for mutual clients. This renowned specialist trading company regularly organises security transports of precious metals to storage locations on behalf of its many customers. For Echtgeld customers, this means they can avoid the need to arrange what can often be the risky transport of silver or gold investments for themselves. So the often complex task of sourcing and commissioning dedicated valuables transport is no longer necessary.

Echtgeld also operates independently, just like Swiss Gold Safe. So those customers who prefer to choose different storage facilities are equally welcome. The close partnership between these two companies is based on mutual support with the aim of offering all precious metal investors the best possible service. Customers who value seamless processing can use this “one-stop shop” option, yet there is still no exchange of client data between the companies unless this is expressly requested.

To use the joint service offered by Echtgeld and Swiss Gold Safe, clients and customers must conclude two separate contracts.

Potential customers will complete two contracts as follows:

Purchasing precious metals via Echtgeld

The precious metals retailer Echtgeld has been offering investment gold, silver and platinum products in Switzerland since 2010. Customers can choose between bars or coins from both international and Swiss manufacturers. Precious-metal goods can be ordered online or purchased from the Echtgeld specialist shop in Bern. These goods can be collected direct and shipping can be arranged within Switzerland. Echtgeld also supports customers who wish to sell precious metals.

Echtgeld only trade goods originating from LBMA-certified manufacturers. The quality of such precious metals is proven by their accompanying certificates and/or bar and seal numbers. This information ensures the quality and origin of the goods can be transparently traced and verified at any time. Purchased coins or bars can be handed over direct to customers who may wish to store the goods themselves or use an external storage solution. Alternatively, Echtgeld can arrange to transport the goods to a storage facility. This could be, for example, a safe deposit box or domestic/customs-free warehouse operated by Swiss Gold Safe. This option will require a separate storage contract with Swiss Gold Safe.

Collaborative partnership

Echtgeld and Swiss Gold Safe are a perfectly coordinated team when it comes to the purchase and subsequent sale of precious metals and their safe storage. Their partnership-based collaboration simply provides a shared service enabling their customers to purchase and store investment products with ease. Echtgeld remains solely responsible for all matters relating to the purchase or sale of these goods.

Swiss Gold Safe also offers bespoke and exclusive support to joint customers as regards asset storage and safe deposit box rental. Depending on the requirements, the advice offered and all subsequent processing is determined by, and limited to, the client’s specific requirements. This means mutual clients enjoy a complementary service while continuing to benefit from the respective professional expertise of both companies.

Advantages of segregated storage of bars or coins

When storing precious metals, clients can choose between different storage concepts. The best solution in each case depends on your individual requirements, the particular type of precious metal, and the quantity to be stored. Allocated & segregated storage without weight limits can be advantageous, especially when large quantities of bars and coins are involved. Unlike standard collective storage arrangements, allocated & segregated storage fully identifies and maintains the original items delivered. That means the owner will always receive back the self-same the goods that were delivered into storage. Gold coins and gold bars can be optimally stored in domestic warehouses in Switzerland. Here, precious metals are registered to the customer and separately stored according to bar or seal numbers.

For silver coins and silver bars as well as other white metals subject to VAT, the recommendation is that they should be stored separately in a duty-free warehouse in Switzerland. Silver, platinum and palladium are not recognised as pure investment metals because they are primarily supplied to industry as raw materials. Therefore, they are subject to statutory VAT when purchased over the counter or in an online shop. The VAT rate applicable is 8.1% in Switzerland. However, silver can be purchased ex-VAT provided it is delivered direct to the Swiss Gold Safe transit warehouse.

Delivery and retrieval of segregated precious metals via Echtgeld

Echtgeld can handle the post-purchase delivery of precious metals for segregated storage in a domestic or duty-free warehouse on behalf of the customer. This requires an agreement between Echtgeld and Swiss Gold Safe. These investment products can likewise be delivered to Echtgeld. In this event, the subsequent handover would take place following written instructions from the client to Swiss Gold Safe. However, it would also be necessary for Swiss Gold Safe to clarify all details of the sale with Echtgeld in advance.

Safe deposit boxes are ideal for gold

The storage of coins or bars is somewhat more flexible because bullion gold can mostly be purchased VAT-free. Private investors wishing to store smaller amounts of gold can alternatively opt for a bank-independent safe deposit box in Switzerland, or a similar bank-independent safe deposit box in Liechtenstein. The safe deposit box facilities provided by Swiss Gold Safe are available to domestic and international customers alike and can be chosen according to the volume and weight of goods requiring storage.

Unlike allocated & segregated storage arrangements, safe deposit boxes are managed and operated by clients themselves – which is why any precious metals stored there are not recorded by Swiss Gold Safe. So, if an insured event should occur, the owner must be able to provide proof of the value of their stored assets. The safe deposit box user, or the person authorised to operate the facility on their behalf, is responsible for all incoming deliveries and outgoing retrievals. How Swiss Gold Safe supports Echtgeld with this task is described in the next section.

Transporting Echtgeld goods to/from the safe deposit facility

The collaboration with Echtgeld also provides for the transport of purchased precious metals to a safe deposit box facility provided by Swiss Gold Safe in Switzerland or Liechtenstein. For example, when purchasing via the Echtgeld website from abroad, secured transport arrangements can be concluded with the storage facility. Then, the next time the customer visits that facility, the ordered goods can be handed over to the customer within the security zone.

In principle, it is also possible to sell precious metals to Echtgeld direct from a safe deposit box. For instance, the tenant could meet Echtgeld at the safe deposit box facility by prior arrangement and clarify the transaction details on site. Alternatively, the tenant could retrieve the goods from storage and arrange to have them transported to Echtgeld. Beyond this, it is also possible to temporarily store items to be sold in a Swiss Gold Safe vault pending their subsequent collection by Echtgeld.

Acquiring and storing precious metals in summary

Nowadays, investors acquiring physical precious metals and wishing to store them safely often prefer a comprehensive processing arrangement available via a single source.
That's why the storage provider Swiss Gold Safe has been working closely with the precious metal provider Echtgeld AG for many years.
While operating entirely independently, these two Swiss companies have set themselves the goal of offering their clients the best possible service.
Echtgeld does not store assets on behalf of customers, and Swiss Gold Safe does not sell precious metals. Nevertheless, thanks to this collaborative initiative, their mutual customers can benefit from the expertise of both companies.
At the customer's request, Echtgeld can deliver purchased goods to a Swiss Gold Safe domestic/duty-free warehouse or safe deposit box facility.
Swiss Gold Safe enables its clients to sell stored precious metals from a safe deposit box or allocated & segregated storage direct to Echtgeld.