Frequently Asked Questions   

 

How do I open a Baird Account?

• You can open a Baird Account online HERE, or you can contact our team directly on +44 (0)20 7474 1000 or by email at [email protected]

 

Can I buy over the counter from you?

• Yes, if there are sufficient funds in your account, or a cleared pre-payment has been made - and subject to the necessary due diligence - you may collect from our Hatton Garden showroom

• Those who wish to buy and sell in large quantities that would otherwise be problematic to ship may call at our factory by prior arrangement with our team 

• We have a number of associates offering our bars and coins over the counter throughout the UK so please contact the team or CLICK HERE for a list of stockists 

 

Can I buy in cash from you?

• We no longer except payment in cash.

 

Should I buy coins or bars?

• Coins generally incur higher premiums but some can have advantageous tax benefits  

• We are able to offer our bars at the lowest possible premiums as we manufacture them ourselves 

• Our premiums reduce significantly as the bars increase in size - it can be far more cost effective to buy a single larger bar rather than several small bars 

• Our bars have been in production for many years and can be sold to other dealers or directly back to us at Baird & Co.

 

Which type of coins should I buy?

• It is important to remember that bullion coins are bought as an investment rather than for any numismatic value 

• Some coins may be more expensive to buy (often due to scarcity) even though they contain the same amount of metal and therefore the same intrinsic value 

• One ounce bullion coins are generally the largest size available and can be the most cost effective 

• Under current legislation (Dec.2016) UK bullion coins are free of CGT

 

Do you base your buying / selling prices on the current Gold price?

• Prices on the website are constantly updated and accurately reflect the fluctuations in the spot price throughout the trading day. 

• A client wishing to carry out a transaction over the phone with one of our team will be given a price based upon the price at the time of calling 

• Prices available on the phone may not be the same as those on the website

 

Will I pay the price as quoted on the website?

• Yes - we usually provide you with a window of two working days after having placed an order in which to get the funds to us (i.e. the funds in our account by bank transfer or the cheque in our possession) 

• We hold the original price agreed - whether or not the price moves up or down during this period 

• You will be asked for a deposit of 10% of the purchase price (subject to a min. of £50 GBP and a max. of £500 GBP) to be paid by bank card - this deposit is not refundable and cancellations are not permitted 

• If you fail to pay the full balance for any reason you may be excluded from the website and further action may be taken

 

Do you have minimum or maximum spending limits?

• We have no minimum nor maximum spending limits when purchasing small bars and coins - we are happy to sell single units of our very smallest bars up to multiple units of our largest market bars

• If placing an order for £100k or more please call one of our team

• We ask that our clients endeavour to place small orders by using our website

 

Which methods of payment do you accept?

• We currently accept bank transfers only - unless the payment is for a deposit on an online order where we accept payment by debit card

• We will provide you with our company bank account number and sort code at the time of ordering

• We can only receive funds from a bank account in the same name as the purchase is made – we do not accept third party payments 

 

Will you accept payment by credit or debit card?

• We only accept debit cards
   

Am I required to provide identification when dealing with you? 

We require ID for all purchases until further notice

 

What are your delivery methods and costs?

• Our packages are discreetly wrapped and the process is recorded by HD camera and a recording is kept

• We deliver the majority of our items via Royal Mail - fully insured to your personal address and a signature will be required (Other couriers may be used at our discretion)

• We occasionally offer delivery to banks and other institutions on one of our own secure vans at our discretion

• When you receive goods from us by post or courier we advise that you carefully check the external packaging before you sign for it - if you notice any signs of damage or tampering you should not sign for it

• Subject to satisfactory pre-payment and production of the relevant ID documents you may collect in person at our Hatton Garden showroom

 

How long will it take to receive my order?

• A typical waiting time to receive the goods - from the time of the order being placed - is usually within 2-5 days if paying by CHAPS or Faster Payment . 

 

Can you store my Gold for me?  

• Yes – you can benefit from our state-of-the-art high security fully insured storage facilities

• No minimum value to store – charges accrue daily (based on the value of the metals held) and are invoiced quarterly in arrears

• A minimum quarterly charge will apply for each metal held

• Baird Account customers receive quarterly statements and invoices

 

Will you buy back my coins and bars? 

• Yes - we are happy to purchase bars and coins originally supplied by us or other bullion merchants

• Best prices will be paid for metals held in storage or on reserve in a Baird Account 

 

How do I sell Precious Metal back to you?

• To sell Precious Metal to Baird & Co, please call or email the Baird & Co. Sales team and request a valuation for the items you wish to sell

• Any price quoted is an indicative one, a firm price will be given once the items are received by Baird & Co.

• Payment to you will be made in 2 working days from date of receipt of the metal unless otherwise requested by the customer.

• If your items are in storage with us payment will be made in 2 working days of sale.

• If you are posting metal to us you should use new packaging and fully insure the package(s)

• If sending by items by The Royal Mail, the insured amount is capped at £2500 and should be sent to our PO box address on the Baird & Co. website contact section

• We reserve the right to reject packages which in our opinion may have suffered damage or have been tampered with

• Metal can be taken in person to our Hatton Garden showroom (Please remember to bring along official picture ID and proof of address)

 

How do I know that my coins and bars are genuine?

• Baird & Co is an ISO9001 company with fifty years’ experience in coin dealing and the bullion trade

• Baird & Co is a member of the London Bullion Market Association – the London Platinum and Palladium Market – an Official Partner of the Royal Mint - a distributor for the Rand Refinery

• Coins are obtained from reliable sources including direct from internationally recognised Mints

• Every coin is inspected before it is sent out to ensure that it is genuine

• Regular checks are carried out on our manufacturing processes and the high standards in our laboratory in line with our Quality Policy to ensure the quality of our products 

• Every bar is inspected and stamped with the metal quality and the weight and Gold bars of one troy ounce and above are also stamped with serial numbers so that they can be easily identified 

  

How do I know my items are safe when vaulted with you? 

• Our premises are located on a secure industrial estate that is monitored twenty four hours a day and our buildings are protected by a variety of high-tech security features 

• We have a full and comprehensive insurance policy with Lloyds of London in order to cover the Precious Metal that is held on our premises 

• Holdings are individually packaged and can be boxed and sealed if requested

• Bar numbers are provided where applicable for additional peace of mind 

• We are happy for clients to view our premises and witness the initial storage procedure

• Clients may view their stored items subject only to giving us 48 hours notice

 

Can I buy Precious Metal through my company, as part of my pension or on behalf of my trust fund?

• We are happy to deal with a wide variety of institutions and funds and offer a service for SIPPs SSASs and Pension providers

• We have various account opening packs tailored to the requirement of the specific institution type so please ask our team for the relevant information

 

Can you give me advice about my investment strategy?

• Whilst we have considerable experience gained over fifty years in the bullion trade we are not able to provide guidance on your personal investment strategy 

• We are happy to tell you about the most appropriate products we sell 

• We are unable to provide a forecast regarding metal prices