U.S. Gold Bureau Review: Fees, Minimums, Custodians, Complaints

Is U.S. Gold Bureau legitimate, and what does it charge?

This page is part of our Gold IRA Companies Compared library and follows our company research methodology.

We do not give verdicts on companies. We show what the company says about itself, what records we could open, and what we could not check.

We did not find an IRA fee schedule on the company's pages. The IRA page tells readers to call for "detailed fee information." We did find published fees for the custodian and depository the company names, shown below with limits on how far they apply.

The IRA page says "We have a 50,000 minimum order for IRA," with no dollar sign; the FAQ says the minimum order is $99 per transaction. Confirm the IRA figure.

Most of what the company says about itself is a claim. One government record, the IRS list of approved nonbank trustees, supports part of it. We found no court or regulator record for the company in limited searches; the records section says exactly how.

Who is U.S. Gold Bureau?

The company's website describes it as a dealer of gold and silver bars and coins. Its client agreement names the contracting party as "USGB, LLC d/b/a United States Gold Bureau." The About page says the company was "Established in 2003," that a change of ownership took place in 2008, and that Wholesale Coins Direct joined its family of brands in 2021. The home page says it is "not affiliated with the U.S. Government." We have no independent source for these.

The company's pages describe a parent company, Lone Star Tangible Assets, LP (LSTA). According to the website, LSTA operates the Texas Bullion Depository and is an "IRS-approved non-bank trustee." BBB's profile lists Wholesale Coins Direct, Lone Star Tangible Assets, LP and Texas Depository Services, LLC as related businesses. We say only that BBB lists them as related.

Quick facts at a glance

How does a Gold IRA with U.S. Gold Bureau work?

A Gold IRA is a self-directed IRA that holds physical metal instead of mutual funds or stocks. Usually three parties are involved: the dealer sells the metal, the custodian legally holds the IRA and keeps the records, and the depository is the vault. Our guide to the custodian, the dealer and the depository explains the roles. See also how a Gold IRA works and rolling a 401(k) into a Gold IRA.

According to the company's "How a Precious Metals IRA Works" page, step one is "Chat with us & open an account!" The page lists the account steps as "Complete the application," "Select a custodian," and "Select a depository." It says specialists help you pick a custodian. The IRA page claims a rollover takes 7 to 14 business days depending on the custodian. We did not test that.

The company's "IRA Eligible Metals" page lists purity levels ("at least 99.5% pure" for gold, "at least 99.9% pure" for silver) and cites no IRS publication, Code section or regulation. We do not treat that page as a source for the rules. Our guides on IRA-eligible metals set out the law with citations.

What does U.S. Gold Bureau say the fees are?

This is where the company is least specific. The IRA page says: "Avoid hidden fees and high markups with our transparent pricing on Precious Metals IRAs." The page lists no storage or custodian fees and sends readers to a phone number for "detailed fee information."

The IRA services page states neither fees nor minimums, and the Secure Storage page lists "No Hidden Fees" but gives no amounts. The real IRA cost is set by several parties, and we can only show what two of them publish.

What an Equity Trust account might cost

The company calls Equity Trust its "Preferred Custodian." Equity Trust Company publishes fee schedules. The one dated 2024 in its filename, titled "Universal IRA Fee Schedule" (form revision 110625), lists these items:

Next to the coin shipping and handling line, the schedule says "(Additional depository fees may apply)," and a footnote says "Precious Metals storage fees may be assessed by each depository utilized." Higher balances pay more, up to $2,500 a year at $1,000,000 and above. Equity Trust's fee page says an older "Legacy Retail" schedule applies to retail accounts opened before August 2024, and a separate institutional schedule exists. We could not tell which schedule would apply to a U.S. Gold Bureau client.

Worked example from the table only: a $50,000 IRA opened online would owe $50 setup, $500 maintenance and $160 segregated storage in year one, or $710 (1.42%). This is Equity Trust's published schedule, not a quote for any U.S. Gold Bureau client, and it leaves out depository fees and the metal's premium. Our guides to custodian fees, storage fees and hidden fees explain each type.

What the Texas Bullion Depository publishes

The Texas Bullion Depository's pricing page says its current schedule for non-IRA accounts began April 1, 2026. The rates below are listed under the heading "Segregated Storage Fees (Non-IRA Accounts)" and are a flat percentage of average daily value:

At 0.49%, a $100,000 account would pay about $490 a year. The page says "No account setup fee" and "No withdrawal fee; delivery costs reflected in Shipping & Handling," and lists domestic shipping at $17.95 plus 0.0018 times the metal's value.

This schedule is not the IRA price. The page says standard fees exclude "IRAs managed through third-party custodians" and accounts with custom pricing. The depository's separate IRA storage page says IRA storage fees are "typically negotiated between the custodian, the gold dealer and the depository contractor," and that standard fees on the site "may not apply." We cannot give you a storage number for a U.S. Gold Bureau IRA; ask for one in writing.

What the dealer charges for the metal

The company's FAQ says it offers free shipping on orders of $99 or more. The terms of sale say the quoted price "is the total price due," excluding sales tax and some payment processing fees. We did not find premiums over spot published.

What do you pay for the metal itself?

The spot price is the market price for one troy ounce of the metal. A dealer sells above spot (the added amount is the premium or markup) and buys back below spot. The gap between the selling price and the buyback price is the spread. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) says in its customer advisory on buying physical metals: "A dealer will always sell metal above the spot price and buy it back below the spot price." It also suggests: "Ask how much you would receive if you had to sell back the metal tomorrow."

The company's terms of sale say buyback prices are "based on the current bid price, which is generally close to the COMEX spot price." For Proof Coins, the terms say buyback is "based on the current bid spot price for their metal content and weight, plus any applicable market premium." The terms do not say what the "applicable market premium" is or how it is set.

That distinction matters most for proof and collectible coins. The CFTC advisory warns that "If someone tries to charge you more for collectible or 'semi-numismatic' coins, it's likely a scam." We make no claim that this applies to the company. We note it because the company's BBB profile, per the screenshots, includes consumer allegations about how coins were described and priced on resale (see the BBB section). Our guide on how dealer premiums work explains how to compare a quote with the metal's spot value.

For each product you are quoted, ask for the sale price, the spot price at the time and the current buyback price, all in writing.

What does U.S. Gold Bureau say about buying back your metals?

The company's Buy Back Guarantee page describes two options. This is the company's description.

Option 1, immediate liquidation. The page says "There are no additional fees from us; however, a $25 insured shipping label is required to send your metals to our facility." Bullion is sold only through this option. It is available for investment-grade and numismatic coins, and the page says those products "generally yield lower payouts than they would through our Consignment option." The page says "There is no minimum hold period."

Option 2, consignment. This applies to select investment-grade coins and Proof Raw Eagle coins. Items are priced at the company's current retail ask price minus a fee: 18% for Certified Coins and 9% for Proof Raws. For investment-grade coins, the page says it is "only available to clients who have held their investment for a minimum of 60 months." The page says the timeline "may vary" and that "This option is not recommended for those needing immediate liquidity." The full terms are in a Consignment Agreement we did not see.

A made-up example: at a $10,000 ask price, an 18% fee would leave $8,200.

Read two other statements alongside these. The Buy Back page's description says "We guarantee that we will Buy Back any precious metal products that we sold to you." The FAQ says "We will buy bullion at the current bid price," then adds, "we do not guarantee to make a direct bid on every item, particularly for products not originally sold by us." The terms of sale say buyback payment is typically made within 72 hours. The pages do not say how the "bid" for a coin is set, or how it compares with the price you paid. In a BBB reply shown in the screenshots, the company described a consignment program with a five-year hold and an 18% fee, which matches its website. Our guide on buyback policies and liquidation costs explains what a "buyback guarantee" can and cannot promise, and our page on liquidity risk covers needing cash quickly.

What are the purchase, return and cancellation terms?

The terms of sale do not address IRA or retirement purchases. We report what they say about direct purchases.

Ask how these rules apply, if at all, to metals bought inside an IRA.

Who is the custodian, and where is the metal stored?

Custodian. According to the company's website, Equity Trust is the "Preferred Custodian," and "will assist you with the creation and maintenance of your Self-Directed IRA." The custodian page says "we will assist you in finding a reputable custodian that best matches your needs," so the pages do not say Equity Trust is the only option.

Equity Trust's precious metals page lists five depositories, including the Texas Bullion Depository, and does not mention U.S. Gold Bureau.

An IRS-approved trustee in the same family. The company says its parent, LSTA, is an "IRS-approved non-bank trustee." The IRS publishes a list of approved nonbank trustees and custodians. The list dated April 1, 2026 (page reviewed June 28, 2026) has an entry for Lone Star Tangible Assets, LP, at 203 Heritage Grove Road, Leander, TX 78641, with an approval date of 11/30/2023. That supports the company's statement that LSTA is approved. We did not find an entry named Equity Trust and draw no conclusion from that, because we do not know the basis on which it acts as a custodian.

The IRS entry does not say LSTA acts as a custodian for U.S. Gold Bureau customers. The depository's IRA storage page says Equity Trust was the first custodian to work with the depository.

Depository. According to the depository's own site, it is "an agency of the state in the Office of the Comptroller," and "This is not a public-private partnership." It adds that the state contracts with LSTA to help build and run it. A December 6, 2018 Texas Comptroller release says the Comptroller's office "selected LSTA as the vendor to operate the depository." So the operator relationship is confirmed by Texas sources. The company's home page also calls it "the only state-backed precious metals depository in the United States." That is a marketing claim; we did not find a state statement guaranteeing anyone's metal. The depository says assets are insured through Lloyd's of London; we did not see a policy.

The depository's IRA page says metals are "stored separately, never commingled." The company's Secure Storage page does not address segregation. Our guide on segregated and commingled storage explains the difference, and our pages on IRA metals insurance and how to verify your metals list what to request.

Related parties. According to the company, one corporate family sells the metal, parents an IRS-approved trustee, and operates the vault. We make no finding about that; our custodian requirements guide explains what the law asks of custodians. Ask which company is the custodian of record and which sets the storage fee.

What does U.S. Gold Bureau say about credentials, awards and ratings?

We report these as company claims.

• The Our Credentials page says it is "Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner Certified" and shows a certificate number. The Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner (OCCC) says on its own page that "Anyone operating as a crafted precious metal dealer in the State of Texas must register" with it, and that the definition excludes "coins, bars, commemorative medallions." We did not search OCCC's licensee lookup, cannot tell what the certificate covers, and draw no conclusion.
• The page says it is a member of the National Coin & Bullion Association and the International Precious Metals Institute, and an authorized retailer of NGC and PCGS (coin grading services). We did not check these with the organizations.
• It says it is "Accredited by the Better Business Bureau."
• The page lists no awards. Its Reviews page names no aggregate rating, review count or review platform, and says its commitment "is reflected in the experiences of thousands of satisfied clients nationwide." We have no source for that number.
• A footer badge reads "Licensed," with no number or issuing body.

The company's FAQ says "Most investment professionals recommend between 5 and 20 percent of your assets be in precious metals and alternative assets." That is the company's statement; it names no study, and we cannot verify it. How much to hold in any asset depends on your own situation; see our page on allocation and concentration risk, and talk with a fee-only financial planner or tax professional.

See how review sites make money and fake and incentivized reviews. The company's "Choosing a Reliable Precious Metals Dealer" page says "Our business is built on referrals and repeat business," but does not explain how its sales staff are paid.

What does U.S. Gold Bureau's BBB profile show?

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) publishes business profiles, customer reviews and complaint records. We could not open BBB's website. Figures below come from screenshots of the company's BBB profile supplied by the site owner on 2026-10-16, and we have not verified them further.

A licensing box on the profile carries generic BBB text that the industry "may require professional licensing, bonding or registration," and an "Other Resources" box lists the Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner. We state no licensing or registration fact from that box.

How to read the BBB figures

The A+ is BBB's letter grade. BBB's "reasons for rating" line says "Customer Reviews are not used in the calculation of the BBB Letter Grade Rating." The 3.6 is something different: an average of star ratings that customers wrote, and it is not BBB's rating. Do not mix them up. The reviews are mixed, and the company posted public replies under many of them. We could not read the star breakdown or dates reliably, so we state only the average and the count.

BBB's page says it does not verify information from third parties or endorse any business, and that the nature of complaints and responses can matter more than the number.

The BBB complaint counts

BBB's complaints page shows 18 total complaints in the last 3 years and 2 complaints filed in the last 12 months. BBB notes that the complaint text shown may not represent all complaints filed, that some consumers choose not to publish details, and that BBB may display only a portion when volume is high.

We have the full text of page 1 of 2. It held 10 complaints dated 08/21/2024 to 08/31/2026. We did not have page 2 (the other 8) and state nothing about it. By BBB's categories, page 1 has: Product Issues (3), Service or Repair Issues (2), Sales and Advertising Issues (2), Delivery Issues (1), Order Issues (1) and Customer Service Issues (1). By status, 2 are Resolved and 8 are Answered.

All of these are consumers' allegations. The company's replies are the company's statements. No judgment or order appears on the page. In general terms, the allegations on page 1 concern:

• how products were described and what they could fetch on resale, including allegations that sales representations about the value, scarcity and performance of proof or collectible coins did not match resale prices, and that a customer was steered to collectible coins when bullion was wanted. The company replied that it had escalated the matter or would reach out. In the most recent one, per the screenshots, the consumer rejected the company's reply and on 09/22/2026 asked BBB to reopen the matter.
• delivery and shipping, including an order that had not arrived (the company said a full refund would be issued and the consumer said that was satisfactory), a package that arrived tampered with, and an order the consumer said never shipped (the company replied that tracking showed delivery).
• unexpected or unauthorized charges, including an online checkout that the consumer said added items they had not intended to buy.
• slow payment after sending metals to the company to sell, which the consumer later told BBB was resolved, and a complaint about a representative's service.

One company reply described its consignment program; it matches the website, as noted above. We repeat no dollar amounts or personal details. One page of ten complaints is not a basis for judging a company.

What do the website terms and client agreement say?

The terms of sale, covered above, contain no governing law, arbitration or dispute language and refer to the Client Agreement. We did not see any IRA account application or custodian agreement.

The Client Agreement, which names "USGB, LLC d/b/a United States Gold Bureau," says:

• Disputes go to "binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association in accordance with its Consumer Arbitration Rules," and the Federal Arbitration Act governs the arbitration.
• Users agree not to join "any class action, representative action, or consolidated action, whether in court or in arbitration."
• The agreement is governed by "the laws of the State of Texas," and the arbitration seat is "Williamson County, Texas," or a videoconference as the arbitrator allows.
• The arbitrator "is required to award to the prevailing party its reasonable attorneys' fees."

The page shows no effective date or IRA reference. An arbitration clause with a class waiver changes how you could pursue a dispute, so read it before you sign.

What public records did we check?

Our methodology lists the records we look for on every company. This is what happened for U.S. Gold Bureau on October 16, 2026.

What we did not check

We could not complete the CFPB search, so we say nothing about CFPB complaints. A BrokerCheck name search with no match proves nothing either way. We did not search PACER, state court dockets, state agencies, the Texas attorney general, the FTC or the NFA. We make no claim that U.S. Gold Bureau has, or has not, been the subject of a lawsuit, regulatory action or complaint outside the records above. A search that finds nothing is not proof that nothing exists. See how to verify a dealer and our precious metals enforcement database will list cases we confirm.

What should you ask U.S. Gold Bureau before you sign anything?

Ask for answers in writing.

1. Which custodian and which depository would hold my account, and may I see each one's current fee schedule? The pages name Equity Trust and the Texas Bullion Depository but give no IRA fee schedule.
2. Is the IRA minimum $50,000? The IRA page says "50,000" with no currency symbol.
3. Which of the parent company's businesses are involved in my account? Ask who is the custodian of record, who operates the vault and which fees go to which company.
4. What are the sale price, the spot price and the buyback price for each product I am quoted? Ask for all three at the same time.
5. If I buy proof or collectible coins, what premium am I paying over the metal's value, and what would the buyback be? The CFTC advises caution on this type of product.
6. What does the buyback guarantee mean in dollars? The pages describe immediate liquidation and consignment (18% or 9% fee, 60-month hold), and the FAQ says it does not guarantee a bid on every item.
7. What will the custodian charge when I sell, take a distribution, transfer out or close the account? Equity Trust's published schedule lists several such fees.
8. How are your representatives paid? The CFTC suggests asking this directly.
9. What are my cancellation and return rights for each product, and which agreement applies to an IRA purchase? The pages say bullion and proof coin sales are final.
10. May I see the Client Agreement, the account application and any arbitration terms before I send any money?

See also how to evaluate a Gold IRA company.

What are the risks that apply no matter which company you pick?

No dealer, custodian or depository can remove the basic risks of owning physical metal. Prices go up and down (price volatility), and a company you depend on can fail to do its part (counterparty risk). Coins priced well above their metal content add the risk that resale prices follow the metal, not the premium. We do not predict prices, and nothing on this page should be read as a forecast.

How does this compare with other companies?

We publish every company review on the same set of fields so you can read them side by side, and we do not rank them. See, for example, our Monetary Gold review and our Money Metals Exchange review.

How was this page researched, and when will it be updated?

On October 16, 2026 we read the company's pages listed in the citations above, plus the Texas Bullion Depository's pricing, IRA storage and FAQ pages, a 2018 Texas Comptroller release, the IRS nonbank trustee page and its April 1, 2026 list, Equity Trust's fee pages, the OCCC page on crafted precious metal dealers, and the CFTC advisory. BBB figures come from screenshots supplied by the site owner. A page titled "Starting Your Precious Metals IRA" was only a landing page and we did not use it. Anything that came only from U.S. Gold Bureau is written as the company's statement.

Fees, terms and company information are reviewed every three months under our update policy, and sooner if a regulator announces an action or a reader reports an error. If something here is out of date, please tell us through our corrections page.

This page is general information, not personalized advice. Decisions about your retirement savings depend on your own situation, so talk with a qualified financial planner, tax professional or attorney before you act.