Goldco Review: Kit, Fees, Minimum and Complaints Record

Goldco’s free pack goes by two names on its site: the Gold & Silver Kit and the Ultimate Guide to Gold & Silver. You give your name, email and phone number to get it. Expect a call from a Goldco representative afterwards; the kit is how the conversation starts, not a substitute for the company’s written terms.

The Goldco pages we checked name the kit but don’t list what is in it, and we describe only what we could confirm. Whatever the pack contains, three documents set your terms, so check for them and ask for any that are missing: the custodian’s fee schedule, the transaction terms, and the price breakdown of any order you’re offered. Our call script lists the questions in order.

Goldco uses flat fees rather than a percentage of the account; its FAQ says the fee is the same “whether you have $30,000 or $3 million”. The fees are charged by the custodian and depository, not by Goldco.

Goldco’s cost page, last updated in February 2025, lists $50 setup, $125 administration and $100 or $150 storage. Equity Trust, which Goldco names as one of its custodians, now publishes $110 and $160 for storage, so we use the custodian’s figures: $285 or $335 in year one, then $235 or $285 a year. Equity Trust also charges $30 per wire, $30 per sale and $250 to close the account.

An older Goldco FAQ gives “around $80” for the admin fee; the newer cost page and the custodian both say $125. If Goldco places you with a different custodian, all of these change, so ask for that custodian’s schedule.

None of this covers the markup on the metal, which Goldco doesn’t publish and which usually costs more than the account fees.

Goldco says it “generally” requires at least $25,000 available to roll over. That is half of Augusta’s $50,000 and above Birch Gold Group’s $5,000 or American Hartford Gold’s $10,000. Goldco also sells metal for cash outside an IRA; the pages we checked give no cash minimum.

A minimum is not a recommendation. Flat fees weigh more on a small account: $235 a year is a larger share of $25,000 than of a much bigger balance.

Goldco says customers can choose among the custodians it works with but doesn’t publish the list. Its guide to reading an IRA statement uses Equity Trust’s explanation and describes Equity Trust as one of them. For storage, Goldco features Delaware Depository in its articles without saying every account is held there; its buying page says metal goes to an independent insured depository.

Augusta, by contrast, names one custodian and one depository up front. With Goldco you get the same information by asking, and you should get it before the paperwork.

Free silver. Goldco’s FAQ offers up to 5% back in free silver on $50,000 to $99,999 of its premium coins and 10% on $100,000 and up. Only qualified orders count, it can’t be combined with other offers, and no end date is published. Premium coins usually carry a higher markup than bullion, so compare the total metal you’d receive with a plain bullion order of the same size.

Buyback. Goldco’s about page advertises buybacks at “the highest price” and no fees when you liquidate. It doesn’t state conditions there; ask how the price is set.

Price match. Show Goldco a competitor selling the same coin for less and it says it will match the price or send you a 5-gram silver bar. Goldco says it may change or end this at any time.

Shipping. Goldco’s terms say it ships 5 to 14 business days after receiving good funds, and may take up to 45. Check your custodian statement to confirm the metal arrived.

• BBB: A+, accredited since December 8, 2011; 72 complaints in three years.
• BCA: AAA, 3 complaints.
• Trustpilot: 4.4 out of 5 from 1,795 reviews.

Our record holds no comparable customer numbers for Goldco and the companies beside it, so a complaint rate can’t be worked out from the total. As a total, 72 is high next to Augusta’s 1 or Noble Gold’s 3. Read a sample of recent complaints and Goldco’s replies.

Summerton v. Goldco Direct LLC, W.D. Wis. 3:23-cv-00238 was a class action under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act over marketing texts. Judge William M. Conley signed the final approval order on March 26, 2026; the judgment of April 16, 2026 approved $2,000,000 for the settlement class, $666,666 in attorneys’ fees and costs and a $7,500 service award, and dismissed the claims with prejudice. The docket entries don’t include a finding that Goldco broke the law. A search on October 29, 2026 found no CFTC, SEC or state regulatory action against Goldco; that search was not exhaustive.

For a ranked view of Goldco against other dealers, see Gold IRA Companies Ranked.

A good fit if you have Goldco’s $25,000 minimum or more but less than Augusta’s $50,000, you want a flat fee schedule you can check against the custodian’s, and you’re willing to ask for the custodian, depository and markup in writing.

Look elsewhere if you want one named custodian and depository before you call (Augusta publishes both), you want a published markup range (American Hartford Gold publishes one in its transaction agreement), or you have less than Goldco’s $25,000 minimum.

If the money is in an old 401(k), the order of the paperwork matters more than the dealer; these rollover steps lay it out, and goldiracompaniesranked.com also covers what other dealers send.