How To Get Started
We offer a comprehensive How to Buy information page on our website, providing a step-by-step guide on purchasing precious metals, along with accepted payment methods. Additionally, we have a dedicated Payment Options page for further details. We strongly encourage you to review both these web pages to ensure a seamless transaction and avoid any potential issues.
Do I Need to Book an Appointment?
If you would like to come to our showroom, you must book an appointment via our website with our customer service team. Alternatively, you can also contact us by phone on 01253 343081 , or email [email protected]
I Can't Find a Product on Your Website!
If you can't find an item on our website, try using our search bar. If you are still experiencing troubles, please contact us.
If your chosen item is not in stock, we can add it to your wishlist and notify you as soon as it becomes available.
Please note: You will need to create an account for us to add products to your wishlist, as wishlists are connected to your user account dashboard under 'WISHLISTS/ALERTS'.
Do I Need an Account?
No you do not need a Chards account to place and order with us and you may complete your purchase as a guest. For security reasons we do not allow anonymous transactions and must keep a record for accountancy, HMRC and requirements under anti-money laundering and terrorist financial regulations.
To gain a deeper understanding, we recommend reading through our Customer Onboarding Process, which provides all necessary information regarding identification requirements, acceptable forms of ID, and important customer data protection details.
Do You Send My Details to HMRC?
We do not actively send any information to HMRC unless requested. We are legally obliged to carry out customer due diligence and we take two forms of identification on orders of £5000 in a 48 hour period and £10,000 in 12 month, "£5,000 and £10,000 in a rolling 12-month period". For more information please read our Privacy Policy.
What Identification Do I Need?
For certain transactions you will need to provide us with two valid forms of ID; a proof of name and a proof of address, which cannot be the same document.
A passport and driving licence, or one of these and a utility bill or bank statement. View our complete table of acceptable forms of identification for purchasing from us.
Do I Get a Product Certificate?
We will always indicate where a product is sold with a certificate, and when a product is supplied without one.
Bullion products don't come with certificates of authenticity like proof products. This is because bullion items are primarily valued for their metal content rather than their numismatic or collectable value They're mass-produced and traded based on weight and purity, making individual certificates unnecessary.
On the other hand, proof items are minted in limited quantities with special finishes and packaging, so certificates of authenticity are needed to certify their limited mintage, quality, and authenticity. These certificates add value to collectors and offer assurance about the product's quality and origin.
If you are interested in pure investment options, i.e. metal content and bullion products, the additional price to pay for certificates may not be required.
Has My Order Been Processed?
You will receive a confirmation email once your order has been placed and another once the order is accepted. Additionally, another email will be sent to confirm the dispatch of your order.
If the ordered item is in stock it will be despatched within 48 hours. However, if the chosen item is orderable you will be contacted on a fortnightly basis regarding the progress of your order. If there are any issues with your order, we will contact you as soon as possible.
Is There a Minimum Order Amount?
There is no minimum or maximum amount needed to make a purchase. However, online orders are restricted to £100,000. If you wish to invest more, please contact us.
Do You Guarantee a Buy Back Rate?
We will always offer a buy back price, so get in touch if you wish to Sell To Us!
Please note we can only pay our buy in prices if the coins and bars are in good condition and can be re-sold. If we decide that we need to either scrap your coins or bars or sell as Grade C we reserve the right to offer a lower price. There is no obligation to sell and we can post your coins back to you or hold them if you wish to collect. Our postage prices to return coins can be found on our dedicated postage page.
What Is Your Refunds Policy?
Investment coins and bars do not qualify for refunds as they are exempt from the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 and therefore customers do not have the right to cancel their order once the order has been accepted. Investment products are those linked to the live metal price and if you are unsure whether your item is an investment product, please contact us.
If customers no longer wish to go ahead with their investment purchase, there is an option to sell the products back to Chards at our competitive buy back rates.
Can I Change My Order to Collect?
If you have placed an order or multiple orders to be despatched to your address or stored in our secure strong rooms, you can, of course, update it to be collected from our showroom. If you would like to amend the details of your order, please contact us, and we will be happy to discuss any possible changes.
Do You Accept Credit Card Payments?
Unfortunately, we have decided against accepting credit cards. This is due to an EU directive which came into force on 13 January 2018, companies are banned from charging any fees or surcharges on credit card payments. This is partly to make credit card payments more competitive as currently some EU member states are allowed to apply surcharges to transactions and some member states are not.
For those interested the processing of an Amex card is currently somewhere above 3% which is a non-starter for bullion bought and sold at a spread lower than this!
Where Is Chards?
Since we first opened our doors 60 years ago, we have been situated in Blackpool operating across three showrooms, the first at 10 Dale Street, then 521 Lytham Road and now 32-36 Harrowside. Most recently, Chards has established a new office at Suite 127, 100 Hatton Garden, London, and it is set to open in the near future.
In our earlier showrooms, we were short of space. However, we now operate a larger facility with on-site strongrooms, allowing us to index and catalogue our extensive selection of precious metal products. This enables us to better assist you in diversifying your portfolio.
We are currently situated at 32-36 Harrowside, Blackpool FY4 1RJ. If you are using a sat nav to find us, you will need to enter the slightly different post code FY4 1LY.
What Does Orderable Mean?
Some of our bullion products will appear as orderable. This means that whilst we currently don't have any in stock, we are able to confidently source these items from the secondary market. This essentially acts as a pre-order, allowing you to purchase your desired bullion when the spot price is opportune, irrelevant of our stock levels.
Whilst we can't offer an exact delivery date on these items, we will always offer an alternative that can be despatched as usual if you do not wish to wait. More often than not this will be the latest year coin often at a slighter higher premium due to the ease by which we can purchase from suppliers. Please note it costs us more ourselves to order the latest year coin!
How Do I Find out My Tracking Number?
Within 48 hours of your order being confirmed and packaged ready for despatch you will receive your tracking number in an email.
Why Does My Coin Look Different From the Photos?
Coins can sometimes appear different in photographs compared to in real life, we do however try to minimise this issue nowadays. Using new techniques and editing software to give you a true look into what the product will look like when you receive your delivery.
What Is a Graded Coin?
Coin grades detail the condition and aesthetic appeal of a piece; both being integral to a collector willing to pay beyond the intrinsic value of the coin solely based on these two factors. At Chards, we stock a range of NGC-graded coins, all of which have been assessed by the Numismatic Guaranty Company.
The better the overall quality of the coin, the higher the premiums attributed to the piece. To find out more and see examples of each coin grade, please see our page on coin grading.
What Is a Proof Coin?
A proof coin is one of the highest coin qualities a mint produces. Due to the hand produced dies and incredibly high relief of each design, these pieces command a far higher price, but a flawless piece is expected.
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Proof coins may not be ideal for the investor wishing to pay the lowest premium for bullion as the spectacular finishes do firmly place gold proof coins and silver proof coins as a collector's item; however, these are still very much precious metal.
Does Chards Offer FOREX?
Unfortunately, we do not offer a foreign currency exchange service. However, if you are selling precious metal to us, we are happy to pay you in a range of currencies such as USD, Euros & CAD, however this will depend upon the availability of the desired currency.
Do You Buy Scrap Gold and Silver?
We buy everything from bullion coins, jewellery, medallions and stamp replicas. Chards is happy to buy any quantity of scrap, from a single piece upwards, without limit. If you have a large quantity of gold scrap to sell, we will accept your instructions on price, or offer you helpful advice on selling. We are one of the longest established and largest gold buyers in Britain.