Operational Update at Chards – April, 2026 - Archived
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Demand for precious metals is currently at exceptional levels across the industry and is up to twenty times higher than what we experienced two years ago. Although as a bullion dealer, we are able to prepare for any operational impact that comes with the volatility of precious metal pricing, the intrinsic price of gold has increase by +49% in the last 6 months, whereas silver has increased by +100%. This coupled with the overnight increase in demand has dramatically impacted our resources, and like other business we have been unable to continue at our usual levels of (excellent) customer service, having more of an impact than the pandemic in 2020.
We have increased resources across all departments and are working hard to process and despatch all orders as quickly as possible. However, some delays are unfortunately unavoidable during periods of extreme market activity. Precious metals are, by their nature, long‑term investments, and during times of heightened global demand, immediate delivery and rapid responses may not always be possible.
If you require ultra‑fast delivery or instant customer service, alternative dealers may be able to provide that but typically at a considerably higher cost than purchasing through Chards. Our priority is to maintain fair pricing, transparency, and long‑term value for our customers.
Thank you for your patience and understanding during this exceptionally busy period. We truly appreciate your support.
Please note: Fake websites are currently circulating online. www.chards.co.uk is the only official Chards website that accepts customer orders.
Current Operational And Despatch Times.
- Despatch Times: In stock items will be despatched within 2 working days of receiving cleared funds and any necessary identification. Please check your account area for updates on despatch times for your order.
- Phone Lines: If you have called and left a message or if you are waiting for a response, please allow up to 1 to 2 working days. We do have an outsourced reception service working with our customer service team who will take a message and direct you to our website to answer any questions you may have. However, they do not have access to our systems and will not be able to update you on the progress of your order.
- Email Queries / Contact Form: We are working as fast as we can to respond to queries but please allow up to 2 working days for a response from our team.
- Showroom Appointments: We are currently fully booked for the next 6 to 8 weeks but you can still arrange any sales via our Distance Buy-In postal service and you can purchase online 24/7.
- Storage: Orders may take up to 3 to 4 weeks to be put into storage. You will not be charged for storage during this time. Please check your account area for updates on despatch times for your order.
- Please note, follow-up emails and multiple telephone calls, will open up multiple queries and it will take us longer to respond. Therefore, if you can wait for a response from your initial contact we would be very grateful.
Need Some Investment Help?
We have an extensive range of resources on our website but here are some key articles you may want to read.
How To Shop On Our Website
If you need guidance on how to order via our website, please view our helpful video below, that details all the things you can do from your account admin panel. You can also view the following pages for further information:
FAQs
Orders & Delivery
Q: Where is my order?
A: You can track the status of your order by logging into the website and visiting your ‘account’ area. For assistance on logging in and what you can do once logged in, you can view our video tutorial video guide
Q: My order hasn’t arrived after a few days. What should I do?
A: For in stock items, despatch will occur up to 3 working days from the date of your order, so you may need to wait a little longer. You can view your order despatch status on our website though. Login to Chards and head over to the account page. You will see your orders and their status here.
Q: When will someone call me back?
A: We are receiving record numbers of calls so please allow up 1 to 2 working day for a response. We will have your details don’t worry.
Q: I ordered yesterday but my order hasn’t been despatched. Why?
A: In-stock orders currently have a 3 working days despatch time from the point of receipt. Therefore, please allow a little longer for your order to arrive.
Q: I’m happy to wait for despatch, but I want to be sure you’ve received my payment. Can you confirm this?
A: Absolutely. Once your payment is successfully processed, you’ll receive an order confirmation, this is also shown in your online account area.
Buying & Identification
Q: Do I need to call you if I want to buy?
A: No. You can purchase up to £100,000 on our website without calling us. However, you will still need to provide full ID for the purpose of obligatory financial obligations. This is to prevent money laundering and criminal activity. To get started we recommend you register yourself on our website.
Q: How do I buy bullion? What ID is needed?
A: You can get all the information you need on buying bullion and the ID requirements for buying via our dedicated Identification page.
Payment & Appointments
Q: How do I pay? Bank Transfer?
A: We have a whole page dedicated to Payment Options for you.
Q: Do you take credit cards?
A: We don’t accept credit cards due to high processing fees and regulatory changes. To keep our pricing fair and transparent, we offer bank transfers and debit card payments, ensuring all customers pay the same, regardless of payment method.
Q: If I make a purchase today using a Debit card, will you receive the payment today or will it remain pending with my bank?
A: When you place an order and pay using a Debit card, the payment is typically processed immediately. This means we receive confirmation of the transaction on the same day. However, depending on your bank, the funds may show as "pending" on your statement until they are fully cleared.
Q: How do I print my invoice?
A: Head over to the Account page on our website once you’ve logged in and then to the order you would like an invoice for. At the top of the page click on ‘View Invoice’. You can download and print it from this page.
Q: How do I book an appointment?
A: We are very busy at the moment but you can book an appointment at our Harrowside or Hatton Garden Showrooms online. Please note that we are often booked a week to ten days in advance.
Bullion & Investment Info
Q: What is the spot price of gold?
A: You can view our live gold price and precious metals pages anytime. They are updated regularly.
Q: What is Bullion?
A: Bullion is a term used to describe precious metals such as gold and silver which are bought and sold at or close to the value of its metal content (intrinsic value). Bullion can be bought and sold as both coins and bars. Investing in bullion, as opposed to buying coins for their numismatic interest or their collectible value. The most common types of bullion are gold, silver, platinum, and palladium, but other metals can also be considered bullion. It is a term that tends to be reserved for gold and silver that is at least 99.5% and 99.9% pure.
Q: Should I buy Coins or Bars?
A: Bullion coins offer flexibility, CGT exemption, and liquidity. They are also better for UK investors seeking easier resale through dealers like Chards. While a investment in gold physical bars offers unique advantages that can enhance a business's financial resilience and long-term stability.
Q: Why don’t you provide capsules or certificates with bullion?
A: Bullion coins are mass-produced for investment purposes rather than for collecting. Unlike proof coins, which are made with extra care and often have limited mintage. Including capsules or certificates would increase production and handling costs, which goes against their purpose as a cost-effective investment option.
Q: Do You Price Match?
A: Chards performs regular price comparisons on a daily basis to ensure that their prices are the most competitive in the market. Customers can trust that they are receiving the best possible deals when conducting transactions with Chards. While Chards cannot always price match on all bullion products all of the time, we would be very happy to do so on many items.
We are doing our best to meet customer demand with extra resources being put into all departments within the business, but our response times will be slower than usual. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
Thank you for your patience – we truly appreciate it.
Update 23rd January 2023 - Archived
Please note that due to a large influx in phone calls, it may take up to 48 hours to respond to your query. Our customer service team is working hard to deal with an unprecedented amount of enquiries. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and appreciate your patience during this time.
2022 / 2023 Changeover - Dates and Monarchs - Archived
This affects the following products:
2022/3 Gold Bullion Sovereigns
2022/3 Gold Bullion One Ounce Britannias
2022/3 Silver Bullion One Ounce Britannias
We are already into the changeover season in the UK, between the current year’s 2022 dated coins, and the 2023 dated coins. At 6:30pm on 8th September 2022, this changed, as another complication arose with the death of Queen Elizabeth II. There is now some uncertainty whether future deliveries of the above coins will bear the name and portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, or King Charles III.
In addition, most of our new deliveries will be delayed awaiting discussion and decisions between the Royal Mint and the other official authorities. While we have existing stocks, we will continue to supply 2022 Queen Elizabeth II coins. Once we run low on our existing stocks, we will continue to accept orders on the basis that we will supply whichever the next deliveries are.
The most likely new deliveries would include:
2022 Gold Bullion Sovereigns of Queen Elizabeth II
2023 Gold Bullion Sovereigns of Queen Elizabeth II
2023 Gold Bullion Sovereigns of King Charles III
2022 Gold Bullion One Ounce Britannias of Queen Elizabeth II
2023 Gold Bullion One Ounce Britannias of Queen Elizabeth II
2023 Gold Bullion One Ounce Britannias of King Charles III
2022 Silver Bullion One Ounce Britannias of Queen Elizabeth II
2023 Silver Bullion One Ounce Britannias of Queen Elizabeth II
2023 Silver Bullion One Ounce Britannias of King Charles III
Russia-Ukraine Crisis - Update 3rd March 2022 - Archived
Despite the continuing conflict in the Ukraine, our operations have largely been unaffected with only minor delays due to increased demand.
While demand still remains high, operations have returned to relative normality and lead times for our most popular products remain the same. We will of course, continue to advise you as and when developments occur.
Please head to our in stock bullion page for all products available for immediate despatch. We continue to sell the popular 2022 gold Britannia, 2022 gold sovereign and 2022 silver Britannia and are successfully placing orders with suppliers.
If you have any queries you can speak to our Customer Service Team by requesting a call back on our contact page. Showroom appointments are still available for collections and buy-ins.
With thanks,
Ian - Bullion Manager
Operational Update - 24th Feb 2022 - Archived
As you can appreciate the market is very busy, we are fully staffed and accepting orders for our most popular products. So far lead times are unaffected yet we are not committing to fixed delivery dates. Our 3 top bullion products are available to buy below:
Alternatively, you can view our in stock bullion page for products available for immediate despatch. In stock items will be despatched within 2 working days.
- Any orders already in our system have orders placed with our suppliers and delivery dates pencilled in.
- New orders will be updated with delivery dates as soon as we can confirm them. (We do not want to over commit and provide a fixed date, for obvious reason)
We see no reason why products will not continue to flow in the marketplace, and we will update this page as and when we receive more information.
PLEASE NOTE: Given the situation we cannot commit to fixed delivery dates on any orderable or secondary market products, and we ask customers for their patience while the situation continues. Customer service staff will be able to advise on delivery dates once we have assigned stock to your orders.
Operational Update - 5th August 2021 - Archived
We are pleased to let you know that we have received delivery of 2021 1 oz Silver Britannias which are now available on our website.
Operational Update - 4th June 2021 - Archived
We have been advised by a number of our suppliers that due to production issues at the Royal Mint, deliveries of 2021 1 oz silver Britannias will be delayed.
Estimated lead times on new orders of 2021 silver Britannias will be approximately 8 to 10 weeks.
For customers who have already ordered with us and awaiting delivery, we are still expecting these to be delivered, however, they too have been delayed by approximately 4 weeks.
We will, of course, update you as and when receive further information.
Operational Update - 31st March 2021 - Archived
As you are no doubt aware, demand for gold and silver has been strong in recent months which means we have had to extend our estimated lead times on certain products to 6-8 weeks. We have been working with our suppliers to ensure that these products are delivered promptly. In some instances, we have offered, where available, similar products of a similar cost and refunded any difference in premium. We have found that many of our customers have been happy with this alternative. For customers willing to wait for their ordered products, we have informed them to the best of our ability of any updates to delivery times.
We are now expecting to fulfill orders in the coming weeks for silver Britannias, silver Royal Arms and even the gold Britannia and customers will be allocated stock as soon as it arrives on site. Following this our customer service team will call ahead to request a delivery date as we try to ship when we know you are going to be in. (Please note this is not all orders and if you have ordered in the past couple of weeks, you can still expect estimated delivery times into May.)
Gold and silver bars are still flowing freely, and we have not been advised of any delays to our usual supplier lead times. If this changes we will of course keep our customers updated.
Our customer service desk remains busy and the best way to make an enquiry is to use our contact us page. or use Ruby, our new virtual assistant. If you wish to buy a product, we recommend you checkout on the site using bank transfer and we can then liaise with you for a balance. Customers are reminded we also offer metal accounts for those who wish to buy digital metal to transact into coins or bars of their choice when stock becomes available for despatch.
Any awaiting stock products are on back order with suppliers and we are financially committed to all quantities. We advise customers that we want the products on site as much as you do both so we can ship orders and put our own supplies into stock.
Lead Times Updated
As of today (5 Feb 2021) we have all ordered products now set to a 6-8 week lead time as slowly suppliers advise us on deliveries. We pass this information on in good faith and wish not to be held to exact dates as we want to keep customers informed that we are talking about weeks, not months.
Wall Street Bets and the Twitter Storm
The short squeeze mania which played out with GameStop shares (amongst others) recently appeared to have entered the precious metals market, namely silver. Whilst unconfirmed, it is alleged that Reddit users on the 'WallStreetBets' forum were responsible, but other factors such as media hype and sensationalism seem to have played a bigger role in driving the frenzy.
The concept/theory/fake news is that there is not enough silver to satisfy physical delivery of the derivative contracts traded on Comex and banks have for a long time been suppressing price. The silver price is thought to be suppressed as its scarcity and industrial use case should provide the basis for a higher price. The mechanism is that the day traders can go out and buy silver ETFs and if enough participants take physical delivery the paper market could be laid bare. On both counts this would result in price appreciation whilst racking up heavy losses for those who have taken short positions.
The banks can and will wriggle out of physical delivery but will pay a heavy price and premiums to exit contracts. If 'all goes to plan' this will be met with delight by silver bugs and those who have always seen silver as a hedge against inflation.
Brexit
We thought our Government might do things differently with Brexit, this time taking the care and attention to get such a bloody huge job right. It is clear the logistical carnage at the borders is affecting many sectors in addition to driving prices up as many wholesalers battle with costs to get stock in and out of the UK.
We source our bullion products from the European Union, Far East, Australia and the United States. We do this to keep premiums as low as possible even though it is not the easiest option for us. We still believe this is the best offer for our customers and will continue with this strategy. We ask for patience and understanding whilst we work diligently with suppliers to get products here in a timely fashion.
Covid-19
Covid-19 blew the markets open last March and we were proud to have been able to support all of our customers who wished to buy precious metals in 2020. Dashed were our hopes that 2021 might bring normalisation as new variants of the virus emerged and lockdown version 2, 3 or 4 or whatever number we are on now took hold. Supply chains have been in some sort of recovery (or should I call it adaptation) but freight prices remained elevated since March 2020. Air freight was rendered uneconomical with supplies often taken off aircraft in place of PPE for hospitals and charities. The switch to shipping containers was welcome news and supply has been maintained even though deliveries now take 3-4 weeks instead of the 3-5 days we were accustomed to. Flights had slowly started coming back online but again delivery times are extended into weeks.
Shipments into Britain
Deliveries are now expected on major product lines of at least a few weeks, in some cases this may be longer. For gold bullion customers, we have recently sourced 2020 Double Sovereigns which are now due to be delivered to our showroom in Blackpool. As always, customers can switch their orders to these coins, with only the live premium to pay/be refunded. This may be of interest for those looking to receive their CGT exempt gold bullion coins in a quicker timeframe.
Product Updates
2020 Double Sovereigns - These pieces were on site with our wholesale supplier, so are hopefully going to be shipped promptly. We will advise on delivery times when we learn more and we anticipate a couple of weeks.
2021 Gold Britannias, 2021 Silver Britannias, 2021 Platinum Britannias, 2021 Sovereigns – Delays due to COVID and Brexit. Current estimates are for a mid-March delivery (approximately 6 weeks).
2021 Platinum Queens Beasts – We have been informed that these coins are now in Britain and awaiting customs clearance.
Just Another Day In The Office
We have been in business for over 55 years and have been through many a crisis in that time, and we have always delivered on our promises. Our offer to you where you can sell bullion back to us even before delivery reaches you still stands, as always.
We hope this latest update will be reassuring during these times; as news becomes available, we will provide updates to all our customers via social media, email and the website.
Further Reading
If you wish to read about how we managed during 2020's pandemic, you can click to see our supply updates from last year.