We recommend JMBullion (~$1.25 above silver spot) for smaller purchases of <100oz silver / <3oz gold, and Monex (~$1.00 above silver spot) for larger purchases. Additionally, there are a few rules to keep in mind over the years when investing in silver/gold/etc., as follows:
Gold is inflation-proof, meaning $1 in gold in 1900 will have the same purchasing power a century later in 2000; fiat will always inflate/devalue and thus the price of gold will equal that rate. Silver is an investment with almost-certain gains (e.g. 2x every 30 years + it defeats inflation akin to gold) for people who understand the additional rules and enter the market correctly, otherwise it can at times have a loss of value for up to 15-year periods. Further, once every ~100 years a first-world country will go through hyperinflation that allows outsiders to use commodities to purchase real estate in those lands for pennies on the dollar.
Gold:Silver ratios as mined from the Earth are exactly 1:10 (e.g. surplus amounts of gold beyond this ratio in circulation are due to alchemists), meaning 1oz of gold can purchase 10oz of silver, and vice versa. Therefore, if the ratio is 1:100 (i.e. March 2020) then it would take 100oz of silver to buy 1oz of gold. This means silver is highly undervalued, and therefore investing in gold over silver is a fools errand. Purchasing silver now and waiting for the ratio to fall to perhaps 1:50 will instantly DOUBLE one's net worth when transitioning it over to gold. The ratio was pegged in the USA & UK for hundreds of years at 1:15 (gold:silver) and any nation that hopes to last long will eventually reset it back 'close' to these ratios. Therefore, when undervalued silver is the best investment and once ratios begin to return to their lower historical marks, a switch over to gold is required to maintain purchasing power over time.
Storage is often cheap and best used when one intends to sell their holdings or convert them in less than (18) months, with shipping fees outweighing any benefits of physical holding under that timeframe. Holding the metals is HIGHLY suggested when holding more than (18) months. Further, holding the asset is the only way to actually guarantee one receives the asset - as eventually government will use a 'force majeure' in 101 different scenarios to seize all depositories (as they are ALL registered with the government) and payout to their holders at spot value when liquidated. This sounds fair, except when the US government did this once before (i.e. Executive Order 6102 of 1933 and the Gold Reserve Act of 1934), once they were content with their seizures the price of those commodities increased by 70% overnight. They took away 70% of the people's wealth in that single act, especially since everyone before The Great Depression believed so much in holding gold and converted most liquid cash into gold on a monthly basis! In short, holding assets physically could earn one an extra 50% to 100% versus it being seized by the government.
Purchasing 1,000oz silver bars or 1kg gold bars is the best way to get as close to 'spot price' and avoid higher premiums. Premiums eat away at initial profits, therefore it is best to purchase large bars over smaller denominations. Smaller denominations such as 1oz Silver Eagles being used in a 'post-grid-down' society is unrealistic. Research has shown that during these times of decline, silver's purchasing power is dramatically increased where a prostitue (i.e. the most traded good since humanity's inception with known and 'almost static' prices throughout 97% of modern history) can typically be obtained for an hour for ~1.2g of silver (i.e. ~$200 in 2020 mid-sized US cities). In short, 1oz of silver will be too large for most transactions and therefore will need to be smelted by a goldsmith (e.g. the guy in one's neighborhood with a smelting furnace) and turned into 'shot' pieces which are further hammered out, to allow them to be cut with normal scissors, and these smaller pieces are used in trade and transaction with manual [sometimes scientific] scales. Therefore, getting 1,000oz bars at reduced prices is better because it will all eventually all need to be smelted, and thankfully a well bult bonfire (up to 2000F) can melt silver (1763F melt point) in an iron pot (2100F melt point), then be slowly dripped into water to produce shot by one's self.
NOTE: Our personal connection with Monex is Lee Zollitsch, who can be contacted at (949) 752-1400 extension 2508 - let him know PWA Inc. and Zachary Miller sent you for a gift (i.e. get one free secret program from PWA). Setting up a large transction account requires one of the following: $25,000+ in a single purchase, $50,000+ in storage, or $100,000+ in lifetime transactions will allow one to get as close to spot as is possible online (i.e. with an insured smelter and guarantee of product quality of at least .995 purity).
NOTE: When shipping metals, it is best to insure them for the full amount via UPS or a LTL (Less Than truckLoad) carrier. Occasionally, with large amounts of silver (i.e. 1,000+ lbs) a simple trip in a U-Hual to the closest smelter (Monex = California, JMBullion = Nevada, ARA Gold = Texas, Midwest Refineries = Michigan, Orlando Gold Refinery = Florida, etc.) can save thousands in transportion fees. Simply ensure that the refinery can make the purchase at the delivery location, will allow physical delivery on a specific date/time, and that one can choose when the sell time is locked in (potentially netting thousands extra in hourly market changes).
Any periods where gold went below 1:10 is where alchemists reigned supreme without restrictions.