Stackers, what's your buying strategy?

[vand]

As per the topic..

Do you consider yourself a stacker? If so, what's your buying strategy?

I'm personally a strong believer in disciplined accumulation through monthly purchases, so without fail I will make a core purchase once a month, come hell or high water. It's not always the same £GBP amount or the same number of ounces, but it's usually in the same ballpark. 

I stack what I consider the cheaper metal, which at the moment is mainly silver, although this can and will change depending on the GSR.

Getting the most ounces per £ is the main aim, although I don't mind going up to Lunar/Panda level level for a portion of my stack.

And lastly, I also will make discretionary purchases a few times a year when I have the cash to do so, during what I consider opportunistic buying windows when PMs get beaten down.

Last year I bought very heavily (even took out some credit.. all paid off now) but this year and going forward I'm putting in an amount that I think I can comfortably get by with for the next few years. I've always been a saver in one form or another so I see PMs as just my current saving/investment vehicle.

I realise that many people considering themselves a stacker/something-else and that is fine too.. 

[MickB]

I started buying silver Britannias as I wanted only bullion at the time & it was five to ten coins every payday (4-weekly).

At the time I thought that proof coins were way too much to consider buying as I kept on trying to work out why would anyone pay a massive premium for a proof compared to the same design in bullion. I've learnt a lot since then.

My goal is for 500oz of silver then probably slow right down in buying anymore & only buy proofs then concentrate just on gold bullion with the odd gold proof thrown in.

The gold is for my retirement fund but any proof gold would be for me to enjoy. The silver is a back up plan should it go skywards in price.

[Jester]

When I first became interested in PM, it was silver and the intent was to purely stack bullion.  The cheaper the better.  As I wasn't married to any particular type of bullion, I felt fortunate that JM Bullion and Provident Metals both had/have weekly specials and often the sale on a random (or what appears to be random) bullion coin is "X over spot for any quantity".  That was key for me as I couldn't afford to buy into the higher quantities to drive the per coin price down.  All I had to do was exceed the $100 threshold for free shipping.  I'd also pay by personal check to shave off another dollar or so the dealers charge for credit card and PayPal purchases.  For example, right now Provident Metals has 2016 ASEs on sale for $21.20 any quantity with free shipping over $99.

It's been interesting to watch the sales come and go on various bullion.  I've managed to pick up some Britannia's, Kangaroos, ASEs and Canadian Wolves all at an "X over spot any quantity" with free shipping.

[Lea79]

I put cash away every month and save up to buy bigger orders or something nice.  I started off with silver bars, moved on to silver coins then once I started on gold I was hooked.  I haven't bought a substantial amount of silver in over 2years.

Recently, I'm more of a collector as all the coins I've bought have been either proof or semi numismatic gold.  It's worked out quite well as I bought a lot of my gold when prices were low, so my average per gram is still under spot.  

I have the feeling that I should be buying more bullion but I just don't get as excited about it as I would paying a bit more for a nice coin I really want.  

As for strategy, I just buy whatever keeps me interested in PM's.  It's all savings at the end of the day ?.

[KDave]

Until last month I had a set amount to put towards gold and silver per month, alongside shares and cash. I would not always make a purchase each month, sometimes preferring to hold off to save for a 1oz gold coin. Like you I was definitely a stacker, aiming for cheapest cost/oz and have the spreadsheet to prove it.  

My gold allocation is quite large as I hold gold instead of bonds, though some of my cash is tied up in less conventional 'debt instrument' like products with similar returns to bonds, mainly peer to peer lending and such. This is purely a personal preference; I think gold does a good job of maintaining purchasing power over similar time frames and has a few advantages over bonds at this point in history, but I could be wrong (I often am). 

Since returning to the UK my circumstances and priorities have changed somewhat, so all of my portfolio additions have been put on hold, certain parts have been sold off, in the name of adding to the house deposit. Once this madness has been finished with I will be back to acquiring cheapest £/oz again in regular purchases, with the odd exception on the low premium bit here and there. I intend to 'collect' the queens beasts bullion in 1oz, 1/4oz and 2oz silver, mainly because they are low premium and I can excuse such purchases as 'adding to the collection' or some such, and so will find the money for them somewhere, somehow 

[vand]

Some very good stories, thanks for sharing.

I suppose this is probably true of everyone.. it certainly is for myself.. once you start acquiring physical PMs then inevitably the reasons you continue to buy them start to change over time. There's only so many ounces that you can count as SHTF insurance, right? Once you start amassing more and more and more ounces they then become a long term store of wealth/savings vehicle, and beyond this an investment vehicle and a collectables/hobbie vehicle. That's the great thing about buying PMs - they tick lots of boxes.

 

[Pipers]

My buying strategy is different than most on this site and is set out for long term buying. I buy and hold!  I alter my buying if I see a major event on the horizon!!!

1, I mainly buy Silver in the 2nd half of the year.

2 If there is a bull market I wait for a pull back.  

3 In a bear market I still buy on the dips (lower lows can not be called).  

Gold, I buy when I believe the market has dipped and the bullion banks have pushed the price down, the only problem I have found with this tactic is there is very little Gold in the bullion dealers at competitive prices left and the end of year dip all the dealers are closed for trading.  

This is just a method of buying that does not suit most, it requires a lot effort and you can still lose of a given year.    

[GoldBenj]

if you were a premium member, you'd be able to see the addiction thread in the premium members lounge, some of us are too far gone and have a problem!

[oliversw5]

I agree with Ben, he certainly has a problem... 

[sovereignsteve]

7 minutes ago, oliversw5 said:

I agree with Ben, he certainly has a problem... 

you think he's got a problem?

[GoldBenj]

@sovereignsteve sits in front of HGM and Atkinsons websites fuelled by nothing but the desire to buy sovereigns, he has a problem and we've tried to get him help to no avail. He's a lost cause now..

[Niels87]

Anybody know this feeling ? 

Recently i completed collecting all the series i wanted to have. 
so once I achieved the series they don't interest me that much anymore and now i'm doubting to sell them all and buy cheap silver, just to have more.
I'm just not sure i will end up regretting it and start collecting them all once again, lol. 

[sovereignsteve]

I know what you mean but I tend to complete a series then put it into storage and forget about it.

At some point I "re-discover" it, get it out and have a good look, possibly "fondle" it and realise why I collected it in the first place.

Of course, that's why current series are useful. You get to re-visit them once a year.

[jayboat]

agree with @sovereignsteve here @Niels87. Just keep it them and forget them. Just start stacking cheaper stuff now and add it to what you have already. 

The fondling is one of the best parts . I like to empty up the monster boxes and cover the whole coffee table with a sea of stacked quadrum capsules along with my tubes, rolls, bars ect neatly arranged along the top end of the table. Then putting them all into order so they look pretty and snap a few pics on the phone . Last stage is to sit and stare at your stack for 5 mins while thinking whats the best way to arrange this stack into those boxes without wasting any space. Only to decide to just wing it and store away for another day.

 

 

[Paul]

Just buy what is 'best value' on the time of purchase in line with your budget on that day.  

You end up with a right mix of gold and silver, you know you have not paid over the odds for as that was the best deal on the deal of the day.

Plugging year gaps and design gaps can be costly and bad for your wealth as i learnt in my early years 

 

[ThoseBackPages]

As a collector, it really is "all about the hunt" 

[Roy]

Boring I know, but buy and hold.

[vand]

I have been stacking hard for 14 month and accumulated nearly a triple digit stack of silver and precisely 1.5oz of gold... for the first time I went through my entire stack last weekend as I wanted to organise and label it up.

Firstly, it's bloody heavy! While everything inside 2 monster boxes, those boxes weight a tonne, and I don't care too much for lugging them about on a daily basis. it gave me a chance to actually hold and appreciate the stored wealth... I thought about how much of a bargain it was and still is; when you think of the process that begins with locating a patch of earth, blasting and digging rocks out of the ground, refining and then extracting the silver, then forging it into a concentrated little object is not only instantly recognisable by also beautiful...  and I managed to pick it up for the equivalent of about 1hr of the average worker's labour (in the UK at least). It's a stark contrast to largely illusionary value such as new share capital issued by company that is just created at the click of a button.

 

Secondly I did an inspection for milkspots. Not too many surprises here..

The worst coins were -

Noaks Arks which were "whole coin" milking up very noticeable
RCM Bird of prey/wildlife series, a few coins spotting up
Royal Mint Brits, a few coins milking/spotting

Not a blemish on any of my Pert mint coins. I think that I will prioritize their coins going forward. Even if they are a few % more above spot it's going to be worth it in the long run if it avoids the milkspotting issue. Plus, Kooks/Koalas come in their own plasic case which further protects them and keeps them pristine.