JM Bullion vs SD Bullion: which is better?
Choose SD Bullion if you pay by check or wire and want a low price: it had the cheapest Gold Eagle wire price in our October 2026 check (3.41% over spot). Choose JM Bullion if you want to pay by card, PayPal or crypto, since SD Bullion caps cards at $5,000 and PayPal at $500.
These two Texas-linked online dealers look almost identical at first: both give 4% off for check or wire, both ship free over $199, both hold an A+ BBB rating. The difference only shows up when you read the payment and insurance small print, and for many buyers that decides which one can take the order at all.
JM Bullion vs SD Bullion at a glance
| Feature | JM Bullion | SD Bullion |
|---|---|---|
| Owner | Gold.com, Inc. (formerly A-Mark), NYSE-listed, 79.5% since March 2021 | Private; BBB lists Dr. Tyler Wall as president and owner |
| Trading since | 2011 (BBB start date); Dallas, Texas | Selling online since 2012 (BBB start date March 2011) |
| Cash discount | 4% for check, money order, eCheck, wire; 3% for crypto | 4% for wire, check, e-check, money order; none for crypto |
| Card surcharge (in effect) | About 4.17% over the wire price | About 4.17% over the wire price |
| Card limit | $250,000; Amex accepted | $5,000; no Amex |
| Free shipping | $199 or more; fee below not stated | Over $199 (cash price); $9.95 at $199 or less |
| Insurance | Full third-party cover until signature or delivery confirmation | Free insured over $199, void if signature waived, someone else signs, or mailbox store |
| Dispatch | Usually within 1 business day of cleared payment | Usually 1 to 3 business days after payment clears |
| Buyback | Sell to Us service; scrap from $1,000 (CNBC Select) | Indicative buy prices posted; paid 1 to 3 business days after processing |
| Storage | TDS Vaults, 0.50% for bullion, 6 months free, $50 handling per move | SD Depository, 0.29% a year for gold, $9.99 monthly minimum, 3 months free |
| Price match | Not stated | Yes, if you call before ordering |
| Ships abroad | Not mentioned | Yes, 37 countries, buyer pays duties |
| BBB | A+, accredited since July 14, 2014 | A+, accredited since April 22, 2014 |
| Trustpilot | 4.5 from 2,571 reviews (Oct 2026) | 4.1 from 3,138 reviews (Oct 2026) |
Sources: each dealer's payment, shipping, storage and sell pages, BBB and Trustpilot, viewed October 10 to 12, 2026. JM Bullion's storage page shows rates as percentages without naming the period.
Which dealer will accept how you want to pay?
A "card surcharge" here is really a missing discount: both dealers list a card price and take 4% off it for check or wire, so a card costs about 4.17% more than cash. The bigger difference is the hard limits. SD Bullion's payment page, updated October 1, 2026, sets caps by method. JM Bullion's are far higher.
| Method | JM Bullion | SD Bullion |
|---|---|---|
| Visa, Mastercard, Discover | Up to $250,000 | Up to $5,000 |
| American Express | Accepted | Not accepted |
| PayPal | Up to $250,000 | Up to $500 |
| Bank wire | $500 to $1,000,000 | From $2,500; required over $20,000 |
| Paper check | Up to $100,000 | Up to $20,000 |
| eCheck | Up to $100,000 | Up to $10,000 |
| Crypto | Up to $2,000,000, 3% discount | Bitcoin up to $250,000, no discount |
| Apple Pay, Google Pay, Klarna | Yes (Klarna $35 to $30,000) | Not listed |
What this means for a real order
- Two 1 oz coins (about $8,700) on a card: only JM Bullion will take it. At SD Bullion you would need a check, e-check or wire.
- A $2,000 order by wire (say four 1/10 oz coins): only JM Bullion takes a wire this small. SD Bullion does not offer wires under $2,500, so you would pay by check or e-check and wait 3 to 5 business days for it to clear.
- $25,000 by personal check: JM Bullion accepts it. SD Bullion requires a wire above $20,000.
- A $1,000 gift coin on PayPal: JM Bullion only; SD Bullion's PayPal cap is $500.
Locking a price is binding at both. SD Bullion spells out a 5% cancellation fee plus market loss (any fall in the gold price) and collection costs if your payment misses its deadline. On a $4,324 coin, the 5% alone is about $216. JM Bullion says cancellation fees and market losses on unpaid check and wire orders are "billed without exception" but does not publish a rate. Only lock a price when your money is ready to send.
How do their prices compare?
Price is spot (the live market price per ounce) plus a premium, the dealer's mark-up. JM Bullion's site does not allow automated price checks, so we do not publish a premium for it. SD Bullion's prices below were read automatically from its product pages and give you a benchmark to test JM Bullion against.
| Product | Check or wire | Premium | Card | Spot used |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 oz American Gold Eagle (Oct 12) | $4,324.31 | 3.41% | Not captured | $4,181.70 |
| 1/2 oz American Gold Eagle (Oct 11) | $2,152.69 | 2.62% | $2,242.39 | $4,195.60 |
| 1 oz American Gold Buffalo (Oct 12) | $4,428.45 | 5.82% | $4,612.97 | $4,184.80 |
| 1 kilo bar, design its choice (Oct 12) | $136,755.66 | 1.68% | $142,453.81 | $4,183.30 |
| JM Bullion, same products | Not shown: its site does not allow automated price checks | |||
GoldVetted price checks, October 11 and 12, 2026. Spot from gold-api.com. Premium = price ÷ (fine gold ounces × spot) − 1. The 1/2 oz Eagle was checked over the weekend with spot unchanged. Later checks: premium tracker.
Note the card column: a kilo bar is far above SD Bullion's $5,000 card limit, so that card price is only reachable at JM Bullion's higher limits. When you compare, set both sites to the check or wire price and run the figures through our premium calculator. If JM Bullion comes out lower, SD Bullion's price-match policy may close the gap if you call before ordering.
Whose shipping insurance is easier to rely on?
Both cover loss and damage in transit on free-shipping orders. SD Bullion's cover, though, depends on conditions that catch people out. Its shipping policy says insurance does not apply if you have a standing signature waiver with your carrier, if a neighbor, doorman or anyone else signs, or if the parcel goes to a UPS Store, mailbox or locker. You have 3 business days to report a problem. Returned or delayed orders cost $30 a month for storage and insurance.
JM Bullion's cover runs until the carrier gets a signature or confirms delivery, and it asks you to report problems straight away. It does not list the same exclusions on its shipping page. If you often cannot be home to sign, that is a point for JM Bullion; if you can, the difference matters less.
Storage and selling back
SD Bullion's depository is on its own premises on the Ohio and Michigan border, with segregated storage (your exact coins kept apart) at 0.29% a year for gold. Its $9.99 monthly minimum means the rate only bites above about $41,000. JM Bullion uses TDS Vaults in Dallas, Las Vegas, Singapore, Toronto or Zurich, at 0.50% for bullion outside Zurich, plus $50 every time metal goes in or out. Compare both with a home safe in our US gold storage guide.
When selling, SD Bullion posts indicative buy prices and says it pays 1 to 3 business days after checking your items. JM Bullion runs a Sell to Us service; check its live bid and one other buyer before you lock. Our guide to selling gold for the best price walks through it.
Which should you choose?
| Buyer | Lean towards | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Paying cash, price first | SD Bullion | Lowest wire prices in our check, plus price match |
| Card over $5,000, or Amex | JM Bullion | $250,000 card limit |
| PayPal, Apple Pay or crypto | JM Bullion | Higher limits; 3% crypto discount |
| Often away when parcels arrive | JM Bullion | Fewer stated insurance exclusions |
| Storing $40,000 or more | SD Bullion | 0.29% vs 0.50% plus handling |
| Living outside the US | SD Bullion | Ships to 37 countries |
Read our full JM Bullion review and SD Bullion review for the detail. Other dealers to price against them include those in our Bullion Exchanges review, US Gold Bureau review and BullionMax review, and the full list is on our best places to buy gold in the US page.
Check SD Bullion prices Check JM Bullion prices
Frequently asked questions
Is SD Bullion cheaper than JM Bullion?
We cannot confirm it from a live price, because JM Bullion's site does not allow automated price checks, so we do not publish a premium for it. SD Bullion had the lowest wire price in our October 2026 Gold Eagle check: $4,324.31 for a 1 oz coin on October 12, 3.41% over spot. Use that as your benchmark when you price JM Bullion.
Can I pay SD Bullion by credit card for a big order?
Only up to $5,000 per order, with Visa, Mastercard or Discover; American Express is not accepted. JM Bullion lists a card limit of $250,000 and does take Amex. At both dealers a card costs about 4.17% more than paying by check or wire, because the 4% cash discount does not apply.
Which dealer charges a cancellation fee?
Both can bill you if you lock a price and do not pay. SD Bullion states a 5% cancellation fee plus any market loss and collection costs. JM Bullion says cancellation fees and market losses on unpaid check and wire orders are billed without exception, but its payment page does not give a percentage.
Which has better shipping insurance?
Both insure parcels free on orders of $199 or more until delivery. SD Bullion's policy has more conditions: cover is void if you have waived signatures with the carrier, if anyone other than the addressee signs, or if it ships to a mailbox store, and problems must be reported within 3 business days. JM Bullion asks you to report problems immediately.
Which is cheaper for storing gold?
SD Bullion on listed rates. SD Depository charges 0.29% a year for gold with a $9.99 monthly minimum and three months free. JM Bullion stores through TDS Vaults at 0.50% for bullion with six months free and a $50 handling fee per check-in or checkout. Our storage cost calculator works out your figure.
Are JM Bullion and SD Bullion legit?
Yes. Both have A+ ratings from the Better Business Bureau: JM Bullion accredited since July 14, 2014 and SD Bullion since April 22, 2014. JM Bullion has been majority owned since 2021 by Gold.com, Inc., which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. SD Bullion is privately owned and has sold online since 2012.
Sources
We checked these primary and official sources when writing and fact-checking this page.
- JM Bullion: Payment methods (limits by method, 4% and 3% discounts, viewed Oct 12, 2026)
- SD Bullion: Payment and pricing (limits, 4% cash discount, 5% cancellation fee; updated 10/01/2026)
- JM Bullion: Shipping and insurance
- SD Bullion: Shipping policies (insurance conditions, 3-day reporting)
- JM Bullion: Storage through TDS Vaults (viewed Oct 12, 2026)
- SD Bullion: Storage and rates (SD Depository)
- Better Business Bureau: JM Bullion (A+, accredited since 7/14/2014)
- Better Business Bureau: SD Bullion, Inc (A+, accredited since 4/22/2014, viewed Oct 11, 2026)
- Trustpilot: JM Bullion (4.5 from 2,571 reviews, viewed Oct 10, 2026)
- Trustpilot: SD Bullion (4.1 from 3,138 reviews, viewed Oct 11, 2026)
Not financial advice. GoldVetted provides general information to help you compare options. It is not personal financial, tax or legal advice. Gold prices go down as well as up, and you may get back less than you pay. Check tax rules with the official source or a qualified adviser before you act.