Who actually pays for a national ad campaign?
Advertising is a business expense. Compare the written premium and buyback spread rather than treating advertising as proof of value.
National television, paid spokespeople, and inbound sales operations can be expensive. Those costs form part of a dealer's overall expense structure, even though they do not appear as a separate invoice item.
Does advertising necessarily lead to premium-coin sales?
No. Advertising is one cost within a business, not proof that a dealer must sell premium coins or that a salesperson has a particular motive. Product mix, volume and other expenses differ. Assess the recommendation through the written price and the product's fit with your objective, rather than inferring value from the marketing model.
Standard bullion such as American Gold Eagles, Canadian Maple Leafs and refiner bars is generally bought primarily for its metal content. Proof and collectible issues add other attributes. A larger premium needs to be evaluated against the exact issue and available bids, not explained away by an endorsement or dismissed solely because of one.
If a recommendation changes from bullion to a collectible, ask what changed in the product's suitability for your stated objective. Check any claimed mint limit or allocation, and compare the new premium and buyback indication. Our guide to proof coins vs. bullion explains what to check.
What does the math look like on a $100,000 purchase?
In a hypothetical $100,000 purchase, a 5% premium leaves about $95,238 of metal at spot; a 40–120% premium over spot leaves about $45,455 to $71,429. These are purchase-premium calculations, not observed dealer pricing or resale spreads. The comparison assumes resale at spot and excludes additional costs.
Consider a hypothetical USD purchase of $100,000. These premiums are selected only to illustrate the arithmetic, not to describe observed dealer prices. Assume resale at the same spot reference and exclude shipping, insurance, applicable taxes, storage, custodian and other costs.
Scenario A, standard bullion at ~5% premium. Roughly $95,238 of the $100,000 represents metal at spot. Ignoring any other costs, assumed resale proceeds need to rise 5% to recover the purchase cost.
Scenario B, high-premium "exclusive" coins at a 40–120% premium over spot. Roughly $45,455 to $71,429 of the same $100,000 represents metal at spot ($100,000 ÷ 2.20 and $100,000 ÷ 1.40). Under the resale-at-spot assumption, proceeds would need to increase by 120% and 40%, respectively, to recover the purchase before other costs. This is not a forecast of spot or collectible bids; the actual resale relationship may differ.
The example isolates the effect of the purchase premium. The spread is a separate comparison between your actual purchase price and a current dealer bid. Collector value, condition and market demand can affect that bid, so request it for the exact product.
What can compensation tell me about a recommendation?
Higher compensation on a product may create an incentive to recommend it. That is not proof of a salesperson's motive or of an unsuitable recommendation. Ask about compensation and the reasons for the product choice, then assess those answers alongside the written premium, applicable fees and current buyback indication.
Reviews and a courteous conversation do not replace a written comparison of costs. Nor does a national campaign tell you what an individual quote costs relative to another dealer's quote for the same product. Our own position on public reviews is explained in why we don't solicit reviews.
How is Dormy built differently?
Dormy has no spokesperson and runs no national advertising. Its default recommendation is standard bullion with a written, itemized quote; specialty and premium coins are available only on explicit request, with the premium and estimated buyback disclosed before purchase. Compare those written figures rather than treating the business model itself as proof of the best price.
New clients arrive through referrals and by finding educational pages like this one, not through a call-center pipeline. If you want to see how a clean quote should be written, read how to read a dealer's quote.
The default recommendation is standard bullion, priced with a written itemized quote showing spot reference, premium per unit, total, and a current estimated buyback indication. Specialty and premium coins are available only on explicit request, with premiums and estimated buyback disclosed in writing before you buy. Our actual premium ranges are published on the Pricing page.
Dormy has no spokesman. You're not paying for one.