Austin Rare Coins & Bullion

I read the review by Halstead and feel the need to update my review. I want to state that I gave 5-​stars based on my experience, not my friendship with Ryan. I’m sorry if Halstead had a bad experience, but I can confirm that they have bullion available and on-​site.
The problem he had appears to be due to the fact that he thought ARCI operated more like a pawn shop. They don’t. This is a much more upscale experience. Sometimes, you have to wait for product if the order is large enough. Their inventory changes hourly. They carry LOTS of rare coins that would require traveling the globe to locate. They lock the rates at the time you indicate, so I’m not sure why anybody would need to receive the product any faster than they deliver it.
Finally, I want to point out that I made a spreadsheet of all of my purchases historically. ARCI has always charged me the least. For reference, EBay is the most expensive place to buy, so don’t do that under any circumstances.
I’m available to answer any questions, as I stated before. I like to think of ARCI as the private club version of bullion dealers, yet anybody can join for free. If you want a pawn shop, go to a pawn shop.

I am writing this review so that they have at least one from a real customer as opposed to a friend.
I called Austin Rare Coin because I was looking for a local dealer in gold bullion. I had never invested in bullion before and wanted to work with someone face to face instead of over the internet.
I called and spoke with Gabe who informed me that they do sell to individuals in person, but that I would need to make an appointment. He was booked that day but I could meet him the following morning. He asked how much bullion I was looking for, and I told him. He told me he had that amount and what type he had *in stock* (OPM bars). I was unsure if I wanted to buy that type he had in stock or something else (such as Credit Suisse), but told him I would do a little more research and that I would cancel the appointment if I found something else.
The following morning I withdrew the amount of cash I would need to make the purchase and showed up for my appointment where I was told that they sold the bullion yesterday. I was fairly irritated that I had come all the way out to discover this when he could have called and told me this. I told him on the phone that I had wanted to buy bullion immediately, not order it. He did not apologize or act as if he had put me out in any way. He simply told me he could order some more and have it for me the following Monday. I gave him my information and we agreed on a price. Now after the fact I am sorry I gave them any of my information at all.
I called the following Monday and was told that Gabe wasn’t in and nobody who was in had any knowledge of my order nor did they have any bullion. Thankfully I didn’t waste my time driving all the way out there get this information. I told them I was sorry I ever attempted to do business with them and moved on.
I called around and found a coin shop that was able to sell me bullion that day. I suggest you call around before buying bullion and seeing what stores have in stock.
As for Austin Rare Coin, I can’t even say if they even sell bullion. I saw no signs of it at their establishment. They have a website where presumably you can order some, but I suggest avoiding them at all costs. When purchasing thousands of dollars worth of merchandise it is easy to be scammed, and even if they are legitimate their customer service leaves a lot to be desired.
UPDATE: The owner called to apologize and told me to deal with him directly in the future. I doubt I will deal with them in the future, but it’s always nice to have someone reach out to you and try and fix a bad situation. If you read this review and still want to deal with Austin Rare Coin feel free, perhaps they do want to take care of their customers, but I would recommend at the very least getting someone other than Gabe to help you.