Most people buying gold online for the first time ask about price. Price is the easiest thing to compare and the least likely to hurt you.
These are the questions that matter more. Ask them of any provider, including us. Each one has a good answer and a vague answer, and the difference between them tells you most of what you need to know.
1. Is my gold allocated to a specific bar, or am I a creditor in a pool?
A good answer names identified bars recorded against you. A vague answer uses words like “pool allocated,” “an allocation against our inventory,” or “fractional ownership” — all of which mean you own a claim, not metal.
Neither model is illegitimate. But one makes you an owner and the other makes you a creditor, and you should know which you’re buying.
FinMet: specific 1-gram bars are recorded in your name. Title passes to you when your payment clears and the bars are allocated.
2. Who keeps it, and can I verify that independently of you?
A good answer names the custodian and gives you a way to check your own metal that doesn’t run through the seller’s own dashboard. A vague answer says “secure vaulting” without naming anyone.
The party keeping the metal shouldn’t be the same party selling it to you.
FinMet: your gold is kept by Helveticor (SG) Pte. Ltd., a specialist precious-metals custodian in Singapore. You can log in to the custodian’s own system to verify your holdings.
3. Is my gold ever lent, pledged, or used as collateral?
Rarely asked, and one of the most revealing. If a provider can lend your metal or pledge it for financing, your position depends on their counterparties as well as on them.
A good answer is a flat no, in writing, in the terms.
FinMet: never. Your gold is not lent, pledged, or encumbered in any way.
4. What happens to my gold if you cease to exist?
A good answer explains why the metal isn’t available to the company’s creditors. A vague answer talks about how financially sound they are — which answers a different question.
FinMet: your gold is your property and FinMet is only its custodian. It is segregated, not on our balance sheet, and not available to our creditors. You’re an owner, not a creditor in a queue.
5. Can I take physical delivery, and what does it cost?
Some providers can’t deliver at all. Others can, but with a minimum high enough that most customers will never reach it.
A good answer gives you the minimum quantity, the cost, and the timeframe without you having to dig.
FinMet: yes, in whole 10-gram multiples. Self-collection is S$50, or we deliver insured within Singapore.
6. Who insures it, and to what value?
A good answer states the type of cover and the value insured. A vague answer says “fully insured” and stops.
FinMet: the vaulted gold is covered by an all-risks specie insurance policy at full replacement value.
7. What’s your sell-back price right now?
The single fastest test. A provider confident in their pricing publishes both sides of the market live. One that shows you only the buy price is asking you to discover the exit cost after you’ve committed.
A good answer is a number on screen. A vague answer is “contact us for a quote.”
FinMet: the live buy and sell prices are both published, refreshed every 30 seconds.
8. Where can my money come from, and where can it go?
This is an anti-fraud question disguised as an admin one. If a platform accepts money from third parties or pays out to accounts that aren’t yours, that flexibility works against you if your account is ever compromised.
A good answer locks funding and payouts to the verified account holder.
FinMet: payment is by PayNow from your own bank account, verified through Singpass. Sale proceeds return only to your own verified PayNow account. Never a third party, in either direction.
9. What does storage cost, and what happens if I stop paying?
Storage that’s free forever usually isn’t. The honest version tells you what the free period is, what happens afterwards, and how charges are collected.
A good answer points you to a published schedule.
FinMet: storage is free for three years from each purchase. After that, published rates apply, charged as a small monthly deduction from your gold balance.
The pattern to watch for
Across all nine, the tell isn’t the answer itself — it’s whether you get one.
A provider who tells you their metal is pooled, their delivery minimum is 100 grams, and their storage costs 0.5% a year has given you nine usable facts. You may still choose them. You’d be choosing with your eyes open.
A provider who answers “our gold is securely stored and fully insured” nine times has told you nothing, and the absence is the information.
Ask before you send money. It’s a five-minute conversation, and it’s the only one that happens while you still have all the leverage.
Finmet Pte Ltd (UEN 202022529N) is a registered dealer under the Precious Stones and Precious Metals Act 2019, registration number PS20240000367, and a member of the Singapore Bullion Market Association holding its Retail Best Practices certification. Registration under the PSPM Act is for anti-money-laundering supervision. FinMet is not a bank, does not take deposits, and does not provide financial advice. Gold prices can fall as well as rise.