If you want to save money when trading Gold and Silver and know exactly what you’re looking for then a Secondary Market is a great place to pick up those bargains.  Bullion Dealers can be good for the newer limited edition stuff, but they nearly always take a decent commission and you can cut out this middle-man by trading peer-to-peer with other Buyers and Sellers just like you.

<center>![ss_logo.PNG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmRN8kjfjSu4jnaQ8BzUxQJ3gjK9E5p9Xm2h7hfor995wq/ss_logo.PNG)</center>

My favourite Secondary Market is the forum at [www.silverstackers.com](https://www.silverstackers.com) and I can speak about it from experience having both bought and sold on this market.  The principle of trading here is pretty much the same in other markets like eBay.  I’ll take you through some of the basics of trading on this Secondary Market and even if you’re trading elsewhere you can at least compare the experience and if you find somewhere better to trade then I am always open to new markets.

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**STEP 1 : Create an Account**

Seems pretty self-explanatory and it’s very easy to do, just click on *"Sign Up"* in the top right corner and fill out the basics.  You do not need to provide photo IDs or other KYC documentation.  Just an email address will do.

<center>![signup.PNG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmPpHknE1eThw73KnfD94dXf3jms5HjX3DUqqEYWnTMnhD/signup.PNG)</center>

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**STEP 2 : Introduce Yourself**

Once you have an account activated you will have posting rights on the forum.  Go right down to the bottom and you’ll see a sub-forum titled *"Welcome New Members"*.  Go in there and make a short post to say *"Hello"* and make a very short introduction.  There are a few veterans who will probably greet you and they might look out for you and help you when you start trading.  This is not compulsory but I highly recommend doing it.

<center>![welcome.PNG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmTAuPksHMmd6iriUamADbNhcyhQYStFnyHjmCGGgLjiwq/welcome.PNG)</center>

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**STEP 3 : Browse the Trading Area**

The Trading Post area is broken up into 3 main regions.  For *"Australia & New Zealand"*, *"UK & Europe"* and *"USA & Canada"*.  Right now 99% of the trading activity is for Australia and New Zealand (but there is no reason why other regions couldn’t use the site) so have a look in there and you’ll see all the sales threads.  A few useful abbreviations will help you scan for things you’re interested in :-

FS = For Sale
WTS = Want To Sell
WTB = Want To Buy
Au = Gold
Ag = Silver
FTF = Face To Face

Other things like Mint Names or Gradings are also often abbreviated, but you’ll pick them up.

<center>![salethreads.PNG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmVJSNZ5JaM7j6tju2o5yYVSH4DoQvpeXbpgHauoiZdpwq/salethreads.PNG)</center>

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**STEP 4 : Make Enquiries**

If you see something you like you can send a Private Message to the seller/buyer to ask for photos or more information or even to negotiate on price.  Just click on the other members name and you will see a lot of info about that person.  Click on *"Start a Conversation"* and ask away.

<center>![memberinfo.PNG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmTSd4HpErQr7Fm5R5BTi1PtgkMXpQft9FnBjBMPGwQTog/memberinfo.PNG)</center>

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**STEP 5 : Make a Bid or Buzz**

You can always agree to a sale in your Private Message conversation but frequently (and especially for bargains) the way to make a quick purchase and get in first is to post a public reply in the sale thread with the word *"BUZZ"*.  Not sure why this is the convention, probably simulating a buzzer on a game show or something.  Most reputable members will respect a BUZZ even if someone comes in after you and offers more.  

<center>![buzz.PNG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmZnQjEBVLsPo8Uz9idzoKVkzQuA3qrMExx4PQT9UCm9o9/buzz.PNG)</center>

If the sales thread is an Auction then you should post publicly your bid for the item you want.  Many Auction threads have their own specific terms which you should ALWAYS read and note the Auction closing time.  Some have an *"Anti-Sniping"* policy where (unlike eBay) if you bid a few seconds before the Auction closes then the Auction is extended for a short time to allow others to also bid.  It is also important to be aware that the site will only let you post every 30 seconds as an anti-spam measure, so don’t get caught out and if you’re part of an Auction then you probably want to be online for closing time.

<center>![auction.PNG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmSP13dBSo6GdbQGtSsLWRLzUmT6MeG3eUm2dHrWCbqDJM/auction.PNG)</center>

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**STEP 6 : Negotiate Delivery and Payment**

Once you have successfully BUZZed or won an Auction via a bid the seller will generally contact the buyer via Private Message (see above) to discuss payment and delivery.  This is where convention is important.  The buyer normally chooses the postage option and accepts the risk associated with that postage option. If you are choosing cheap standard postage then you might wait 2 weeks and it could be lost.  It’s on the buyer.  If you are risk averse you can get express postage, parcel tracking with signature on delivery and even insurance.  It’s your call.  Once postage is agreed the buyer usually sends payment first, via EFT, Paypal or even Crypto – there is no restriction on what can be agreed but the seller might have limited options.  If the seller is only wanting to do FTF (Face To Face) they should state terms in the original sale thread.

<center>![sale.PNG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmSTBzWKN1khCAzZrGAFGuLFtDm7L7jmdDYgTACFUcjW39/sale.PNG)</center>

**ADDITIONAL NOTES**

If you’re making a purchase or sale it is always worth checking the Trader History which you can get to via the Member Info shown in STEP 4 above.  New members will have very low or no Trader History so if you’re new and are selling it’ll be expected that others will want you to post your goods FIRST and receive payment on delivery.  When starting out and buying I’d highly recommend you only buy from members with at least 30 Selling History with a 100% Positive Rating strike rate who’ve been on the site for a couple of years.  In my experience these people will go above and beyond to preserve their impeccable reputation.

<center>![feedback.PNG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmRpE5FBduAcu3E1xwwoJLy8wU3AZGrZjmLSChgsqiqRMU/feedback.PNG)</center>

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**STEP 7 : Leave Feedback**

Once your transaction is complete go into the Trader History section and click on the *"Submit Feedback"* link to not only provide some Positive/Negative feedback for the person you’ve just dealt with, but also to help the community at large.  It is only through the Trader History that we can have confidence and trust in our peers, so unlike Steemit where your Reputation is based on your earnings, on this site it is based on voluntary feedback from trades.

<center>![submitfeedback.PNG](https://steemitimages.com/DQmdgWa1XyDMVpLuCMh1q8NF81pR2ZFRtfguvhMW7fw7KoK/submitfeedback.PNG)</center>

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That is all there is to it.  This is the Secondary Market that I use in Australia and it blows eBay out of the water for trust and reliability.  It beats the Bullion Dealers for price and the community on [www.silverstackers.com](https://www.silverstackers.com) is very strong and usually helpful.  I have seen a few trades go bad because of silly mistakes, but then I’ve also seen the community rally behind victims and chip in to help make people whole.  There is also a lot of really intelligent and constructive discussions going on about Economics, Politics and if you have questions about Precious Metals in General or particular products there is lots of sub-forums to make enquiries and get help from knowledgeable and experienced stackers.

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<center>![steemsilvergold.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmcrrAKhneQkmgH5Q8ebnrvWBV39rVYW3xtMcrNQn41DU4/steemsilvergold.png)

![TeamAust_buggedout.png](https://steemitimages.com/DQmSfn8N9CPKHUUsqp7KUXwbUJEyT96qLw91AWdz2gTiVcr/TeamAust_buggedout.png)</center>

<center>**Images and Credits**
https://www.silverstackers.com</center>