Discover the specific loopholes, starter kits, and dealer hacks that allow you to stack physical silver in 2026 without losing a single cent to shipping fees.
Stop paying for logistics. Start paying for metal.
If you are buying silver online, you already know the enemy. It isn’t the spot price—it’s the “friction costs.” Shipping fees, insurance surcharges, and small order penalties can turn a smart investment into a losing trade before the metal even leaves the vault.
You are here because you want to buy silver—perhaps just an ounce or two to test the waters—without getting hammered by a $12.95 shipping fee that eats 15% of your equity instantly.
Here is the reality of the market in 2026: While “Free Shipping No Minimum” is the holy grail, few dealers offer it because shipping heavy metal is expensive. However, savvy stackers know there are three “backdoors” to get free shipping on small orders:
The “No Minimum” Dealer (Yes, they exist).
The “Starter Pack” Loophole (Employee pricing deals).
The “New Threshold” Math (With silver near $90/oz, “free shipping” is easier than you think).
Below is your blueprint to acquiring silver with zero logistics costs.
Best For: First-time buyers who want variety without the fees. The Deal: Money Metals Exchange offers a famous “Employee Pricing” starter kit. It typically includes 4 ounces of silver (including an American Eagle and fractional rounds) at dealer cost.
Shipping Cost: FREE (Covered by the dealer as a new customer loss-leader).
Minimum: None (The kit itself is the purchase).
Why It Wins: You aren’t just saving on shipping; you are saving on the premium, too. This is widely considered the best lead-magnet in the industry.
[Get Your Starter Kit Here] (Placeholder for affiliate link)
Best For: Buying 1 oz at a time. The Deal: SilverTowne is one of the few major dealers that has maintained a “Free Shipping on Everything” policy for specific branded items, and often has no minimum order size on their custom-minted bars and rounds.
Shipping Cost: $0.00.
Minimum: None.
The Catch: Their premiums on single ounces are slightly higher to bake in the shipping cost. However, if you strictly want to buy one bar, this is cheaper than paying $30 + $12 shipping elsewhere.
[Shop SilverTowne Free Shipping Inventory] (Placeholder for affiliate link)
Best For: The investor ready to spend ~$200. The Deal: Both giants offer “Spot Price Deals” (e.g., 10 oz of silver at the spot price) for new accounts.
The 2026 Reality: With silver prices hovering in the $80-$90 range, hitting the $199 free shipping threshold now only requires buying 2.5 ounces of silver.
The Math: You no longer need to buy “bulk” to get free shipping. Two coins and a fractional round get you over the hurdle.
[Unlock Spot Price Silver Deals] (Placeholder for affiliate link)
Why are we so obsessed with free shipping? Because on small orders, shipping is the single biggest destroyer of ROI (Return on Investment).
Let’s look at the math of a Single Ounce Purchase in 2026:
Scenario A: The “Low Price” Dealer
1 oz Silver Round Price: $90.00
Shipping Fee: $12.95
Credit Card Fee (3%): $2.70
Total Cost: $105.65
Real Cost Per Ounce: $105.65
Result: You are down 17% the moment you buy. Silver needs to rise to $106 just for you to break even.
Scenario B: The “Free Shipping No Minimum” Offer
1 oz Silver Round Price: $94.00 (Slightly higher premium)
Shipping Fee: $0.00
Total Cost: $94.00
Real Cost Per Ounce: $94.00
Result: You saved $11.65 instantly. Your break-even point is much lower.
The Lesson: If you are buying less than 3 ounces, ignore the spot price. Focus entirely on the “All-In” cost delivered to your door.
Smart stackers don’t just buy randomly; they exploit the “New Customer” bonuses across the industry. Here is a step-by-step strategy to accumulate your first 20 ounces of silver without paying a dime in shipping.
Every major dealer wants your email address. To get it, they will sell you silver at a loss and pay the shipping.
Action: Buy the Money Metals Starter Kit (4 oz).
Action: Buy the JM Bullion Starter Pack (10 oz at spot).
Action: Buy the SD Bullion New Customer Offer (5 or 10 oz at spot).
Result: You have acquired ~20+ ounces of silver at or below spot price, with zero shipping costs.
Once you have exhausted the starter packs, do not go back to buying single ounces. It is financial suicide. Instead, save your fiat currency until you have $200. In 2026, $200 buys you roughly 2 to 2.5 ounces of silver. This is the magic number.
SD Bullion Threshold: $199
JM Bullion Threshold: $199
Bold Precious Metals Threshold: $199
By waiting until you can buy 2.5 ounces at once, you unlock free shipping at every major dealer, giving you access to the lowest premiums on the internet.
Stuck at $180 in your cart? Don’t pay the shipping fee. Add “fractional” silver to bridge the gap.
The Trick: Add a 1/10th oz silver round or a copper round to your cart.
Why: Spending $6 on a copper round to save $12 in shipping is an immediate 100% return on that copper round.
Don’t let shipping costs steal your future gains. Start with the “Employee Pricing” kit below—it is the single best way to get silver in your hand for the lowest possible price.
[CLAIM YOUR FREE SHIPPING SILVER STARTER KIT NOW] (Button links to your primary affiliate offer)
Disclaimer: We are not financial advisors. Precious metals involve risk. The “Spot Price” refers to the market price of silver which changes every second. Prices mentioned (e.g. $90/oz) are estimates based on 2026 market conditions.
The Case for Physical Possession Why go through the trouble of shipping heavy metal when you could just click a button and buy a mining stock or ETF? The answer is simple: if you can’t hold it, you don’t truly own it. In an era of increasing digital fragility and banking uncertainty, physical silver offers a form of wealth that is completely offline and hack-proof. When you order silver to your door, you are securing an asset that has zero counterparty risk—no CEO to bankrupt the company, no board to dilute the shares, and no grid failure to erase your balance. It is financial insurance you can weigh in your hand.
Online Anonymity vs. Local Limits While local coin shops (LCS) are a staple of the community, buying online often offers superior privacy and pricing power. Brick-and-mortar stores have high overhead costs like rent and utilities, which are frequently passed on to you in the form of higher premiums. Online dealers, moving millions of ounces from centralized vaults, can operate on razor-thin margins. Furthermore, reputable online dealers understand the absolute need for discretion; your wealth arrives in unbranded, nondescript packaging (often labeled as “heavy machine parts” or simple abbreviations) that gives neighbors and delivery drivers no hint of the value inside.
The “Everyman’s Gold” Advantage Silver remains the single most accessible entry point for the average investor looking to exit the fiat currency system. Unlike gold, which requires thousands of dollars for a significant purchase, silver allows you to convert small amounts of depreciating cash into real money instantly. You don’t need to be rich to start; you just need the discipline to be consistent. By utilizing the free shipping strategies outlined above, you ensure that 100% of your capital goes toward the metal itself, allowing you to build a substantial “personal reserve” one ounce at a time.
A: SilverTowne is the closest industry leader to this model, offering free shipping on a vast majority of their custom-minted items regardless of order size. Other dealers may offer it during holidays (Black Friday) or special promo weeks.
A: Usually, yes. Free shipping tiers typically utilize USPS Ground Advantage (formerly First Class). It is insured and tracked, but it may take 5-7 days. If you want FedEx 2-Day, you will almost always have to pay extra.
A: 100% yes. Reputable dealers ship in discreet packaging (unmarked boxes) and use third-party insurance. If the package is lost in transit, the dealer covers the loss, not you. Never sign for a package that appears damaged or tampered with.
A: Precious metals dealers operate on extremely thin margins (often 1-3%). Because credit card companies charge a ~3% processing fee, dealers pass this cost directly to you. To get the absolute lowest price, choose “eCheck / ACH” at checkout. It links to your bank account, takes a few days to clear, but saves you that extra 3%—which is often more than the shipping cost itself!
A: It depends on where you live. As of 2026, over 40 states have eliminated sales tax on precious metals, but some have “minimum spend” loopholes. For example, states like California or Massachusetts may only exempt taxes if you spend over $1,000 or $2,000. Always check your cart total before clicking “Buy”—if you see a tax charge, adding a few more ounces to hit the exemption threshold might actually save you money.
A: Counterfeits are a real risk on eBay or Craigslist, but they are virtually non-existent with major authorized dealers (like the ones linked above). These big dealers source directly from sovereign mints (like the US Mint) and use XRF (X-Ray Fluorescence) technology to verify every secondary market bar they sell. If you stick to the “Big 5” online dealers, authenticity is guaranteed.