Today is the third time i bought gold coins from Lear Capital. My sale person was Dmitri Koonce with excellent customer service , knowledgeable and helpful. He explained all the details clearly. I highly recommend Lear Capital. I choose them because they are number 2 on the top ten companies. Happy and satisfied 100%. read more

Disclaimer: I am not without blame in the transaction with Lear that resulted in an estimated $350,000 loss to my metal account. Lear did not do anything "illegal" but they certainly behaved in an unethical manner. Shame on me for not performing proper due diligence and of being too trusting. I needed to obtain a new broker for my metal account as the entity that I had used to purchase metal went out of business. The metal account is held with Equity Trust and they informed me that if I wanted to sell metals in the account in the future, I would need a new broker. I was considering a selling off some of the coins to meet my 2026 Required Minimum Distribution. The Equity Trust website listed a number of brokers they worked with and I started calling around. None of the listed brokers that I called (except for Lear) were interested in taking on an account that they had not been involved with initially. Lear Capital did agree to serve as the broker for my account and we entered into an agreement in early November 2025. One of my metal accounts at the time of the agreement consisted of a number of 2 oz. silver coins and the spot metal price at this time was a value close to $1.2 million. The Lear Sr. Acct. Mgr. suggested that I would be better off with a mix of gold and silver bars. I did not disagree. They purchased my silver coins at wholesale market price and, in my head, I incorrectly assumed that the bars they would then purchase on my behalf would also be at market price or something close to it. The price they charged me for the bars included an exorbitant markup which resulted in me losing about $350,000 in the process. During the recorded conversation of the above transaction, the cost of the bars was stated but it wasn't until close to the end of the discussion that a spread of about 33% had been applied was mentioned. When asked if I understood, I said "yes" but I clearly did not understand. If they had asked if I agreed to a price that was about 50% over market value, I would have said no. The recorded script pretty much lulled me as all the questions as asked, required only a "yes" or "no" answer. I just followed the script. Contractually, Lear could charge this high spread but the contact also allowed for a 2% spread which they conveniently ignored. After the transaction was completed, the broker indicated he would call after a few weeks. When that didn't happen, I reached out to him via email in early December to get an update. He forwarded my email to another broker who then contacted me. He indicated that the value of my account was $1.4 million which seemed great and was in line with what I expected given the market growth at that time. I asked him for a statement and he indicated he would get something to me as of a later date. Never got one. It was not until sometime in January 2026 when the bars that were acquired were entered into my account at Equity Trust that I realized I had been taken. I called Lear Capital to get an updated value and was told the account was now worth $1.7 million even though at that point I knew the actual value was significantly much less. Lear continued the scam by inflating the value! I then asked the account to be liquidated at Lear's valuation. I do not recall the rest of the conversation of that day because I was livid. Lear did not act on my request to cash in at $1.7 million. Neither this phone call or the earlier one in December were recorded. I made several subsequent requests for information and or statements by email and phone messages to both brokers but they were ignored. It was not until I filed a complaint with the BBB that someone finally responded to me and tried to smooth things over. The individual from Lear came across to me as being sympathetic and we had several conversations. He was willing to pay something to settle the complaint I filed. The offer, in addition to some metal, included a personal promise that Lear would not charge brokerage fees on future sales of my metal. I asked if he was willing to put this "guarantee" in writing on Lear letterhead but was told he could not do that. Hmm. Worthless. Subsequently, when I asked him to put in writing exactly what kind of metal he was proposing to settle this dispute, he said he would have to go back and try to reconstruct the details of the latest of several offers. Even though the value provided was down to the dollar, he could not provided the details. Hmm. After a couple of weeks went by, it was clear I would never be provided the information which should have been easy to provide. This is further indication this company is not one with which to do business. At this point, I determined that it was better to proceed with posting reviews rather than taking blood money. If you have any questions or want further information, I am also willing to discuss this nightmare in further detail by email at goldfool@proton.me read more

Bought silver coins in an ira. Charged a lot more over spot. Sold them back at a lot less than spot, been over a month still waiting for the money, I have to wait til they sell them. They're probably waiting til silver surges again, because their website says out of stock. What a scam. read more

The experience has been frustrating . I initially clicked a link on their website for an offer of $500 in extra coins for opening an account. I was immediately redirected to a generic form to be sent an information package. Both the website and the information package were mostly just marketing materials, touting how long the company has been around, how great they are, etc. There was a 40-page contract and forms included to initiate an account and fund transfer. However, useful information was either unclear or non-existent. Nevertheless, I agreed to open an account and a transfer was made from an existing IRA into a new IRA at a third-party brokerage. I inquired about the $500 incentive and was told that it would be provided in the form of covering all fees involved for the first two years. Those fees to date include two "annual fees" of $125 and $50, a "safekeeping of hard assets" of $100, and a wire transfer fee of $30. This all on top of the 10.8% commission taken right off the top. So a total of $305 in fees alone. About a month later, I receive a check for $50. /UPDATE: After reading my reviews, Lear reached out and sent a check for the $500 incentive that was promised, as well as arranging for additional coins to be added to my account. In light of this, I am increasing my rating at this time. /This review is ongoing and subject to change. read more

Had the pleasure of working directly with Lear Capital ("J.J.") to address my concerns. They were specatular in professionalism and resolution, and restore my faith in their company that they truly want to do what is right with their clients. Happy to make this a 5 star rating and disposition. read more

So, after initially talking with Lear to find out how this happens, I was very unhappy and I marked it down as a life lesson learned and never expected to hear from them again. That's when I wrote my initial review. A few days after that conversation, Lear called me (which I NEVER expected). They asked what could they do to try to make things right from my point of view. After a couple of discussions, they came through and resolved the situation to my satisfaction. I must say, I was not easy to deal with and the patience they showed was greatly appreciated and ultra professional. The gentleman I was dealing with was as good as his word and I am please with the outcome. read more

I initally posted a negative review on September 24, 2023, regarding my experience with Lear. However, since that time, Lear corrected its polices that made me believe I was taken advantage of and for that reason, I am editing my review. I was a first time gold/silver buyer in September 2023. I was very familiar with Lear and its favorable reputation and decided to purchase precious metals from them. However, my experience was not what I expected from a 5 star rated company. After posting several unfavorable reviews, almost immediately, I received a call from Lear's Chief Customer Officer. He listened to the details and acknowledged my concerns. He promised to look into the matter and followed up exactly as he said he would. Lear did the right thing and remedied the situation. Based on how Lear resolved my issues, I feel it necessary to give Lear a 5 star rating for being upstanding, for keeping its word and correcting what had happened to me. read more

LEAR CAPITAL LIES. Joann charged over 30% ($7800) for my purchase and lied when I asked about their fees. She lied about the value of the silver proofs I purchased. I paid her $20,800. Silver prices are up a dollar so I decided to sell. My silver is worth $13,000. She lied about there being any fees after questioning her repeatedly. She didn't send an invoice or any way to track my purchase or my payment. The delivery was promised in 2 weeks and took 5 weeks. My guess is these 5 star reviews are either fake. STAY AWAY FROM LEAR CAPITAL read more

Lear Capital is a great company that sells gold & silver, & they make sure you get your purchase that you ordered from them!

Let me begin stating that Lear Capitol is NOT a reputable company. I first bought some silver coins using Lear as my broker. At some point my account balance (the coins) had lost more that 50% of it's value. Yet nothing had changed in the spot silver prices during the time. I tried calling Lear and was met with a vile women who directed me to a broker. Of course he didn't pick up so I left a message to call me and to no big surprise he didn't call me back. I've tried speaking to someone in management to no avail. Do not trust these people. I will be complaining to the State (CA) and the SEC. This company must be stopped! read more

I invested alot of money into gold and silver. Anyway I was told I would be getting semi-key coins but got all common date coins in my gold deal as for my silver I was told that I would be getting average circulated morgams but what I got we poor condition. I brought it up and the replaced 78 coins but still not much better. Very disappointed in my dealings with lear. Never again.. read more

Lear Capital and Cal Popejoy sent me all the information on precious Gold and Silver coins for investments. Their team is so Very KNOWLEDGEABLE and Dependable on all our transactions. Could not be any Happier for with our purchase. Carl A read more

Free gold and silver! I called in, and got a FREE gram of silver (worth maybe sixty whole cents!) and 1/20th of a gram of "gold" stamped into a fake dollar bill. Score! After seeing the alarming commercial on television, I called Lear Capital to request an investor's packet. These guys give semi-outdated information about precious metals on their commercials, with misleading charts and alarmist info about how the Chinese are coming for your retirement portfolio. Precious metals have always been extremely volatile as an investment vehicle, with tremendous risks. However, metals can be used to diversify, as they are seen as a hedge against a weakening dollar. I called Lear, and spoke with a nice guy who was able to explain how the program works. Basically, you buy gold, and can take possession of it, or have them hold it in their vaults. The representative assured me that they do not rehypothicate your gold held in their possession. The commissions seem to be very high, especially when compared to other investment vehicles. But at least you can hold your investment, unlike a stock or a bond, which are just numbers on a spreadsheet somewhere. The coins look nice! Gold is a refuge for flighty investors who are freaked out about the world order. People that invest all their money in gold should probably have their heads examined. When you own gold, you're just betting on fluctuations in value. Gold can't improve, or pay dividends. It just sits there looking pretty. Sure, it'll always have value, as it always has, unlike stocks. But stocks in corporations can pay dividends and grow. If you sell gold at a profit, of course you're going to pay capital gains taxes (and commissions) on your profit, when you haven't actually gained any gold. Ugh. The investor packet was over nighted to me in a Fed Ex package, and looked all kinds of professional. read more

This was our first experience investing in precious metals. Lear sent us information on on the various programs and answered all of our questions. Very easy to deal with. read more

Don't do a 401k rollover with them. I was charged much more than just the price of gold. I should have paid attention to the recording but please don't get involved with them. read more

WOW! coins looked very clean pretty much new if you ask me ! Adele taught me so much about coins and precious metals. I didn't know there were so many types out there. He kept it very professional and easy to understand . You have a great company and employees working for you. The questions I had were endless but he kept his patience and cool ! Again Nice to meet You! Wil be looking forward to doing business again !Thank youuu. Somebody Give this man a medal! Hahah read more

I have received numerous shipments from Lear and everything was as described. I knew very little about the subject and learned a lot from my representative at Lear. I also bought and read 3 different books about the subject, but the main decisions were made with the knowledgeable guidance of Mr William Obi. I discovered that the whole subject is very intricate and has many options. You can make all the decisions yourself or accept the guidance of a reputable and very knowledgeable person. If you intend to purchase more than a token amount, you had better get good guidance. read more

I was a first time virgin precious metals/coin buyer.... I did not like my overall experience. I was "sold" on one coin product that could not be delivered then accepted an equal value alternative. Customer service follow up with a different individual was good but overall the entire ordeal wasnt good for ME!!!! I'm NOT saying LEAR is a Bad company....I just didnt enjoy my buying experience $400K in Silver Coins read more

Very knowledgeable, professional and great customer service! If you are in the market to buy/invest in coins or precious metals, ask for Pierre Kim. He will go out of his way to help you and provide the best service. I barely had any knowledge but he was very patient to guide me and provide me with a lot of information. It was a very pleasant experience. read more

If you're a new investor and looking for someone to help you with investing your hard-earned-money in precious metals,stay away from these guys. They will sell you some unknown rounds that no one has ever heard of, and will charge you arms and legs for it. The premium you will be charged is so high,you will have to wait forever to break even, let alone profiting from it. And if you ever get lucky to catch them on the phone, your call will be transferred from one person to other to not give you price of your round because they know their selling price is so low, and they will lose you as a customer. read more

I don't know if I over paid for my purchase, but the delivery was on time, gold looked & felt great. Great communication with the Rep. All I can say transaction was good, hopefully the sold me good stuff! read more

Update july 2019: Larrin from Lear got in touch with me and sincerely apologized about their sales reps being too aggressive and even offered to send few silver coins to me. I appreciated that finally someone from Lear was able to contact me and rectify the situation. read more

They overcharged me by 100% on a silver coin purchase. When I contacted them to complain it made no difference to them and they would not allow me to return the coins and get my money back. They are a ripoff! read more

Where do I start... I'm a person who is well diversified in my portfolio and have been since my early 20's however I had no tangible assets and wanted obtain some precious metals after some guidance from my Investment savvy family members. Luckily they were able to refer me to this amazing company other along my new "precious metals guy" lol if you're like my family we find someone trustworthy and knowledgeable and stick to them. Matt Malek is that "guy" for myself and family members for this portion of our wealth management. I honestly couldn't be happier with this referral he was an absolute pleasure to work with and was so knowledgable and more importantly helpful. If that wasn't enough he dealt with my endless questions and phone calls which is no small feat if you know what I mean. Matt if you're reading this THANK YOU!!!! read more

I recently had the pleasure to speak with David about my interest in adding gold to my portfolio. Being relatively new to the market, I appreciated David's patience, experience, and guidance through the entire process. I would highly recommend Lear Capital to all. read more

Lear is just another predator in the sea of ready prey that is right-wing radio and TV. Note the threatening ads -- China is buying up US gold RIGHT NOW! This could be your LAST CHANCE to own physical gold, ever! Note also the absurd product they offer - physical gold at a massive premium. If you really think that the world is going down in flames in the next couple of years, and that some physical gold is going to help you during that time, by all means, go nuts. Note the change in tune depending on the situation. three years ago: "Gold is higher than ever and sure to rise!" Today: "Gold is at sub-market lows and sure to rise!" Unlike physical gold, there is no premium on accuracy. Lear currently offers (claims to offer) a paranoia-inducing "China Report," advertised often on Hate Radio. But go ahead, try calling, like I did. You will encounter high-pressure sales and if the rep thinks for even a moment that you are not going to "buy gold from us today" (their words, 5 or 6 times), get ready for the ol' hang up treatment. They will also demand your personal info. It's like they really care about just who you are. read more

The reply is simply a lame CYA for lousy customer service. I did exactly as I stated in my original posts. Sorry if you have "zero" record of me contacting your company, don't really care. My statements are completely true and accurate, whether or not you believe me is of no concern to me at all. READ ALL THE NEGATIVE REVIEWS FIRST. Oh and BTW, just love your condescending and sarcastic, "witty" reply! Illustrates the kind of attitude I received WHEN I CALLED! The end. read more

I spoke with a Recruiter with Lear Capital, La-tiara this morning. She appeared over stress and very defensive from the very beginning!. I tried to explain to her my resume lacked the last 2 months of current employment due to an early laid off. She had very, very poor listening skills. She made me feel as if I were trying to be deceptive!. She all but hung up on me! Beware....... read more

LEAR Leaches Eating Anyone's Retirement Beware they will Bate and Switch as fast and as smooth as possible, just so they can make a few extra dollars in commission. For 2 months they only wanted to talk about the advantages of owning Silver then at the moment of funding, they switch to a much higher price coin. Just cause they make more in commission. It does not matter what your eventual return is, just that they make money, Beware do not do Business with then. It will sound great, but It will turn out BAD for you. Read the reviews of anyone who has dealt with them for a few years or more. They are all in a hopeless situation. Sure the people who just signed up thinks this is slice bread, but after a year or more you realize the bread is bad, moldy and was never edible in the first place. Do not get taken the way the are attempting still to advantage of me. read more

Stay away from these people. They tried to trick me. They tried to sell me Walking Liberties AKA Junk Silver 90% silver for the price of American Silver Eagles which I called for and wanted. They do have a claus in there contract for first time customers, but they won't tell you about it. I almost paid 20k too much for junk silver, and they as professional's had the audacity in telling me "Silver is Silver" when they knew that was a LIE. There are so many other dealers out there, Take my advice and stay away form LEAR. read more

I called Lear up to discuss diversifying some of my retirement portfolio. We discussed a few different options and I decided to roll over my traditional ira into a precious metals backed ira of both gold and silver. I didn't have to deal with any of the high pressure nonsense that I ran into with other companies. I didn't even get any pushback when I told them I was going to take a week to consider all my options. I called back the following week and finalized my portfolio. The process was painless and Lear took care of all the details. I feel much better having diversified my retirement plans and I owe it to these guys. read more

The thought of investing is always kinda nerve wracking , working with Hemi really made me feel comfortable with my decision. She was kind, knowledgeable and extremely friendly. All my questions were answered in great detail, and I felt like she knew her stuff. Thanks Lear Capital, thanks Hemi read more

Lear Capital sold me junk silver at exorbitant prices by lying to me about it's value. They engage in deceptive and dishonest practices to sell. I contacted Lear Capital to invest in Gold or Silver on June 9, 2020, and establish a depository at which to store it. I was advised that my best investment would be Franklin Half Dollar coins by the Investment Advisor named Terry Maloney, who described these coins as "investment grade silver". The coins would cost me $12.29 each. I fully expected to pay above spot price for the silver, but didn't expect more than 10 or 20 percent above spot, so I asked Mr. Maloney what Lear would pay me if I turned around to sell them back to them immediately, and he told me Lear would pay around $10. That satisfied me and I placed the order for 504 coins, and they were delivered directly to the depository. I am a busy man so I forgot about the transaction for a few weeks, but then began to investigate what I bought to validate the purchase. On 6/25 I went to a firm called AMPEX to determine what the silver was worth, and they told me they would pay $5.14 per coin, or only 42% of what I had paid Lear. I then contacted Lear and confirmed that Mr. Maloney indeed lied to me about the silver. I spoke with another representative at Lear who told me I bought junk silver. I demanded a current quote for my silver and eventually Mr. Maloney came back on 7/22 with a quote of $7.81 per coin, or 65% of what I paid, despite the fact that the price of silver had increased 29% since my transaction with Lear (17.89 per ounce on 6/9 to 23.07 on 7/22). Lear capital offered no satisfaction or solution, and instead insisted that I should continue to hold the silver since it will be going up in value. The reality is Silver would have to double in value from my purchase price in order for me to break even. Rather than addressing the obscene price that I was charged for junk silver, precipitated by their dishonest and deceptive practices, Mr. Maloney told me that silver was up 20% in one week alone that that with patience I will ultimately be happy with my purchase. Never mind the fact that even if silver further explodes in price I would be much more happy with my purchase if the sale were at an honest value. read more

Heard one of their advertisements on the radio and with what has been happening in the markets lately I am looking to move some of my savings to metals. I had originally called about moving my regular 401k over to one backed by silver. That is still the plan but I decided to hold off for the time being. The rep I spoke with on the phone was great and even though I asked a million questions was always willing to give me the time to explain each answer in detail. Even though in a holding pattern with my 401k I decided to purchase some actual coins as an insurance policy with today's markets. Prices seemed decent but It did take them 3-4 days past my estimated delivery date to get them. Had to deduct a star for that. I will update the review if and when I decide to move on the 401k. read more

I had a wonderful experience buying gold and silver from Lear Capital. Kyle Butler had first-class customer service and gave me the education I needed to make the correct purchase. I recommend working with Lear for anyone who is new to metals or want to work with a reputable company who value their customers. I will buy again in the future! read more

This March, I phoned the 800# of Lear Capital to request a brochure on silver investing "Vanishing Silver" which is still very frequently advertised on AM talk radio. I think the individual who answered was named Chris, I'm not sure. This is probably good for him. He was right out the gate, rude, unprofessional and spectacularly devoid of customer service skills. I requested the advertised information and he immediately started a grilling style of questioning. He started by asking whether I have bought precious metals before. This alone is a fair enough question, but then he pressed further, negatively with an if not, why not admonishment when I did not answer affirmatively. I was immediately surprised at the course of conversation. He said something snide like "the info is the same as you've already received" and "it's really simple, just buy silver!" This was extremely condescending, abrupt and insulting. Chris, I think you unintentionally seemed to infer that Lear's publications might be redundant! I will only request info that I am lacking. I did not have any info specifically on silver so it seemed important for my research. A little background to a possible, but not acceptable reason for this abruptness is given here: I have in fact only called Lear Capital very infrequently. Not more than few times over several years. He proceeded to get in my grill quite aggressively and with apparent impatience, trying to figure out what might be preventing me from investing. I was not going to divulge companies with whom I might have done business. In fact, I do own some junk silver and have owned gold which I sold long ago when needed to raise some cash. It was in very short time that I'd had enough and told him that his hostile line of questioning, this interrogation, was very irritating. He shot back with "you know what's irritating, you've been calling here since 2007!" I cannot let this gross and omitting distortion of facts go unchallenged. The fact that Lear has records showing my calls going back to 2007, does not mean that I have been dunning Lear for brochures constantly for 10 years! My communications as stated were infrequent. After this outburst, I had no more time to waste on this individual who's really probably having a bad day and fired off "you advertise this info on AM radio constantly, if you don't want to send it then don't!" and hung up on him. Even if Chris is justified in his mind and thought that I was only an information collector and not a serious investor, he could have handled my request differently, much more skillfully and diplomatically in the true spirit of customer service, regardless of his preconceptions. I have worked in customer svc so am aware it requires calmness, patience, etc. Now not being one to omit credit where due, I shortly phoned Lear again, hoping to get a civil operator and satisfaction of my request. Derek Pacheco phoned me back, was courteous and sent me precious metals info by email on 3/20. I requested in this medium so that Lear won't waste precious postage on me. So much negative energy was previously and needlessly expended when Derek simply stepped up and did his job with professionalism. I may or not do business with Lear, but at least it was good to have the unpleasant situation set right by this gentleman as I did no wrong in responding to Lear's heavily advertising and marketing of metals. Lastly, I did not actually enjoy writing this negative review. read more

Lear Capital and particularly my guide / contact, Aaron Boston, have been great to work with and walked me through all stages of the process. As I am a real novice in the process, Aaron and his associates have been great in explaining what was needed and then walked me through the whole thing. I could not be more pleased with the process and all of the people at Lear. I would highly recommend Mr. Boston and his Lear Capital Team. read more

I would stay far away from this company!! The only good thing was they offered a 1/10th ounce silver coin along with the info. packet and that was it. I got a call from their sales person who admonished me after I questioned his theory about silver prices. He said: "I hadn't done my homework" and to call him after I did. Then he called a few days later and told me that the price of gold had shot up (true) and the price of silver (untrue). I checked on the spot prices for both while I was on the phone with him. I related the price of silver actually had dropped and he said that it wasn't a true spot price. The information I was looking at was live but he still persisted in trying to convince me that the silver price had increased. His final statement before he hung up: "when you come to your senses give me a call". Fat chance of that ever happening!! read more

This was my first investment in precious metals and Lear made it easy and comfortable They even advised me against buying first time I called as they said prices would get better, which they did Service was great read more

If I could give a negative 5 stars, I would. Total rip off artists. My father passed away about a month ago. He transferred about $118K from his IRA to Lear. He paid $1000+ per ounce of gold more than market value and double market value of silver. We got into his account at Lear and the value was currently about $85K only because gold and silver is currently going up quite a bit right now. If my father had just bought silver or gold at current market value from a local mint such as Scottsdale Mint, his $118K would be worth around $170k right now, not $85k!!!!!! Yes, it was my father's fault, but he was 89 years old at the time. So it seems Lear targets older senile people like my father. What a bunch of crooks. They should be hung high in the town square in my opinion!! read more