ITM Trading Review

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ITM Trading has operated out of Phoenix, Arizona since 1995, originally founded by Craig Griffin on a fairly direct principle: that educating customers is harder than just selling to them, but it's the right way to do business.

Thirty years later, the company is still family-run, now led by his son Eric Griffin as President and CEO, and has positioned itself as one of the more prominent precious metals dealers in the US, with a stated figure of over $1 billion in client savings and retirement assets protected.

This review takes a ground-level look at what ITM Trading actually offers, what the fees look like, how customers have responded, and where the company fits in the current gold and silver market.

Key Takeaways

• ITM Trading holds an A+ BBB rating and a 4.99/5 customer score from 193 verified reviews, with only three complaints filed and closed in five years.
• The company does not publish live pricing you have to call for quotes, which makes comparison shopping harder than it should be.
• Gold rose over 66% in 2025 and is trading near $4,749 per ounce as of April 2026, making the case for precious metals exposure stronger than it has been in decades.

Company Background

ITM Trading was established in 1995 and has remained family-owned throughout its three-decade run. The founding philosophy, as Craig Griffin stated it, was that transparency and education come first.

That ethos carries through in how the company is structured today. Rather than operating like a standard coin dealer where you browse, pick, and pay, ITM assigns each customer a dedicated Gold and Silver Analyst who helps build a strategy before any transaction takes place.

The company is headquartered at 11201 N Tatum Blvd, Suite 250, Phoenix, AZ 85028, and can be reached at 888-696-4653 or services@itmtrading.com. Daniela Cambone, a well-known financial journalist, serves as Director of Global Media, which explains the quality of the company's video content and market commentary.

What ITM Trading Sells

The product catalog is broad. ITM Trading carries over 2,800 items across gold and silver, plus a smaller selection of platinum and palladium. Their inventory breaks down roughly like this:

The standout product focus is Pre-1933 rare gold coins. ITM has a specialty in this segment that most bullion dealers simply don't match. These are coins minted before Franklin Roosevelt's executive order in 1933 removed gold from public circulation, and they carry collector value on top of their gold content.

All US rare coins sold by ITM are certified and graded by either PCGS (Professional Coin Grading Service) or NGC (Numismatic Guaranty Corporation), the two dominant coin grading organizations. Both have certified tens of millions of coins since the 1980s, and their grading standards are accepted across the entire industry.

One thing that sets ITM apart from competitors in this space: they don't buy coins "sight unseen." Every graded coin in their inventory is physically examined to confirm that the visible quality matches the certified grade.

Coins carrying the same grade can still vary significantly in surface blemishes, which affects both collector appeal and eventual resale value. ITM's position is that doing this examination protects the client at the point of liquidation, when grade-for-grade quality differences start to matter financially.

The Buying Process

ITM doesn't really operate as a click-and-buy retailer, even though you can place orders directly on their website. The company's preferred model involves three steps:

• A consultation with a dedicated Gold and Silver Analyst to identify financial goals and map out a strategy
• Development of a custom product mix aligned with that strategy, then locking in an order with a 5% hold on your card while funds settle
• Insured, tracked shipping to your door within 72 hours, with a signature required for delivery

After delivery, the relationship continues. Clients can monitor their portfolio's retail value through an online portal and book one-on-one reviews with their assigned analyst. When it comes time to sell, ITM handles buy-back directly, which creates a closed-loop system for the client.

IRA and Storage Services

For retirement accounts, ITM partners with GoldStar Trust Company as the self-directed IRA custodian. That partnership manages over 31,000 IRA accounts with total assets exceeding $1.60 billion.

Storage options include International Depository Services (IDS) of Delaware, Delaware Depository, A-M Global Logistics, and Texas Precious Metals Depository.

The IRA fee structure is where things get a bit layered. Here's what the numbers look like:

Some marketing materials reference a flat first-year fee of $90, but the official structure follows the 10 basis point calculation. For larger accounts this distinction matters. A $200,000 IRA, for example, would carry $200 in annual maintenance fees, not $90.

Anyone seriously evaluating ITM for retirement purposes should get the full fee schedule in writing before committing.

Pricing Transparency: The One Real Limitation

ITM Trading does not publish live spot pricing on their website. You have to call to get quotes. That's a meaningful friction point when comparison shopping.

For context, industry standard spreads for gold coins typically run 3–7% above spot price, while silver premiums are often higher, in the 15–25% range depending on the product. 

Without posted prices, you can't quickly verify whether ITM's quote on a specific coin is competitive without calling multiple dealers. Pre-1933 rare coins add another layer of complexity since numismatic premiums vary by coin, date, grade, and eye appeal in ways that bullion doesn't.

This doesn't necessarily indicate problematic pricing, but it does mean you need to do your homework. Request quotes from at least two or three comparable dealers before finalizing a purchase, particularly on higher-value numismatic items.

Reputation and Reviews

The customer feedback picture is predominantly strong. Across the main review platforms:

Over the five-year window from 2020 through 2025, only three complaints were filed and subsequently closed through the BBB. For a company processing the volume of transactions ITM handles, that's a notably low complaint rate.

Most complaints centered on delivery delays and pricing miscommunication rather than anything more serious.

The negative reviews that exist paint a more specific picture. At least one detailed account on Trustpilot describes a 2020 purchase where a client felt pressured into buying at a 40% premium during a period of extremely high demand, without being clearly told about that premium upfront.

A separate complaint involves a liquidation dispute where a buy-back offer was revised downward after coins were already shipped. These are not industry-wide anomalies, and ITM is not unique in facing this type of criticism, but they're worth knowing before you engage.

Pros and Cons at a Glance

✓ Strengths

✗ Limitations

The Market Context in 2026

Whatever you think of ITM Trading specifically, the broader precious metals environment heading into 2026 is the strongest it has been since the late 1970s.

Gold posted a 66% gain in 2025, its best annual performance since 1979, climbing from around $2,606 per ounce at the start of 2025 to roughly $4,325 at year-end. By April 2026, spot gold was trading near $4,749 per ounce.

The catalyst mix: a weakening dollar, Federal Reserve rate cuts, accelerating central bank accumulation globally, and growing demand from ETFs and retail investors simultaneously.

J.P. Morgan projects central bank gold demand averaging 585 tonnes per quarter through 2026, and expects prices to push toward $5,000 per ounce by Q4 2026. Their bull case sits at $6,350 per ounce.

The World Bank's October 2025 Commodity Markets Outlook projects precious metals to reach new all-time highs in 2026 following a 41% increase in 2025.

Silver performed even more dramatically, surpassing $60 per ounce in 2025 and entering 2026 in what analysts at Goldman Sachs describe as "price discovery territory" with a $85–100 target range for the year.

For context, ITM Trading's focus on Pre-1933 rare gold coins is particularly interesting in this environment. Rare coins have historically carried numismatic premiums that move somewhat independently of spot price.

During the 2020 pandemic-era gold spike, numismatic premiums on certain graded coins expanded significantly because supply was finite and demand for tangible assets spiked. If the current macro backdrop sustains, that dynamic could repeat.

Who Is ITM Trading Best Suited For?

Not everyone shopping for gold or silver is the same buyer. ITM Trading's model fits certain profiles better than others.

Memberships and Credentials

ITM holds memberships and authorizations across the major industry bodies. These aren't just logos on a footer — they carry actual requirements and obligations.

The company is an authorized dealer for both PCGS and NGC, meaning it meets the standards those organizations require before allowing a dealer to submit coins for grading on behalf of clients.

It's also a member of the American Numismatic Association (ANA), the Industry Council for Tangible Assets (ICTA), and the National Coin and Bullion Association.