Disclosure: Our content isn't financial advice. Do your due diligence and speak to your financial advisor before making any investment decision. We may earn money from products reviewed. (Learn more)
I’ve spent a fair amount of time digging into precious metals dealers, and Kitco is one of those names that comes up constantly. It’s been around since 1977, runs one of the most widely read precious metals news operations on the internet, and sells physical gold, silver, platinum, palladium, and rhodium to buyers worldwide. Whether it’s actually the right place to put your money is a different question, and that’s what this review is about.
If you are still early in your research, you may also want to read our guides to precious metals investing, Gold IRA rollover pros and cons, and where Gold IRA metals should be stored, so you can judge Kitco Metals in the right context.
Our #1 Rated Gold Company for 2026
Before you commit to any dealer, see why thousands of retirement investors choose Noble Gold for their Gold IRA. Get the free 2026 guide and understand the full picture — fees, storage, rollover process — before you call anyone.
Quick Company Snapshot
| Company | Kitco Metals Inc. |
| Founded | 1977 |
| Founder | Bart Kitner |
| Headquarters | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| US Address | 64 Lake St, Ste 101, Rouses Point, NY 12979-1028 |
| Phone | (877) 775-4826 |
| Website | online.kitco.com |
| Metals Offered | Gold, Silver, Platinum, Palladium, Rhodium |
The Short Version
Kitco occupies an unusual place in the precious metals world. On one hand, kitco.com is the place most investors go to check live gold and silver spot prices. The news operation publishes commentary from analysts at major banks, and millions of people visit the site daily without ever buying a single coin. On the other hand, the online store at online.kitco.com is a separate operation where investors can actually purchase bullion, set up IRA accounts through partner custodians, and store metals in allocated vaults.
The dual identity is both a strength and a potential source of confusion. Kitco’s market data infrastructure is genuinely excellent and free to anyone. The retail side has a larger product catalog than almost any other dealer. But recent customer feedback — particularly around sell-side transactions in early 2026 — has been rougher than the company’s overall Trustpilot score might suggest at first glance.
Pros and Cons
Who Is Kitco?
Founded in Montreal, Quebec in 1977 by Bart Kitner, Kitco began its business activities as a bullion trading firm but now is an internationally renowned platform operating out of offices located in Montreal, New York, and Hong Kong, and which also works as a precious metal trader as well as a publisher of one of the world’s most visited financial data portals.
The news portion of the company, referred to as Kitco News, provides instant spot quotes coming from NYMEX, COMEX, London, and Hong Kong exchanges. The site provides commentary on market activity and analysis done by analysts from financial institutions like HSBC, TD Securities, ANZ, and JPMorgan. Should you have searched for the term “gold price today” on Google, chances are you have ended up at Kitco site. This service is free and not related to any precious metal purchasing activities.
The retail shop can be found at online.kitco.com and includes actual transactions performed by the investors. The offered items include gold, silver, platinum, palladium, and rhodium in coins, bars, rounds, and collectible forms. The customer can opt for allocation storage, pool accounts based on physical metals, and IRAs serviced by more than a dozen custodians.
Management
Bart Kitner founded the company as a college student at McGill University in Montreal and has served as president. The company lists Daniel Morello as its Customer Experience Supervisor on the BBB profile as of 2026. Given the volume of operations across multiple countries and decades, Kitco’s leadership structure is broader than the founding story might imply.
Custodians and Storage
For IRA investors, Kitco works with a roster of custodians that can facilitate self-directed precious metals accounts. Current partner custodians include:
- GoldStar Trust Company
- Equity Institutional
- Strata Trust Company
- New Direction IRA, Inc.
- American Estate & Trust
- Provident Trust Group
- NuView IRA, Inc.
- Sunwest Trust
- The Kingdom Trust Company
- Next Generation Trust Services
- UDirect IRA Services
- Midland Trust
- Preferred Trust
- iTrustCapital
The individual with the IRA account may choose Kitco as the account representative, making the whole process easier. The account representative will be responsible for communicating with the custodian after the account has been funded.
Allocation options available for allocated accounts are storage facilities in the USA, Canada, the Cayman Islands, and Hong Kong. Kitco has another offering called VaultChain™ where the account holder can easily track the ownership of the gold and silver and trade or move the metal without transporting it physically through blockchain technology.
Products
The Kitco catalog is one of the broadest in the retail precious metals space. Products span five metals:
IRA-Eligible Gold Products
- Gold American Eagle
- Gold American Buffalo
- Gold Canadian Maple Leaf
IRA-Eligible Silver Products
- Silver American Eagle
- Silver Canadian Maple Leaf
IRA-Eligible Platinum Products
- Platinum Canadian Maple Leaf (1 oz)
IRA-Eligible Palladium Products
- Palladium Canadian Maple Leaf
Beyond IRA-eligible products, Kitco carries rhodium bars, MintFirst bullion (positioned as a lower-premium option), collectible coins, limited edition sets, and pool account products in gold and silver. MintFirst bars are specifically designed to minimize the premium spread above spot, which matters for investors sensitive to markup costs.
Still Comparing Gold IRA Companies?
Kitco’s IRA fees depend entirely on which custodian you choose, and the company doesn’t publish them upfront. Noble Gold is different — known fees, personal guidance, and a free 2026 guide that helps you understand exactly what you’re getting into before you commit.
Where Kitco Fits — and Where It Doesn’t
Kitco is a better fit for some investors than others. For buyers mainly interested in physical bullion, it offers competitive pricing and a wide product selection. Its MintFirst line is especially appealing for people who want simple precious metals exposure without paying higher premiums for collectible coins.
The IRA offering works, but it takes more effort than you might find with companies focused specifically on Gold IRAs. Since fees depend on the custodian you choose, Kitco does not provide one clear fee table on its website. You’ll need to contact Kitco, ask which custodians are available, and then review each custodian’s fee schedule separately. For some investors, that added homework may be a drawback.
Selling metals back to Kitco has also become more of a concern recently. In early 2026, strong demand for precious metals led to major processing backlogs. Some investors who sold gold or silver to Kitco said payments took far longer than the quoted 7–10 business days, with delays reportedly reaching 30 days or more in certain cases. Kitco publicly acknowledged the issue and pointed to unusually high volume as the cause. That’s important to keep in mind before buying: selling back to Kitco during a busy market may be a very different experience than selling during calmer conditions.
Who Should Consider Kitco
A reasonable fit for:
- Investors who want a massive product selection across multiple metals
- Buyers focused on competitive premiums, particularly through MintFirst
- Investors who already follow Kitco News and want to transact with the same company
- Those who want multiple IRA custodian choices and are willing to compare fee schedules
- Buyers comfortable with a $5,000 minimum purchase
Probably not the best fit for:
- Investors who want all-in IRA fees published upfront before making any calls
- Those who may need to liquidate quickly and want predictable sell timelines
- People with under $5,000 to invest in physical metals
- Anyone who wants highly personalized rollover guidance from a dedicated IRA team
If you’re still evaluating whether physical metals belong in your portfolio at all, it’s worth reading about precious metals investing, Gold IRA rollover pros and cons, and self-directed IRAs before locking anything in.
For storage context, the pieces on gold storage vaults and offshore gold storage are useful given that Kitco offers international depository options.
And if you want to compare Kitco directly against alternatives, the broader list of gold investment companies is worth checking, as are our reviews of Augusta Precious Metals, American Hartford Gold, and Birch Gold.
Before you decide, get the guide and compare intelligently
While Kitco’s IRA fees require a call to each custodian to uncover, Noble Gold publishes a straightforward fee structure and walks every client through the process personally. If you’re moving retirement money, that kind of clarity matters.
Final Verdict
Kitco is a legitimate, long-running precious metals company with one of the widest product selections available online. The Kitco News side of the business is genuinely useful for anyone tracking metals prices. The retail side works reasonably well for straightforward bullion purchases.
The IRA service is functional but involves more coordination than some investors want: you’ll need to compare custodians, ask about fees separately, and manage some of the paperwork yourself unless you designate Kitco as your account representative. The sell-side experience has been inconsistent during high-demand periods, and the recent pattern of payment delays is worth weighing if liquidity matters to you.
If you’re buying bullion outright with no IRA involved, Kitco is a reasonable choice for competitive pricing and selection. If you’re setting up a Gold IRA and want a more guided experience with clearly published fees, you may want to compare it against companies built specifically for that purpose before deciding.
- Phone : (877) 775-4826
- URL :
- Global Rating
- Very Good
User Rating
- 0 No reviews yet!
Over the past 40+ years, Kitco has risen through the ranks to become one of the most recognized precious metals brokers. As a gold IRA company, it has partnerships with an astounding 11 renowned custodians for custodial services options. Likewise, Kitco’s inventory of investment products is truly impressive, offering customers a varied selection of gold, platinum, silver, and palladium coins, bars, rounds, and collectibles. Additionally, the company also provides the option of purchasing gold and silver via blockchain technology. Moreover, there are numerous IRA-eligible options in various weights listed in the catalog. Kitco’s allocated storage options enable customers to choose from facilities in the US, Canada, the Cayman Islands, and Hong Kong. Although the company's inventory is expansive, several of the popular items are deemed "Out of Stock", including IRA-eligible bullion.
Mohammed Saqib is a finance professional and CFA Level II Candidate with a Master of Finance from Wilfrid Laurier University. He specializes in financial content covering equities, alternative assets, precious metals, and capital markets.
