If you are in the market for gold bars and have never purchased them before, the first thing you are going to need to do is find a reputable dealer or bank to buy them from. The following website is sponsored by the World Gold Council, and it lists both local brick and mortar retail outlets, as well as broker’s that have websites that they have determined are reliable suppliers of the product. (http://www.gold.org/investment/why_how_and_where/)
When you first start contacting these types of establishments you will quickly find out, they are not what you would call a standard retail operation. Gold dealers tend to speculate in the precious commodity themselves, so the price will vary from location to location. So, it will be in your best interest to shop around to try and find the best price.
Some banks now offer gold accounts. When you use one of these types of arrangements, you will purchase the gold from the bank and they will store it for you. This is a very safe way of owning gold, because you physically do not have to ever handle it.
There are many different manufacturers of gold bars, and the following are a few of the most well known ones, PAMP, The Perth Mint, Rand Refinery, and Johnson Matthey Group. It is important to check out the purity of the bar before you purchase it. Gold bars are usually .999 or .995 pure gold.
If you to start purchasing gold bars, you should look at it as a long term investment. Short term market speculation that encompasses physically obtaining gold is almost assuredly a losing proposition. The acquisition of gold bars is an excellent way to hedge yourself against your countries currency suddenly going down in value, as well as a safeguard against a rapid increase in inflation.