JM Bullion vs APMEX
Quick answer: A fair comparison needs the same evidence for both sides, and we have it only in part. For both companies we read a BBB profile. For JM Bullion we also read its own policy pages. APMEX's own pages refused our reader. So this page compares what is stated for both and names the rest as unchecked. It names no winner.
Why this comparison is lopsided
Most head-to-head pages quietly assume the writer has read everything. Our guide to the safest place to buy silver online treats that as a red flag in itself. We have not. On October 28, 2026 we opened JM Bullion's about, terms, shipping, payment and sell pages without trouble. Every APMEX page we tried returned an access-denied error to our automated reader, and we left it there instead of working around it.
The result is an uneven table, and we think showing the unevenness is more useful than hiding it. A blank in the APMEX column does not mean the company lacks a policy; it means we cannot report one. Please do not read a gap as a shortfall. Open the page in your own browser and fill it in.
Each cell wears one of three labels: STATED for a point written on a page we opened, NOT STATED for a point missing from a page we opened, and CAN'T BE CHECKED for a page that would not load.
| Topic | JM Bullion | APMEX |
|---|---|---|
| History | STATED The About page gives Dallas, Texas as corporate headquarters and contact-center location. NOT STATED The About page does not state a founding year. | CAN'T BE CHECKED APMEX About page (founding year, location, self-description). |
| BBB listing | STATED BBB profile shows "BBB Accredited", rating A+, accredited since July 14, 2014. STATED BBB prints 188 complaints in the last three years and 111 in the last 12 months (as of the read date; the counts move). | STATED BBB lists the business as BBB Accredited since 4/29/2004. STATED BBB rating letter shown is A+. |
| Returns | CAN'T BE CHECKED Separate returns pages guessed (/returns/, /about/return-policy/, /about/returns/) were 404; no dedicated page located. STATED The Terms page accepts a return request within five business days of delivery, in original condition, with a refund of the purchase price less the original shipping. | CAN'T BE CHECKED Bullion return policy, window, conditions. |
| Buyback | STATED JM Bullion buys silver back via "Sell To Us": quote or lock price online, ship to JM Bullion, paid after inspection. STATED Sell To Us prices are published for a majority of popular products. | CAN'T BE CHECKED Sell-to-APMEX program. |
| Shipping and insurance | STATED All packages carry third-party precious-metals insurance in transit; coverage ends on carrier signature or delivery confirmation. STATED Return address and packaging do not indicate the contents. | CAN'T BE CHECKED Shipping, insurance, signature, free-shipping threshold. |
| Payment | STATED Accepts Visa, MasterCard, Amex, Discover cards, Google Pay, Apple Pay, PayPal, paper check, eCheck (ACH), bank wire, Klarna and cryptocurrency. STATED The payments page says paper checks take three to five business days to clear before the order ships, and wires must arrive within one business day of the order. | CAN'T BE CHECKED Accepted payment methods and limits. |
| Pricing | NOT STATED Site header displays live spot prices; no page read states how retail price relates to spot beyond that. STATED The Terms page describes a price lock: the price shown when the order is submitted holds if payment arrives within the window for the payment method. | CAN'T BE CHECKED Price quoting / price match. |
No winner is claimed. A blank on one side means we could not read that page, not that the company has no policy.
Each cell carries its own date, and the figures that come from the bureau pages appear only in the table. Our single-company pages, the JM Bullion check and the APMEX check, hold the longer notes behind each row.
What is stated for both
Only one source type exists on both sides: the Better Business Bureau profile. On each profile you will see an accreditation line, a letter grade, a years-in-business entry and complaint tallies over two periods. Those are the facts you can put side by side with confidence, and the table does so with the numbers and the dates.
Be careful with what they mean. Two sellers handling very different numbers of orders will show different complaint counts for reasons that have nothing to do with how either treats a customer. A count says a complaint was filed, not that the company was at fault. The better use of a profile is to read a handful of the actual complaints and the replies, and see whether one theme repeats.
The profiles also differ in how each describes the start of the business. One lists a year of establishment and one lists a founding year, and the two companies' own about pages could not both be set against them, since one was unreadable. So even the history row is half-filled.
Shipping and insurance, returns, payment, buyback
Take each category in turn, and notice how often only one column can be filled.
Shipping and insurance. JM Bullion's shipping page states a free-shipping threshold, the carriers used, third-party insurance in transit that ends when the carrier records a signature or delivery confirmation, and plain packaging. For APMEX we could not read a shipping page, so all of that is unchecked. Whether it ships plainly, who signs and when cover ends are questions for the APMEX shipping page, which you can read in minutes.
Returns. JM Bullion's terms give a five-business-day window from delivery, original condition, and a refund net of original shipping, with market gains on returns kept by the company. APMEX's returns page could not be read. Nothing here lets us say the window is shorter, longer or the same, and we will not guess.
Payment. JM Bullion lists a wide set of methods with a lower price for check and wire than for card, and a maximum for each. APMEX's accepted methods and limits are unchecked. When you do read them, compare how each company treats a wire, since the FTC says money sent that way usually cannot be recovered.
Buyback. JM Bullion describes an online quote and price-lock program with payment after inspection. APMEX's sell program could not be reached. If you may want to sell, ask both what happens to a quote if the item fails inspection.
What does not appear in either set of pages
A few points were absent where we could look, and you should ask about them whichever company you pick. JM Bullion's pages say live spot is displayed in the site header, but none of the pages we read says how the retail price relates to spot. We could not check APMEX on the same point. A written quote that separates the metal price from the premium is the quickest fix, and our explainer on silver premiums shows how to do the arithmetic.
Likewise, neither side gave us a ready-made answer to "what happens if the price moves while I am waiting for my wire to arrive?" JM Bullion's terms describe a price lock with a payment window and a market loss charge for cancelling afterward. For APMEX it is open. This is exactly the sort of question to put in an email before you pay.
How to decide for yourself
Start from your own order, not from the pair. Decide how you want to pay, because that narrows the field fast: a card gives you a dispute route that a wire does not, and our guide to warning signs of a bad silver deal explains why unusual payment demands deserve suspicion. Then read each company's returns page and shipping page the same day and copy the key sentence into a note. Finally ask each for a written total including shipping, insurance and any payment-method difference.
Compare the totals against live spot, not against each other. A third option exists too: SD Bullion publishes a different set of terms, with shorter reporting windows, and is worth the same reading. If you want to start from the foundations, the home page covers buying silver online safely in one place, and is it safe to buy silver online explains what can go wrong.
For a purchase large enough that you would rather speak with a person than use a cart, Augusta Precious Metals for silver describes a separate route with a stated $50,000 minimum. It is no substitute for either dealer for a buyer of a few coins.
What this page can't tell you
Which company suits your order is beyond what this page can say, because we cannot see what APMEX publishes. Stock and price today are also beyond it, as is the handling of any problem you might have. Read it as a map of where to look. The safest next step is the same for both: read the company's own terms, get the total in writing, and keep the dates.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better, JM Bullion or APMEX?
We do not name a winner, and our evidence is uneven. We read JM Bullion's own policy pages and only APMEX's BBB profile. Use the comparison table for what is stated for both, then read APMEX's pages yourself before you decide.
Why is the APMEX column mostly empty?
Because every APMEX page we tried refused our automated reader on the day we looked, and we did not bypass it. Empty cells are marked CAN'T BE CHECKED. They do not mean the company lacks a policy; they mean we cannot report what the policy says.
Can I compare BBB complaint counts directly?
Only with care. A seller that handles many orders will show more complaints than a small one, and a count records a filing, not a finding. Use the table's dated figures as a prompt to read actual complaints and replies, not as a score.
What should I ask both companies before I order?
Request a written total with shipping and insurance included, then the length of the return window, who covers the cost of sending goods back, when the price locks and what cancelling costs. Ask how a buyback quote is set, too. Keep the answers with their dates.
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-28 | Published. JM Bullion pages and both BBB profiles read; APMEX's own pages could not be read. |