Have you noticed how recently there has been an increase in Christian YouTube Channels constantly bringing on Precious Metals dealers and advertising Gold/Silver? I just found it very odd, so I decided to do some research into why this could be. It appears that dealers pay commissions for each customer that buys from them. So if a YouTube channel promotes a gold/silver dealer, and you buy from that dealer mentioning the YouTube channel by name or code, the Youtuber will receive a commission, if they have signed up for Affiliate Marketing with that dealer.
I don’t know for sure which YouTube channels have signed up for affiliate marketing, but it would make perfect sense for what we’re seeing. Some of these channels are bringing on the dealers every other week (or more frequently) it seems like, and it’s basically an hour that provides zero benefit to the person watching. In how many different ways can you same the same thing — the dollar will crash, you need to buy gold/silver. So I would not be surprised if they are all signed up, and need to keep advertising.
This makes it challenging for us in determining if the advertised precious metals dealer is reliable and trustworthy. In my opinion, the bad ones can afford to pay higher commissions to youtubers, because of all the money they’ve stolen from their customers. For example, there is one channel that was using one dealer and then recently switched to another one. And they just said, oh nothing wrong with them, we just decided to switch. If I had to guess, it’s because a different dealer offered a higher commission rate. Probably nothing wrong with it as long as both dealers are trustworthy. And so, we need to be very careful if a Christian YouTube channel is releasing a Prophecy about Gold/Silver and then also recommending you go buy it from their own precious metals dealer — this is a Conflict of Interest. I have not seen this happen yet, so this is just a warning ahead of time, so that you all stay vigilant.
Conflict of Interest — a situation in which the concerns or aims of two different parties are incompatible. A conflict of interest occurs when an entity or individual becomes unreliable because of a clash between personal (or self-serving) interests and professional duties or responsibilities. Such a conflict occurs when a company or person has a vested interest — such as money, status, knowledge, relationships, or reputation — which puts into question whether their actions, judgment, or decision-making can be unbiased.
In simple terms, a youtuber might pick a bad/untrustworthy dealer that overcharges but pays a higher commission rate, over their customer.
Fraud — wrongful or criminal deception intended to result in financial or personal gain.
Fraud Triangle — The fraud triangle states that “individuals are motivated to commit fraud when three elements come together: (1) some kind of perceived pressure, (2) some perceived opportunity, and (3) some way to rationalize the fraud as not being inconsistent with one’s values.”
This means, if a youtuber needs money (pressure), has the ability (opportunity) to steal/lie/manipulate/commit fraud, and can rationalize doing it (I deserve it, it’s not hurting anyone, etc.), they will do it. A possible example would be, a Christian Youtuber really needs the money, so they release a fake (not from God) scary prophecy, and use it to scare people into immediately buying Gold/Silver from their dealer. This might not be an issue right now, but imagine the economy crashing, and donations no longer coming in, what will the Youtuber do? They may be pressured to commit fraud.
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https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-do-gold-dealers-make-money-stewart-lawson
5/28/2015
How do gold dealers make money?
Affiliate Marketing — Some gold dealers will pay for legitimate-looking websites that promote the gold dealer. The third party who set up the site will earn a commission for each client that reaches the gold dealer via the Affiliate Marketing website. These sites claim to be impartial, but they are anything but.
Gold dealers can’t keep the lights on by selling gold at 1% over spot, so they advertise such a deal and then trick clients into buying high-margin items by confusing the client (or by telling them outright lies) in order to fatten brokers’ wallets.
Overcharging — I recently made a call to a well-known gold dealer in Los Angeles. The broker gave me a quote of $1,625 for a one-ounce, American Eagle gold coin. Not a Proof version, but the basic bullion coin. That’s $400 more than I was quoted by 5 other dealers. The scary part is that this Los Angeles dealer is listed as an A+ gold dealer by the Better Business Bureau.
Reselling (a.k.a. the “foot in the door” tactic) — Also known as a “loss leader,” this method involves making no profits, or possibly even losing money on the first trade, with the hope that subsequent trades will be more profitable for the company. If you think you’re getting a great deal on your gold bullion or coin investment, be extra cautious when that same company asks you to do business with them again. You could be a target for extremely high margins that would make up for the “special deal” you got the first time around.
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Here are articles listing the commission rates that each Precious Metals dealer will pay to the Youtuber/Promoter:
https://www.authorityhacker.com/silver-affiliate-programs/
15 Best Silver Affiliate Programs in 2024
Commission rate:
1. Augusta Precious Metals — $200 per qualified lead plus revenue share
2. Goldco — Varies
3. Birch Gold Group — $25 per qualified lead, 3% on transactions
4. Apmex — $5 — $35
5. Silver Gold Bull — 0.8% — 1.7%
6. BGASC — $5 — $30 per order
7. The Royal Mint — 1% — 7%
8. Bullion Exchanges — $1 — $55 per sale
9. Goldbroker — 0.1% — 0.4%
10. Goldcore — 25% of GoldCores gross premium charged
11. SD Bullion — $20 per new customer sale
12. GoldRepublic — 25% of all transaction fees
13. American Bullion — $30 per qualified lead; 2% trade commission ratio
14. RC Bullion — 3% on all transactions
15. Money Metals — $16 per sale
“Many silver affiliate programs pay recurring commissions. So once you’ve referred a customer, you’ll earn money for as long as they keep buying and storing gold and silver coins and bars.”
https://www.chillreptile.com/gold-affiliate-programs/
6 Best Gold Affiliate Programs
Commission Rate:
1. Augusta Precious Metals — 8–10% + $165 per qualified lead
2. My Digital Money — Up to 75% of trading fees or 1% of the full investment amount
3. Birch Gold Group — $25 for every qualified lead plus 3% — 5% commissions
4. Noble Gold — 3% on qualified sales
5. American Hartford Gold — 3% commissions on sales plus 2% on second tier sales
https://getlasso.co/niche/gold-and-silver/
The 15 Best Gold and Silver Affiliate Programs of 2024
https://www.mikestuzzi.com/augusta-precious-metals-affiliate-program/
Commission Structure: How Much Can You Earn as an Augusta Affiliate?
Qualified lead: $200
Sale: 10%
A qualified lead is someone who uses your link to fill out the form and submit their details. They qualify if they have shown interest in investing in precious metals. Let’s say you refer a customer who purchases a $50,000 gold IRA from Augusta Precious Metals, keeping in mind the commission rate of 10%. In this scenario, you would earn a commission of $5,000.
https://youtu.be/v8scG5gXpis
Augusta Precious Metals
Make $5000 Per Referral | High Ticket Affiliate Program
Earn $5,000+ Per trade/transfer, when someone transfers gold and/or silver into their IRA/401k. You earn on future trades/transfer for the life of the client
Earn 10% commission+ $200/per qualified lead
https://youtu.be/JUNe-9A4vYw
Make 200 Dollars Per Day Online — Precious Metals — Goldco Affiliate
So in conclusion, the only concerns I have is, are these precious metals dealers trustworthy/reliable/don’t overcharge us. How did the youtuber decide to use them (high commission or high integrity)? And does the youtuber have adequate integrity, when times get tough, to not release fake prophecies in order to make money.
Prophetic Money