Orion Metal Exchange Review 2026 : Scam Risk Or Safe ?

Updated: August 8, 2026

OPRS may receive compensation when readers open an account through partner links elsewhere on this site. Orion Metal Exchange is not an OPRS affiliate partner and no tracked link to the company appears on this page. The analysis below relies on the company’s own public website, its public BBB profile URL, SEC EDGAR, and the CFTC and FTC public press-release feeds.

Orion Metal Exchange is one of many California-based precious-metals dealers that market self-directed IRA accounts alongside direct-to-consumer bullion sales. The company runs from a single Wilshire Boulevard address in Los Angeles and publishes a toll-free line and a support email as its only listed contact channels.

This page was originally an OPRS review published in 2023 that included a positive rating and a promotional summary. The 2026 refresh removes that promotional stance, removes the outbound tracked link that used to sit at the end of the old review, and re-anchors the page around what the public record actually shows for Orion in 2026.

The editorial position is factual, not promotional. Readers arriving here from an old search result or an inbound link should understand what Orion is, how to verify its current status independently, and where OPRS points a rollover shopper next.

Before you route a rollover to any dealer

The OPRS list of gold IRA operators to avoid names the dealers we currently caution against based on complaint patterns, state actions, and disclosure gaps. Three of the 27+ dealers reviewed by OPRS make the 2026 trusted short list, and the caution list is the fastest way to see which operators failed the screen.

See the OPRS dealer caution list

Table of contents show

Company identity and public contact record

Orion Metal Exchange lists a single business address at 12301 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 412, Los Angeles, California 90025. The published toll-free customer line is 1-800-559-0088, and the published support email is support@orionmetalexchange.com. Those contact points appear in the footer of the company’s own homepage as of this refresh.

The company also operates under a separate legal name in one state. The Orion homepage carries a New York residents notice that reads: “Orion Metal Exchange operates under its company name, Orion Precious Metals Inc, in the state of New York.” A reader running a state secretary-of-state check should search both trade names.

The homepage marketing copy positions the firm as a gold and silver dealer specializing in precious-metals IRAs. Product listings on the site include gold, silver, platinum, and palladium coins and bars. The site’s copyright footer is dated 2026, and the storefront is currently reachable.

Verifying the current BBB profile

Better Business Bureau ratings change over time as complaints are filed, closed, or reopened. OPRS does not publish a letter grade for Orion here because a rating quoted in a static review can go stale within weeks of publication. The current BBB profile for Orion Metal Exchange in Los Angeles is public and is linked in the sources list below.

What to check on the BBB profile: the current letter grade and accreditation status, complaint counts closed in the last 12 months and last three years, and any government-action alerts posted at the top. Any of those five data points can flip between a green light and a caution flag.

At the time of this refresh, the BBB profile shows a rating of A+ and BBB accreditation since March 9, 2021. Business Started is recorded as September 1, 2017, and the entity was incorporated May 16, 2017 under the alternate name Orion Precious Metals, Inc. The CEO of record is Jacob Blalock, and BBB lists 27 employees. Every one of these fields is on a live profile and should be re-verified at the source URL below.

An older 2023 version of this OPRS page carried an A+ figure without a citation trail. The 2026 refresh restates the same A+ grade because it now traces to a verifiable BBB source, but the BBB profile remains the authoritative record, not this page.

Federal regulatory record

OPRS ran three federal-agency checks against Orion Metal Exchange and its New York trade name, Orion Precious Metals Inc, at the time of this refresh. The three checks and their results follow.

SEC EDGAR full-text search: zero matching filings. The company is a private LLC-style precious-metals dealer, not a securities issuer, so the absence of a filing is expected and is not itself a warning sign.

CFTC press-release feed: no open enforcement action referencing Orion Metal Exchange or Orion Precious Metals Inc appeared in the public press-release index at the time of this refresh. The CFTC has authority over leveraged retail precious-metals transactions and has taken action against several precious-metals dealers in prior years, so this search matters.

FTC cases-and-proceedings database: a full-text search for “orion metal exchange” returned no matching case pages at the time of this refresh. The FTC handles deceptive-marketing cases in the retail precious-metals space and its docket is the right index to check.

Absence of a federal enforcement action is not a stamp of approval. It is the current state of the public record at the three agencies most likely to touch a precious-metals dealer. Readers should re-run these searches at the sources listed below before making a purchase decision.

Products, IRA workflow, and buyback

Per the company’s own product pages, Orion sells the four IRS-eligible metals (gold, silver, platinum, palladium) in coin and bar formats. The 26 U.S.C. §408(m) fineness rules and the approved-coin exceptions govern which of those products can actually be held in an IRA, and readers should assume any dealer product page is a sales catalog, not a compliance checklist.

The homepage marketing narrative describes an IRA account-opening workflow that pairs the buyer with a custodian and a depository. Orion does not publish a fixed custodian partner list on its public homepage, and the specific custodian relationship is negotiated at the point of account opening. Readers should ask for the custodian name in writing before signing any purchase paperwork.

Orion also markets a buyback program. Buyback in the precious-metals industry is a two-sided quote (a bid to buy the metal back at the current spot-linked price minus a spread), not a price guarantee. Readers should ask for the spread on the buyback quote in basis points or dollars per ounce before assuming a buyback offer is a liquidity guarantee.

The company does not publish its full IRA fee schedule on its public website at the time of this refresh. The current Orion checkout flow surfaces a $25,000 minimum total purchase for direct orders. Older third-party summaries have quoted a separate $50,000 figure for IRA account minimums, which is not verifiable against a current Orion fee page.

Any minimum, setup fee, storage fee, or shipping cost should be requested in writing. Compare the answer against the disclosure standards in the OPRS custodian framework before signing.

Where Orion sits in the OPRS ranking

Three of the 27+ gold IRA dealers reviewed by OPRS make the 2026 trusted short list. Orion Metal Exchange is not on that short list. It is not currently on the OPRS caution list either. It sits in the large middle band of small-to-mid dealers that a rollover shopper can technically use but that OPRS does not proactively route readers toward.

The gap between the trusted short list and the middle band is a matter of disclosure depth, fee transparency, minimum account thresholds, and independent-review depth. A dealer that publishes a full custodian partner list, an itemized fee schedule, and a clear buyback spread has a different risk profile than a dealer that keeps those numbers to a phone conversation. That is the screen the OPRS custodian framework applies to every dealer.

Nothing in the public record forces a hard “avoid” ruling on Orion. Nothing in the public record supports the earlier 4.5-out-of-5 rating either. The honest read for 2026 is: a small operator with limited public disclosure, no visible federal enforcement action, and no place on the OPRS trusted short list. That combination is not a recommendation.

Where to redirect the gold IRA research

A reader who arrived here from a “gold IRA,” “TSP rollover,” or “401(k) rollover to gold” search has three modern OPRS references to use next. They carry more current facts than a single-dealer review can.

The OPRS list of gold IRA dealers to avoid is the front door for anyone comparing operators today. It names the ones we caution against and points to the three we cleared in the current review cycle.
The OPRS custodian selection framework lays out the disclosure, fee, and depository criteria a working dealer must meet before it belongs on a shortlist.
The OPRS red-flag guide on numismatic coin upsells covers the pressure-sales, coin-swap, and disclosure-gap patterns to catch before wiring funds.
The OPRS gold IRA rollover guide covers the 60-day rule, direct versus indirect transfer mechanics, and the paperwork sequence for a rollover from a 401(k), TSP, 403(b), 457(b), or existing IRA.

FAQ

Is Orion Metal Exchange still in business in 2026?

Yes. The company’s website is reachable, the footer copyright reads 2026, the Los Angeles business address is listed, and the toll-free customer line is published. OPRS did not identify any wind-down or bankruptcy signal in the public record at the time of this refresh.

What is Orion Metal Exchange’s current BBB rating?

At the time of this refresh, the BBB profile for Orion Metal Exchange in Los Angeles shows a rating of A+ and BBB accreditation since March 9, 2021. BBB ratings can move as complaints are filed or closed, so the profile URL is linked in the sources list below and should be re-checked before any purchase decision.

Is there any federal enforcement action against Orion Metal Exchange?

OPRS ran three federal-agency searches against Orion Metal Exchange and its alternate name Orion Precious Metals, Inc. Nothing appeared in the SEC EDGAR full-text index, the CFTC press-release feed, or the FTC cases library at the time of this refresh. Absence of a hit is not a guarantee that no future action will be filed. Re-run the searches at the primary sources listed below for the current record.

Why did OPRS remove the 4.5-out-of-5 rating from this page?

The 2023 rating was drawn from marketing copy, not from an independent audit trail. OPRS does not publish star ratings on dealers that are not on the trusted short list, because a star rating implies a recommendation the underlying research does not support. The refreshed page describes the public record and leaves the ranking decision inside the OPRS caution list and custodian framework.

What is Orion Metal Exchange’s minimum for a gold IRA?

Orion does not publish a distinct IRA minimum on its public homepage at the time of this refresh. The current checkout flow surfaces a $25,000 direct-purchase minimum, and older third-party sources have quoted a separate $50,000 figure for IRA accounts. Neither figure is verifiable against a current dedicated fee page, and any minimum should be confirmed in writing directly with the company before opening an account.

Does OPRS earn a commission if I open an account with Orion Metal Exchange?

No. Orion Metal Exchange is not an OPRS affiliate partner. No tracked or affiliate link to Orion appears on this page. OPRS earns compensation only through partner links to a small set of dealers disclosed on other pages, and the disclosure at the top of this page names those constraints.

Where is IRA-titled metal held once I buy it?

IRA-titled precious metals are held by an IRS-approved non-bank trustee at an approved depository, not by the dealer. The rules are in 26 CFR §1.408-2(e) and are summarized in IRS Publication 590-A. A reader with IRA-titled metal placed through any dealer, Orion included, should ask the depository directly for a written custody statement.

Sources cited

OPRS is not a financial, tax, or legal advisor. Company status, BBB alerts, contact information, fee schedules, and enforcement records change over time and should be re-verified from the primary sources cited above before any purchase, complaint, or account action. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.