Buying Silver Bullion

Hello all,
I write this guide as silver is on a major uptrend. I started buying silver around $12.50 an ounce back in October/November of 2007. It finds itself now hovering in the $20.00 range.
Some hints/tips/gemon sense. I'm no pro on buying silver but I think I can give the average investor some valuable advice.
I have found okay a very good venue to sell silver but not necessarily to buy unless you are buying 100 ounce bars.
Silver gees in all shapes and sizes from fractional silver (1 gram, 5 gram, 1/2 ounce, etc, etc.) 1 oz rounds and bars, 5 ounce bars, 10 ounce bars, 100 ounce bars and every size in between.
-------------------SPOT PRICE--------------------------
The major words you will hear and discover when buying silver. Spot price is the going rate or asking price (less seller premium) that you will pay per ounce.
I suggest a few ways to buy silver and this will depend on how much you have to invest. You want to buy silver as close as possible to spot or below if possible. Many sellers will mark silver up 1.00 per ounce over spot. They will also deduct a premium when buying that silver back. = a certain amount below spot price.
As I write this toward the end of March 2008 silver has been on the move up and just recently took a very slight dip in price. This is an opportune time to purchase silver. A gemodity such as silver will always havehighs and lows. I suggest you watch the market for a month or so or better yet study the history over the past 6 months to a year.
--BUY ON THE DIPS-- If you see a day where silver has gone unusually low or a few days where the price has dropped take a good hard look at buying.
You can find silver via okay, jewelry stores, coin stores, as well as major mints and large corporations that hold and sell precious metals such as Kitco. Some of the larger internet gepanies have very good deals when buying one ounce rounds or 100 ounce bars.
When I studied okay I noticed people were buying and paying a very high premium for 10 ounce bars that were factory sealed, as well as anything bearing the name Engelhard, Johnson Matthey, or Silvertowne. Johnson Matthey and Engelhard sealed bars and rounds bring very high premiums and I regemend if you are buying to resell on okay that you focus on these types of rounds and bars. Also old hand poured bars in near uncirculated condition bring some of the highest premiums. Art rounds and bars are in an entire different category and I would avoid buying these as investment unless you buy a value guide.
If you are buying silver to hold on to for the long term buy 10 or 100 ounce bars. Sealed or unsealed isn't a big issue. Silver is Silver at this point, but stick to a major mint like Johnson Matthey or Engelhard.
I regemend you don't use credit cards to purchase silver. It's always best to pay cash that you have on hand. As with any investment there is risk involved. What goes up can also gee down. Beyond the actual price going down it's also hard to stomach interest rates for credit cards added on to those losses.
If you do have the cash on hand you may even want to post an ad in local papers or on craigslist looking to buy silver bullion. This may get you the best prices even below spot on silver. Also when searching on okay make sure to look at the most recent auctions added. You never know who may want to unload silver for a quick buy it now price. Because of the recent upward rise in silver some people may be ready to unload it for a quick profit without searching the true premium it might bring.
I consider silver to be the perfect investment right now in March of 2008. As the interest rates continue to fall our dollar gets weaker and weaker. Gold and Silver are a solid liquid asset that will normally hold firm in these times.
We really don't know exactly how high silver will go but there are certain resistance levels or price breaks. Meaning when it reaches certain dollar values it takes off higher or falls fast.
I truly believe there is much more room for silver to rise. Maybe 30/ounce Maybe even 40/ounce.
--Buy on dips--Engelhard or Johnson Matthey-- 1 ounce, 5 ounce 10 ounce or 100 ounce -
Good luck and try adding a little silver to your portfolio.