ImpurestStewart said:
I read recently that silver coins are going for 30% over spot. Good luck finding any under spot. You can try late late night ebay auctions. I've sniped some semikey dates this way. Try putting an ad on craigslist. Get creative. If one of those coin shows comes to town, rent a room next to the hotel they are in and offer Double whatever they are paying. I think the days of cheap silver and gas are behind us for good.
Ok... I hate to do this but I completely disagree with pretty much everything you've said here.
1. Yes, there was a slanted article recently that stated that coins were going for 30% over spot. I don't know where they got their info though because I can buy all the silver coins I want from APMEX or Provident Metals at no more than 15% over spot. Note however that it is unusual for physical silver to be that much higher than the paper price. Normally I can buy junk silver coins for about 3% over spot from these same sites. This is very telling about what is really going on right now in the market.
2. A 17 year old kid isn't going to be able to rent a hotel room. And they aren't going to have the bankroll needed to sit back and try to buy silver in bulk. I'm really not sure why you would even mention this as it is not even a good strategy for adults with significant money to spend. No one is going to come to your hotel room to sell you silver.
3. I know that some people like eBay, but I personally stay far away from it. There are way too many fakes out there today. Deal with a reputable dealer and don't bend over dollars to pick up pennies. Just one fake coin can completely wipe out a lifetime's savings by shopping on eBay (especially when dealing with gold).
4. Don't get caught up on trying to micromanage the prices at this point in your life. Whether you paid 10.50 for a silver half or 11.00 (a 5% difference) isn't going to make one bit of difference to you when you go to retire. By then, the price will likely be $50 for the same half. It's ok to look for good deals. But don't take unnecessary risks to save a few cents. Go with a reputable dealer and diversify your sources.
5. Be careful with Craigslist. You have greater risk of getting robbed/mugged/scammed as well as getting fakes. I've actually done fairly well with Craigslist over the years. But things are getting really ugly out there. Be careful. Again, getting a slightly better deal is not necessary worth the risk.
6. I commend you for getting started early on your retirement fund. Holding physical silver can be a lot of fun. Just be aware that all commodities are risky investments. Don't get too carried away. And don't believe everything you read on the internet about 15:1 gold to silver ratios, inflation adjusted prices since 1980, and other such stuff. There is a bit of truth to some of it. But keep in mind that many people on the Internet have a vested interest in trying to get you to believe that the price has nowhere to go but up. I personally believe that over the long term, the price of silver will indeed go up. But we could see some volatility for many years to come. Of course, getting in now almost guarantees that you will see some sort of price increase over your lifetime. But there are also many people who bought silver back in the early 80's who have been waiting for 30 years to realize a meager "profit" on their investment.
7. This question should probably have been asked in the Precious Metals forum. Head over there and do some reading and ask more questions before making any decisions. You should also be sure to read the things that jim4silver has to say. He is a very wise individual with lots of good advice and information to share.
Good luck.
Nothing wrong with that at all. And there are indeed some PM investors here. But the information here is not geared torward PM investing. 
