When it came to gold dealers, Rosland Capital was one of the giants in the gold and silver industry. For years, investors searching for Rosland Capital gold and silver products found a company that appeared stable, established, and trustworthy.
The company generated more than $150 million in annual revenue, opened offices in Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Munich, earned an A+ Better Business Bureau rating, and accumulated thousands of positive Google reviews.
Rosland built its market share through heavy television advertising, particularly the glowing endorsement of beloved Boomer actor William Devane, who talked about gold from his living room, on horseback, and even reminded Americans of the importance of precious metals on Election Day. Rosland claimed to be an education-first precious metals dealer committed to transparency and honesty, creating a powerful perception of integrity and financial stability.
Then everything unraveled.
When the company declared bankruptcy this month, it left a wake of carnage. Court filings indicate that hundreds of customers are owed millions of dollars in undelivered precious metals and buyback obligations.
The warning signs were there. Over the past year, Rosland started delaying shipments and order backlogs quickly mounted. During those delays, gold prices soared and the company found itself filling purchase contracts at a steep loss while struggling to meet its sales support and compliance commitments.
By early 2025, Rosland Capital reviews became increasingly negative, with scores of complaints about delayed shipments, stalled buybacks, and an unresponsive customer service department. After a dramatic decline in profitability and reported losses exceeding $20 million, the business became unsustainable.
And yet, Rosland commercials continued to run right up until last month. William Devane remained the face of the brand, and sales representatives continued taking orders for precious metals that, in many cases, were never delivered. Ironically, bankruptcy filings indicate Rosland had virtually no precious metals inventory when it filed for Chapter 11 protection.
Over the past few years, gold and silver have delivered triple-digit returns, so the metals themselves and their viability as a safe haven and store of value were never the issue. Poor dealer management, operational failures, excessive markups, and hefty commissions were.
So, if you’re considering diversifying with gold, silver, platinum or palladium … don’t just research precious metals prices and products. Take a close look at the dealer as well. Consider delivery history, online reputation, pricing transparency, transaction guarantees, fee structure, buyback policies, celebrity markups, and customer service responsiveness.
Because the lesson of Rosland Capital is a simple one: precious metals were never the problem. The dealer was.
