Remote bullion sale checklist: AVS, CVV, 3-D Secure and liability shift
Published Nov 5, 2026
Before you ship metal on a card-not-present order, review with your processor how you use AVS, CVV, 3-D Secure (EMV 3DS) and liability shift. These tools reduce fraud, but none of them guarantees you keep the money, and only 3-D Secure can shift fraud liability to the card issuer, under the network's rules.
Plain definitions
- AVS (Address Verification Service): checks the numeric parts of the billing address and ZIP the buyer typed against what the card issuer has on file, and returns a match, partial match or no-match code. It does not check the shipping address.
- CVV / CVC / CID: the 3- or 4-digit security code on the card. A match suggests the buyer has the card details; merchants must not store it after authorization.
- 3-D Secure (EMV 3DS, "3DS2"): a card network protocol (Visa Secure, Mastercard Identity Check, Amex SafeKey and others) where the issuer authenticates the cardholder, often silently from device data, sometimes with a one-time code or bank app prompt.
- Liability shift: when a CNP transaction is successfully authenticated with 3DS, fraud-coded chargebacks ("I didn't make this purchase") generally become the issuer's loss rather than the merchant's. It usually does not cover "item not received" or "not as described" disputes, and network rules have exceptions.
Checklist to review with your processor
Print this page (Ctrl/Cmd+P). Tick items as you confirm them with your acquirer or gateway.
- ☐ Is AVS turned on, and what does our gateway do on a full mismatch, partial match or "unavailable" result?
- ☐ Is CVV required on every CNP order, and are we sure we never store it?
- ☐ Is 3-D Secure available on our gateway for Visa, Mastercard, Amex and Discover? Is it on for every order, or only above a dollar amount we choose?
- ☐ Which result codes give us a liability shift, and which (attempted, exempted, failed, frictionless) do not? Ask for this in writing.
- ☐ Does liability shift cover only fraud disputes, or anything else? (Usually fraud only.)
- ☐ Do we ship only to the billing address, or to a verified address, on first-time high-value orders?
- ☐ Do we require signature confirmation and insurance on shipments above a set value?
- ☐ Do we hold shipment until the payment has settled, and for how long on new customers?
- ☐ Is our card statement descriptor recognizable (shop name and phone or website)?
- ☐ Do we keep order records: IP, device, email, AVS/CVV/3DS results, tracking and delivery proof, and customer messages?
- ☐ Do our terms and checkout clearly state pricing locks, cancellation and market-loss rules for bullion?
- ☐ Does our processor allow precious metals (some restrict or ban bullion) and do we have written approval for our category?
- ☐ Who on staff reviews flagged orders, and who decides? (Your team and processor decide, not this checklist.)
- ☐ Have we confirmed our recordkeeping and reporting duties with counsel or our accountant?
This is a conversation list, not a scoring tool. It does not tell you whether to accept or decline an order.
Related dealer tools
- Card and wire payments for bullion dealers (hub)
- Card vs ACH vs wire vs cash: the true cost for bullion dealers
- Chargeback risk on high-ticket bullion orders
- PCI scope when you never touch the card number
- Payment processor directory for bullion dealers
- True cost calculator: delivered totals by dealer, card vs bank payment
- Developer and dealer quickstart
- List your shop or partner with Bullion Price Check
FAQ
Does AVS protect me from chargebacks?
No. AVS only compares billing address digits with the issuer's file. It does not shift liability.
When does liability shift to the issuer?
Generally when a card-not-present payment is successfully authenticated with 3-D Secure, and only for fraud-coded disputes. Confirm the exact rules with your processor.