MetalStacks Review: Nickel & diming pyramid scheme
MetalsStacks operates in the precious metals MLM niche and is based out of Florida.
Heading up Metal Stacks is Managing Director Donnie D’Auria:

Prior to MetalStacks D’Auria was involved in Preservation of Wealth:

Preservation of Wealth was an MLM pyramid scheme hidden behind a precious metals ruse. Launched in 2009, Preservation of Wealth went on to collapse in 2012.
MetalStacks’ website domain (“metalstacks.net”), was privately registered on May 11th, 2021.
Read on for a full review of MetalStacks’ MLM opportunity.
MetalStacks’ Products
MetalStacks markets a range of precious metals across multiple categories:

- fractional currency notes (goldbacks and silverbacks)
- gold, silver, palladium and bronze coins

- gold, silver and bronze bars
- certified coins and
- “art collection” categories
Various accessories, storage and US and foreign currency are also available.

There are too many products to list here individually but a full catalog of current stock is provided on MetalStacks’ website.
MetalStacks’ Compensation Plan
While retail commissions are paid, the bulk of MetalStacks compensation plan focuses on recruitment of promoters on a monthly “autostacker” subscription (defacto autoship).

- MS70 AutoStacker – $164.97 a month
- Goldback AutoStacker – $169.97 a month
- (2) Eagles AutoStacker – $245.97 a month
- 1/10 oz Gold AutoStacker – $594.97 a month
MetalStacks Promoter Ranks
There are seven promoter ranks within MetalStacks’ compensation plan.
Along with their respective qualification criteria, they are as follows:
- Copper Stacker – recruit and maintain two promoters, generate and maintain 20 PSV and 1000 GV a week
- Silver Stacker – recruit and maintain four promoters (two must be Copper Stacker or higher), maintain 20 PSV a week and generate and maintain 2000 GV a week
- Gold Stacker – recruit and maintain six promoters (two must be Silver Stacker or higher), and generate and maintain 40 PSV and 4000 GV a week
- Platinum Stacker – recruit and maintain twelve promoters (two must be Gold Stacker or higher), maintain 40 PSV a week and generate and maintain 8000 GV a week
- Palladium Stacker – recruit and maintain eighteen promoters (two must be Platinum Stacker or higher), maintain 40 PSV a week and generate and maintain 16,000 GV a week
- National Stacker – recruit and maintain twenty-four promoters (four must be Platinum Stacker or higher, four must be Palladium Stacker or higher), maintain 40 PSV a week and generate and maintain 24,000 GV a week
- Global Stacker – recruit and maintain thirty-two promoters (four must be Palladium Stacker or higher, four must be National Stacker or higher), maintain 40 PSV a week and generate and maintain 28,000 GV a week
PSV stands for “Personal Sales Volume”. In MetalStacks, PSV is order volume from personally recruited promoters.
Note from Gold Stacker MetalStacks’ compensation plan states “*requires double auto-stacker memberships”:
Members who reach the level of Gold Stacker and above require (2) Auto Stackers to qualify.
It’s assumed this means promoters must take out two monthly autostacker subscriptions.
GV stands for “Group Volume”. GV is PSV generated by a MetalStacks promoter and their downline (assumed to exclude retail sales volume).
Retail Commissions
MetalStacks pays a commission on retail orders made through a promoter’s replicated online storefront.
Retail commission amounts are not disclosed.
Residual Commissions
MetalStacks pays residual commissions via a binary compensation structure.
A binary compensation structure places a promoter at the top of a binary team, split into two sides (left and right):

The first level of the binary team houses two positions. The second level of the binary team is generated by splitting these first two positions into another two positions each (4 positions).
Subsequent levels of the binary team are generated as required, with each new level housing twice as many positions as the previous level.
Positions in the binary team are filled via direct and indirect recruitment of promoters. Note there is no limit to how deep a binary team can grow.
MetalStacks pays residual commissions based on points:
- recruit a Starter Stacker tier promoter = 20 points
- recruit a Wholesale Stacker tier promoter = 25 points
- recruit a Dealer Direct Stacker tier promoter = 100 points
- recruit an Elite Stacker tier promoter = 150 points
- recruit a Business Stacker tier promoter = 200 points
- payment of monthly autostacker subscription by recruited promoters = 20 points
Points are tallied up on both sides of the binary team each week based on cycles, determined by rank:
- Copper Stackers require 500 points matched on both sides of the binary team for a cycle
- Silver Stackers require 1000 points matched on both sides of the binary team for a cycle
- Gold Stackers require 2000 points matched on both sides of the binary team for a cycle
- Platinum Stackers require 4000 points matched on both sides of the binary team for a cycle
- Palladium Stackers require 8000 points matched on both sides of the binary team for a cycle
- National Stackers require 12,000 points matched on both sides of the binary team for a cycle
- Global Stackers require 14,000 points matched on both sides of the binary team for a cycle
Exactly how much a cycle pays out on each rank is unclear, with MetalStacks only providing an “up to” figure:
- Copper Stackers can earn up to $500 a week
- Silver Stackers can earn up to $1000 a week
- Gold Stackers can earn up to $2000 week
- Platinum Stackers can earn up to $4000 a week
- Palladium Stackers can earn up to $8000 a week
- National Stackers can earn up to $12,000 a week
- Global Stackers can earn up to $16,000 a week
Once paid out on, points are flushed from both sides of the binary team. Leftover points accumulate to a maximum cap of 16,000 on each side.
Global Leader Pool
MetalStacks promoters who recruit three promoters at the Dealer Direct Stacker or higher tiers in a month, qualify for a share in the Global Leader Pool.
If a MetalStacks promoter recruits six Dealer Direct Stacker or higher tier promoters with a month, they qualify for “a larger bonus”.
MetalStacks states the Global Leader Pool funding begins at $10,000 each year. Specific Global Leader Pool bonus and “larger bonus” amounts however are not disclosed in MetalStacks’ compensation plan material.
Rank Achievement Bonus
MetalStacks rewards promoters for qualifying at Gold or higher with the following Rank Achievement Bonuses:
- qualify at Gold Stacker within 120 days of signing up and receive a “custom MetalStacks watch”
- qualify at Platinum Stacker and receive a $500 monthly Car Payment Bonus
- qualify at Palladium Stacker and receive a $750 monthly Car Payment Bonus
- qualify at National Stacker and receive a $1000 monthly Car Payment Bonus
- qualify at Global Stacker and receive a $1500 monthly Car Payment Bonus
MetalStacks Academy Commissions
MetalStacks promoters can pay $349.99 and then $24.96 a month to access “a private social network” and “virtual healthcare and mental healthcare programs”.
MetalsStacks pays a $125 direct commission on the first three personally recruited promoters who sign up for MetalStacks Academy. $100 is paid out from the fourth an onward recruited promoter who signs up.
MetalStacks pays residual MetalStacks Academy commissions via a 3×10 matrix.
A 3×10 matrix places a MetalStacks Academy promoter at the top of a matrix, with three positions directly under them:

These three positions form the first level of the matrix. The second level of the matrix is generated by splitting these first three positions into another three positions each (nine positions).
Levels three to ten of the matrix are generated in the same manner, with each new level of the matrix housing three times as many positions as the previous level.
Positions in the matrix are filled from the fourth personally recruited promoters recruitment efforts and that of their respective downlines (each new recruit from the fourth onwards appears to open up a new 3×10 matrix).
$50 is paid per position filled across each matrix. This comes out of the initial $349.99 one-time fee paid for access.
Joining MetalStacks
MetalStacks promoter membership is available at five price-points:

- Starter Stacker – $99 annually
- Wholesale Stacker – $249 annually
- Dealer Direct Stacker – $499 annually
- Elite Stacker – $999 and then $499 annually
- Business Stacker – $1499 and then $499 annually

As above, the primary different between MetalStacks’ promoter options is bundled precious metals. The more expensive tiers also provide access to cheaper “dealer direct pricing”.
In addition to initial and ongoing annual charges, MetalStacks charges $79.97 a month for “back office access” (required to run an MLM business).
Instead of $79.97 a month, a MetalStacks promoter can opt for a “monthly autostacker” subscription:
- MS70 Auto-Stacker – $164.97 a month
- Goldback AutoStacker – $169.97 a month
- (2) Eagles AutoStacker – $245.97 a month
- 1/10 oz Gold AutoStacker – $594.97 a month
“Autostacker” options provide delivery of various precious metal configurations each month. I am also noting another potential $20 “hosting fee” fee:
Auto Stackers agree to pay a $20 per month hosting fee as part of their monthly Auto Stacker Program fee.
MetalStacks Conclusion
MetalStacks presents a confusing compensation plan that can be boiled down to “sign up for autoship and get paid to recruit others who do the same”.

Or as pitched on MetalStacks’ own website;
Click the Join button below to choose your Membership Level & your AutoStacker option.
This is pretty much the Preservation of Wealth pyramid scheme all over again.
In addition to the “autostacker” autoship, MetalStacks nickels and dimes promoters with numerous fees:
- initial fee – $99 to $1499 and then $99 to $499 annually
- autostacker – $79.97 to $594.97 a month
- two autostacker subscriptions from Gold Stacker rank – $159.94 to $1189.94 a month
- autostacker “hosting fee” – $20 a month
- MetalStacks Academy – $349.99 and then $24.96 a month
Note these fees are only paid by recruited promoters and are the basis of MLM commissions and bonuses paid out by MetalStacks.
Active: You must personally generate a minimum of 20 points (PSV) every 31 days. The Auto Stacker program
automatically qualifies you for this. Gold Stacker and above must generate a minimum of 40 points (PSV)
Retail sales are possible through replicated storefronts but don’t contribute sales volume to MetalStacks’ MLM opportunity.
Under this business model, which is obviously fails regulatory compliance, MetalStacks operates as an MLM pyramid scheme.
As with all MLM pyramid schemes, once promoter recruitment dries up so too will commissions.
This will see those at the bottom of MetalStacks’ pyramid scheme, i.e. those who joined last, eventually stop making fee payments.
This will see promoters above them stop getting paid. Unless new recruits are found quickly, eventually these promoters will also stop making monthly payments.
Once enough MetalStacks promoters stop making monthly payments, an irreversible collapse is triggered.
It is common for proponents of MLM pyramid schemes to claim products and services received in exchange for fees justifies fraud.
This is not the case. Retail sales are required to legitimize an MLM business and under a pyramid scheme model sales revenue is either exclusively or weighted heavily toward recruitment (promoters).
In MetalStacks retail sales only pay direct commissions. The MLM side of the business exclusively pays out on fees paid by recruited promoters.


Just a minor bugbear of mine – they state Gold Coins and Silver Coins but that is technically and legally distinct as they must be minted and have use as legal tender with an official mint value as I understand, these likely fall under Medallions.
What a joke this is. In their advertisement for the Gold Coin (1oz American Gold Eagle) they state the price is the same regardless of the condition of the coin and varies by year.
The condition of the coin is one of the main requirements for the quality of a coin, as well as the year minted. All government issued coins in the US have a mint mark. A mint mark was not visible on the gold coins displayed.
Coin pricing is based on condition of the coin (circulated, uncirculated, brilliant, proof, etc), where minted, number of coins minted, and grade quality. MS70 being the highest quality and condition. Actually anything below MS63 ususally means it is in poor condition.
There are 3 major coin grading services (PCGS, NGC, and CAC)in the US that are the standard bearers when it comes to the quality and condition of the coins. There is a lot more as to how price is determined for coins, but these are the most important points to know when buying coins.
Interesting that they claim the silver coin is MS69, but don’t state whether it is an American Eagle, Walking Quarter, or $0.50 coin, just that it is 1oz. All the pricing shown is way overpriced for what you get. My guess is they are worth about 40% of what they are charging for their coins.
Me thinks he bought a lot of coins from an infomercial coin dealer sale and is trying to pass them off as high-grade collectible coins at inflated prices.
Also a push for auto-ship which is also a major red flag.