I'm also curious why the thread was pulled, and more importantly why there was no apparent explanation. As for dealing in physical gold, is there any reason to go with a dealer rather than exchange gold privately and thus avoid paying the bid-offer spread? Anyone know of any good "private exchange" sites? Perhaps a business idea is to set up a private investor central limit order book for physical gold, or at least certificates on physical gold. Maybe e-gold should have this facility.
Cutten...you may have heard of this one: www.ebay.com But I've been through this, and you're better off just going through the two merchants I listed, if you intend to do any semblance of size.
The problem would be trusting the person you were buying from. If you buy from a reputable dealer you can be sure of what you are getting.