Custodian Fees - Are they all highway robbery or am I missing something?

• •Okay, so I've been doing my yearly dive into my Gold IRA statement, specifically looking at those custodian fees.
• •For years, I just paid 'em, figured it was the cost of doing business.
• •Or at least that's how I feel when I look at the numbers.

Okay, so I've been doing my yearly dive into my Gold IRA statement, specifically looking at those custodian fees. For years, I just paid 'em, figured it was the cost of doing business. But now that my portfolio is a bit beefier than it was back when I first started this whole gold IRA thing post-retirement (we're talking well into the 7-figure range now), those percentage-based fees are starting to feel a bit... excessive. My current custodian charges 0.15% - which is okay for the service, I guess, but I'm in Virginia Beach and I could probably drive to a few different places to actually see the vaults if I really wanted to. Or at least that's how I feel when I look at the numbers.

I remember when I was still active duty, every budget line item was scrutinized to hell and back. Even though those days are behind me, that discipline sticks. I’ve always operated with a long-term, calculated approach, and these recurring fees, though seemingly small, add up over years, especially with compounding. It feels like I'm leaving a decent chunk of change on the table that could be compounding within the IRA itself. Has anyone here had success negotiating these fees, or perhaps found a custodian that offers a flat fee model that works out better for larger portfolios?

I’m particularly interested if anyone has moved their precious metals IRA to a new custodian specifically because of fees and what that process was like. Was it smooth sailing or did you hit a lot of snags? Did they try to hit you with a bunch of hidden charges on the way out? I'm trying to figure out if the headache of transferring is worth the potential savings. Any insights into reputable custodians that are more transparent or competitive on fees, especially for a portfolio of this size, would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for any input.