Savannah investor here - curious about gold IRA storage fees dropping?

• •Anyone else noticing some shifts in gold IRA storage fees lately, or is it just me?
• •When I first set this up about five years ago, I definitely shopped around, and it felt like everyone was in a similar ballpark.
• •Now I'm wondering if the market for custodians is getting more competitive, or if I'm just seeing some aggressive marketing from newer players.

Anyone else noticing some shifts in gold IRA storage fees lately, or is it just me? Been holding physical for a while now, through a couple of downturns with my tourism business here in Savannah, and I’m always keeping an eye on overhead. My current custodian has been pretty consistent, but I’ve seen a few ads pop up recently for what seem like lower rates, or at least more creative fee structures.

I’ve got about $180k invested in precious metals within my IRA, split between gold and some silver, so even a small percentage change in storage can add up. When I first set this up about five years ago, I definitely shopped around, and it felt like everyone was in a similar ballpark. Now I'm wondering if the market for custodians is getting more competitive, or if I'm just seeing some aggressive marketing from newer players.

For those of you with significant holdings, how do you evaluate storage fees? Are you strictly looking for the lowest percentage, or do things like insurance coverage, audit frequency, and ease of access to your metals (should you ever need it) play a bigger role? I’m happy with my current setup, but if there’s a real opportunity to save without compromising security, I’m all ears. Especially given how much things fluctuate down here with the tourist seasons.

Have any of you successfully negotiated lower fees with your existing custodian, or made a switch based on better rates elsewhere? Any red flags to watch out for with custodians advertising super low costs? Don't want to jump out of the frying pan and into the fire, you know?