Whenever you buy a stock, you're not buying it from that company, you're buying it from another investor who is selling it. As such, brokers are an inevitable fact of life.
Brokers match buyers and sellers, and that's the service for which they charge a fee or commission.
So, online or not, you generally can't skip the brokers. There can be fees or commissions involved with these plans, so investigate before you invest. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Service . Your privacy is important to us. For information, please read our Privacy Policy .