Is buying gold online safe?

I admire gold but I haven't invested on it. However, a lot of my friends have convinced me to become a gold investor. According to them it's a safe haven. I don't know anything about gold. All I know are stocks and bonds. According to what I've read, gold is recession-proof. And it it's the case then I guess I should consider investing in gold.

Do you think it's safe to buy gold online? I know you can buy almost anything now online but I'm not sure if it's safe or not to transact gold purchase online.