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Pricing & value

How we calculate the per-gram price at GoldPaid

There is no proprietary formula and no mystery. Three measured facts, one live market rate, and a written breakdown you see before you decide.

By Rocco Clayfield, trading as GoldPaid; the business incorporated as GOLDPAID LTD (company 17382540) on 5 August 2026 · Published · updated

How does GoldPaid arrive at the per-gram price?Three measured facts and the market. First, the purity confirmed by XRF assay. Second, the measured weight. Third, the live precious-metal market on the day. The offer reflects the confirmed weight and purity priced against that market, with our margin already inside it, and every figure appears in the written breakdown you receive before deciding anything.

Got the piece in front of you? Get a figure for it

Send a photo of the piece and any stamp on WhatsApp. We will reply with a rough estimate for it. No obligation, and nothing needs posting.

WhatsApp a photo of your items

No WhatsApp? Call 07944 014111, 8am to 9pm.

Not sure what the mark says? Use the hallmark lookup. Final offers depend on inspection, item weight, purity, hallmarks, stones, non-gold components, condition and the live precious-metal market.

The spot price is the anchor

Pure gold trades on a continuous global market with a single per-gram spot price. Everything downstream, refiners, dealers, buyers, prices off that anchor. GoldPaid uses the live spot rate on the day your items are assessed, not last week’s, because rates move and that matters at gram-level granularity.

Purity turns the spot into a carat rate

9ct gold is 37.5% pure, 18ct is 75%, 22ct is 91.7%, 24ct is 99.9%. The per-gram value of any carat is the spot price for fine gold multiplied by that purity. The XRF assay confirms the actual purity of your specific items, which can differ from the hallmark. A piece marked 9ct that contains lower-carat solder is paid honestly for the actual content of that solder.

Weight, measured not estimated

Each item is weighed to 0.01 of a gram, and mixed lots are separated by carat first so nothing is paid at the wrong rate. Non-precious components (a steel watch spring, a tooth fragment on a dental crown) are excluded. You are paid for the metal that is actually there.

The margin, said plainly

The offer you see already has our margin inside it, so nothing further comes off. That margin funds the work: the labels, the assay equipment, the secure handling at our Bristol office, the Faster Payments, the free tracked returns when sellers decline. A bigger margin would mean a lower offer; a smaller one is what a postal specialist can sustain because there is no shopfront to fund.

There is no public rate board to read off and no figure to type into a calculator. Your offer is the payable weight and the purity we measure, priced against the live precious-metal market with our margin already inside it, and set out in the written breakdown. For background on how the market and postal selling fit together, see the gold price and selling by post.

Next step: put a figure on your own items

Reading the market is one thing, pricing what is in your drawer is another. Send a photo of your items on WhatsApp, with a close-up of any hallmark, and we give you a rough estimate where we can. Anything firm waits for inspection, because weight, purity, hallmarks, stones, condition and the market on the day all move the figure, and the written offer shows each of them.

Send a photo on WhatsApp

Common questions

Why does the per-gram value change?

Because the underlying market does. Precious-metal prices move continuously in response to currency, central-bank activity, real yields and demand. Your offer is priced against the live precious-metal market on the day your items are assessed rather than against a fixed weekly figure.

Is the margin the same on every item?

Broadly, yes, the margin model is consistent rather than per-item haggling. What varies is whether non-metal components reduce the payable weight. If you have coins, or a piece that might be worth more than its metal, send a photo on WhatsApp first and we will tell you how we would value it before you post anything.

Why is the firm offer not known before the assay?

Because it depends on the confirmed purity and the payable weight, which we only know after the XRF test and the weighing. The assay settles the purity and the weighing settles how many grams are payable, so the firm figure follows the measurement rather than an estimate.

Not the question you had? The full GoldPaid FAQ covers the rest, from postal cover and ID checks to what happens if you decline the offer.

Related guides

What fees does a postal gold buyer charge, and where do deductions hide?Most postal gold buyers make their money in the margin rather than in fees, which is fine. The problem is…9ct vs 14ct vs 18ct vs 22ct gold: the difference in value per gramThe carat system in one place. What each number actually means in pure-gold terms, where each one tends to…Spot Price vs Scrap Price ExplainedWhy is the price you see on a gold ticker different from the price a UK scrap buyer offers per gram? The…Was my gold offer fair? How to check any buyer’s offerYou can check any gold offer, from any buyer in the country, in about two minutes with a set of scales and…Why is my offer different from the online calculator estimate?A calculator works from what you typed. An offer works from what was measured. Four things sit between the…

Reference pages

A clear photo on WhatsApp is the only commitment for now. We will explain the X-ray (XRF) testing, how each item is weighed, the per-gram rate we are working from, and what Royal Mail cover may be available for your parcel. Decline at any point and the items come straight back, free of charge.

GoldPaid is a UK-wide postal buyer of gold, silver, platinum and palladium with no shop: you request a free prepaid Royal Mail Special Delivery label, your items are XRF-assayed in house, and you are paid by bank transfer only if you accept the written offer.

Your prepaid Royal Mail Special Delivery label is addressed to GOLDPAID LTD, Unit 217, Bristol Business Centre, 179 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2AG. That is our Bristol office: your parcel is signed for on arrival and opened there, and each item is weighed and XRF-tested, so you know exactly where it is going before you post it.

Send us photos on WhatsAppCall us

Ask for the label in that chat and we usually send it within 30 minutes during working hours, 8am to 9pm, 7 days a week. No printer? We send a QR code you show at the Post Office counter instead.

UK-wide by post, no shop visit needed

Send us photos for a rough estimate

Open WhatsApp, send a photo, and ask about the X-ray (XRF) testing, the postal cover, the timing or the return. Nothing is posted until you decide. Your written offer follows inspection, and you choose whether to accept.

Send us photos for a rough estimateCall 07944 014111

We give rough estimates where possible; your final offer follows inspection. We arrange postage with you after our conversation.

No obligation. Free tracked return if you decline. We aim to pay within one working hour of acceptance.