By Rocco Clayfield, Founder & Director, GoldPaid Ltd · Published 22 October 2025 · updated 2 June 2026
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 91.6%, 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.
Not sure how any of this applies to your own items? Send a photo on WhatsApp and ask. We answer honestly, there is no obligation, and nothing is posted until you decide. Or call 07944 014111, 8am to 9pm, 7 days a week.
Weight, measured not estimated
Each item is weighed on calibrated scales 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 is the calculated value less the buyer's margin. That margin funds the work: the labels, the assay equipment, the documented chain of custody, the secure handling, 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.
Common questions
Why does the per-gram price change?
Because the underlying market does. Precious-metal spot prices move continuously in response to currency, central-bank activity, real yields and demand. GoldPaid prices against the live rate on assessment day rather than 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 content, or whether a piece might carry collector premium beyond its metal value, which we flag rather than absorb.
Why do you not just publish a single offer rate?
Because the live market moves and the firm figure depends on confirmed purity and weight that we can only know after the assay. A published "offer rate" without those facts would either be padded with a hedge or unhelpfully vague.