Why a charity uses GoldPaid
Charity shops receive donated gold, silver, watches, coins and mixed jewellery that is hard to price on the shop floor and easy to undersell. Without a specialist route it can be sold well below its value, passed to a scrap buyer, or left in the stockroom, and each of those loses money for the cause. GoldPaid replaces all three with one process: ask first by WhatsApp, post with a free tracked Royal Mail label, receive a written itemised valuation, decide whether to accept, and the charity’s registered bank account is paid once the offer is accepted.
How it works for a charity
- Ask before you post. WhatsApp a photo to 07944 014111, or call the same number. Rocco Clayfield, GoldPaid founder, replies personally with a rough estimate and tells you what is worth sending, what to package separately, and what is not worth the postage. No charge, no obligation.
- Free prepaid Royal Mail label. Happy to go ahead? We send a free Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed label, fully tracked and signed for. Your parcel travels on Royal Mail Special Delivery, and Royal Mail cover may be available up to £2,500 depending on the postal method and cover level used, and if a parcel may be worth more than that we split it across more than one prepaid label at no charge, each with its own tracking number.
- Box it, drop at any Post Office. Pack the items the way you would want them to arrive. Hand the parcel over at any Post Office counter and keep the Special Delivery receipt. Tracking link sent to the shop on request.
- Written XRF valuation. Every parcel is itemised on arrival. Gold and silver are XRF-tested and priced under GoldPaid’s separate charity terms against the live spot price for that metal on the day of assay. For watches, coins and antiques, send a photo first and we will tell you how we would value them before anything is posted. You receive a written itemised report and a trustee-friendly PDF summary for your records.
- Accept or decline. Accept and payment goes by Faster Payments to the charity’s registered bank account; we aim to send it within one working hour of acceptance. Decline and the items come back free of charge by tracked, signed-for post, with nothing to pay for the return and nobody ringing the shop to talk it round.
What decides your offer
Every parcel is opened at our Bristol office and each piece is handled on its own. Nothing is averaged across the parcel.
- Weight. Each item is weighed on scales. Stones, steel springs, non-gold clasps and cores are not paid as gold. The written breakdown explains the payable metal weight for each item, rather than treating everything on the scales as precious metal.
- Purity. Each item is tested with an XRF analyser, which reads the metals at the points tested without marking the item. A surface reading alone cannot establish the composition of a plated or filled piece. Hallmarks, construction and different components all need to be considered alongside the test.
- The market on the day. Gold and silver are priced against the live precious-metal market at the time your parcel is assessed, not at the time you posted.
- Condition and intact value. Broken is fine and does not reduce a metal offer. Where a piece is worth more intact (a named maker, a collectable coin, a locket with provenance) we tell you before testing, so you can choose.
- Anything that is not gold or silver. Plated, rolled-gold and base-metal items are listed on the offer at nothing and returned to you free. We never quietly keep them.
Why we do not publish a per-gram price list. A single printed rate hides the things that change the figure: hollow versus solid, stones, mixed carats in one bag, a mark that does not match the metal. We would rather show you the weight, the tested purity and the figure for each item, in writing, and let you decide. Final offers depend on inspection, item weight, purity, hallmarks, stones, non-gold components, condition and the live precious-metal market.
What you see before you decide. A written, itemised offer by WhatsApp or email: every item, its weight, its tested purity, and its figure. Accept and we aim to pay by bank transfer within one working hour. Decline and the whole parcel comes back by Royal Mail Special Delivery at our cost. No fee, no deduction, no questions.
Who this is for
What we buy from a charity shop
We take the donation pile as it arrives at the shop. Gold (all carats, including broken chains, single earrings, dental gold, sovereigns and Krugerrands). Silver (sterling 925, hallmarked solid silverware, tea sets, cutlery canteens, candelabra, salvers, bullion). Platinum and palladium (jewellery and bullion). Costume jewellery in bulk, by the kilo, no sorting required. Watches of every kind: vintage, designer, modern, broken, pocket, movement-only, parts. Coins (sovereigns, Krugerrands, Britannias, pre-1947 UK silver). Medals and militaria. The full list is on what we buy, but if a piece is not on the list, send a photo and you will get a straight answer either way.
How the process supports your reporting
Every payment goes to the charity’s registered bank account by Faster Payments. Never to a personal account, a shop till, a suspense account, or a volunteer. The account of record is verified at onboarding against the Charity Commission register (or OSCR for Scottish charities, or CCNI for Northern Irish charities) and cannot be changed without a written request from the charity’s head-office contact. Every parcel produces a unique reference, an itemised valuation, the offer made, the offer acceptance confirmation, and the Faster Payments transaction reference, giving your finance team a clean audit trail.
The valuation method is designed to be auditable by someone with no specialist knowledge. Gold and silver are XRF-tested and priced against the live spot price for the metal on the day of valuation, with the XRF reading and the per-gram rate applied shown on the report. Watches and antiques are assessed individually, and each one is listed with its own figure on the written offer. The full method is on how we value gold and XRF testing explained.
A sensible way for a charity to try GoldPaid
For a multi-shop charity, the proportionate way to try the service is a five-shop, thirty-day pilot. Pick five shops across different postcode profiles. Give each manager the WhatsApp number (07944 014111). Tell them to send a photo of anything they are uncertain about for the pilot period. At the end of thirty days, review the monthly report with the retail director and the finance director, and make an informed decision on whether to extend across the whole estate. There is no contract to sign, no setup fee, no minimum volume, no exclusivity clause, and no early termination penalty. If the pilot does not justify rolling it out, the charity has lost nothing.
What the charity gets with every parcel
- A written itemised valuation, with each piece listed, weighed, tested and priced.
- A written summary suitable for forwarding to head office or the board.
- Faster Payments confirmation with the bank reference for your finance team.
- A clean audit trail: parcel reference, sending shop, date posted, date valued, date paid.
- A CSV roll-up at month end for multi-shop charities.
- Free tracked return of any piece the charity chooses not to sell.
If the charity decides not to sell
There is never any obligation to accept. If the offer is not right for the charity, decline and everything is returned free of charge by tracked, signed-for post, along with payment for anything the charity did accept from the parcel. No restocking fee, no follow-up pressure calls, no are you sure sequence. The full process is on what happens if I decline the offer.
What you see before you decide
GoldPaid makes no price-beating claims. You get the XRF reading, the weight and the figure for every piece in writing, and you decide at home.
Common questions
Is the service really free for the charity?
Yes, free at every step. Free WhatsApp valuation before anything is posted, free prepaid Royal Mail label, free tracked return if the charity declines the offer. The charity never pays for postage, valuation, or any service fee. GoldPaid’s margin is taken on the onward sale to refiners, auction houses and specialist buyers. The written report shows each item, its tested purity, its weight and the per-gram rate applied, so the arithmetic can be checked.
Where does the money land?
In the charity’s registered bank account, by UK Faster Payments. Never a personal account, a shop till, or a volunteer. The account is verified against the Charity Commission register at onboarding and cannot be changed without a written request from the charity’s head-office contact.
Does head office need to approve this first?
For a single photo valuation on WhatsApp, no, a shop manager can use the service without committing anything. For an actual sale, head office or a trustee usually approves the charity bank account the payment goes into, because we only ever pay the charity’s registered account. That is a one-time setup. After that the shop runs the process itself.
What audit trail does the charity receive?
A written itemised valuation per parcel, a trustee-friendly PDF summary, the Faster Payments transaction reference, and for multi-shop charities a monthly roll-up by shop, category and value. Designed so a finance team or auditor can reconcile every penny to every parcel to every shop.
What if the charity declines the offer?
The items come back free of charge on tracked, signed-for post, and the charity is still paid for anything it did accept out of the same parcel. Nothing is charged for the return, and there is no call afterwards asking the shop to think again.
Can a charity see a sample valuation before committing a parcel?
Yes. WhatsApp a photo of a single item, a ring, a watch, a coin, and you get a free valuation and an estimate of what GoldPaid would pay. No label is sent until the charity asks for one. The WhatsApp-first model exists so a charity can try the service on one item before sending anything.
How is donor data handled?
GoldPaid does not request donor names, donor addresses or donor history. The only data processed in relation to the charity is the head-office contact name and work email, used solely to manage the service. The charity handles donor records the same way as for any other disposal route.
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.
Speak to us before you post
Please send us photos on WhatsApp, and we will help you. We give a rough estimate where possible and arrange postage with you after our conversation. Your final offer follows inspection.