Why a charity uses GoldPaid
Every charity shop in the UK receives donated gold, silver, watches, coins and mixed jewellery that is hard to price on the shop floor and easy to undersell. Most shops do one of three things with it: sell at well below specialist value, pass it on to a scrap-weighbridge buyer, or leave it in the stockroom. Each route loses real money for the cause. GoldPaid replaces all three with one process: ask first by WhatsApp, post with a free insured 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 07375 071158 or call 07763 741067. A real UK-based valuer replies with an indicative figure 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, signed for, with compensation cover of up to £2,500 as standard. Higher cover available on request before posting.
- 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. Precious metals are XRF-tested and priced against the live LBMA market rate. Watches, coins and antiques are priced against current auction comparables. 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, usually the same business day where the offer is accepted before 3pm UK time. Decline and the items come back free of charge by tracked, insured post. No fee, no follow-up calls, no pressure.
Who this is for
What we buy from a charity shop
Most postal buyers only take clean, sorted gold. 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 (950 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 we will tell you straight.
Trustee-grade governance
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 Payment transaction reference, giving your finance team a clean audit trail.
The valuation method is designed to be auditable by someone with no specialist knowledge. Precious metals are XRF-tested and priced against the LBMA PM fix on the day of valuation, with both the reading and the benchmark price shown on the report. Watches and antiques are priced against current auction comparables with the comparables cited (auction house, lot number, sale date, hammer price). 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 (07375 071158). 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 against the live market rate or comparable.
- A trustee-friendly PDF summary suitable for forwarding to head office or the board.
- Faster Payment 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, in whatever format your finance team needs.
- Free insured 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, insured 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.
The proof, not the promise
Anyone can say "best price". GoldPaid does not. Instead the process is laid bare: a measured XRF assay, calibrated weighing, the live market rate, and a written breakdown you read at home before you commit to anything. The reassurance here is structural, built into how the service works, rather than asserted in a slogan.
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 insured return if the charity declines the offer. The charity never pays for postage, valuation, or any service fee. GoldPaid's margin is on the onward sale to refiners, auction houses and specialist buyers, shown as a percentage on every report.
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 Payment 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?
Decline and the items come back free of charge by tracked, insured post, along with payment for anything the charity did accept from the same parcel. No restocking fee, no follow-up calls, no pressure to reconsider.
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.