The short answer
What Ramsdens publishes about the pack cover level
The words below are Ramsdens’ own, from the FAQ and home page of ramsdensgoldbuying.co.uk, first read on 6 August 2026 and re-checked on 11 September 2026. Check their current terms on their own site before relying on them. We re-check this comparison every three months, and the review date is shown at the top of this page.
On the pack: it is sent by Royal Mail Special Delivery, meaning it’s insured up to £750
, and This is insured for up to £750 providing you return it to Ramsdens at your local Post Office.
On what to do above that figure: Separate the gold items that you want to sell to Ramsdens and get another Ramsdens Gold Pack
, or You can pay an extra insurance fee to cover the extra value of the gold jewellery
.
That is the published position and we will leave it to speak for itself. One checkable piece of context: Royal Mail sells Special Delivery Guaranteed at three standard compensation levels, £750, £1,000 and £2,500. The free pack is issued at the lowest of the three.
What splitting a consignment actually means
- Two trips to the Post Office, two tracking numbers and two arrival dates to keep track of.
- Two valuations carried out on two different days. Gold is priced at the rate of the day, so half your lot is priced against one rate and half against another.
- For an estate, two documents instead of one itemised valuation covering everything on a single date.
- The cover per parcel stays at £750. The exposure is divided into two smaller parcels rather than removed.
None of that makes Ramsdens a poor company to deal with. It makes a free £750 envelope the wrong container for a large lot, and their own FAQ says so. The useful takeaway is the question to put to any postal buyer, in writing, before anything leaves your house: what compensation level is on the label you are sending me, and what do you do above it?
Where our own limit sits, and what happens above it
It would be indefensible to raise a competitor’s ceiling and stay vague about ours. GoldPaid sends a free prepaid Royal Mail Special Delivery label, and Royal Mail cover may be available up to £2,500 depending on the postal method and cover level used. We confirm that level with you before the label is issued, which is why we ask what you have and look at photos on WhatsApp first rather than posting a pack out blind.
Above £2,500 there is a stated procedure. We split the consignment across multiple labels at no charge, confirm each tracking number before you post, and record which items travel in which parcel so the written valuation still reconciles to one list. Royal Mail cover may be available up to £2,500 depending on the postal method and cover level used, so for larger holdings we split the value across as many prepaid labels as it takes. The ceiling exists for us too. Royal Mail Special Delivery’s standard compensation is £750 unless a higher cover level is set on the label, so we confirm that level with you before you post rather than issuing a pack pre-set at the lowest band.
Side by side, on published facts
| Ramsdens Gold Buying | GoldPaid | |
|---|---|---|
| Cover on the label they send you | Prepaid Special Delivery envelope at the £750 compensation level (their FAQ calls it insured) | Free prepaid Special Delivery label; Royal Mail cover may be available up to £2,500 depending on the postal method and cover level used |
| Above that limit | Request a second gold pack, or pay an extra insurance fee | Split across multiple labels at no charge, each tracking number confirmed first |
| Testing method | Weighed, carats evaluated separately (their description, 6 August 2026) | In-house XRF assay, weight and confirmed purity itemised |
| The offer | A price offered when the items are received | A written, itemised, no-obligation valuation |
| Payment | Payment within 24 hours of accepting, per their FAQ | Faster Payments; GoldPaid aims to pay within one working hour of acceptance |
| If you decline | Items returned free of charge | Free tracked return, no fee and no follow-up |
| In person | Stores across England, Scotland and Wales | None. Postal only, no shop and no walk-in |
| Price hold | Gold price guaranteed for five days from applying for the pack, per their FAQ | The written offer is dated and holds for a limited time; if it lapses, it is re-run at the day’s rate |
Where Ramsdens is the better choice
Two things they can do that we cannot. The first is the counter. Ramsdens has stores across England, Scotland and Wales, so if you would rather hand your jewellery to a person, watch it weighed and leave with the money the same visit, that is a genuine advantage and no amount of postal engineering matches it. GoldPaid has no shop, no branches and no walk-in, by design.
The second is pawnbroking. If you want a loan secured against your gold rather than a sale, that is a licensed pawnbroker’s service and we do not offer it. Their five-day price hold is a real feature too. The routes rather than the companies are compared in postal vs high-street gold buyers.
If you are sending probate, bullion or a collection
This is where £750 stops being academic. A 22ct wedding band and a broken chain sit under it comfortably. A jewellery box cleared after a bereavement, a run of half sovereigns, a small bullion holding or a silver canteen almost certainly will not.
Estate work is easier with one itemised document, on one date, covering everything, because a solicitor or another beneficiary can read it without reconciling two. Two parcels assessed on two days produce two documents against two days’ rates, and reconciling them falls to you. For Inheritance Tax the estate needs values at the date of death; a later sale figure can support a value, but it is not the same thing. Our guide to probate jewellery valuation sets out what that document should contain. If you are working through a bereavement, we go at your pace, and nothing has to be decided on a call.
One firm rule on estate and collection items. GoldPaid asks about provenance and cannot buy anything without clear ownership. Church and chapel silver, service medals and memorial jewellery are the usual cases. If you are acting as executor, or an item came from a house clearance, say so at the photo stage and we will tell you straight away whether we can proceed.
Before you post to anybody
- Photograph everything laid out together, with a coin in shot for scale, before it goes near an envelope.
- Ask the buyer, in writing, what compensation level applies to the label they are sending you, and what they do above it.
- Keep the Post Office receipt. It is the proof of postage any Royal Mail claim depends on, as set out in how your parcel is posted and covered.
- Check the return terms. A free, tracked return if you decline should be standard, not an extra.
Common questions
How much is the Ramsdens gold pack insured for?
£750. Their FAQ states This is insured for up to £750 providing you return it to Ramsdens at your local Post Office
(re-checked 11 September 2026). Royal Mail offers Special Delivery Guaranteed at standard compensation levels of £750, £1,000 and £2,500, so £750 is the lowest of the three.
I have more than £750 of gold. Do I really have to send two packs?
That is what Ramsdens recommend in their own FAQ: separate the items and request another gold pack, or pay for a higher cover level. It is a workable answer, but it means two postings, two tracking numbers and two valuations carried out on different days at different market rates. If you would rather send one parcel, ask any buyer what cover level they can put on a single label before you commit.
Is Ramsdens good for selling gold?
For a small lot, and especially if you want to walk into a branch and be paid across the counter, it is a reasonable option from an established business. For anything over £750 the free postal pack is the wrong container, on their own published advice. Judge it on the size of your lot rather than on the company.
What is GoldPaid’s postal cover limit?
Items travel on Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed, and Royal Mail cover may be available up to £2,500 depending on the postal method and cover level used. We confirm the level with you before the free prepaid label is issued, which is why we ask what you are sending and look at photos first.
What if my gold is worth more than £2,500?
We split the consignment across multiple labels at no charge to you, confirm each tracking number before you post, and record which items are in which parcel so you still receive one itemised written valuation at the end. Royal Mail cover may be available up to £2,500 depending on the postal method and cover level used, so for very large holdings we use as many prepaid labels as the value needs. GoldPaid can confirm the appropriate postal option before you post, so nothing is left for you to work out on your own.
Can I get one written valuation for a whole estate rather than two?
Yes. Everything is assayed together and listed on one dated valuation, item by item, with weight, confirmed purity and the rate used. That is the format a solicitor or another beneficiary can read without needing anything explained. Any figure depends on inspection, item weight, purity, hallmarks, stones, condition and the live precious-metal market.
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.