The short answer
What Ramsdens publishes about the £750 limit
The words below are Ramsdens’ own, taken from the FAQ and how-it-works pages at ramsdensgoldbuying.co.uk, read and screenshotted on 6 August 2026. They are quoted as written, so you can check them yourself.
On the pack: the prepaid envelope travels by Royal Mail Special Delivery, meaning it’s insured up to £750 and can be tracked online
, 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: Ramsdens recommend that you either: 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.
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 on the market 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 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. For larger holdings we will talk through a specialist insured courier instead. The ceiling exists for us too. It sits at £2,500 rather than £750, and you hear about it before you post.
Side by side, on published facts
| Ramsdens Gold Buying | GoldPaid | |
|---|---|---|
| Cover on the label they send you | Prepaid Special Delivery envelope insured up to £750 | Free prepaid Special Delivery label; 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, in their description | In-house XRF assay, weight and confirmed purity itemised |
| The offer | A price offered on the day items are received | A written, itemised, no-obligation valuation |
| Payment | Cash within 24 hours of accepting | Faster Payments 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 throughout 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 | The offer reflects the market rate on the day of assay |
Where Ramsdens is the better choice
Two things they can do that we cannot. The first is the counter. Ramsdens has stores throughout 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 needs one itemised valuation, on one date, covering everything, because that is the document a solicitor, HMRC or another beneficiary will read. Two parcels assessed on two days produce two documents against two market rates, and reconciling them falls to you. 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 insured.
- 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 the prepaid Royal Mail Special Delivery envelope is insured for up to £750 providing you return it to Ramsdens at your local Post Office
, read 6 August 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 an extra insurance fee. 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 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. For very large holdings we will discuss a specialist insured courier instead. 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, weight, purity, hallmarks, stones, condition and the market rate on the day.