How we value your gold

How does GoldPaid value your gold?

From three measured facts: purity confirmed by XRF assay, payable weight to 0.01g, and the live precious-metal market on the day we test your items. Each piece is valued on the fine metal it actually contains, and every figure appears in a written breakdown before you decide anything.

1. XRF assay confirms purity. We use X-ray fluorescence spectrometry to measure the metal composition of each item to high accuracy. It is non-destructive. Nothing is scratched, filed or acid-tested, and it reads what is actually there, not just what the hallmark claims.
2. Payable weight. Each item is weighed to 0.01 of a gram, and anything that is not precious metal, such as stones, steel springs or filler, comes off the payable weight. Mixed lots are separated by carat first, so 18ct is never paid at a 9ct rate, and vice versa.
3. The market on the day. Your offer moves with the live gold and silver market, and it reflects the market on the day we test your items, not last week’s.
4. The written breakdown. Your offer reflects the confirmed purity, the payable weight and the live precious-metal market. Nothing is hidden, the breakdown shows each figure before you decide.

What does a worked example look like?

Say you send a 9ct gold chain weighing 12.0g. 9ct gold is 37.5% pure, so the fine gold content of the chain is 4.5g. The chain is valued on that confirmed purity and payable weight against the live precious-metal market, and the result is your written offer. You see every number, the purity, the weight and the figure, before you are asked to decide anything.

The same 12.0g chain contains very different amounts of fine gold depending on its carat, which is why the assay matters more than the stamp:

Why can our offer differ from the hallmark?

A UK hallmark shows that an assay office found the piece to be at least the marked standard when it was tested, and a bare number stamped by a maker is only a claim. Worn pieces change: solder at clasp joints, repairs over the years, replacement parts and mixed alloys all move the metal content. XRF measures the item as it is now. Sometimes that is slightly below the mark, occasionally above. Either way, you are paid for what is there.

How a whole parcel is priced

One parcel, one label, one written offer. Each piece is valued on its assayed purity and payable weight against the live precious-metal market; for more on the gold price and selling by post, see the gold price and selling by post. If your parcel includes coins, a watch or a signed piece, send a photo on WhatsApp first and we will tell you how we would value it before you post anything.

Stones sit outside the metal calculation and are handled under the written diamond and gemstone policy. Nothing is unset or melted before you accept. If the total does not add up on the breakdown, tell us: the maths is there to be checked.

Does hollow gold pay less than solid at the same weight?

It is worth stating plainly because the eye misleads. A hollow curb chain, a hollow rope, a tube-construction bangle or a hollow-back signet ring can all feel substantial in the hand yet contain far less metal than a solid piece of the same size. The XRF assay reads the alloy, the scales record the true weight, and both figures appear on the itemised written offer. Nothing is deducted for the empty space inside a hollow piece: you are paid on the metal that is actually there. Where a hollow item has been filled with plaster, cement or wax, that filler is not gold, so it comes off the payable weight and the deduction is shown against that item on the breakdown.

What if your weight differs from mine?

• Rounding is not a one-way error. Kitchen scales round to the gram, so our reading can come out above yours as well as below.
• Payable weight is not the same as gross. A stone-set ring weighed on kitchen scales includes the stones. The offer uses payable weight (gross minus stones, clasps, springs, hollow fill), and the deduction is stated on the breakdown against that item.
• Big gaps get flagged. If our weight is more than 5 per cent below yours on a single solid piece, we message you before finalising the offer. That is our own check as much as yours.
• The decline route is your final check. Every item comes back tracked at our cost if the figures do not persuade you, and you can weigh the returned parcel yourself.

The mechanics of what a kitchen scale can and cannot tell you, including how to check yours against coins of known weight, are set out in can I weigh my gold on kitchen scales.

Do you see the offer before you decide?

We send you a written breakdown of the assay and the offer. There is no obligation to accept. If you decline, we return everything free of charge by tracked, signed-for post. No fees, no pressure. Your parcel travels on 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. GoldPaid can confirm the appropriate postal option before you post. The whole route, from the first photo to payment, is set out on selling gold by post, and broken or unhallmarked pieces have their own page on selling scrap gold.

Common questions