A question costs nothing
Before you decide anything, send a few clear photos of your broken gold chains on WhatsApp, or call. You will get an honest quick indicative figure and a straight answer about hallmarks, the postal cover, the XRF assay or the free return if you decline. None of it commits you to posting.
GoldPaid is a UK-wide postal gold and silver buying service with no branches. The flagship guide, selling gold by post in the UK, walks through how the whole thing works before you send a thing.
Do you buy broken gold chains, and does the tangle matter?
Typical weights for broken gold chains
These ranges are a guide, not a promise. Real broken gold chains vary widely: hollow versus solid, thin versus heavy, chain style, length and any repairs all move the weight. Every offer comes from the calibrated weighing of your specific items rather than a table.
| Style | Typical weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Single snapped fine chain | 2–6 g | |
| Broken belcher or curb chain | 5–18 g | |
| Tangled mixed lot (several chains) | 10–50 g | Very common from house clearances and drawer clear-outs. |
| Chain with missing clasp only | 3–20 g | Paid identically to a complete chain of the same weight. |
Worked examples at today's indicative rate
Every figure below is computed from GoldPaid's live per-gram rate at build time, so this table moves with the market rather than sitting stale in prose. Rates and worked figures update at the next site build; the calculator lets you plug in your own weight and carat between builds.
| Example broken gold chain | Weight | Rate used | Indicative figure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9ct snapped curb chain, 6 g | 6 g | £38.96/g | £233.76 |
| Tangled 9ct lot, 18 g total | 18 g | £38.96/g | £701.28 |
| 18ct chain, clasp missing, 10 g | 10 g | £77.93/g | £779.30 |
What can move the figure up or down
- A broken clasp, kinked link or knotted tangle changes nothing in the price — we pay on the weighed metal.
- Do not spend an hour untangling; send it as it is.
- If chains of different carats are tangled together, we separate them on arrival before weighing, so a 9ct chain caught in an 18ct one is paid at its own rate.
- Plated or gold-filled chains that snap and look identical are declined, not blended in.
Four moving parts, all visible
- You ask, we steer. WhatsApp us photos of your broken gold chains; you get an honest indicative figure and no pressure to go further.
- We send the label. A free Royal Mail Special Delivery label arrives, tracked and signed for, with a QR-code option if you cannot print.
- You post when ready. No countdown. Use whatever padded packaging you already have.
- We test, you decide. We weigh and XRF-assay every item, then send you the written offer, usually on the working day your parcel arrives. Accept it for a Faster Payments transfer, or decline it for a free tracked return.
What the offer is built on
Three measured things set every offer: confirmed purity from an XRF assay, accurate weight on calibrated scales, and the live precious-metal rate on the day. You read each figure in a written, itemised breakdown before you decide anything. To see the rates that move the figure, check the gold price today and the silver price today.
Indicative rates on the gold calculator move with the market. Your firm offer follows the XRF assay of your specific broken gold chains, and every figure appears in a written breakdown before you decide anything.
One parcel gets one written figure, itemised piece by piece. The published rates on this site are a floor, not a headline: for the gold and silver content of your parcel — assayed purity, payable weight, the rate on the day of assay — your written offer is never below the published per-gram rate. Collectables, sovereigns, watches and signed pieces in the same parcel are hand-valued and can come in above it.
Cover in transit
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. The prepaid label is Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed: full tracking, a signature on delivery, arranged with that cover per parcel. Higher-value items are no problem, but please message us first so the cover and the packing approach match the value. Postage and cover explains it fully.
If the offer is not for you
Then nothing happens except a free return. We send your items back by tracked, signed-for post at our cost, with no fee for declining and no follow-up. A valuation is only worth having if you can turn it down freely, so you can. See what happens if I decline the offer.
Payment, once you accept
When you say yes to the written offer, GoldPaid pays by Faster Payments bank transfer within one working hour of acceptance, to your nominated account. You give those details only at the point you accept, never as a condition of getting an offer.
Why this is a calmer way to sell
Three things make GoldPaid a steadier route than a counter sale. You see a measured valuation in writing, not a verbal estimate. You decide at home, with nobody waiting. And if you decline, the return is free, tracked and signed for, so obtaining the valuation costs you nothing.
Common questions
What if my broken chain has stones or non-gold parts?
Stones and non-gold components are separated from the payable weight and itemised on the offer. Valuable stones are quoted under our written diamond and gemstone policy; nothing is removed from a setting without your written instruction.
How is the offer calculated?
Confirmed purity from XRF, weight on calibrated scales to 0.01g, and the live precious-metal rate on the day of assay, less our margin. Each figure appears on the written breakdown so you can rebuild the total yourself.
What if I decline?
Everything is returned free of charge on tracked, signed-for Royal Mail post. There is no assessment fee, no return-postage charge and no follow-up.
Request a free prepaid Royal Mail label
Three quick steps. The label arrives by email, usually within about 30 minutes during working hours. Requesting one commits you to nothing: you get a written offer after the XRF assay, and if you decline, your items come back to you free.
Would you rather ask a question first, or send a photo? Message us on WhatsApp . It is the fastest way to get a sense of what something is worth before you post anything.