Foreign gold

Sell foreign gold by post — Turkey, Italy, Germany, USA and Soviet-era

Foreign-hallmarked gold is bought the same way British gold is: on the XRF-assayed content, not the stamp. Turkish, Emirati, Italian, Indian, Saudi, German, American and Soviet-era pieces are all XRF-tested on arrival and paid on the confirmed alloy, whether the stamp reads 750, 875, 916 or 999.

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Do UK gold buyers accept foreign-hallmarked gold?Yes. Foreign-hallmarked gold is bought on its XRF-assayed content, not on the stamp. Turkish, UAE (Dubai), Italian, Indian (BIS), Saudi and other overseas pieces are XRF-tested on arrival and priced on the actual alloy. A stamp of 750 that assays at 750 is paid at 18ct; a stamp of 916 that assays slightly below 22ct is paid at what is there. GoldPaid pays by Faster Payments to a UK bank account.

Unwanted gold jewellery: tangled fine gold chains and odd gold rings on a slate slab

Ask first. Post later, or not at all.

You can ask as much as you like before anything is sent. Photos on WhatsApp give us enough to offer a quick indicative figure on your foreign gold, and we will tell you straight if something is not worth posting. Nothing moves until you say so.

Selling with GoldPaid is done entirely by post, anywhere in the UK. There is no shop to find and no pressure at a counter, because there is no counter.

How is foreign gold valued in the UK?

How is foreign-hallmarked gold valued when sold in the UK?On the assayed content, item by item. The XRF analyser reads the actual alloy — gold, silver, copper, nickel, palladium — and reports the true fine-gold percentage regardless of the stamp. A Turkish 22ct bangle marked 916 is paid on what the assay actually finds, and if the reading is 91.6% you are paid on 22ct; if it is 90.5% you are paid on 90.5%. The stamp starts the conversation; the assay settles the offer.

Foreign carats and stamps you may see

Most foreign gold hallmarks follow the same millesimal system as the UK — parts per thousand of pure gold. The most common non-UK marks that arrive in our parcels:

Country / region	Common marks	What it usually means
Turkey	585 (14ct), 750 (18ct), 916 (22ct); Ayar system (8, 14, 18, 22, 24)	State oversight through the Darphane (Turkish State Mint) and Borsa Istanbul; historically a reliable stamp system. 22ct Turkish gold is common in UK diaspora sales.
UAE (Dubai)	750, 875 (21ct), 916, 999; often with a Dubai Central Laboratory mark	21ct (875) is the Gulf standard for wearable gold. DCL-marked pieces are reliable; older souk-marked pieces vary.
Italy	750, 585, 375; star + maker's number + two-letter province code (e.g. ★ 123 AR)	Genuine assay tradition; Italian 750 pieces very consistently test at 18ct.
India	BIS hallmark (916 inside a triangle) since 2021; older 22K stamps are maker-declared	BIS-marked pieces reliable. Pre-BIS Indian gold varies — usually close to marked, XRF confirms.
Saudi Arabia	875, 916, 999; often maker-signed rather than office-marked	Independent assay is rare. Real gold content is usually close to marked but not certified — XRF settles it.
Germany / Austria	333 (8ct), 585 (14ct), 750 (18ct)	Reliable. 333 is a genuine German standard, unusual outside Central Europe.
USA	10K (417), 14K (585), 18K (750)	Karat stamps are maker-applied. Consistent for reputable brands, variable at the low end.
Soviet-era Russia	583 (14ct old standard), 585, 750, 958 silver	583 predates 1994 — genuine 14ct but tests slightly above modern 585.

What happens, from first message to payment

A photo and a question. Send photos of your foreign gold on WhatsApp. We reply with a quick indicative figure and answer whatever you want to know.
A prepaid label, on request. Ask for the label when you are ready. We send a free Royal Mail Special Delivery label, tracked and signed for, or a QR code for the Post Office counter.
You post it. Any padded envelope is fine, posted whenever you choose.
We assess and write it up. Calibrated weighing plus an XRF assay produce a written, itemised offer for you to read at home, usually on the working day your parcel arrives.
Your decision. Accept for payment by Faster Payments, or decline for a free, tracked, signed-for return.

Valued on fact, not estimate

Your valuation rests on three things we can measure. An XRF assay confirms the purity, a calibrated scale records the weight, and the live precious-metal rate on the day sets the price. It is all shown to you in writing first. XRF testing explained covers how the assay works.

Every foreign-hallmarked piece is XRF-tested on arrival. The offer is set on the assayed content, item by item, at the live rate for that carat on the day. A stamp that reads generously assays honestly; a stamp that reads modestly is paid on what is there.

We do not guarantee a value before inspection. The firm offer reflects inspection, weight, confirmed purity, hallmarks, stones, non-precious-metal components, condition and the live market. Treat any figure shown elsewhere on the site as indicative only.

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.

What about ID and payment for foreign gold?

The same UK anti-money-laundering identity checks apply to every seller, whatever the origin of the gold. Photo ID is required. Payment is by Faster Payments to a UK bank account in the seller's own name — GoldPaid does not pay to overseas accounts and does not pay in cash. If the gold was legitimately brought into the UK by the seller (inheritance, gift, own purchase abroad), that is straightforward; a short note of how the pieces were acquired usually settles the provenance question in one message.

If the gold has not yet been imported into the UK, that is a customs matter and sits outside our process — HMRC guidance on bringing goods into the UK is the right starting point before you post anything to us.

How your parcel is protected

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. Your items travel on Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed: fully tracked and signed for on delivery. Cover level is confirmed with you on WhatsApp before the label is issued. Worth more than that? Tell us before you post, and we will either arrange extra cover or suggest splitting the items across separate parcels. See postage and cover for the full picture.

Changing your mind is free

Declining costs you nothing. If the written offer does not suit you, say so, and your items come straight back by tracked, signed-for Royal Mail post at our expense. No fee, no questions, no chasing. See what happens if I decline the offer for the step by step.

Being paid

If you accept, payment follows by Faster Payments within one working hour of acceptance, transferred directly to your bank account. It is the last step, and a simple one.

What backs the offer up

XRF spectrometry on every item, not a counter estimate
A written, itemised breakdown before you decide anything
Free tracked postage in, free tracked return out
No countdowns, no pressure, no fabricated reviews
An owner-run business whose founder, Rocco Clayfield, answers questions himself

Common questions

Is 21ct Dubai gold worth less than 22ct?

Slightly less per gram at the confirmed alloy — 87.5% fine gold versus 91.6% — but it is priced against the same live spot rate on the same day. 21ct is the Gulf standard for wearable jewellery because 22ct is soft; both are perfectly good gold, and both are XRF-confirmed on arrival before the offer is set.

Does the stamp on Indian gold count?

Since 2021, Indian gold carrying the BIS hallmark (a triangle logo alongside the fineness number, usually 916) is genuinely assayed. Older Indian gold marks are maker-declarations, which usually match the actual alloy closely but are not independently certified. Either way, XRF confirms what is there and the offer follows the assay. If most of what you have is 22ct Asian gold from India, Pakistan or the Gulf — bangles, chains, sets, mangalsutra, jhumka earrings — the dedicated Asian gold page covers those specifics in more depth than this one.

Can I sell foreign gold coins to you?

Some — those bought on metal weight, like Krugerrands or French cockerels — yes, priced as coin plus any small premium. Rare or historically significant coins are best sold through a coin specialist auction house; we say so on the offer sheet and quote metal for reference rather than buying it as scrap. See sell gold coins and sell European gold coins.

Do you pay in the currency of the origin country?

No. Payment is by UK Faster Payments in GBP, to a UK bank account in the seller's own name. If you need proceeds in another currency, your bank handles the conversion; we do not send overseas transfers.

Do I need special paperwork for foreign gold?

For UK-resident sellers with gold legitimately here, no — the same ID and short provenance note as any other sale. If the gold is being imported for the sale, HMRC customs rules apply and that sits with you and HMRC before the parcel enters our process.

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.

Step 1: What are you sending?

A rough description is plenty. This helps us confirm the right postal cover level before we issue the label. Skip if you would rather not say — the field is optional.

What have you got? (optional)

Step 2: Printed label or QR code?

Both are prepaid, both use Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed. Pick whichever is easier for you — you can change your mind later, just message us before you post.

Printed label by emailPrint at home and tape it to a padded envelope or small box. You need a printer.

QR code by email — no printerShow the QR code at any Post Office counter — the clerk scans it and prints the label for you.

Step 3: Where do we send it?

The label email lands wherever you tell us, and the paper label (if you chose one) arrives here too. UK addresses only.

Your name

Phone (or email above)

Address

Address line 2 (optional)

Town or city

Postcode

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.

A photo, a written offer, your decision

Send a photo of the piece and the hallmark

A clear photo of the mark on WhatsApp gets you an indicative figure back before anything is posted. Every foreign-hallmarked piece is XRF-tested on arrival.

Send a photo on WhatsApp Call 07944 014111

Free prepaid label, usually sent within 30 minutes during working hours. Free tracked return if you decline. Faster Payments within one working hour of acceptance.