How selling gold by post across Devon & Cornwall works
GoldPaid serves customers across Devon & Cornwall by post using a prepaid Royal Mail label. You do not need to visit a shop. There is no GoldPaid branch anywhere in Devon & Cornwall, and there does not need to be: the service is built so the parcel does the travelling, not you, and so every decision is made by you at home.
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 gold or silver, 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.
Devon & Cornwall: why selling by post suits it
Devon and Cornwall reach down the far South West, a long peninsula of estuary towns, moorland market towns and old harbour towns, where roads are slow and distances are real.
The far South West is a long peninsula; posting spares a journey to a specialist buyer that can otherwise take most of a day.
What happens, from first message to payment
- A photo and a question. Send photos of your gold or silver 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 and we send a free, tracked, signed-for Royal Mail Special Delivery one, or a QR code for the 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.
- Your decision. Accept for payment by Faster Payments, or decline for a free, tracked, insured return.
What a photo tells us, and what it cannot
Before your gold or silver is posted, a few clear pictures let us give you an honest quick indicative figure and point out anything you should know.
From a good photo we can usually read the hallmark and any assay office mark, spot carat or fineness stamps such as 375, 750, 916 or 925, judge approximate size and weight against a coin or ruler, and tell whether an item looks solid or plated. Marks like "GP", "rolled gold" or "EPNS", or base metal showing through worn edges, usually mean plating. Set stones, clasps and non-gold fittings are not precious metal, so we explain separately how they affect the value.
The 6 Devon & Cornwall towns GoldPaid covers by post
Every town below has its own page setting out the postal process, the postcode routing and the timings for that area. GoldPaid covers all of them on identical terms, with the same free insured label and the same written, XRF-confirmed offer.
Valued on fact, not estimate
Your valuation rests on what can actually be measured: the purity an XRF assay confirms, the weight a calibrated scale records, and the live precious-metal rate at the time of assessment. It is all shown to you in writing first. XRF testing explained covers how the assay works.
How your parcel is protected
Your parcel is insured up to £2,500 via Royal Mail Special Delivery. Your items travel on Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed: fully tracked, needs a signature on delivery, arranged with that compensation cover per parcel. 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 insurance for the full picture.
If you decide not to sell
There is never any obligation to accept. If the offer is not for you, simply decline, and we return everything free of charge by tracked, insured post, with no fee and no follow-up pressure. The full return process is on what happens if I decline the offer.
Being paid
If you accept, payment follows by Faster Payments, transferred directly to your bank account. It is the last step, and a simple one.
What GoldPaid buys across Devon & Cornwall
Wherever you are in Devon & Cornwall, GoldPaid buys the same range of gold and silver, valued the same way: each item XRF-tested, weighed and written up before you decide. The most common items are:
- Broken and worn gold jewellery. Snapped chains, single earrings, bent rings; condition makes no difference, we pay for the metal.
- Inherited and probate jewellery. Pieces cleared after an estate, a downsize or sorting out a family home.
- Scrap gold. Odd, mixed-carat or unhallmarked pieces, each paid at its own measured carat.
- Gold sovereigns and coins. Flagged separately on the written offer if a coin carries collector value above its metal content.
- Silver. Hallmarked tableware, cutlery, coins and jewellery, weighed alongside any gold.
- Unwanted jewellery of any kind. Gifts never worn, pieces from a past relationship, anything sitting unused in a drawer.
Whatever you have, the first step is the same: a clear photo on WhatsApp and an honest indicative figure in reply, with no obligation to go further.
Why sellers choose GoldPaid
GoldPaid is a small, owner-run UK business built on one promise: show the working. Every item is XRF-assayed and weighed on calibrated scales, every offer is itemised in writing, postage is free and insured both ways, and there is never a countdown or a hard sell. If something is worth more to a specialist than to us, we say so.
Common questions
Which Devon & Cornwall towns does GoldPaid cover?
GoldPaid covers every town and address in Devon & Cornwall by post on identical terms. The 6 town pages on this hub are simply the most-requested areas; wherever you are in Devon & Cornwall, the service and the cover are the same.
How long does postage take from Devon & Cornwall?
Royal Mail Special Delivery normally reaches us the next working morning. We XRF-assay and weigh your items the day they arrive and email the written offer the same day; acceptance triggers a Faster Payments transfer.
How is my parcel insured?
The label we send is Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed, fully tracked and signed for. Your parcel is insured up to £2,500 via Royal Mail Special Delivery. If your items may be worth more, message us first and we will confirm the appropriate postal option before you post.
What happens if I do not accept the offer?
Your items are returned to you free of charge by tracked, signed-for Royal Mail post. There is no fee for declining, no pressure and no obligation to accept at any stage.
How should I photograph my items before posting?
Lay each item flat on a plain surface in good daylight, then take one clear overall photo and a close-up of any hallmark or carat stamp. Photographing items next to a coin or a ruler helps show their size. From those photos we can usually read hallmarks, spot carat stamps and tell whether something looks solid or plated, which is enough for a quick indicative figure on WhatsApp.
Do I need to clean or polish my gold before sending it?
No. Please send items as they are. Value comes from the weight and purity of the precious metal, not the shine, and gentle wear, tarnish or small repairs make no difference to a postal valuation. There is no need to remove stones or dismantle anything either; set stones and non-gold parts are simply accounted for separately.