How selling gold from Castle Cary by post works
GoldPaid serves customers in Castle Cary by post using a prepaid Royal Mail label. You do not need to visit a shop. The service was set up for people who would rather not drive to a town buyer, so the parcel makes the journey while you stay at home and decide there.
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.
A note on Castle Cary, and what tends to arrive in its parcels
Castle Cary is a small Somerset market town of honey-coloured stone, with a distinctive round seventeenth-century lock-up. It is a quiet, settled country town in a rural part of the county. Selling from Castle Cary is done by post, UK-wide, so there is no shop to visit.
A market town serving a wide rural district sends the everyday gold of that district, inherited jewellery and hallmarked silver moving through downsizing and probate.
How it works
- Ask first and send photos. Message us on WhatsApp with photos of your gold or silver for a quick indicative figure. Ask anything; there is no charge and no obligation.
- Request a prepaid Royal Mail label. We send a free Royal Mail Special Delivery label, tracked and signed for. No printer? We send a QR code for the Post Office counter.
- Post it when you are ready. Use any padded envelope. There is no deadline and no pressure.
- Receive a no-obligation valuation. Every item is weighed on calibrated scales and tested by XRF spectrometry. You get a written, itemised offer: purity, weight, the rate used and the figure.
- Accept or decline. Accept and you are paid by bank transfer via Faster Payments. Decline and everything is returned free of charge by tracked, insured post.
Reading your items from photos
A clear set of photos of your gold or silver is enough for a useful first look. Lay items flat in good light and get close to any small stamps.
- Hallmarks. Close shots of hallmarks reveal the assay office mark and fineness, which indicates the carat of gold or whether silver is sterling.
- Carat stamps. Stamps such as 9ct, 18ct, 375, 750 or 925 confirm the likely metal before any testing.
- Rough weight. Photographed beside a familiar object, items give us a fair sense of weight for the indicative figure.
- Solid versus plated. Worn edges showing base metal, or marks such as "GP" or "EPNS", point to plating. We say so plainly rather than letting you post something of little value.
- Stones and fittings. Stones, watch parts and base-metal clasps are valued apart from the precious metal, and a photo helps us explain that clearly.
How we value what you send
Every offer is built from three measurable facts: confirmed purity, accurate weight, and the live precious-metal market rate on the day we assess your items. You see each figure in a written breakdown before you decide anything. See how we value gold and XRF testing explained for the full method.
Posting gold from a BA-postcode address: how the next 24 hours go
Castle Cary sits inside the Royal Mail BA postcode area. Royal Mail does not run a different track depending on where in the area you post from, and a Special Delivery parcel normally reaches our address the next working morning.
Whatever the parcel holds, gold and silver of different carats, broken pieces, odd earrings, the contents are never weighed together as scrap. Every item is XRF-tested and weighed on its own, and the written offer lists each one.
The clerk's receipt shows a thirteen-character tracking reference. That reference lets you, and us, follow the parcel the whole way; a photograph of it at the counter is all you need to keep.
Postage, tracking and cover
Your parcel is insured up to £2,500 via Royal Mail Special Delivery. Every parcel uses Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed, tracked from the counter to our door, signed for on arrival, and arranged with that compensation cover. For anything you think exceeds it, contact us first; we will arrange a suitable approach rather than leave a parcel underprotected. The detail sits on postage and insurance and is it safe to post gold?.
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, insured 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.
Getting paid
Once you accept your written offer, payment is made by bank transfer using Faster Payments, directly to your account. No cheques to wait on, no conditions attached.
Is selling by post right for you? Who we help in Castle Cary
Whatever your reason for selling from Castle Cary, GoldPaid handles it by post on identical terms. The most common cases are below.
- Broken and worn gold jewellery. Snapped chains, single earrings, bent rings, tangled or clasp-less pieces. Condition makes no difference; we pay for the metal.
- Inherited and probate jewellery. Pieces being 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 rather than as a lump.
- 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 and valued alongside any gold.
- Unwanted jewellery of any kind. Gifts that were never worn, pieces from a past relationship, anything simply sitting unused in a drawer.
If none fits exactly, it makes no difference. Send a photo on WhatsApp and we will talk it through before anything is posted.
What backs the offer up
- XRF spectrometry on every item, not a counter estimate
- A written, itemised breakdown before you decide anything
- Free insured postage in, free tracked return out
- No countdowns, no pressure, no fabricated reviews
- An owner-run business with a named founder who answers honestly
Common questions
Can I send photos before I post anything from Castle Cary?
Yes, and it is the best way to start. Send a clear photo of your items to our WhatsApp before anything is posted. We can give you an informed idea of what to expect and answer your questions while your gold stays safely with you.
How long does a parcel from Castle Cary take to reach you?
Posted by Special Delivery from Castle Cary, a parcel normally reaches us the next working morning. Items are assayed and weighed the day they arrive, the written offer is emailed the same day, and acceptance triggers a Faster Payments transfer.
Can I ask questions before I post anything?
Yes. That is how the service is meant to work. Ask us about the assay, the cover, the timing or the decline process first, by WhatsApp or phone, and post afterwards, never before.
How is the Royal Mail cover arranged?
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 than that, message us first and we will confirm the appropriate postal option before you post.
What happens if I do not accept the offer?
If the offer is not for you, your items are returned free of charge by tracked, signed-for post. You keep the written offer as a record, and there is no obligation to sell.
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.