Rough estimates where possible; your final offer follows inspection.
No obligation. Free tracked return if you decline. We aim to pay within one working hour of acceptance.
GoldPaid buys gold chains by post from anywhere in the UK, whether curb, belcher, figaro or rope, broken or whole. A chain is paid on its weight and the carat the XRF test confirms, not on its length. Send a photo on WhatsApp for a rough estimate, post it with a free prepaid Royal Mail label, and decide after reading the written offer.
Send a photo on WhatsApp for a rough estimate where possible, or arrange to post your items for assessment. We confirm our purchase offer after inspection, and you decide whether to accept. Final offers depend on inspection, item weight, purity, hallmarks, stones, non-gold components, condition and the live precious-metal market.
Free Special Delivery label, usually within 30 minutesPurity tested in-house by X-ray (XRF)
What is a gold chain worth when sold by weight?A gold chain is paid on its weight and carat, not its length or link style. We XRF-test the carat and weigh the chain, and your offer reflects that weight and purity together with the live precious-metal market. A 20" and a 22" chain of the same link and carat pay differently only because the longer one weighs more, and a broken clasp does not reduce the offer. Chains are one part of selling gold jewellery by post.
Please send us photos on WhatsApp, and we will help you.
Send photos of your items and any hallmarks. We give a rough estimate where possible; your final offer follows inspection. You do not need to arrange postage to ask us a question.
We arrange postage with you after our conversation.
Before you post
The questions people ask before they send anything, answered here rather than at the end of the page.
Can I ask first?
Yes. WhatsApp a photo to 07944 014111, 8am to 9pm, every day, and we reply with an idea of what it is worth. Nothing is posted until you decide.
Is it safe to post?
Your parcel travels by Royal Mail Special Delivery, tracked and signed for. 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.
How is it tested?
Your parcel is signed for on arrival and opened at our Bristol office, where each item is weighed and tested with an XRF analyser, an X-ray test that reads the metal without marking it. Your written offer lists each piece with its weight, purity and figure.
What if I say no?
We return everything by Royal Mail Special Delivery at our cost. Saying no costs you nothing.
When am I paid?
Only if you accept the written offer. We aim for the money to reach your bank within 24 hours of posting. We use Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed, test your items promptly on receipt, and aim to pay by Faster Payments within one working hour of your acceptance. The 24-hour target is an aim, not a guarantee: it depends on posting before the local cut-off, the applicable working-day delivery service, prompt acceptance, completed identity checks and bank processing.
How long does an offer last?
Each written offer is dated and holds for a limited time, because metal prices move. If it lapses, we re-run it at that day’s rate.
Who am I dealing with?
GOLDPAID LTD, registered in England and Wales, run by founder Rocco Clayfield. Our office is at Unit 217, Bristol Business Centre, 179 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2AG. We are postal only, so there is no counter to visit. Before we pay, we ask every seller for a photo of their passport or driving licence.
Final offers depend on inspection, item weight, purity, hallmarks, stones, non-gold components, condition and the live precious-metal market.
Ask before you post, always
You never have to commit to anything to start. Message us on WhatsApp or call, tell us roughly what you have, and send a few clear photos for a rough estimate. Nothing leaves your hands until you decide it should, and there is no obligation even then.
GoldPaid is a UK-wide postal gold and silver buying service. Wherever you are, you sell gold chains by post with a free tracked Royal Mail label. There is no shop to visit and no counter pressure.
Typical weights for gold chains
These are typical ranges only. Real gold chains vary widely: hollow versus solid, thin versus heavy, chain style, length and any repairs all move the weight. Every offer comes from weighing your own items when they arrive, not from a table.
Style
Typical weight
Notes
Fine curb chain, 1.5–3mm
3–8 g
Everyday 9ct/18ct; 20" sits at the lighter end, 22" at the heavier.
Belcher chain (British oval link)
6–18 g
The uncovered British link, solid feel, heavier per inch than curb.
Figaro chain, 3–5mm
7–20 g
Rope chain, 2–4mm
5–15 g
Hollow rope can weigh half of solid rope in the same width.
Heavy curb or Cuban, 5mm+
20–80 g
Almost always 9ct in UK stock; 18ct examples are rare and worth flagging.
Gold necklaces: length names, pendants and typical weights
These are decorative necklaces; plain fine chains are in the chain table above. A necklace is valued exactly like a chain, on weight and the carat the XRF test confirms. Length names such as choker, princess, matinee and opera describe how it sits on the neck, not what it is worth: a heavy 18ct princess necklace can pay several times a longer, thinner 9ct opera. These ranges are typical only; every offer comes from weighing your own piece.
Necklace
Typical weight
Note
Choker, 14–16"
3–25 g
Sits at the base of the neck; often a heavier gauge than a plain chain.
Princess, 17–19"
3–40 g
The standard UK necklace length; a wide range because gauge varies.
Matinee, 20–24"
4–60 g
Opera, 28–36"
8–90 g
Long decorative pieces; can carry serious weight in 9ct.
Decorative collar or fringe necklace
20–120 g
Old Continental or Middle-Eastern pieces are often 21ct or 22ct; mention it before sending.
A pendant is tested and weighed on its own line, because it is often a different carat from the chain it hangs on. Stones set into a pendant or collar are weighed out, not paid as gold.
Continental and Asian gold often tests at 21ct or 22ct and is paid at that carat; do not assume 9ct or 18ct by eye.
Clasps, tags and small findings in a different carat are listed separately on the offer, so nothing is paid at the lower carat by default.
What your gold chain could come to
There is no set price and no calculator here: every offer comes from weighing and XRF-testing your own gold chains when they arrive. Send a photo on WhatsApp for a rough estimate where we can give one, or read how we assess your gold. Final offers depend on inspection, item weight, purity, hallmarks, stones, non-gold components, condition and the live precious-metal market.
What can move the figure up or down
Length is independent of price, a 22" chain only pays more than a 20" if it actually weighs more.
A snapped link or broken clasp does not lower the offer; we pay on the metal.
Hollow chains weigh far less than solid ones of the same width, so width alone is not a price guide.
Plated or gold-filled chains, sometimes stamped GP, RGP or 1/20 12K, contain very little recoverable gold and are declined rather than underpaid.
How it works
Ask first and send photos. Message us on WhatsApp with photos of your gold chains for a rough estimate. 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, usually within 30 minutes between 8am and 9pm. 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 and tested by XRF spectrometry at our Bristol office. You get a written, itemised offer, usually on the working day your parcel arrives, showing purity, weight 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, signed-for post.
Your parcel is signed for on arrival and opened at our Bristol office, where each item is weighed and XRF-tested before the written offer is prepared.
What decides your offer
Every parcel is opened at our Bristol office and each piece is handled on its own. Nothing is averaged across the parcel.
Weight. Each item is weighed on scales. Stones, steel springs, non-gold clasps and cores are not paid as gold. The written breakdown explains the payable metal weight for each item, rather than treating everything on the scales as precious metal.
Purity. Each item is tested with an XRF analyser, which reads the metals at the points tested without marking the item. A surface reading alone cannot establish the composition of a plated or filled piece. Hallmarks, construction and different components all need to be considered alongside the test.
The market on the day. Gold and silver are priced against the live precious-metal market at the time your parcel is assessed, not at the time you posted.
Condition and intact value. Broken is fine and does not reduce a metal offer. Where a piece is worth more intact (a named maker, a collectable coin, a locket with provenance) we tell you before testing, so you can choose.
Anything that is not gold or silver. Plated, rolled-gold and base-metal items are listed on the offer at nothing and returned to you free. We never quietly keep them.
Why we do not publish a per-gram price list. A single printed rate hides the things that change the figure: hollow versus solid, stones, mixed carats in one bag, a mark that does not match the metal. We would rather show you the weight, the tested purity and the figure for each item, in writing, and let you decide. Final offers depend on inspection, item weight, purity, hallmarks, stones, non-gold components, condition and the live precious-metal market.
What you see before you decide. A written, itemised offer by WhatsApp or email: every item, its weight, its tested purity, and its figure. Accept and we aim to pay by bank transfer within one working hour. Decline and the whole parcel comes back by Royal Mail Special Delivery at our cost. No fee, no deduction, no questions.
Your valuation rests on things we can measure. An XRF assay confirms the purity, the scales record the weight, and the live precious-metal market on the day sets the figure, with our margin already inside it. It is all shown to you in writing first. XRF testing explained covers how the assay works.
Your offer follows the XRF test of your specific gold chains, the weight we measure and the live precious-metal market, and every figure appears in a written breakdown before you decide anything. See how we value gold, or read about the gold price and selling by post.
Final offers depend on inspection, item weight, purity, hallmarks, stones, non-gold components, condition and the live precious-metal market. Your written offer applies the weight and purity we measure to the live precious-metal market, with our margin already inside the figure.
One parcel gets one written figure, itemised piece by piece. Your offer reflects the weight and purity we measure and the live precious-metal market on the day, with our margin already inside the figure, so nothing further is taken off. For coins, watches and signed or collectable pieces, send a photo on WhatsApp first and we will tell you how we would value them before you post anything.
How your parcel travels
Your items travel on Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed, fully tracked and signed for on delivery. 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. If your items may be worth more, message us first and we can split them across more than one prepaid label at no charge. See postage and cover for the full picture. If a parcel is lost on its way to us, the compensation claim goes to Royal Mail from you, the sender, using your Post Office receipt, and we give you our tracking records and help you make it. Lost parcels, step by step.
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.
The written offer is dated and holds for a limited time, because metal prices move. If it lapses before you decide, we re-run it against the live precious-metal market on the day, at no charge. You can also accept part of a parcel and decline the rest, with no minimum and no penalty for splitting it.
Being paid
If you accept, we aim to pay by Faster Payments within one working hour of your acceptance, directly to your bank account. It is the last step, and a simple one.
Why sell to GoldPaid
GoldPaid is a small, owner-run UK business built on one promise: show the working. Every item is weighed and XRF-assayed, and every offer is itemised in writing. Postage is free and tracked 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
Do I need to know the exact weight of my gold chain before posting?
No. A rough kitchen-scale weight is useful for the rough estimate but not required. The offer is set from our own weighing when the parcel arrives, and every figure appears on the written breakdown before you decide.
What if my gold 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?
From confirmed purity from XRF, weight to 0.01g, and the live precious-metal market on the day of testing. Every figure appears on the written breakdown, so you can see exactly how the offer was reached before you decide anything.
What if I decline?
Everything is returned free of charge on tracked, signed-for Royal Mail Special Delivery. There is no assessment fee, no return-postage charge and no follow-up.
Not the question you had? The full GoldPaid FAQ covers the rest, from postal cover and ID checks to what happens if you decline the offer.
Speak to us before you post
Please send us photos on WhatsApp, and we will help you. We give a rough estimate where possible and arrange postage with you after our conversation. Your final offer follows inspection.
