How selling gold from Chester by post works
GoldPaid is a UK-wide postal gold and silver buyer. We do not run a shop or branch in Chester, and we do not need to. The whole process is built so you never have to travel, never have to commit before you are ready, and never have to accept an offer you are not happy with.
Here is exactly how it works from a CH-postcode address:
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.
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.
Who sells gold from Chester
Chester sits in the Cheshire area, and a meaningful share of customers from this area are clearing inherited jewellery, settling estates, or simply selling pieces they no longer wear after a house move or downsize.
The items we most commonly receive from Chester are inherited and family-passed jewellery, broken chains and single earrings, plain wedding and signet bands, charm bracelets, gold sovereigns and pre-decimal coins, hallmarked silver tea services and silver cutlery, and the occasional bullion bar or commemorative coin set.
The valuation, in plain terms
We do not eyeball a figure. Each item is XRF-assayed for purity and weighed on calibrated scales, then valued against the live market rate, and you see the working in writing before you decide. The method is set out in full on how we value gold.
Posting gold from a CH-postcode: how the next 24 hours go
The CH postcode area covers Chester and the surrounding Cheshire districts. A parcel handed in at any Post Office counter inside that area joins the same Royal Mail Special Delivery pipeline; Royal Mail does not run a different track based on where you post from.
Most counters accept Special Delivery up to around 5pm on weekdays. Hand the parcel in before that day's acceptance cut-off and it normally arrives with us the following working morning, signed for by 1pm. The receipt the clerk gives you carries a 13-character tracking reference, take a photograph of it before you leave. That photo, in practical terms, is the single document that protects you between the moment the parcel leaves your hand and the moment our written offer arrives in your inbox.
Cover in transit
Your parcel is insured up to £2,500 via Royal Mail Special Delivery. 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 insurance explains it fully.
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.
Payment, once you accept
When you say yes to the written offer, GoldPaid pays by Faster Payments bank transfer 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 insured, so obtaining the valuation costs you nothing.
Common questions
How long does it take from Chester?
From a Chester Post Office, Royal Mail Special Delivery is a next-working-day service. Items are assayed and weighed the day they arrive, the written offer is sent the same day, and acceptance triggers a Faster Payments transfer that typically clears in minutes.
Can I ask questions before I post anything?
Absolutely. The first step is a question, not a parcel. Send a WhatsApp photo or call with any concern, the items, the postal cover, the XRF method, the return if you decline, and only post when you have the answers you want.
How is the Royal Mail cover arranged?
Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed is the postage we use, tracked the whole way and signed for. Your parcel is insured up to £2,500 via Royal Mail Special Delivery. Anything you think exceeds that should be flagged in WhatsApp before you post.
What happens if I do not accept the offer?
Nothing happens to your items if you decline. They are returned, free of charge, by tracked, signed-for Royal Mail post. No fee, no pressure, no follow-up.
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.
Related pages
- Sell gold by post UK
- Sell scrap gold
- Sell gold & silver coins
- Sell silver
- Sell platinum
- Sell bullion
- Sell diamond jewellery
- Probate & inheritance
- Gold & silver calculator
- Sell gold in Warrington
- Sell gold in Crewe
- All locations
- Gold price today, UK rates
- Silver price today, UK rates
- UK gold hallmark guide
- How we value gold