How selling gold from Fowey by post works
GoldPaid serves customers in Fowey 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 Fowey, and how each item is assayed
Fowey is a small Cornish harbour town on a steep-sided estuary, with a long maritime past and a history of shipping china clay. It is quiet, and it sits in a remote part of the county. Fowey residents sell gold and silver by post, anywhere in the UK, with no shop visit needed.
Single earrings, snapped chains and bent rings are worth their metal, and nothing is written off as unsellable. Broken pieces are weighed and assayed like any other item and appear as their own line on the written offer.
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, usually within 30 minutes during working hours. 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, usually on the working day your parcel arrives, showing 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, signed-for 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.
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.
Posting gold from a PL-postcode address: how the next 24 hours go
The PL letters at the start of a Fowey postcode place it in the Royal Mail PL area. There is no separate handling for the town itself, and a Special Delivery parcel normally reaches our address the next working morning.
A parcel can arrive with mixed contents: a worn chain folded beside an inherited brooch, a few single earrings, a piece of hallmarked silver. A mixed arrangement makes no difference to the assay. Each piece is photographed in arrival layout, separated by carat at the XRF analyser, and weighed on a calibrated scale before the written offer is built.
Whoever posts the parcel is handed a receipt with a thirteen-character tracking number on it. Photograph it at the counter; that number is the one piece of paper that matters until we confirm the parcel has arrived.
Cover in transit
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. 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 cover explains it fully.
Declining, made simple
A quick message is all it takes to decline, and you do not need to give a reason. Your items are then returned free of charge on a tracked, signed-for service, with no fee and no pressure to reconsider. What happens if I decline the offer covers it fully.
Payment, once you accept
When you say yes to the written offer, GoldPaid pays by Faster Payments bank transfer within one working hour of acceptance, to your nominated account. You give those details only at the point you accept, never as a condition of getting an offer.
Who GoldPaid is for, in Fowey and anywhere in the UK
People sell gold and silver for all sorts of reasons. The situations below are the ones the service is built around, and each links to a page that explains it in more detail.
- 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.
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 signed for, so obtaining the valuation costs you nothing.
Common questions
Can I send photos before I post anything from Fowey?
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 Fowey take to reach you?
Posted by Special Delivery from Fowey, 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 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. 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.
Request a free prepaid Royal Mail label
Tell us where to send it. 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.
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.
Related pages
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- Sell gold by post UK
- Is it safe to post gold?
- How it works
- All locations
- Gold price today, UK rates
- Silver price today, UK rates
- UK gold hallmark guide
- How we value gold
- Sell Krugerrand gold coins
- Sell platinum
- Sell silver bullion