How selling gold from Hay-on-Wye by post works
GoldPaid serves customers in Hay-on-Wye by post using a prepaid Royal Mail label. You do not need to visit a shop. We do not run a branch in Hay-on-Wye and we do not need to: the whole service is built so you never travel, never commit before you are ready, and never accept an offer you have not seen in writing.
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.
What kind of gold and silver comes to us from Hay-on-Wye?
Hay-on-Wye is a small Powys market town on the Welsh border below the Black Mountains, known worldwide as a town of secondhand bookshops. It is a quiet, settled town in a remote rural area. People in Hay-on-Wye sell gold and silver by post, UK-wide, with no shop visit needed.
A market town with a long agricultural past tends to send sturdy, well-used family gold, the plain bands and chains of farming and small-trade households.
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.
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.
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.
What happens to a HR-postcode parcel after you post it
Hay-on-Wye sits inside the Royal Mail HR 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.
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.
No obligation, ever
You are free to walk away at any point before you accept. Decline the offer and everything is repacked and returned to you free of charge, fully tracked and insured. There is no assessment fee and no sales pressure afterwards. The detail 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.
Who this helps in Hay-on-Wye
Whatever your reason for selling from Hay-on-Wye, 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.
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
Can I send photos before I post anything from Hay-on-Wye?
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 Hay-on-Wye take to reach you?
Posted by Special Delivery from Hay-on-Wye, 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.