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 and silver from Richmond by post, with no shop to visit. Everything from Richmond happens at your pace, by post. You can ask anything before a single item leaves the house. When you are ready we email the free prepaid Royal Mail label, and the decision waits for 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)
Do I need to visit a shop in Richmond?There is nothing to visit in Richmond. GoldPaid is fully postal: the prepaid label arrives by email, you hand the parcel in at any Post Office counter, and the rest is handled by WhatsApp or email from home.
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.
How selling gold from Richmond by post works
GoldPaid serves customers in Richmond by post using a prepaid Royal Mail label. You do not need to visit a shop. The process puts no pressure on you: you ask on WhatsApp, post only once you are satisfied, and if the dated written offer lapses before you answer, it is re-run against the live precious-metal market at that time.
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.
You do not have to post anything to get an answer. Ask your questions first and send photos of your gold or silver on WhatsApp for a free rough estimate. Request a label only when you are comfortable.
This is a UK-wide postal service with no branches anywhere. Wherever you live, it works the same way: a free prepaid Royal Mail label in, a written offer back, and a free return if you decline.
About Richmond, and how gold and silver from it is valued
Richmond is a North Yorkshire market town above the River Swale, gathered beneath a large Norman castle at the entrance to Swaledale. It is a settled town serving a wide upland area. The written offer sets out each item separately, with its weight and its measured carat. Selling from Richmond is done by post, anywhere in the UK, so there is no shop to visit.
Every item is tested on its own and weighed on its own. A jewellery box is never tipped onto one pan and valued as a single weight, because carats differ from piece to piece and each carat is valued on its own.
A photo and a question. Send photos of your gold or silver on WhatsApp. We reply with a rough estimate and answer whatever you want to know.
A prepaid label, on request. Ask for the label when you are ready. We send a free Royal Mail Special Delivery label, tracked and signed for, or a QR code for the Post Office counter.
You post it. Any padded envelope is fine, posted whenever you choose.
We assess and write it up. Weighing and an XRF assay produce a written, itemised offer for you to read at home, usually on the working day your parcel arrives.
Your decision. Accept for payment by Faster Payments, or decline for a free, tracked, signed-for return.
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.
How the valuation works
We do not eyeball a figure. Each item is XRF-assayed for purity and weighed, then valued against the live precious-metal market on the day, with our margin already inside the figure, and you see the working in writing before you decide. The method is set out in full on how we value gold.
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 a Special Delivery parcel travels from Richmond
The Royal Mail DL postcode area takes in Richmond and the surrounding part of North Yorkshire. Handed in at any counter inside it and sent by Special Delivery, a parcel normally reaches our address the next working morning.
You do not need to sort, clean or identify anything before posting. The bench takes the parcel as it comes, runs each piece past the XRF analyser and weighs it, then sets out every item on the written offer.
Every Special Delivery parcel produces a counter receipt with a thirteen-character reference printed on it. That reference is your proof of posting; photograph it before leaving and you have everything you need on your side.
Cover in transit
The prepaid label is Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed: full tracking and a signature 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. For higher-value items, please message us first so the parcel can be split across more than one prepaid label before it travels. Postage and cover explains it fully. 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.
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.
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.
Payment, once you accept
When you say yes to the written offer, GoldPaid aims to pay by Faster Payments bank transfer within one working hour of your acceptance, to your nominated account. You give those details only at the point you accept, never as a condition of getting an offer.
Is selling by post right for you? Who we help in Richmond
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.
Scrap gold. Odd, mixed-carat or unhallmarked pieces, each paid at its own measured carat rather than as a lump.
Gold sovereigns and coins. Send a photo of your coins on WhatsApp first and we will tell you how we would value them before you post anything.
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.
Whatever the case, the first step is the same: a clear photo on WhatsApp and a rough estimate in reply.
Why sell by post with GoldPaid
Three differences from 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 Richmond?
Yes. Photograph your items and send them to us on WhatsApp. We reply with guidance and answer your questions, and only when you are ready do we send the prepaid label. The photo stage commits you to nothing.
How long does a parcel from Richmond take to reach you?
A Special Delivery parcel from Richmond normally reaches us the next working morning. We usually test and weigh the contents the same day, send the written offer by email, and aim to pay by Faster Payments within one working hour of your acceptance.
Can I ask questions before I post anything?
Yes, and we recommend it. Message us on WhatsApp or call, and ask anything about the items, the postal cover, the testing process, or the return if you decline. Nothing needs to be posted until you are satisfied with the answers.
How is the Royal Mail cover arranged?
We use Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed, which is fully tracked and signed for. Royal Mail cover may be available up to £2,500 depending on the postal method and cover level used. Tell us first if your items may be worth more and we will confirm the appropriate postal option.
What happens if I do not accept the offer?
Decline and everything comes back free of charge, tracked and signed for. There is no decline fee, no callback chain and no obligation at any stage.
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 rough estimate 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.
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.
What we can check from your photos
Clear photos tell us a surprising amount before your gold or silver leaves the house. They are how we reach a sensible quick rough estimate, and how we flag anything worth knowing before you post.
Hallmarks and assay marks. A close photo of a hallmark usually shows two useful things: the mark of the assay office that tested the piece, and the fineness. Fineness is the purity number, and it tells us whether an item is 9, 18 or 22 carat gold, or sterling silver.
Carat and fineness stamps. Numbers such as 375, 750, 916 or 925 stamped on a clasp or band help confirm the metal before testing.
Approximate weight. A photo next to a coin or a ruler gives a rough sense of size and weight, which feeds the rough estimate.
Solid or plated. Wear at edges, a worn-through base metal, or marks like "GP", "rolled gold" or "EPNS" usually indicate plating rather than solid precious metal. We will tell you honestly if an item looks plated.
Stones and non-gold parts. Set stones, clasps, springs, watch movements and base-metal fittings are not precious metal, so we account for them separately. A photo helps us explain how they affect the figure.
A photo can only ever support an indicative figure. Final offers depend on inspection, item weight, purity, hallmarks, stones, non-gold components, condition and the live precious-metal market. The firm offer is set only after an XRF assay confirms your specific items. The gold hallmark guide explains what the marks mean.
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.
Start with the easy part: a clear photo of what you have, sent to our WhatsApp. The label, the post, the assay and the offer all follow only because you have asked for them.