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 clock on you: you ask on WhatsApp, post only once you are satisfied, and the written offer sits and waits for your answer.
You stay in control
Posting valuables should never feel like a leap of faith, so here it does not start as one. Ask your questions first and send photos of your gold or silver on WhatsApp for a no-charge quick indicative figure. Only when you are comfortable do you request a label.
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, on a calibrated scale. 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 paid at its own rate.
What happens, from first message to payment
- A photo and a question. Send photos of your gold or silver on WhatsApp. We reply with a quick indicative figure 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. Calibrated weighing plus 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.
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 indicative figure, 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 indicative figure.
- 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.
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.
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, photographs the contents, 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
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.
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.
- 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.
Whatever the case, the first step is the same: a clear photo on WhatsApp and an honest indicative figure in reply.
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 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 test and weigh the contents the same day, send the written offer by email, and send payment 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 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
- Sell gold by post across the Yorkshire Dales
- Sell gold in Settle
- Sell gold in Grassington
- Sell gold in Hawes
- Sell gold by post UK
- How we value gold
- Postage & cover
- All locations
- Gold price today, UK rates
- Silver price today, UK rates
- UK gold hallmark guide
- Sell Pandora Jewellery and Charms
- Sell silver
- Sell sterling silver