07944 014111 Same number on WhatsAppGoldPaid Ltd · Company No. 17382540 Send a photo for a free valuation →
Free valuations, no obligationFree return if you declineOpen 8am to 9pm, 7 days a weekTracked and signed forIn-house XRF assayFree Royal Mail label, usually within 30 minutesFaster Payments within one working hour of acceptanceCover may be available up to £2,500 depending on cover levelWe also buy watches, coins, medals & stamps
GoldPaid 4.7 Trustpilot07944 014111 Send a photo
UK-wide postal service · Cornwall, England

Sell gold from St Austell, by post, anywhere in the UK

No shop visit in St Austell. No pressure. Ask your questions first on WhatsApp, send a photo of what you have, request a free tracked Royal Mail Special Delivery label only when you are ready, and decide only after you have seen a written offer back from us.

Send a photo on WhatsAppRequest a prepaid label
Free tracked Royal Mail label, usually within 30 minutesXRF-tested purityNo-obligation written offerFree return if you declineRated 4.7 / 5 on Trustpilot
Do I need to visit a shop in St Austell?No. GoldPaid serves customers in St Austell by post using a prepaid Royal Mail Special Delivery label. You do not need to visit a shop. The label arrives by email and you post your items from any UK Post Office.
A padded envelope sealed and labelled for Royal Mail Special Delivery, ready to post gold jewellery to GoldPaid

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.

St Austell in context, and how we handle what you send

St Austell sits in the south-Cornish china-clay district inside the PL postcode area, with a long industrial-trade economy shaped by the local clay quarries and harbours. Long-service and presentation silver is listed apart from scrap. The engraving is often the part that carries the value, and once a piece is melted that value is gone for good.

Silver is XRF-tested as well as weighed, so sterling, continental grades and plate are separated by measurement. Plated items are named as plate on the offer rather than paid for as solid.

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.
Treat any figure from a photo as indicative. Final offers depend on inspection, item weight, purity, hallmarks, stones, non-gold components, condition and the live precious-metal market, and are confirmed only after an XRF assay. The gold hallmark guide covers what each mark means.

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.

We do not guarantee a value before inspection. The firm offer reflects inspection, weight, confirmed purity, hallmarks, stones, non-precious-metal components, condition and the live market. Treat any figure shown elsewhere on the site as indicative only.

A St Austell PL-postcode parcel from the china-clay country

St Austell sits in the south-Cornish china-clay district inside the Royal Mail PL postcode area, covering the town centre out through Mevagissey, Fowey, Charlestown and Pentewan. Special Delivery handles any PL postcode on the standard next-working-day clock into our address.

An offer is written against the precious-metal market as it stands that day. Final offers depend on inspection, item weight, purity, hallmarks, stones, non-gold components, condition and the live precious-metal market, and each of those is visible on the page.

From a St Austell counter the parcel routes overnight via the South-West regional Mail Centre to our address. The tracking reference on the receipt is what ties your parcel to the dated consignment, so keep a photograph of it until we confirm arrival.

How your parcel is protected

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. Your items travel on Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed: fully tracked, needs a signature on delivery, arranged with that compensation cover per parcel. Worth more than that? Tell us before you post, and we will either arrange extra cover or suggest splitting the items across separate parcels. See postage and cover for the full picture.

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.

Being paid

If you accept, payment follows by Faster Payments within one working hour of acceptance, transferred directly to your bank account. It is the last step, and a simple one.

Why sellers choose GoldPaid

GoldPaid is a small, owner-run UK business built on one promise: show the working. Every item is XRF-assayed and weighed on calibrated scales. Every offer is itemised in writing. Postage is free and tracked both ways, and there is never a countdown or a hard sell. If something is worth more to a specialist than to us, we say so.

Common questions

How long does a parcel from St Austell take to reach you?

Royal Mail Special Delivery from any PL-postcode address normally reaches our address the next working morning. We weigh and XRF-assay your items the same day, and the written offer is emailed back to you during working hours on the day it arrives.

Can I ask questions before I post anything?

Yes, and we recommend it. Message us on WhatsApp or call, ask anything about the items, the cover, the testing process, or the return route if you decline. Nothing has to be posted until you are satisfied with the answers.

How is the parcel 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 exceed that figure, send a rough total weight beforehand and we will confirm the appropriate postal option before any label is issued.

What happens if I do not accept the offer?

Your items are returned to you free of charge by tracked, signed-for Royal Mail Special Delivery. There is no fee, no pressure and no obligation to accept. You keep the XRF certificate and written offer as a record of what your gold is worth.

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.

We use these details only to post your prepaid label and to talk to you about your items. We do not sell or share them. Data controller: GOLDPAID LTD. GoldPaid is on the ICO data protection register, registration ZC214216. See our privacy policy.

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

Take it at your pace. Start with a WhatsApp photo and a question, ask anything about the XRF assay, the per-gram rate, the postal cover, or the return-if-you-decline route. Nothing is posted until you choose to post it, and the written offer is the first moment any decision actually counts.

GoldPaid is a registered UK business. Your prepaid Royal Mail Special Delivery label is addressed to us at Unit 217, Bristol Business Centre, 179 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2AG, so you always know exactly where your parcel is going before you post it.

Send a photo on WhatsAppRequest a prepaid Royal Mail label

Ask for the label in that chat and we usually send it within 30 minutes during working hours, 8am to 9pm, 7 days a week. No printer? We send a QR code you show at the Post Office counter instead.

Start the process from St Austell

Send a photo first. Decide later.

Message us with a clear photo of your items on WhatsApp, or call. There is no obligation at any stage and the only commitment is your decision to accept a written offer once you have seen it. Free tracked return if you decline.

Send a photo on WhatsAppCall 07944 014111

Free prepaid label, usually sent within 30 minutes during working hours. Free tracked return if you decline. Faster Payments within one working hour of acceptance.

Last updated:

Send a photo, no obligation