Short answer
Most gold sold in the UK has no purchase receipt, and that is completely normal. Inherited, gifted and decades-old jewellery rarely comes with paperwork. UK precious-metal-purchase law asks for proof of the seller's identity, not proof of how the piece was originally bought, so a missing receipt is not a barrier. Request a free prepaid Royal Mail label, post the gold, read the written offer the same working day, and take bank payment on acceptance.
What UK law actually requires when you sell gold
The 2017 Money Laundering Regulations (and the precious-metal-specific guidance from HMRC) require precious-metal dealers to identify the seller, proof of name and address, typically a passport or driving licence plus a utility bill or bank statement. The regulation is about identifying who is selling, not about proving the provenance of the piece itself.
There is no UK legal requirement for a seller to produce the original purchase receipt of a piece of gold jewellery, and the vast majority of posted gold has no surviving receipt because the piece is years or decades old. A 1980s wedding ring, an inherited 1950s chain, a brooch given as a 21st birthday present, none of these come with paperwork. Selling them is fully legal once seller-ID is established.
How proof of ID is handled by post (privately, without a shop visit)
The simplest route: include a photocopy or printed scan of your driving licence (or passport) and one piece of recent address evidence (utility bill, bank statement, council tax letter, anything dated within the last three months showing your name and address). Place these inside the parcel alongside the jewellery.
Alternative: upload the documents via the secure link sent with the written offer. The link is end-to-end encrypted and accepts standard phone-camera photographs. Documents are held only for the AML/KYC retention period required by law (currently five years) and are not shared with any third party or marketer.
If you do not have a driving licence or passport, alternative ID is accepted: HMRC tax notification, DWP benefits letter, citizen-card scheme ID, blue-badge holder card. Message us on WhatsApp 07763741067 if you are unsure what is acceptable; we will confirm before you post.
What happens if the piece was inherited or gifted
Inheritance and gifts are the two most common reasons posted gold has no receipt. Both are fully fine. A piece left to you in a will is yours to sell as the new legal owner; a piece gifted to you is yours to sell at any time after the gift. There is no UK legal requirement to evidence either inheritance or gift to a gold buyer at point of sale.
If the piece carries enough value that you would prefer to keep a record of provenance for your own tax or insurance reasons, that is your choice and your records, not ours. The transaction with us records the seller (you), the date, the weight, the carat, the offer, the acceptance and the bank transfer. The history before that is your own to document if you choose.
When proof of original purchase IS asked for (and why it usually is not)
Two scenarios where some form of provenance evidence might be relevant. First, very high-value transactions (typically above £10,000 in a single sale) trigger enhanced due-diligence questions under AML rules; in those cases a brief description of how the piece came into your ownership is sometimes asked, but a receipt is not specifically required. Second, signed designer pieces (Cartier, Tiffany etc) sometimes have an original certificate of authenticity which adds resale value at auction, keeping that certificate, where it exists, is worthwhile, though it is not required to sell to a precious-metal buyer at gold-content value.
For ordinary jewellery transactions, wedding bands, scrap chains, broken jewellery, inherited pieces, no provenance evidence is asked for. Seller-ID is the only document required.
The full process, start to finish
- Ask, then send photos. Message us on WhatsApp with a few clear photos of your selling without a receipt. Lay items flat, in daylight if you can, and include any hallmarks or carat stamps in shot. We reply with a quick indicative figure and answer anything you want to ask. There is no charge and no obligation.
- Request the prepaid label. When you are ready, we email a free Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed label, tracked and signed for. No printer is needed: ask for a QR code and the Post Office counter prints it for you.
- Pack and post, tracked. Wrap items in any padded envelope or a small box, attach the label, and hand the parcel in over the Post Office counter so you get a receipt with the tracking number. Keep that receipt. There is no deadline.
- We weigh, test and value. On arrival each item is weighed on calibrated scales and tested by XRF spectrometry to confirm purity. You receive a written, itemised offer showing the weight, the purity, the rate used and the figure for each item.
- Accept or decline. Accept and you are paid by bank transfer on Faster Payments. Decline and everything is returned to you free of charge by tracked, insured post. The choice is entirely yours, and you do not need to give a reason.
New to posting valuables? Read the flagship guide on selling gold by post in the UK for a fuller walk-through of every step.
How your parcel is protected
Your parcel is insured up to £2,500 via Royal Mail Special Delivery. 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 insurance for the full picture.
If you decide not to sell
There is never any obligation to accept. If the offer is not for you, simply decline, and we return everything free of charge by tracked, insured post, with no fee and no follow-up pressure. The full return process is on what happens if I decline the offer.
Being paid
If you accept, payment follows by Faster Payments, 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 insured 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
What ID do you need?
Driving licence or passport, plus one recent address-evidence document (utility bill, bank statement etc) dated within three months.
Can I post the ID with the parcel, or do I upload it separately?
Either. Photocopies in the parcel are fine, or upload after via the secure link sent with the written offer.
Is inherited gold legal to sell without paperwork?
Yes. Once you are the legal owner (after probate or by gift), you can sell at any time without producing the will or deed of gift.
What if my ID address differs from where I live now?
Send both the ID and a recent piece of correspondence at your current address (utility bill, bank statement). We can match them.
How long do you hold ID documents?
For the AML/KYC retention period currently required by UK law, five years from the transaction date. After that they are securely destroyed.