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 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.
Sterling, Britannia, fine and plated: what actually counts as silver
Four different things get called silver in UK homes, and only three of them are worth the postage. The difference is stamped on the piece itself, so a photograph of the marks settles it before anything leaves your house.
| Mark on the piece | Silver content | Usually found on | Worth posting? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 999, .999, fine silver | 99.9 per cent | Bars, rounds, modern bullion coins | Yes |
| 958, Britannia figure | 95.8 per cent | Higher-standard British hollowware and Britannia coins | Yes |
| 925, Sterling, lion passant | 92.5 per cent | UK jewellery, flatware, tea services, trays | Yes |
| 800, 830, 900 | 80 to 90 per cent | Continental European cutlery and giftware | Yes |
| EPNS, EP, A1, silver plate | A surface layer only | Victorian and later plated tableware | No meaningful melt value |
| Nickel silver, German silver, alpaca | None at all | Cutlery, trophies, decorative pieces | No |
Sterling is by far the most common of the four, and the lion passant is the mark to look for: what 925 means on silver explains the mark and why plenty of genuine sterling carries none. What 958 means on silver covers the higher Britannia standard, and what 800 and 830 mean on silver covers the continental numbers. Fine silver turns up mainly as bullion, covered on sell silver bullion. Coinage sits on sell silver coins, where pre-1920 British coins are sterling and 1920 to 1946 issues are 50 per cent silver. Tarnish, dents and missing pieces do not change the metal content, so condition is not a reason to hold anything back.
Silver we buy
- Sterling silver (925) jewellery, chains, rings, bracelets, brooches
- Silver flatware and cutlery sets, canteens and serving pieces
- Hallmarked silverware, tankards, bowls, candlesticks, trays
- Britannia silver (958) and 800-standard continental silver
- Silver coins and small bullion bars and rounds
One important note: items stamped EPNS, "silver plated" or simply "plated" are not solid silver, the silver is a thin surface layer with little resale value. What EPNS means on silver sets out what EP, A1 and the nickel-silver trade names actually describe, and why the plating has little or no melt value. If you are unsure, send a photo of the marks on WhatsApp and we will tell you honestly whether it is worth posting. The hallmark guide explains the marks, and the sell silverware page covers tea services, trays and weighted pieces in detail, while sell silver cutlery and canteens deals with flatware sets, EPNS canteens and filled knife handles on their own.
How it works
- Ask first and send photos. Message us on WhatsApp with photos of your 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.
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.
Silver is worth considerably less per gram than gold, so silver value tends to come from weight, a full canteen of cutlery rather than a single chain. Each item is XRF-assayed to confirm it is solid sterling or Britannia silver, weighed, and valued against the live silver market rate. Weighted handles on candlesticks and knives contain non-silver filler, which is accounted for honestly in your breakdown.
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.
Posting a heavier silver parcel
Silver parcels behave differently from gold parcels. A gold chain fits in a padded envelope; a canteen of cutlery or a tea service is a boxed parcel of a kilogram or more, and the weight changes both the packing and the postal arrangements.
- Weigh the lot roughly on kitchen or bathroom scales and tell us the figure before you post, so the postal option is confirmed rather than guessed.
- Your parcel travels on Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed, tracked end to end and signed for. Cover may be available up to £2,500 depending on the postal method and cover level used.
- Larger lots are often better split across more than one parcel, both for the weight limit and so the value per parcel sits inside the cover. We arrange the labels and there is nothing for you to pay.
- Pack flatware in bundles with tissue or kitchen roll between the pieces so nothing rattles, use a rigid box rather than a bag, and tape the seams.
- Teapots, trays and candlesticks need void fill so they cannot shift in transit. There is no need to polish anything first, as tarnish does not affect the assay.
On arrival the parcel is logged, sorted by standard, XRF-assayed and weighed, then set out item by item in the written offer. If you would rather talk it through first, send a photo and the rough weight on WhatsApp. Postage and cover covers the postal detail in full, and sell silverware goes deeper on canteens, tea services and weighted pieces.
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.
Who this helps
An inherited canteen of cutlery that will never be laid on a table is one of the clearest cases for selling. Dated sterling jewellery is another. So is a house clearance that has turned up a cupboard of decorative silverware. The route is identical wherever you live, from a Highland village to selling silver from Leicester by post. Because silver value is weight-driven, send the whole lot together rather than piece by piece.
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
Do you buy silver-plated or EPNS items?
No. EPNS and silver-plated items have only a thin surface layer of silver with little recoverable value. We buy solid sterling (925), Britannia (958) and 800-standard silver. Send a photo of the marks if you are unsure.
What about candlesticks and knife handles with weighted bases?
We still buy them, but weighted bases and filled handles contain non-silver filler for stability. The XRF assay and weighing account for this, and your written breakdown shows it honestly. On a loaded candlestick the recoverable silver is commonly somewhere between a tenth and a third of the gross weight; sell antique silver smalls sets out why, and what a photo frame or a thimble is realistically worth.
What is the silver price per gram in the UK?
Silver is quoted per troy ounce (31.1035 grams) in US dollars, so a UK per-gram figure is that price converted to sterling and divided by 31.1035. Your items are then valued on fineness: sterling at 0.925 of the fine rate, Britannia at 0.958, continental 800 standard at 0.800, less a buying margin. The silver price today page shows indicative per-gram rates by standard. Your own figure depends on inspection, weight, purity, hallmarks, stones, condition and the market rate on the day.
Who buys sterling silver in the UK?
Postal buyers, pawnbrokers, high-street jewellers, antique dealers and auction houses all buy sterling silver, and they suit different items. Melt-value buyers such as GoldPaid pay on assayed weight and purity, which suits worn flatware, odd pieces and broken jewellery. A named maker in original condition, Georgian hollowware or a sought-after pattern may do better at auction, and we will say so if we see it rather than quietly melt it.
Where can I sell my silver?
GoldPaid serves the whole UK by post, so there is no shop or branch to visit. Send a photo on WhatsApp first, request a free tracked Royal Mail label, and post your silver. You receive a written, itemised offer with no obligation attached. Accept and you are paid by Faster Payments within one working hour of acceptance, usually within 30 minutes during working hours. Decline and everything comes back free by tracked, signed-for post.
Can I sell silver for cash?
Payment is made by bank transfer rather than notes. Once you accept the written offer, GoldPaid pays by Faster Payments within one working hour of acceptance, usually within 30 minutes during working hours. You give your bank details at the point you accept, never as a condition of receiving an offer.
What if I decline the offer?
Everything is returned to you free of charge by tracked, signed-for Royal Mail post. There is no fee for declining and no follow-up pressure.
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 silverware & cutlery
- Sell silver cutlery and canteens
- Sell silver coins
- Sell silver bullion
- Silver price today
- Sell Pandora jewellery and charms
- What 925 means on silver
- What 958 means on silver
- What EPNS means on silver
- Sell unwanted jewellery
- Gold hallmark guide
- How we value gold
- Gold price today, UK rates
- Sell platinum
- Sell stamp collections
- Sell watches, coins, medals, medallions and stamps