Start with a question, not a parcel
The first step is a conversation, not a commitment. Send a photo of your gold and silver watches on WhatsApp, or call, and you will get an honest quick indicative figure and a straight answer to anything you want to ask. You decide what happens next.
Because GoldPaid works entirely by post across the UK, you do all of this from home, in your own time. No shop, no queue, and nobody watching over your shoulder while you think.
What we buy, and why you should ask first
GoldPaid buys watches primarily for their precious-metal content, solid gold and solid silver cases, and gold watch chains and Alberts. We are honest about this: a branded watch may be worth more as a working timepiece to a watch specialist than it is as metal to us.
That is exactly why every watch should start with a photo. Send a clear photo of the watch and any case-back markings on WhatsApp before posting. We will tell you honestly whether it makes sense to send it to us, or whether a watch specialist is the better route. We would rather say so than buy a collectable watch as scrap.
- Solid gold watch cases, 9ct, 14ct, 18ct
- Solid silver watch cases and fob watches
- Gold watch chains, Alberts and fobs
- Broken and non-running solid gold or silver watches
- Gold-filled and plated watches, note: little recoverable metal value
How selling works here
- Start on WhatsApp. A couple of clear photos of your gold and silver watches are enough for us to give you a quick indicative figure at no charge.
- Claim your free postage. We issue a prepaid, tracked, signed-for Royal Mail Special Delivery label, or a QR code for the Post Office.
- Post in your own time. Any padded envelope works, and there is no deadline to meet.
- Get a written valuation. Each item is weighed on calibrated scales and read by XRF spectrometry, and the itemised offer is sent to you in writing.
- Accept or walk away. Acceptance means payment by Faster Payments; declining means a free, fully tracked return.
Valued on fact, not estimate
Your valuation rests on what can actually be measured: the purity an XRF assay confirms, the weight a calibrated scale records, and the live precious-metal rate at the time of assessment. It is all shown to you in writing first. XRF testing explained covers how the assay works.
For a watch sold as metal, the solid gold or silver case is weighed and XRF-assayed, and non-precious components, movement, glass, gold-plated or steel parts, are excluded from the figure. Gold-filled and plated cases have only a thin precious layer and little recoverable value. Where a watch appears to carry value as a timepiece beyond its metal, we will flag it rather than absorb it.
Postage and cover
Royal Mail Special Delivery cover may be available up to £2,500 depending on the postal method and cover level used. The label we send is Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed: tracked end to end, signed for on delivery, and arranged with that compensation cover per parcel. If you believe your items are worth more, message us before posting and we will arrange the right approach, whether that is additional cover or splitting items across more than one parcel. Full detail is on postage and insurance, and is it safe to post gold? walks through posting valuables safely.
No obligation, ever
You are free to walk away at any point before you accept. Decline the offer and everything is repacked and returned to you free of charge, fully tracked and insured. There is no assessment fee and no sales pressure afterwards. The detail is on what happens if I decline the offer.
Who this helps
This suits people with an old solid gold pocket or fob watch, broken watches with solid precious-metal cases that are not worth repairing, and anyone with gold watch chains and Alberts. For anything branded or potentially collectable, the photo-first check is there to point you to the right buyer, even if that is not us.
The payment step
Acceptance triggers payment: a direct bank transfer by Faster Payments, to the account you give us. Nothing to bank and nothing to chase.
Built to be trusted, not just believed
- Owner-run, with a named founder accountable for the service
- Every item XRF-assayed, the result shown to you in writing
- Free insured postage both ways, so a valuation is genuinely no-obligation
- Honest about its limits, including when a specialist would suit you better
- No fabricated reviews and no invented numbers, anywhere on the site
Common questions
Do you buy broken or non-running watches?
Yes, where the case is solid gold or silver, a non-running watch with a solid precious-metal case still holds metal value. The movement and non-precious parts are excluded from the figure.
What about gold-plated or gold-filled watches?
Gold-plated and gold-filled cases have only a thin precious layer with little recoverable value. Send a photo of the markings first and we will tell you honestly whether it is worth posting.
What if I decline the offer?
Your watch is returned to you free of charge by tracked, insured Royal Mail post. There is no fee for declining and no follow-up pressure.