Ask first, post later
Start with a question, not a parcel. Send a photo on WhatsApp or call, and you will get a straight answer on what testing tier suits your item and what the report will cover. None of it commits you to posting anything.
This is a UK-wide postal testing service. There is no shop to visit and no counter. Wherever you live, the process is the same: ask first, then decide.
When this is the right pack
A heavy-feeling chain bought abroad. A signet ring inherited without paperwork. A bracelet from a market stall sale. A pocket watch whose case is rubbing through. Any time the question is binary — solid or plated — and a full elemental analysis is not what you need, the plating check is the right tier.
For full composition reporting on the same item, the single-item pack at £35 covers it (and includes the plating screen as part of the standard report).
How a plating check works
Plating shows up on XRF because the plated layer is typically a few microns thick. A scan at the centre of a face may read mostly the gold layer; a scan at a worn corner or edge reads through to the base metal underneath. The signature is unmistakable when scans across the same item disagree.
The SOP on a plating check requires at least three scan points per item: centre, edge, and a scan near any worn or rubbed area. The report shows each reading and the variation between them.
What is in the plating-check report
- Pass / fail / consistent-with-solid headline on the front page.
- Multi-point scan trace: three readings minimum, each shown.
- Plain-English summary: e.g. "consistent with solid 9ct gold (375 ppt)" or "plated gold over a base-metal core: face reads 750 ppt, edge reads 4 ppt".
- Full elemental table for the dominant reading.
- Indicative scrap-equivalent value at the live spot price, only if the item is consistent with solid precious metal.
- The not-a-hallmark disclaimer in plain English.
The process, step by step
- Start with a photo. A clear WhatsApp photo of the item is enough for us to tell you which pack fits, what the report will show, and what the price will be.
- Pay and get your label. Once you order, a free Royal Mail Special Delivery label and a QR code for the counter are emailed straight back.
- Send it in your own time. Use any padded envelope. The label stays valid until used. There is no time pressure on you.
- Tested by handheld XRF. Each item is scanned at multiple points with a Thermo Scientific Niton XL2 precious-metal analyser. The full elemental table goes into the report.
- Report inside 24 to 48 hours. A written PDF report arrives by email, and your item is dispatched back on the same day, fully insured.
Insurance and tracking
Your parcel is insured up to £2,500 via Royal Mail Special Delivery. For higher cover we can arrange a tracked courier before you post, with the cover level agreed in writing first.
The label is Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm next working day, with full tracking and signature on receipt. The tracking link is emailed to you the moment the label is issued.
If something cannot be tested
Items are returned by Royal Mail Special Delivery the same day the report is signed off. Return postage and insurance are part of the testing fee, not an extra at the end.
On the rare occasion an item cannot be read accurately, you receive a full refund of the testing fee and the item is returned the same day, with a short note explaining what happened and what an alternative test would involve.
Testing is testing
Plenty of gold buyers will offer a "free test" if you send your item in. That is a sales tool, not an independent service. This page is the other way round: you pay for the test and the report stands on its own. Whether you sell anything afterwards is a separate decision, and one we do not get involved in unless you ask.
The full reasoning is on the dedicated independence pledge page.
What this report is, and what it is not
The report identifies the elemental composition of an item to the accuracy of the analyser. It does not replace a UK hallmark, an Assay Office fire assay, or a written valuation from a qualified valuer for insurance reinstatement purposes. We say so in plain English on the front page of every report.
If a report leaves any doubt, we will tell you what the next step would be — typically a UK Assay Office fire assay (destructive but definitive) for high-value disputes, or a written insurance valuation from a qualified independent valuer for reinstatement cover.
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 if the item turns out to be plated?
The report says so clearly, shows the multi-point evidence, and includes the elemental table for the underlying alloy. Some plated items have small resale value in their own right; the report tells you straight, no spin.
What if it turns out to be solid?
You get a "consistent with solid" headline, the elemental table, and an indicative scrap-equivalent value. From that point, the decision on what to do with the item is yours.
Can a plating check tell the difference between gold-filled and gold-plated?
Gold-filled (rolled gold) layers are thicker than plate but still finite. XRF can usually flag them — the report says "consistent with gold-filled, base metal detected at edge scan" rather than a clean pass.
Will it work on antique items?
Yes. Antique gold often pre-dates modern hallmarking and reads cleanly on XRF. Pre-1854 lower-purity standards (e.g. 15ct, 12ct) read accurately because XRF measures actual composition, not the hallmark.