No pressure to begin with
There is genuinely nothing to commit to at the start. WhatsApp a photo and you will get an honest read on whether testing is worth it for that item, what the cost would be, and what the report will say.
GoldPaid has no branches. The testing service is run by post, UK-wide, with a single number for calls and WhatsApp and a full evening window so you can ask outside work hours.
Consumer testing packs
| Pack | Price | What you get | Turnaround from receipt |
|---|---|---|---|
| XRF Single Item | £35 | One item, full multi-point scan, written PDF report, return postage included. | 24 to 48 hours |
| XRF Family Pack | £65 | Up to 5 items, individually identified and reported, comparison table, return postage included. | 24 to 48 hours |
| XRF Estate Pack | £95 | Up to 10 items, estate-inventory format, photo log, return postage included. | 24 to 48 hours |
| XRF Probate Pack | £195 | Up to 20 items, HMRC IHT400-ready format, executor cover letter, photo inventory, return postage included. | 48 to 72 hours |
| Plating Check | £25 | One item, multi-point plating-vs-solid scan, pass/fail summary, return postage included. | 24 hours |
| Insurance Valuation Add-on | +£25 per item | Reinstatement-value valuation added to the XRF report, insurer-friendly format. | Adds 1 working day |
All prices include Royal Mail Special Delivery return postage. 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.
Gem packs — in-house at GoldPaid
| Service | Price | What it covers | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gem Triage Screen | £40 | One stone or set, screen for diamond / moissanite / glass / synthetic, written summary. | 2 to 3 working days |
| Diamond Grading (loose stone) | £85 | Full grading report on a loose diamond: 4Cs, dimensions, inclusion plot, plain-English summary. | 5 to 7 working days |
| Coloured-stone Identification | £85 | Species and treatment identification on a single coloured stone, written report. | 5 to 7 working days |
| Pearl Report | £85 | Natural / cultured / imitation identification on a single pearl or strand, written report. | 5 to 7 working days |
Gem work is handled in-house by GoldPaid's gem specialist. We are not a UKAS-accredited gemmological laboratory; if you need a UKAS-accredited grading report (for example for a high-value insurance schedule), we will tell you straight and point you at AnchorCert Gem Lab as the escalation route. For most consumer, probate and trade gem questions, the in-house report is the right tool at the right price.
Trade accounts
| Account | Retainer | Per-item | SLA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trade — Standard | £99 / month | £8 / item | 48 hours from receipt |
| Trade — Charity Shop Starter | £59 / month (first month free) | £5 / item | 48 hours from receipt |
| Trade — Pawnbroker On-Call | no retainer | £20 / item | 4-hour photo-first SLA |
| Trade — Auction House | price on request | volume-based | 48 hours |
| Trade — Solicitor / Probate Practice | £195 per probate pack | included | 48 to 72 hours |
Trade accounts include bulk prepaid envelope packs, a monthly invoice, and a private dashboard showing every job logged, scanned and dispatched. WhatsApp routing is dedicated for trade lines so a high-street charity shop branch is not waiting in the consumer queue.
Why these prices, and how they compare
The UK Assay Offices price an XRF sample at around £25 to £55 plus VAT, and turn around in 5 to 10 working days using a trade-coded form. The retail jeweller route (Master Goldsmiths, regional) is £50 first item, £25 each additional, walk-in. The other postal testing service in the market sits at £50 to £95 by parcel weight.
GoldPaid is priced inside that range deliberately. The advantage is not undercutting the Assay Offices on price but on speed, format, postal mechanics and the report itself: 24 to 48 hours, plain-English summary alongside the technical table, QR-verified report number, and the not-a-hallmark disclaimer in plain English up front so nobody is misled.
How items travel
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.
Special Delivery is signed for at every handover. We send a confirmation by WhatsApp when the parcel reaches us, and the same again on the return leg once the report has been 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.
A test, not a sales pitch
The XRF testing service is paid-for and stands on its own. The report is what you bought. Nothing inside it is an offer, an invitation to sell, or a hidden valuation. The team running the test has no commission tied to whether you become a selling customer afterwards.
If you separately want a no-obligation offer for the item, you can ask. If you do not ask, nobody chases.
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.
The proof, not the promise
Anyone can say "best price". GoldPaid does not. Instead the process is laid bare: a measured XRF assay, calibrated weighing, the live market rate, and a written breakdown you read at home before you commit to anything. The reassurance here is structural, built into how the service works, rather than asserted in a slogan.
Common questions
Why is return postage included by default?
Because hiding return postage as a separate charge at the end is a classic dark pattern. The item is going back regardless, and the cost belongs in the pack price. It also means there is no friction at the moment the report is ready — your item ships back the same day, automatically.
What if I want a paper certificate posted to me?
A printed paper version of the report can be added for £8 to cover printing and dispatch. The PDF report is delivered by email by default because most customers prefer it.
Can I pay by invoice?
Trade accounts are invoiced monthly. Consumer packs are paid online by card at checkout, or by bank transfer on request — we will WhatsApp the bank details and start the test once the funds arrive.
Are there volume discounts?
Yes — trade accounts. The trade pricing table above is the published rate; for very large monthly volumes (200+ items / month) we will quote a specific rate on request.