No pressure to begin with
Nothing is committed 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, laid out to match the IHT407 schedule, 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 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, and if a parcel may be worth more than that we split it across more than one prepaid label at no charge, each with its own tracking number and cover. Contract terms for the paid packs, including your 14-day cancellation right under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, are on the XRF-pack terms page.
Each pack has its own page setting out what is in the report and who it suits: single item at £35, family pack at £65 for up to five items, estate pack at £95 for up to ten, probate pack at £195 for up to twenty in an executor-ready format, and the plating check at £25 for the single question of solid or plated. If you are not sure which fits, the XRF testing FAQ answers the common ones, or ask on WhatsApp before you pay for anything.
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 | Turnaround target |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | four-hour photo-first response target |
| Trade: Auction House | price on request | volume-based | 48 hours |
| Trade: Solicitor / Probate Practice | no retainer | £195 per probate pack | 48 to 72 hours |
Trade accounts include bulk prepaid envelope packs, a monthly invoice, and an emailed job log covering 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
UK Assay Office XRF sampling is typically priced in the tens of pounds plus VAT, with a lead time of several working days and a trade-coded submission form. High-street jewellers who offer testing usually charge per item and need you to attend in person. Other postal testing services publish their own rates, and it is worth checking them before ordering.
GoldPaid sits inside that range on purpose. The point was never to undercut the Assay Offices on price; it was to be quicker and easier to deal with. Turnaround is 24 to 48 hours, the technical table comes with a summary a non-specialist can read, every report carries a unique report number, and the not-a-hallmark distinction is stated up front rather than buried, so nobody is misled about what they have bought.
How items travel
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, and if a parcel may be worth more than that we split it across more than one prepaid label at no charge, each with its own tracking number and cover.
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
Now and then an item will not give a reliable reading. When that happens you get the whole testing fee back, plus a short note setting out what defeated the analyser and what an alternative test would involve. The item goes home the same day.
That is the exception rather than the rule. Ordinarily your item leaves here by Royal Mail Special Delivery on the day the report is signed off, with postage and its cover already included in the fee you paid at the start.
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. Nobody running the test has a 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.
What you see before you decide
GoldPaid makes no price-beating claims. You get the XRF reading, the weight and the figure for every piece in writing, and you decide at home.
What decides your offer
Every parcel is opened at our Bristol office and each piece is handled on its own. Nothing is averaged across the parcel.
- Weight. Each item is weighed on calibrated scales. Stones, steel springs, non-gold clasps and cores are separated first, so you are paid on metal, not on what the piece looks like on the scales.
- Purity. Each item is tested with an XRF analyser, which reads the alloy without marking or damaging it. The hallmark tells us what the maker claimed; the XRF tells us what is actually there. We pay on the test.
- The market on the day. Gold and silver are priced against the live precious-metal market at the time your parcel is assessed, not at the time you posted.
- Condition and intact value. Broken is fine and does not reduce a metal offer. Where a piece is worth more intact (a named maker, a collectable coin, a locket with provenance) we tell you before testing, so you can choose.
- Anything that is not gold or silver. Plated, rolled-gold and base-metal items are listed on the offer at nothing and returned to you free. We never quietly keep them.
Why we do not publish a per-gram price list. A single printed rate hides the things that change the figure: hollow versus solid, stones, mixed carats in one bag, a mark that does not match the metal. We would rather show you the weight, the tested purity and the figure for each item, in writing, and let you decide. Final offers depend on inspection, item weight, purity, hallmarks, stones, non-gold components, condition and the live precious-metal market.
What you see before you decide. A written, itemised offer by WhatsApp or email: every item, its weight, its tested purity, and its figure. Accept and we aim to pay by bank transfer within one working hour. Decline and the whole parcel comes back by Royal Mail Special Delivery at our cost. No fee, no deduction, no questions.
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 copy 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 it arrives sooner and carries the same content.
Can I pay by invoice?
Trade accounts are invoiced monthly. Consumer packs are paid by bank transfer. 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.
Not the question you had? The full GoldPaid FAQ covers the rest, from postal cover and ID checks to what happens if you decline the offer.
Request a prepaid Royal Mail label for your XRF test
Tell us which pack you want in the note on the first step and we will confirm the price and how to pay before anything is charged. The label is prepaid and costs you nothing, and your items are returned to you free once the report is issued. Here to sell rather than to have items tested? Testing is free as part of selling, and how it works is the page you want.
Rather ask a question or send a photo first? Message us on WhatsApp.
GOLDPAID LTD · 07944 014111