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XRF Single Item: £35

XRF testing for one item: £35, written report in 24 to 48 hours

Send a photo on WhatsAppAsk which pack fits
Read our reviews on TrustpilotIndependent written XRF reportA test result, not a UK hallmarkYour item returned tracked, postage includedNo obligation to sell

One ring, one chain, one watch case, one coin, one bar. One multi-point XRF scan. One written report inside 24 to 48 hours of receipt, with the item returned by tracked, signed-for Special Delivery the same day. Return postage included.

Does £35 cover the return postage?Yes. £35 is the total. Royal Mail Special Delivery return is included.

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.

Your 14-day cancellation right

Your 14-day cancellation right. This is a service bought at a distance, so you can cancel within 14 days for a full refund. We only start testing sooner if you ask us in writing, which is what lets us report inside 24 to 48 hours, and once the report is finished you can no longer cancel it. Full terms: XRF-pack terms.

What this pack is for

One item, one report. The pack suits anyone with a single piece they want a straight answer on, a ring inherited from a grandparent, a chain bought on holiday, a watch case with a worn or missing hallmark, a sovereign or a Krugerrand whose provenance is fuzzy, or a small bar with markings that do not look quite right.

For more than one item, the family pack at £65 (up to 5 items) is the better value. The triage WhatsApp will tell you which one fits.

What is in the report

  1. Item photo at high resolution, front and back, with a reference scale.
  2. Item ID (a short reference and a QR code on the back page).
  3. Multi-point scan trace, three or more scan points, each shown.
  4. Full elemental table in parts per thousand: gold, silver, copper, palladium, zinc, nickel and any trace elements present.
  5. Plain-English summary in one paragraph that a non-specialist can read.
  6. Hallmark cross-check: photo of the mark, interpretation, and how the actual composition compares to it.
  7. Plating screen result: pass, fail, or "consistent with solid".
  8. Indicative scrap-equivalent value at the gold or silver spot rate recorded on the test date, clearly labelled as not an offer.
  9. The not-a-hallmark disclaimer in plain English on the front page.
  10. A unique report number that we will confirm to a third party on request.

The process, step by step

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Send it in your own time. Use any padded envelope. The label stays valid until used. There is no time pressure on you.
  4. 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.
  5. Report inside 24 to 48 hours. A written PDF report arrives by email, and your item is dispatched back on the same day by tracked Royal Mail Special Delivery, with cover that may be available up to £2,500 depending on the postal method and cover level used.

Postal cover and safety

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.

Tracking begins the moment the parcel is scanned at the Post Office counter. You receive the tracking reference straight after we issue the label, and again the moment the parcel arrives with us.

Return policy

Every item is returned by tracked, signed-for Special Delivery the same day the report is finalised. The return is included in what you have already paid. Nothing else is added at the end.

If we cannot complete a test for any reason (for example, the surface is too contaminated, or the item is a non-metallic composite), you are refunded in full and the item goes back the same day.

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

This is an independent XRF (X-ray fluorescence) compositional analysis report. It identifies the elemental composition of the item submitted. It is not a UK hallmark and does not replace the legal requirements of the Hallmarking Act 1973. UK hallmarks may only be applied by an authorised UK Assay Office.

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.

Built to be trusted, not just believed

  • Owner-run, with founder Rocco Clayfield personally accountable for the service
  • Every item XRF-assayed, the result shown to you in writing
  • Free tracked 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

Will the report value the item for insurance?

Not by default. The £35 single-item report shows an indicative scrap-equivalent value at the spot rate on the test date, which is not an insurance reinstatement valuation. If you want a reinstatement-value valuation added, the Insurance Valuation Add-on is +£25 per item.

What if my item turns out to be plated?

The report says so clearly. The multi-point scan picks up the plating signature, the report flags it on the front page, and you still get the full elemental table for the underlying alloy.

How big can the item be?

Up to the limits of Royal Mail Special Delivery (small parcels). For larger items or very high-value single pieces, ask first. 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.

Can I add a second item later?

Yes. If you have already paid for the single-item pack and decide to add a second item, the family pack price stands as the new total. We deduct what you have already paid and you settle the difference.

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

Two quick steps. Tell us which pack you want in the box below and we will confirm the price and how to pay before anything is charged. The label itself is prepaid and costs you nothing, and your items are returned to you free once the report is issued. Testing is a separate, paid service: if you are here to sell rather than to have items tested, the assay is free as part of selling and how it works is the page you want.

Two things worth knowing before you start, rather than after. Everyone sends a photo of a UK passport or driving licence, whatever the parcel is worth — it applies to every seller, so it is never a comment on you. And the parcel is handed in at a Post Office counter rather than dropped in a postbox: the receipt they give you is the proof of postage any compensation claim depends on.

Step 1: What are you sending, and how should the label arrive?

A rough description is plenty. This helps us confirm the right postal cover level before we issue the label. Skip if you would rather not say — the field is optional.

How would you like the label to arrive? Both are prepaid and both use Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed, so pick whichever is easier. The QR code is already selected because it needs no printer, and you can change your mind later — just message us before you post.

Choose how your prepaid label arrives

Step 2: Where do we send it?

Your label arrives by email whichever format you chose, so nothing is posted out to you. We need your address because it prints on the label itself, and because it is where anything you decline is returned. UK addresses only.

Needed so the label can be addressed to you.

We use these details only to issue your prepaid label and to talk to you about your items. We do not sell or share them. Data controller: Rocco Clayfield, founder of GoldPaid, on the ICO data protection register under registration ZC214216. See our privacy policy.

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

Take it at your pace. Start with a WhatsApp photo and a question, ask anything about the XRF assay, the per-gram rate, the postal cover, or the return-if-you-decline route. Nothing is posted until you choose to post it, and the written offer is the first moment any decision actually counts.

GoldPaid is a UK-wide postal gold and silver buying service with no shop: you request a free prepaid Royal Mail Special Delivery label, your items are XRF-assayed in house, and you are paid by bank transfer only if you accept the written offer.

GoldPaid is a registered UK business, and your prepaid Royal Mail Special Delivery label is addressed to us at 179 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2AG, so you always know exactly where your parcel is going before you post it.

Send a photo on WhatsAppRequest a prepaid Royal Mail label

Order a pack and the prepaid label follows by email, usually within 30 minutes during working hours, 8am to 9pm, 7 days a week. No printer? We send a QR code you show at the Post Office counter instead.

Ask first, order only when you are ready

Get an independent written report

Send a photo on WhatsApp and ask anything you like. We answer honestly, and we tell you which pack fits what you have before anything is charged.

Send a photo on WhatsAppCall 07944 014111

Prepaid Royal Mail Special Delivery label and tracked return included in the pack price. We confirm the price before anything is charged. The result is an independent written report, not an offer to buy, and you are never obliged to sell.