You stay in control
A photo on WhatsApp is enough for us to tell you which testing pack fits, what the report can and cannot tell you, and what it will cost. Only when you are comfortable do you order the pack.
No part of this involves a shop visit. The testing service is postal-only, anywhere in the UK, with the phone and WhatsApp answered 8am to 9pm, seven days a week.
How a trade account works
- One monthly retainer that covers account management, dedicated WhatsApp routing, the emailed job log, and the priority queue.
- A per-item rate for every item tested, billed at the end of the month.
- Bulk prepaid envelope packs posted to your address so a parcel can go out the day a job arrives.
- A 48-hour target from receipt to report. Pawnbroker on-call jobs run on a four-hour photo-first response target.
- An emailed job log covering every job logged, scanned and dispatched, with the PDF reports attached.
- A single monthly invoice with item logs and a reference for every job, suitable for charity finance teams and small accounting practices. GoldPaid is not VAT-registered, so invoices carry no VAT.
The five trade tiers
| Tier | Retainer | Per item | Turnaround target | Built for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charity Shop Starter | £59 / month, first month free | £5 | 48 hours | High-street charity branches handling donated jewellery. |
| Pawnbroker On-Call | none | £20 | 4-hour photo target | Pawnbrokers needing a fast second opinion when in-house testing is contested. |
| Solicitor / Probate | none | £195 per probate pack | 48 to 72 hours | Solicitors handling estates that include jewellery. |
| Auction House | price on request | volume-based | 48 hours | Regional auction houses cataloguing jewellery lots. |
| Standard Trade | £99 / month | £8 | 48 hours | Antique dealers, estate clearers, refiners. |
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 48 hours, or 48 to 72 hours on the solicitor probate tier. 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.
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.
Testing is testing
Plenty of gold buyers will offer a "free test" if you send your item in. That is a sales tool, not a testing 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 testing 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. The composition report does not replace a UK hallmark, an Assay Office fire assay, or an insurance reinstatement valuation. Any separately ordered replacement-value assessment is a different document: check your insurer’s valuer and report requirements before ordering. 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.
Common questions
Can I trial an account before committing?
The Charity Shop Starter tier is first month free by default. For the standard trade tier, we offer a 5-item trial at the per-item rate before the monthly retainer kicks in.
How does invoicing work?
A single monthly invoice on the first working day of the following month, with item logs and a reference for every job. GoldPaid is not VAT-registered, so no VAT is charged and the invoice is not a VAT invoice. Payment is 14 days net by bank transfer or direct debit.
What is the job log like?
A job log emailed after every job. Every job appears with timestamp, item photo, scan trace, PDF report and status (received, scanning, dispatched). Audit-friendly and exportable to CSV.
Can a trade account refer customers to the consumer side?
Yes, and that referral path is open and named. Trade accounts and consumer customers stay separate in the system; the testing pledge applies to both.
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.