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.
The auction-house pain point
A catalogued lot described as "9ct gold chain" needs to actually be 9ct gold. If the description is wrong, the auction house is on the hook under the catalogue terms and the post-sale dispute is more expensive than any pre-sale testing fee. Hallmarks fail for the usual reasons: worn, replaced parts, repaired clasps, foreign stamps that look like UK marks but are not.
A clean XRF composition record on every metalwork lot is cheap protection against a post-sale dispute, and the catalogue language can be tightened to match the actual reading.
How the auction tier works
- Volume pricing, quoted in writing per catalogue / per month. Typically materially below the standard trade per-item rate.
- Dedicated routing: items batched, scanned, reported on the catalogue deadline schedule.
- Composition record per lot: photograph, full elemental table, plating screen, hallmark cross-check.
- Catalogue-ready summary for each lot, suitable to paste into the catalogue description.
- Full audit trail in the emailed job log, for post-sale verification.
- Return shipment by Royal Mail Special Delivery, tracked and signed for, split across more than one prepaid label where a catalogue is worth more than a single label’s cover level.
What changes in a saleroom that uses XRF on every lot
Catalogue descriptions get sharper. The phrase "yellow metal" disappears from chains that are actually 18ct. Plated pieces are catalogued as plated, accurately, and bid in a different range. Lot-by-lot composition records mean any post-sale "this was misdescribed" claim can be checked against the file in minutes.
How we run the test
- WhatsApp the photo. Tell us what you have, what you are trying to confirm, and what you would like the report to cover.
- Choose the pack. Single item, family pack, estate pack, probate pack, plating check, or an in-house gem report. Pricing is on the pricing page.
- Free tracked label. Special Delivery, tracked, signed for. Print at home or scan a QR at the counter.
- Tested at multiple points. A handheld Niton XL2 reads the elemental composition of every item. Plating, low-purity solder joints and unusual alloys are flagged.
- Report and return. PDF report inside 48 hours. Item returned by Special Delivery the same day. Nothing kept, nothing held back.
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.
What you get back, and when
Your item is returned by Royal Mail Special Delivery on the same working day the report is issued. Return postage and its cover are included in the testing fee. There is no separate return charge.
If, for any reason, an item cannot be tested (badly damaged surface, non-metallic core, equipment misalignment), we tell you straight, refund the testing fee, and return the item the same day.
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. 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.
Why sell by post with GoldPaid
Three differences from a counter sale. You see a measured valuation in writing, not a verbal estimate. You decide at home, with nobody waiting. And if you decline, the return is free, tracked and signed for, so obtaining the valuation costs you nothing.
Common questions
Can the testing happen on-site at the saleroom?
For large volumes, an on-site testing day can be arranged by prior agreement. Standard tier is postal.
Is the report shown to bidders?
That choice belongs to the saleroom. It can publish the composition record alongside the lot or keep it on file for post-sale reference. Both work.
What about stones in a lot?
Metal goes through XRF, stones go through the in-house gem service alongside. Lot-level pricing reflects which work each lot needs.
How does invoicing work for a saleroom?
Monthly invoice on the first working day of the following month, tied to the catalogue calendar so the saleroom’s accounts team can match jobs to sales.
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.