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.
When this tier is useful
A customer brings in a chain claiming 22ct; the in-house Niton reads 18ct; the customer disputes the reading. An antique watch case has a worn hallmark that does not match modern UK fineness marks. A bracelet looks gold but reads silver. The on-call tier exists for these moments — an independent multi-point XRF report from a different machine, calibrated and operated separately, available the same working day.
It is not a replacement for the pawnbroker's own kit. It is an independent witness, and that is what makes the report useful in a dispute.
How the on-call tier works
- Photo first, on WhatsApp, with the disputed item and a short summary of the situation.
- 4-hour SLA on the indicative read: GoldPaid responds inside four working hours with an indicative response and a posting decision.
- Priority Special Delivery on the inbound and outbound parcel.
- Multi-point scan + photographic log — every reading on every point of the item, logged.
- Written report inside 24 hours of receipt, on the same not-a-hallmark format as every other testing tier.
- Independent calibration audit available on request for any disputed report, free.
Why pawnbrokers use a third-party test
In a customer dispute, two readings from the same shop are still one shop's readings. An independent report from a different machine, operated by a third party, defuses the dispute in a way an in-house re-test cannot. The cost of a £20 report compared with the cost of an unhappy customer leaving a 1-star review is not a contest.
The report is also useful for items being passed on to refiners or auction — an independent composition record on a higher-value lot is a small price for a clean chain of custody.
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 insured 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 24 to 48 hours. Item returned by Special Delivery the same day. Nothing kept, nothing held back.
Insurance and tracking
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.
The label is Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm next working day, with full tracking and signature on receipt. The tracking link is emailed to you the moment the label is issued.
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 insurance 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. 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.
Built to be trusted, not just believed
- Owner-run, with a named founder accountable for the service
- Every item XRF-assayed, the result shown to you in writing
- Free insured 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
How quickly is the indicative read on a photo?
Inside four working hours during the 8am-9pm window. Out-of-window jobs are responded to first thing the next morning.
Can the report be addressed jointly to the shop and the customer?
Yes. The report can be addressed to the shop with a customer-named copy on request, useful for resolving a dispute on the spot.
What if my customer wants a second opinion on your reading?
The report points them at the UK Assay Office fire assay route — destructive but definitive — and we recommend that as the next step on a contested high-value item. Our reading and the Assay Office fire assay rarely disagree by more than ±0.1%.
Can we white-label the report?
No — the report is independent because it is GoldPaid-issued, not because it is shop-issued under a different name. White-labelling would defeat the point of the on-call tier.