We believe anyone selling gold deserves to know what to expect before they post their valuables, visit a valuation event or transact with a gold buyer. So we're building an ongoing, evidence-based record of what different gold buyers actually offer for verified quantities of gold, tested under real conditions.
This page will grow over time as more tests are carried out. Here is what we have found so far.
How We Test
Each entry on this page follows the same simple method:
- A quantity of gold, of a known weight and purity, is taken to a buyer
- The first offer made is recorded, with no negotiation
- That offer is then compared against the gold's true value, based on the live spot price at the time of the test
We record the first offer rather than a negotiated one because that's what most sellers actually receive. Many gold buyers start with a low offer and will pay more if a seller pushes back or walks away. In practice, most people accept the first figure they're given. That is the figure that matters most for an honest comparison.
If a company proclaims they pay 'top prices', it shouldn't be up to the seller to haggle them up to an acceptable offer - it should be offered as a matter of course.
Jon White - Gold Traders Founder
Before each test, the gold is verified for its exact weight and purity so the spot value can be calculated accurately. The spot price used in each entry is the live market rate recorded at the time of the test. Tests carried out by Gold Traders are conducted without disclosing the purpose of the visit. Where a test has been carried out by a third party - such as Trading Standards or a media organisation - we note this in the footnotes.
Results
Mobile and Event Buyers
These tests were carried out on gold buyers who operate from temporary locations - including campervans and buying events in car parks and other public spaces.
| Company | Date Tested | Quantity and Type of Gold | Amount Offered | Spot Value | % of Spot Offered | Amount Below Spot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold Arthur * | 19 May 2026 | 12.5g 9ct & 24.2g 18ct | £1,122.57 | £2,250.70 | 49.9% | £1,128.13 |
| Gold Arthur | 17 Feb 2026 | 24.2g 18ct | £1,286.55 | £2,113.79 | 60.9% | £827.24 |
Any seller should be looking to achieve at least 90% of the value for their gold. In the worst result recorded here, a seller would have walked away with over £900 less than fair market value.
* Test conducted by Wiltshire Trading Standards
Postal and Online Buyers
These tests were carried out on online gold buying services that operate by post. The seller sends their gold in and receives an offer - and in some cases a payment - by return.
| Company | Date Tested | Quantity and Type of Gold | Amount Offered | Spot Value | % of Spot Offered | Amount Below Spot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GoldSell.co.uk | 20 June 2026 | 15.2g 9ct | £293.17 | £547.17 | 53.7% | £254.00 |
| Cash4Gold-Now.com | 19 May 2026 | 12.4g 9ct | £401 | £597.68 | 67.1% | £196.68 |
| TextGold.co.uk ** | 17 Sep 2025 | 10g 9ct & 4g 22ct | £194.31 | £639.18 | 30.4% | £444.87 |
| PostGoldForCash.com ** | 17 Sep 2025 | 10g 9ct & 4g 22ct | £492 | £639.18 | 77.0% | £147.18 |
TextGold offered just 30.4% of the gold's true spot value. Any seller should be looking to achieve at least 90% for their gold, meaning they could have walked away with over £380 more for the same items.
** Tests conducted by Ben Endley for The Sun on Sunday
What "Percentage of Spot" Means
The spot price is the live international trading price for gold. No buyer can realistically pay 100% of spot, because they need to cover their costs and make a profit.
But the percentage of spot offered is the clearest way to compare buyers fairly, because it accounts for the gold price moving day to day. It gives you a consistent measure regardless of when the test took place.
As a general guide, a reputable buyer should be paying at least 90% of spot value. Anything significantly below that is worth questioning.
This Isn't a New Problem
The issues on this page are not new. In November 2009, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) opened a formal investigation into five companies operating postal gold buying services. The investigation was publicly announced in January 2010 and the case was closed in February 2011.
The OFT found concerns about misleading pricing claims - including companies advertising "top prices" and "best prices" without making clear that offers were based on the scrap or smelt value of the gold. It also raised concerns about a lack of transparency around key terms, practices that undermined consumers' ability to make an informed decision, and potentially unfair contract terms.
Three companies signed legally binding undertakings to change their practices. Two others ceased trading. Heather Clayton, Senior Director of the OFT's Consumer Group, said at the time:
"Any companies operating similar business models must make sure they treat consumers properly and provide clear information on how the service operates so that people make informed decisions about whether they wish to part with their possessions."
That statement was made in 2011. More than fifteen years later, the same concerns apply - not only to postal buyers, but to mobile buyers, and valuation event-based buyers as well.
The undertakings signed in 2011 applied only to those named companies. No statutory regulation was introduced. New operators have entered the market with no obligation to follow any of the standards the OFT sought to establish. The OFT itself was abolished in 2014, with its consumer enforcement work passing to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and National Trading Standards. The case record is now held by the CMA.
Today, none of those companies that signed that undertaking are still trading.
This is the core argument for regulation rather than individual undertakings: company-by-company agreements do not fix a market. Only statutory rules that apply to every operator can.
Why We're Doing This
Right now, there is no law that requires a gold buyer to tell you what they're paying before you agree to sell. That makes it almost impossible to compare offers in advance.
Gold Traders is campaigning for mandatory price transparency across the gold-buying market, so that every buyer has to publicly state their price per gram before a transaction begins. Until that becomes law, we'll keep testing and publishing what we find.
What a Legitimate Gold Buyer Looks Like
Not all gold buyers operate in the same way. Here is what you should expect from a reputable one:
- They publish their prices per gram online, by purity, so you can check before you visit or send anything
- They tell you exactly what they will pay before you agree to anything
- They carry out a transparent weight and purity assessment and share the results with you
- They do not pressure you to accept an offer on the spot
- They hold Trading Standards accreditation through the national Buy With Confidence scheme
- They provide written confirmation of any offer before a transaction is completed
Gold Traders was the first precious metals dealer in the UK to hold Buy With Confidence accreditation. We publish both the live spot price and the rate we actually pay, so you can check the numbers before you decide.
Check Before You Sell
Before you sell your gold anywhere, ask one simple question:
What is your price per gram, for the purity of gold I have?
If a buyer cannot or will not give you a clear answer before you hand anything over, treat that as a warning sign.
You can also use our free gold calculator to work out a fair value for your own gold before you visit anyone, based on today's live spot price.
Jon White, founder of Gold-Traders (UK) Ltd, has been buying and selling precious metals for eighteen years and is campaigning for the introduction of mandatory consumer protection in the UK gold buying market.
