Posting safely and cover: is it safe to post gold?

In short

On postage we arrange, the risk in the post is ours in both directions, and we make any claim on the carrier ourselves. The service and its cover are confirmed to you in writing before you post. If a parcel is lost, what is owed is what the items were worth, not the carrier's figure.

Who carries the risk, and what the cover is

We choose the carrier and the service, and the contract with the carrier is between us and the carrier. That is why the risk in the post sits with us (the terms, clauses 3.2 and 7.2). It runs from the moment the parcel is handed over until a returned parcel is delivered to you. You are never asked to claim, chase the carrier or prove anything to it.

When you are ready to post, we arrange the postage with you and confirm the service and its cover in writing before anything is sent. If that cover looks low for what you are sending, tell us, and do not post until it has been sorted out.

No carrier or compensation figure is published here. The service and its cover are confirmed to you in writing for your parcel, and the carrier's own page for that service is cited in the same confirmation. See what you can check today

The carrier's compensation protects us. It is not a limit on what you are owed, and it is not something you have to claim under. If a parcel we arranged is lost or damaged, what we owe you is what the items were worth: not what we would have offered, and not what the carrier pays us. If we cannot agree that figure, an independent valuer decides and we pay the fee (the terms, clauses 12.2 to 12.4).

Carrier compensation is the most a carrier will pay if it loses a parcel; it is not a valuation of your things and not insurance you have bought. If you post at your own expense, the risk in the post and any claim are yours, not ours, because clause 7.2 covers only postage we arrange; ask us before you post any other way. The packing and posting guide covers packing and which Royal Mail service to use, and the lost or damaged parcel guide explains what happens if a parcel goes missing.

If what you have is worth a lot

Tell us roughly what you are sending before you post, so the right service is used. A set of photographs on WhatsApp, or a telephone call, is enough, and costs you nothing. If you do not know, say so.

If a large lot is split into two parcels posted on different days, tell us in writing that they belong together and we hold the first until the second arrives, so the two are offered on as one lot; when we agree a split with you, we ask whether you want one offer for all the parcels or a separate offer for each (the terms, clause 3.3). An honest mistake about what something turns out to be worth is never held against you. Only knowingly sending far more than you told us can reduce what is paid after a loss, and only as far as not being told caused it (clause 7.4).

The chain of custody, and what each stage leaves behind

StageOn the recordWhat happens

Sealed at your endSeal numberIf we send you a numbered tamper-evident bag, seal it and note the number, so that any opening shows. Either way, photograph the packed box before you tape it.

Posted and trackedPosting receiptHand it over where your postage directs, never into a postbox. From that moment the risk is ours, and any claim on the carrier is ours to make, not yours. Keep the receipt and its tracking number because they speed a trace, but losing them costs you nothing (the terms, clauses 7.2 and 7.3).

Logged before it is openedPhotographsOn arrival the parcel is matched to your reference and photographed unopened: the outer packaging, any damage, and the seal and bag number where there is one. Only then is it opened (the terms, clause 8.1).

Stopped if anything is wrongPhotographs as foundIf the seal or packaging looks opened, the parcel is damaged, or it weighs less than the carrier recorded, nothing more is done. It is photographed as it is, you are told first, and the carrier is told at the same time.

Numbered, piece by pieceItem numbersEach item is given a number that stays with it through weighing, checking, your offer, and either the payment or the return post. Nothing is tipped into a single heap of metal.

Kept secure between stagesCustody recordItems are kept secure whenever they are not being examined, for as long as your offer is open. Nothing is melted, cut or altered before you accept.

Out again, either wayPayment or trackingAccept, and you are paid by bank transfer to a UK account in your own name (the terms, clause 7.1). Decline, and everything is repacked, photographed and sent back tracked and signed for, at our cost, with the risk ours until it is delivered to you.

What is written down and photographed before a parcel is opened. The fields are drawn empty and record no real consignment.

Recording the opening

Parcel openings are not filmed, so filming is not offered as a protection. What exists is the photographic record: the parcel as it arrived, its seal and bag number where there is one, and each item as it was unpacked. If filming ever starts, this page will say what is captured, who may see it, how long it is kept and how to ask for a copy or its deletion.

Your details are as sensitive as your gold

A parcel of jewellery tells someone what you own, and your name and address tell them where it is. Photographs you send are never used to advertise anything, not even cropped or blurred. Any sent through this website are stored privately, with no address on the site that serves them; photographs sent on WhatsApp or by email are kept with your case file and deleted on the periods set out in the privacy notice. Identity documents are kept apart from the case file, with access logged.

No analytics provider is running. If one ever is, it will see pages, not people: no item descriptions, no figures, no contact details. The privacy notice gives the lawful basis and how long each kind of record is kept, and the identity guide explains when we ask for ID and what happens to it afterwards.

Four things that make your parcel safer

Before you postCheck who you are posting to. How to check a postal gold buyer covers the public registers and what to read in the terms.
Before you tape itPhotograph the pieces laid out together. If what arrived is ever in question, your photograph counts as evidence alongside ours (the terms, clause 8.5).
On the boxWrite nothing about the contents on the outside of the parcel.
When you hand it overHand it in where your postage directs, not into a postbox, and keep the receipt until the matter is finished.

Posting safely and cover