For UK charity shops and head offices only. WhatsApp first.Built for UK registered charity shops and head offices only. Start with a free WhatsApp valuation from a real UK human before anything is posted.
07375 071158A straightforward explanation of the testing method used for precious-metal assessment.
1. Human view first
The route starts with a real UK valuer or a page-specific enquiry, not a blind parcel and not a generic contact form.
2. Evidence next
The next step should create something usable inside the charity: a scheduled session, a governance review pack, a pilot conversation, or a written valuation trail.
3. Decision stays with the charity
Nothing on this site removes the charity's control. The branch, head office, trustee, or finance lead still decides whether to proceed once the evidence is on the table.
Registered charity bank account only. Written itemised valuation. Trustee-friendly PDF. Tracked return if declined.
Free same-day rough estimate before posting. Valuation within two hours on arrival. Same-day payment where cut-off rules are met.
Who this page is for
Written for the trustee or finance lead reading with due diligence in mind.
Service boundary
UK registered charity shops and their head offices only. The site is not written for the public or non-charity resellers.
What happens next
Step 1
Start with a pre-posting human valuation, because a trustee should not be asked to approve blind sending on marketing language alone.
Step 2
If the rough estimate supports it, the next step is the prepaid Royal Mail Special Delivery label rather than an informal or untracked route.
Step 3
On arrival, the written valuation and trustee-friendly summary come before acceptance, which keeps the control point on paper rather than in memory.
Step 4
If the charity does not wish to proceed, the items are returned free of charge, tracked and insured, and no payment is ever routed outside the registered charity bank account.
One-minute summary
This section is written for quick internal review. Each answer is self-contained so a branch manager, retail lead, or trustee can lift the essential points without having to decode the whole page first.
Decision frame
A trustee is not being asked to approve an undefined postal buyer. The approval is for a process with a free pre-posting human valuation, prepaid Royal Mail Special Delivery label, written itemised valuation, same-day payment rules, and free tracked return if the final offer is declined.
Control points
The important controls are clear. The charity chooses whether to post after the rough estimate, chooses whether to accept after the written valuation, and receives payment only into the registered charity bank account. Those control points matter more than broad marketing assurances because they are what governance teams can evidence.
Honest limit
The model is designed for UK registered charity shops and their head offices only, and it is strongest for specialist donations that are awkward to price confidently in-store. It is not the best fit if a charity wants public walk-in buying, courier collection, or payment routes outside registered charity banking controls.
What we buy
Question 1
It is a testing method used to analyse the elemental composition of a material without relying solely on appearance or destructive assumptions. In practical charity-retail terms, it helps a specialist assess what a precious-metal item is made of more confidently than a visual guess can. That matters because hallmarks may be absent, misleading, worn, or misunderstood, and because value should not depend on branch confidence alone.
Question 2
Because the charity is trying to protect value and show that it used a defendable route. If a precious-metal item is assessed using a recognised method rather than casual inspection, trustees and finance teams have a stronger story to stand behind. The branch may never see the machine itself, but it benefits from the fact that final written valuation is grounded in something more rigorous than a quick look and a hopeful guess.
Question 3
It helps avoid the idea that colour, shine, or a single mark tells the whole story. Items can be plated, repaired, mixed, mis-stamped, or otherwise more complicated than they appear. XRF does not solve every question in the universe, but it narrows uncertainty in a way that is commercially useful. For charities, that means more confidence that the route chosen was proportionate to the potential value at stake.
Question 4
As a reason not to bluff. The branch does not need to master the testing method. It only needs to know that specialist assessment uses better tools than visual branch pricing can offer. That knowledge should encourage earlier escalation, cleaner photographs, and less temptation to rely on superficial cues where the item may justify proper testing.
Continue the review
These pages support the same decision from different angles. One explains process, one handles governance, and one gives the branch or head office a cleaner next action.
Next step
When valuable donations surface across ten shops or seven hundred, the problem is not only pricing. It is process discipline, audit readiness, reputational control, and staff confidence. This page is written for the operator carrying that responsibility.
Read this pageNext step
This page answers the seven questions that usually matter before a charity adopts an external specialist buying route. It is written for readers who care about audit trail, banking discipline, and whether the process stands up when papers are reviewed later.
Read this pageNext step
This page is for a charity shop or branch contact who has already had, or is about to have, a conversation with a valuer. WhatsApp remains the first step. The label request comes after that.
Read this pageBlog
Vintage Piggy blog
Read this pageStart with a real valuer
WhatsApp is the fastest route. If the estimate is right for your shop or head office, we then issue a prepaid Royal Mail Special Delivery label with the compensation uplift.
Before you act
The first control point is the pre-posting human estimate, not blind sending.
The second control point is the written valuation before any acceptance decision is made.
The final control point is payment to the registered charity bank account only, with tracked return if declined.
If the question is governance fit, the Trust Centre, trustee checklist, and sample pack are the right documents to review before any first parcel is approved.
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