Gold Traders UK Ltd

12/10/2026

Our founder, Jon recently met his MP, Sarah Gibson, to explain why a scrap metal yard has more rules than the gold trade.

A dealer buying old copper piping must be licensed, can't pay cash, and is required to obtain ID.

A gold buyer needs none of that. No license, no pricing on show, and no checks.

Many people sell gold only once or twice in their lives, often after losing someone or when money's tight. They don't know what it's really worth, and some unwitting sellers are paid as little as 30p for every £1 of value.

We're pleased to say that Sarah agrees that something needs to change. She's backing the campaign to introduce some simple, proportionate rules in the sector and has pledged to apply for a Westminster Hall debate to protect people who sell their gold.

In her words: "Responsible dealers should have nothing to fear from higher standards, and I am pleased to support Jon's campaign."

We're asking for five simple rules:

- Show the price before you buy
- Regulate postal buying
- Regulate travelling buying events
- Ban large cash payments
- ID checks for all sellers

None of these rules should hurt a legitimate gold buyer. They would, however, allow sellers to make an informed decision before putting their valuables in a freepost envelope, attending a travelling 'roadshow' buying event, or visiting a gold buyer parked up in a supermarket car park.

Thank you also to Damian Hinds MP, who has already raised this in Parliament.

If you've ever sold gold and felt short-changed, we'd like to hear from you.

17/08/2026

An MP asked the government to make gold dealers show their price before you sell. Their answer? “We haven’t looked into it.”
Damian Hinds MP tabled a question in Parliament asking whether gold buyers, on the high street and online, should have to display the price they pay per gram before a transaction. It’s a simple, reasonable ask.
The government’s written answer confirms they haven’t made any assessment of it. They point to existing consumer law that stops dealers lying to you, but that’s not the same as a rule that makes them show you the price up front.
Plenty of dealers advertise themselves as the “highest paying” gold buyer in the UK, with nothing published to back it up. Anyone can claim it. Very few can prove it.
We publish our rates. Every customer can see the live spot price and the actual price we pay, before they send anything in. Most gold buyers don’t. That gap is exactly what leaves people accepting far less than their gold is worth, without ever knowing it.
This is one small step in a bigger campaign to bring basic transparency to an unregulated market. More to come.
#ᴋɴᴏᴡʏᴏᴜʀᴡᴏʀᴛʜ

05/08/2026

Right now, someone in Britain is selling their gold for less than half what it's worth. And no law is being broken.

The UK's precious metals buying market has no rules. Anyone can start buying gold tomorrow. No regulation and no duty to show you the rate they pay, which would allow you to make an informed decision before selling.

That gap gets used. Through the post, at pop-up events, from mobile vans in car parks and over counters up and down the country. It isn't unusual for sellers to be paid between 30% and 60% of what their gold is really worth. Most sellers never realise they've been short-changed.

Here's the scale of it.

Britain sells an estimated £2.5 billion of scrap gold every year. If just half of those sellers unknowingly go to a low payer and get around 50%, instead of the 90% or more a fair dealer pays, that works out at roughly £500 million a year lost by ordinary people.

On a single sale, it looks like this. You bring in £1,000 of gold, perhaps inherited, perhaps needed for the bills. A fair buyer pays you around £900. A low payer hands you £300 to £500. Same gold, same day, up to £700 gone.

We would like the Government to introduce some proportionate rules to make things fairer.

- Show the price before you buy
- Regulate postal buying services
- Regulate travelling buying events
- Ban large cash payments
- ID checks for all sellers

None of this hurts honest businesses. Every one of these is something a fair, well-run buyer already does.

Please sign, and share it with anyone who might one day sell their gold. That's almost everyone you know.

ROBBED IN BROAD DAYLIGHT: Gold buyers pay Brits HALF what their gold is worth. Legally.

30/07/2026

The UK precious metals buying market is entirely unregulated, which allows anyone to set up as gold buyer with no rules to adhere to.

From our own experience, many people sell gold due to bereavement or financial distress. In both cases, the seller is vulnerable and often lacks the knowledge required to make an informed decision as to whether they're being offered a fair price.

Many gold buyers operate, claiming to pay 'Top Prices' whilst failing to disclose the genuine rates they pay.

At present, there is no requirement for any buyer to publish their rates, hence a seller is often unable to make an informed decision as to whether the buyer will offer a fair price.

we would like to see the introduction of some common-sense rules that are proportionate, fair and in no way hinder a legitimate, transparent buyer.

If you think this is a sensible suggestion, please support me and sign the petition to raise awareness of this issue.

Regulate the UK's precious metals buying market

10/07/2026

I built my entire business on transparency because I was tired of seeing people walking into shops and get a “mystery price.“

The gold industry is famous for being hush-hush, but I’ve always believed you deserve to know exactly what’s happening on the scale. The biggest mistake you can make is just asking “how much is this worth?“ Instead, ask for the “price per gram”, every single time. If a buyer won’t give you that number clearly, they’re hiding their profit from you.

Follow me for more tips on how to get the most money for your gold.

08/07/2026

Same gold. Four buyers. A difference of more than £750.

We asked Wiltshire Trading Standards to carry out an independent investigation - taking a verified quantity of gold worth more than £2,200 to four different types of gold buyer and simply recording what each one offered.

Here's what they found:

- Mobile gold buyer (campervan, car park): £1,122.57
- Bricks and mortar gold buyer: £1,191.00
- High Street jeweller: £1,500.42
- High Street pawnbroker: £1,880.00

Gold Traders would have offered £2,057.82 for the same gold, based on the rates we publish every day on our website.

"This exercise shows just how much offers can vary between different types of gold buyer, even for an identical quantity of gold," said Tom Hutchinson, Principal Trading Standards Officer at Wiltshire Council.

Not one buyer told the Trading Standards officer their price per gram before making an offer. Under current law, none of them had to.

That needs to change.

We're campaigning for mandatory price transparency in the gold buying market, so that every seller can make an informed decision before they part with their gold. We've written up the full investigation on our blog - including the complete results and our advice on what to ask before you sell. Link in the first comment.

Wiltshire Trading Standards tested what different gold buyers really offer for the same gold. See the results and find out what your gold is worth.

21/04/2026

This week, we took delivery of our 100,000th claim - and this is the parcel.

It came from Mr P. in Lincolnshire. His valuation: £1,773.70.

Our very first claim, back in 2008, resulted in a payout of £61.41.

Back then, 9ct gold was worth under £5 a gram. Today, we're paying over £39 a gram - over 90% of what the metal is worth on the live market.

Eighteen years. 100,000 claims. The gold price has changed enormously. The way we treat our customers hasn't.

If you've got gold, silver, coins, or jewellery sitting at home, find out exactly what it's worth and what we'll pay. Our prices are published live on the website every single day - no small print, no surprises.

Have you been surprised by how much your old gold jewellery is worth lately? Let us know in the comments.

01/04/2026

Serious investors only: Is a 1kg Silver bar worth the spot in your vault?👇