Barrie’s Story

What is the process after receiving a donation? 

“On the whole, these donations will come into our shops and then make their way to our head office. All items of value, or potential value, are stored in lockable wallets then inside a secure box. Once they arrive at head office, everything is individually logged. I will then initially assess and value the item, before it might be cleaned or polished, if needed, before the items are listed on our eBay store. Once customers have made a purchase, our packers carefully package, wrap and send out the orders.”

What tools do you use to value donations? 

“At a glance, I can make an initial assessment on whether something might be valuable. Then, I have a range of tools which help to more accurately ascertain value, age, weight and authenticity. I use an acid test kit to determine whether an item is genuine gold or silver, a diamond tester which will react if it comes into contact with a diamond, and jewellery scales which very precisely record weight. The value of gold and silver is really strong at the moment, so it’s important to get the right price.”

What sort of items do we need? 

“We’re really keen to receive donations of gold and silver jewellery, coins, precious metals, watches, vintage watches, military medals and silverware. These could be things you no longer want, items that have seen better days or are just taking up space in your home. We will do the hard work by sorting, polishing and evaluating your unwanted items to sell on our eBay store. These donations make a really big difference to us, and the care we can provide for local people.”