Posted by Vintage sterling silver charms and bracelets have been one of the best sellers in my Etsy store for a long time, but last year I wanted to get a better idea of how much profit I was making on my individual bracelet investments. To that end I created a simple document that included a photo of each bracelet bought in 2025 and the individual charms as I listed them. Once a charm sold it was marked in green. (For 2026 I’m marking the sold charms in blue.)
For example, this bracelet cost $69.84 and has brought in $184 so far (approx. $90+ profit after fees and COGS) with 1 more charm to list and the bracelet itself.
The Details
In 2025 I bought 16 “loaded” sterling silver vintage charm bracelets on ebay spending a total of $1,589 which includes the shipping cost and pesky sales tax. My least expensive bracelet cost $37.19 and my most $166.44. I documented all of these in my table.
At the end of 2025 I had sold $1,594 from this group of bracelets. With the Etsy fees (and shipping supply costs) I am not in the black yet for my 2025 charm investment.
BUT I have at least three full bracelets left to process and several others to finish and 65% of the listed charms/bracelets from this group of 16 have yet to sell. So in the end I will make a profit. Projected total revenue: $3000 to $4000.
The Buying Strategy
I buy most of my charm bracelets from other online sellers. Here’s what I look for…
- Bracelets with mechanical charms that move or open. The articulated monkey charm typically sells for over $100. (I’ve never owned that one, but he is on my list.)
- Unusual or rare charms. The Dr X charm opens to bloody surgical instruments. (I sold one recently for $70.) The iron maiden torture charm is a particularly illusive one, which is probably for the best! The fish in lucite charm is also hard to find and can sell for over $200. After I bought the tiny fire alarm charm I discovered it opened to reveal a heart! (Recently sold for $48.)
- Stanhope charms that have little viewers with pictures inside the charm.
- Bracelets with good chains which I sell separately as starter chains.
- Older silver charms that aren’t rhodium plated (to prevent tarnishing).
There are ubiquitous charms (such as European monuments, think Eiffel Tower) that I tend to avoid and certain themes that aren’t as popular. I find Western-themed charms a hard sell as well as 1940s charms depicting household implements. Simple disks with engraved names and dates for a birthday or anniversary are fairly unsellable individually.
The Selling Strategy
Some bracelets I do not take apart but resell as is. I thought it would be a shame to dismantle this WWII-era marine bracelet given to sweethearts and moms back in the day. It’s lightweight but the charms are very detailed.
Some bracelets get partially dismantled. I removed six charms from this loaded English bracelet to sell individually and kept the rest on the bracelet.
Other bracelets get totally taken apart like this one which I haven’t finished processing despite the fact that I bought it in August.
Charms that aren’t marked for silver content are acid tested. Any silver-plated or metal ones are removed and typically not sold. Damaged charms are put in a scrap silver bag.
When All is Said and Done
It is a lot of work for the money. I know it is. But I’ve been passionate about vintage silver charms for more than three decades. They are one of my signature jewelry accessaries. When I’m feeling sassy I’ll load on five to seven bracelets for a night out. So for me selling charms is a labor of love, but one not without profit!
I’ll close for now. Wishing you happy hunting.
Karen
Hunting for Vintage 