I bought a bundle from Vinted & ended up with a ‘Cartier bracelet' for 23p – but people don't believe it

The Irish Sun

20-05-2025

A WOMAN bought a bundle from Vinted and ended up with a 'Cartier bracelet' for just 23p.
The savvy shopper managed to get her hands on the vintage piece of jewellery and has even conducted some of her own tests to determine if it's real or not.
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A woman has revealed how she received a 'Cartier Love bracelet' in her Vinted bundle
Credit: TikTok/@twistedtreasuresect
Sharing a video on her TikTok page, '
Speaking to her 2,014 followers, the Vinted shopper explained that she bought two bundles, which came to £46, and each individual item worked out at around 23p.
In that bundle, she claimed to have received a Cartier Love bracelet, which, if purchased from the shop, starts at around £4,500 depending on the design.
She explained that she had reached out to several Facebook groups to ask whether they thought it was real or fake, and opinions were divided.
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The TikToker also revealed that she had conducted a few tests herself to determine the authenticity of the material.
She said: 'I held it in white vinegar and the only metals that don't react with vinegar are gold, platinum and high-quality sterling silver.
'And there was no reaction.
'So it's going to be one of those three metals regardless of whether it's real or fake. It's also not magnetic.
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'And metals that aren't magnetic are aluminium, copper, gold, silver, lead and brass.
'So the options of the two are going to be gold or silver. So the chances are it's going to be one of those two. Here's hoping anyway.
I made £185 in less than 24 hours on Vinted thanks to a pricing trick that hooks sellers without having to send offers
'It's also 18g in weight.'
The woman went on to show different clips of the bracelet, before explaining that some of the gemstones are missing, which means if it were real, she 'wouldn't get anywhere near the value that it would be.'
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However, she urged people to bear in mind that it is 18g.
An 18-gram bracelet is relatively lightweight and comfortable for everyday wear, but whether it is "good" depends on the material.
Gold bracelet
For example, if it is a gold bracelet, the weight contributes to its value, so an 18g gold bracelet could be considered good quality and more substantial than lighter options.
If it is silver or stainless steel, these materials would feel lightweight yet durable for casual use.
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The TikToker went on to say: 'If it is gold, it is still worth just under or just over £1,000 depending on what quotes I get from jewellers.
'I will be taking this for an inspection, but I've ordered a gold metal testing kit just to test it first because if it's not gold, then I don't know if it's worth me taking it.'
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It appears to be just like the Cartier Love Bracelet
Credit: TikTok/@twistedtreasuresect
The video received 87.6k views within five days of being shared.
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One person wrote: 'So years ago my dad brought a bracelet like this home from Dubai. It was gold.
"I didn't know Cartier at the time but clearly, it was a copy so it can be gold and not Cartier at the same time.'
Whilst a second added: 'That's a fake but a good one.'
New Vinted rules to be aware of
IF you fancy clearing out your wardrobe and getting rid of your old stuff on Vinted, you'll need to consider the new rules that recently came into play.
If people are selling personal items for less than they paid new (which is generally the case for second-hand sales), there is no impact on tax.
However, since January 1, digital platforms, including eBay, Airbnb, Etsy, Amazon and Vinted, must share seller information with HMRC as part of a crackdown.
You're unlikely to be affected if you only sell a handful of second-hand items online each year - generally, only business sellers trading for profit might need to pay tax.
A tax-free allowance of £1,000 has been in place since 2017 for business sellers trading for profit - the only time that an individual personal item might be taxable is if it sells for more than £6,000 and there is a profit from the sale.
However, firms now have to pass on your data to HMRC if you sell 30 or more items a year or earn over £1,700.
It is part of a wider tax crackdown to help ensure that those who boost their income via side hustles pay up what they owe.
While your data won't be shared with HMRC if you earn between £1,000 and £1,700, you'll still need to pay tax as normal.