Dior, Miu Miu and Louis Vuitton Bag Charms: What They Resell For

The New York Times noted that some designer charms cost more than some handbags, citing a Louis Vuitton Speedy charm at $815 and Miu Miu leather charms at $625. I wanted to see which of these hold their value, so I compared Dior, Miu Miu and Louis Vuitton charms on The RealReal against the estimated retail price The RealReal lists. The chart puts retail price on one axis and the share of that price the charm resells for on the other. Condition varies from good to excellent, so treat every percentage as a range and not a promise.

Dior's Creatures Couture charm is listed at $1,140 against an estimated retail of $1,200, which is about 95 percent. A Dior bee charm that recently sold went for about 85 percent of its estimated retail, and a metal charm chain listed at $725 against $1,100 is about 66 percent. If you want a charm that keeps its value, Dior's animal charms are the ones to look at.

Miu Miu's crochet flower key chain is $436.50 against $544, about 80 percent, which is the best of the Miu Miu charms I found. The skirt and trick charms are about 66 percent, and the leather bell is about 54. I would buy the crochet flower for the shape and the leather ones for the logo.

Louis Vuitton's charms in this sample resell for 56 to 60 percent of the estimated retail, a little below Dior and about level with Miu Miu's leather ones. The Fleur de Monogram is $403.75 against $675, and the Ice Ball is $300 against $540. That makes them the best deal secondhand, since you pay the least against what the house charged.

If you plan to resell, buy Dior. If you want the best price for the look, buy a Louis Vuitton secondhand. Sample sizes are small, a few listings per house, so use these numbers to compare and not to quote.