With the recent rise in silver prices, many consumers have turned their attention to investing in silver bars and silver sheets, resulting in wholesalers also following suit, beginning to stockpile these goods. Some customers have shared stories on social media about profiting from silver investments: some claim that the value of their silver bar investments increased by 1,000 yuan in just a month, while others indicate that hoarding silver sheets could yield a profit of 30,000 yuan after a year.

After a field investigation of consumer identity at Beijing's Tianya Jewelry City, it was found that both wholesalers and precious metal traders expressed the view that the rise in silver prices has caused more customers to focus on investing in silver bars and sheets, and they have therefore begun to stockpile merchandise.

A silver investor named Wang Meng disclosed that she bought 30kg of silver sheets last month. Affected by the current rise in silver prices, she has already made a certain profit. For Wang Meng, the present price of silver not only has surpassed that of gold but also may continue to offer high returns in the short term when investing in physical silver. As a result, at the beginning of April, she purchased two pieces of silver sheets worth about 200,000 yuan at a price of 6.7 yuan per gram.

According to Wind data, since the beginning of the year, the spot price of silver has risen by approximately 36.6%, which is more considerable compared to the current spot gold's increase of about 17.4%. "Even if the price may drop in the future, holding physical silver can be reassuring; in the worst-case scenario, one can opt for long-term holding," said Wang Meng. Considering that the current buy-back price for silver sheets is about 7.1 yuan per gram, she has decided to continue holding the currency and wait, anticipating that the buy-back price of silver will rise to 10 yuan per gram.

A silver wholesaler named Liu Shuai at Tianya Jewelry City said that recently, there has been a surge in customers coming to buy investment silver bars and sheets, and he himself has stocked up nearly 4 tons of silver. Over the past half a month, he has sold three sheets, with most people opting to purchase investment silver bars, of which more than ten pieces (each weighing 1kg) have been sold. Liu Shuai admits that although silver's investment properties have always been inferior to gold, the rise in silver prices this year has indeed exceeded that of gold, leading many investors to follow the trend.

Another silver wholesaler at Tianya Jewelry City, Li Shu, said that her shop mainly sells investment silver bars and sheets and does not engage in the recycling business. If customers want to exchange old products for new, they offer services only for the merchandise previously purchased from their store.

The silver market remains hot recently, and in Li Shu's jewelry wholesale shop, investment silver bars have started to become popular with customers. Li Shu stated that although the stock of silver bars is not large, she could provide entire 15kg silver bars if customers require. Regarding silver materials, she explained that they are principally utilized for their low-price advantage in the processing of various silver ornaments.

Liu Shuai revealed that with the climb in silver prices, many investors are hoping to cash in, but recyclers often press down the prices and deduct certain fees when buying back. Both Li Shu and Liu Shuai expressed that it is difficult to predict the future direction of silver prices. Although silver prices have risen in recent months, the buy-back prices have not increased much in tandem. Therefore, if investors are financially flexible, considering the long-term holding of silver might be a good choice.

As for the recycling prices, it was found that in Beijing's Tianya Jewelry City, different precious metal traders quoted different recovery prices for silver (sheet metal, investment silver bars), ranging between 7.1 yuan/gram and 7.27 yuan/gram, each claiming to price according to international rates. However, some other precious metal traders offered slightly lower recycling prices, ranging from 6.8 yuan to 7 yuan/gram. The precious metal trading platform "Rongtong Silver" of Shenzhen Jinzheng Jewelry Co., Ltd. reported a recycling price of 7.654 yuan/gram on the 24th, an increase of about 1 yuan/gram from early April.

Meng Hua indicated that the recent sales of silver sheet materials have been good, and for those who have held it for several years, selling it now can almost certainly guarantee a profit. He emphasized that although some shops might quote higher prices, they would propose various deductions after weighing, whereas the price quoted by his own shop is the final transaction price.

With the rise in silver prices, there has been an increasing amount of discussion about silver investment on social platforms. Precious metal analyst Ma Yinchen reminds investors that silver not only has the value of a precious metal but also industrial properties. In times of global economic downturn, the demand for silver as a raw material may decrease, which could affect its price. It is noteworthy that over half the actual global demand for silver comes from industrial fields such as electronics, solar panels, and electric vehicles. Additionally, the positive performance of the global manufacturing PMI has also driven silver prices to a certain extent.

Analysis reports show that with the climbing silver prices, the global demand for silver coins and silver bars might decrease in the future. Numerous retail investors have accumulated substantial amounts of silver coins and bars over the past few years, and their enthusiasm for further increasing their holdings has diminished. As a result, more coins and bars have entered the secondary market, leading to a decline in demand for freshly minted silver coins and bars.

Although global inflation is still a widespread phenomenon, its impact seems to be gradually weakening. In the current economic environment, the jewelry industry’s prospect for the demand for silver, a precious metal, is not very optimistic.

The current supply of silver is unable to meet market demand, which, although beneficial in preventing a sharp decline in silver prices, is far from sufficient to maintain a persistent upward trend in silver prices.

Precious metal investment is one of the choices for many investors. Have you participated in this market? We invite you to share your investment experience and views in the comments section.