Buying an Hermès Bag Can Be Tricky—Here's What an Expert Says You Should Know (2024)

FAQs

Why can't anyone buy Hermès bag? ›

Not everyone can buy a Birkin. Shoppers must prove their commitment to the brand – by continuously shopping there. From what previous Hermès shoppers and managers say online, to even be considered for a bag, you must shop at the same Hermès store, use the same sales assistant, and “build a relationship” with the store.

The most iconic Hermes bag The Birkin

When it comes to the most demanded Hermes bag, the Birkin undoubtedly takes the top spot.

Playing the 'Hermès game'

Some bags are allocated via waitlists, others offered at the sales associate's discretion. Others are reportedly offered on a first-come-first-serve basis, particularly at the brand's original flagship location in Paris.

For many years, the Birkin topped all Hermès bags in demand and resale value. However, today, the Mini Hermès Kelly bag indisputably tops any list of handbags with the best resale value.

It may take you a while, but you can buy a Birkin straight from the boutique. You just can't walk into an Hermès boutique and buy a Birkin immediately. It must be ordered, and there is a waiting list. You also can't buy the Birkin, Kelly, or most of Hermès's more iconic styles online.

Some areas of the US have smaller, less competitive Hermès stores where it may be easier to be offered a mini Kelly than a Birkin 25, such as in your situation. Other big city locations such as New York City and Beverly Hills are highly competitive and being offered a mini Kelly is akin to winning the lottery.

Hermès vs Chanel: Retail Prices

Both Hermès and Chanel's starting prices for bags are in the thousands of dollars, with Chanel's most affordable offering at $1,700. Hermès prices are overall higher, with Birkin prices starting at over $9,000.

The value of a Birkin bag skyrockets from the moment it leaves the Hermès store. That's partly because not just any regular person can buy the bag. Only customers with a sizable purchase history at the brand are offered the opportunity to buy a “quota bag,” such as a Birkin or a Kelly.

Hermès has a monopoly on Birkin bags, so the suit alleges, and the Hermès Game amounts to tying, a potentially anticompetitive practice in which buyers are required to purchase additional, unwanted goods as a precondition of receiving a desirable product.

How many Hermès bags can you buy a year? ›

If you buy a Birkin bag straight from a Hermès boutique, you'll only be able to buy two luxury handbags per year. This means you could invest in one Birkin and one Kelly, but no more. This two-bag rule allows Hermès to keep on top of orders and also maintain the exclusivity of their accessories.

Sales associates are “directed to only offer Birkin handbags to consumers who have established a sufficient 'purchase history' or 'purchase profile,'” said counsel for the plaintiff in the complaint.

These colors, Noir (89), Rouge H (46), Etoupe (18), Gold (06), and Orange H (93), have been joined over time by Blanc (01), Etain (8F), Rouge Casaque (Q5), Craie (10), and Blue Nuit (2Z). Together, they are considered the classic colors of Hermès.

For a long time, the Birkin 35 was the most popular size, however as trends have shifted towards more compact bags, the Birkin 25 is now the most searched for size. The smaller size is more popular than the larger bags if you want to carry the Birkin by its handles rather than use the shoulder strap.

The Birkin bag | How and where to buy Hermès' most iconic design.

May 31 (Reuters) - U.S. consumers suing French luxury house Hermes (HRMS.PA) , opens new tab have broadened their lawsuit accusing the company of forcing buyers to spend thousands of dollars on other products before they can purchase one of the company's famed Birkin bags.

Did you know that there are over 80 Hermès bag styles in production? These include Lindy, Picotin, Evelyne, Bolide, and many others. Figuring out how to buy an Hermès bag in most styles is pretty easy. They can be purchased from Hermès online or from a brand boutique.

Birkin bags can double in value in 5 years — some styles up to $450K — and are a better investment than gold: luxury expert. Hermès' highly coveted Birkin handbag becomes even more coveted after it leaves the store — doubling in value in as little as five years, according to a luxury expert.

The Hermes Birkin and Kelly bags are known as 'quota bags,' meaning that buyers can only get a maximum of two of these bags in any calendar year. Hermes bags are extremely exclusive, and buyers have to be offered them in order to make a purchase.