Hi everyone,
I thought I would share with you my latest Hermes adventures, hoping it may help others who might be interested in buying bags or other luxury items at an auction 🙂
My only Hermes bag so far was a black clemence Evelyne that I bought from a reseller in January since I couldn’t score a leather appointement in Paris…despite trying more than twenty times 😥I already had in mind the purchase of either a Birkin or a Kelly for my 50th birthday, but after a few more fruitless tries at a leather appointment, I knew I would have to go the preloved route…
I started monitoring bags for sale by reputable resellers, to have a better understanding of the prices and available leather/color combos. Then, a TV show about auction houses had me realize that some regularly sell luxury handbags. I thought I might give it a try and started looking for upcoming sales. I wasn’t in a hurry but a few weeks later I learned about a Hermes handbags auction organised by Christie’s in Paris…
I didn’t expect they would have anything in my low price range (10K€ max including buyer’s fee and VAT)…but they did! Since it was an online auction it was even more tempting and I spent quite some time browsing the lots after I registered. A lot of incredibly rare handbags where proposed, and among them a few « basic » Kelly and Birkin. Unfortunately I couldn’t find the time to go to Christie’s to view the bags in person and had to rely on the online pictures and condition reports.
I then closely followed the auction until its closing, having selected 10 bags that met some of my criterias (but only 2 that met almost all of them). I had set a target price for each bag after comparing them (condition, leather type, color, year of production…).
I first bid on an olive clemence Kelly 32 retourne, but was outbid twice and decided it was time to stop since it was the not the one I wanted most. I then bid on a Bleu jean Kelly 32 retourne (the one I truly wanted), was outbid, but since the price was far from the target I had set for it I bid again at the very last minute…and won the lot

I really didn’t expect to find a bag I really wanted at an auction, and could’t believe I had actually won the auction 😅
It may seem weird but my first feeling after completing the payment was buyer’s remorse, as I hadn’t seen the bag IRL and it the condition report stated it showed wear. It looked nice from the pictures but pictures can be deceiptive. Also, and item bought at an auction cannot be returned so it’s more risky than buying from a reputable store with a good return policy. I still wasn’t confident it was such a good deal, not having seen it.
The next two days before I went to Christie’s to collect the bag gave me ample time to reflect on my purchase and I started to feel better about it.
Then came the time to collect my bag. It was a great experience as I was made to feel like a privileged client and their Paris auction house is set in a beautiful building near the Champs-Elysees.
It was an exciting adventure, with a bag as a happy ending, much different from a regular shopping experience!