Will SA's in Hermes stores authenticate a Birkin for you?

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LamborghiniGirl

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Aug 31, 2009
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#1
Hi Ladies,

I searched to see if I could find the answer to this question with no avail. I apologize if it has been asked before.

Can a SA at an Hermes boutique easily authenticate a Birkin for me? Are all of them equipped with the knowledge to do so? Or just the managers? Or, will they refuse to look at a Birkin they didn't themselves, at that boutique, sell to me?

If anyone has experience doing this, after buying a Birkin through a reseller, please share your experience getting it authenticated at the Hermes boutique! I'd love to know what to ask/ how to ask.

Thank you in advance!!
 
#2
Neither SA's or managers authenticate Hermes bags. Only a craftsman can do this when one brings it in for spa or to have initials put on the bag.

If you're bought through a reseller, why don't you post pictures on tpf in the Authenticate thread and have it done that way? The instructions are on the first page. You could also take it to a store with a craftsman and ask to speak to them and ask them if your bag needs a spa treatment or say you're considering having initials put on it.
 
#3
Thanks!!

I have already had it authenticated on Purse Forum, but I wanted the added piece of mind with an authentication in person, if that makes sense :smile:

I don't want to bring it to the spa or have initials put on-- do I have any other options for in-person piece of mind?
 
#4
Are there any high end consignment stores in your area? There is a shop near me that handles Hermes consignments and if a bag is brought in they would definitely be able authenticate it. Maybe there is a store in your area?
 
#5
dbeech said:
Are there any high end consignment stores in your area? There is a shop near me that handles Hermes consignments and if a bag is brought in they would definitely be able authenticate it. Maybe there is a store in your area?
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Thanks for the suggestion! I am not familiar with any, as I am new to the Northeast, but will look into it :smile:
 
#7
Honestly, if you really want 100% peace of mind, I would take it to an H craftsman in New York (you say you're in the NE) for a spa treatment or initials. You don't have to actually leave it.

But if it were me, I would leave it for a spa because it would give a chance for them to have a more thorough look at it. I would not trust a consignment store or anyone else if I were really looking for peace of mind.
 
#8
Kallie Girl said:
Honestly, if you really want 100% peace of mind, I would take it to an H craftsman in New York (you say you're in the NE) for a spa treatment or initials. You don't have to actually leave it.

But if it were me, I would leave it for a spa because it would give a chance for them to have a more thorough look at it. I would not trust a consignment store or anyone else if I were really looking for peace of mind.
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Good post. This is really good advice. It is the only way to really know. Personally I would just leave it for a spa treatment.
 
#9
The other day I brought my 1976-ish brown box kelly in to the boutique to show my SA. As he is the last set of eyes before the bag can get approved to go to spa, I wanted his reaction. The reaction was a wow. The bag needs a new zipper inside. He was ready to wrap it up and send it to Claude. I took that as a "yes." I wasn't ready to let it go yet, so I got my answer, that it was genuine.
If you are near Washington DC, the boutique is near Tysons Corner, VA. The The Neiman Marcus store in Chevy Chase has a boutique and they send their repairs to Paris, not NY.
I have worn vintage bags in the boutique before and they have complimented me on those bags as well.
 
#10
Kallie Girl said:
Honestly, if you really want 100% peace of mind, I would take it to an H craftsman in New York (you say you're in the NE) for a spa treatment or initials. You don't have to actually leave it.

But if it were me, I would leave it for a spa because it would give a chance for them to have a more thorough look at it. I would not trust a consignment store or anyone else if I were really looking for peace of mind.
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ITA. Claude in H on Madison Ave. is the go-to man.

I heard from an SA that the bags are manufactured with identifying charactertistics that not even the SA's know about. Like a computer chip of some sort? A scanning procedure? Whatever it is, that's what makes the bag authentic. But the identifying detail may not be part of an older bag, where "older" might just be, say, five years or so.
 
#11
my gf recently brought a birkin from a reseller, just to have a piece of mind i bring her to see my SA who work in Hermes for 12 years. My SA is very kind to help to look into detail of her birkin like stitching ,stamp and etc so the end the comment by my SA was " this birkin look good to me". My gf feel great after hearing that , even not by the craftsman but i guess a senior SA should be able to authenticate.
 
#12
It doesn't matter how long your SA worked. There are superfakes out there. Your SA / manager are only trained in sales and product knowledge not pertaining to manufacture. They are not craftsmen. Only the craftsmen can authenticate for sure, there is still a chance that SAs can still make a misdiagnosis.

Asking the SA to authenticate a bag is akin to asking a car sales man to authenticate if some car engine parts are genuine. You would want the mechanic to do that, right?
 
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#13
well said, Lyanna Stark!

some SAs (or even SMs) are also not well versed in all bags to know if they are fake or not fake. I have had personal experience where an authentic bag (only available in Asia) was identified as fake (in the US). it was only at my insistence that it was sent to Beverly Hills for spa and it came back fully spa-ed!

just to note that many resellers often re-treat pre-loved bags to make them more "sellable". Even though some bags may appear okay to the consumers, it is best to have it spa so that the leather is properly retreated and given the care it should have for a used bag!
 
#14
Strange. I just posted an ebay item on the authentication thread because it was fake ...to spare fellow tPFs of headaches, and I received a warning from the moderators. :shrugs:

xx
 
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#15
eye candy said:
Strange. I just posted an ebay item on the authentication thread because it was fake ...to spare fellow tPFs of headaches, and I received a warning from the moderators. :shrugs: xx

Good luck! Best thing to do is to get a receipt for proof that it was purchased at a Hermes boutique.
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I don't see any requests from you on any of the authentication threads? And the info in your link isn't all that useful in identifying fakes, sorry to say... And receipts can be and are faked too...
 
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