I just saw the same on another social media site but cant remember which site right now.
Hermès bag gang buys up half the supply
- Thread starter PetitVoyageur
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As I’ve said before, Hermes is a public company that is in the business of making money. Prices of quota bags wouldn’t be so high if there weren’t people willing to buy them. It’s a symptom of our instant gratification society where people want something exact immediately. Regular customers that have a good relationship with their boutique can pretty much get whatever they want here in the US, it just takes time and money.
Not for nothing but we are talking about handbags here, not pistols. Hermes is not going to issue a permit to buy one nor should it. As someone who has purchased an embarrassing number of Bs and Ks in all skins, all from boutiques and all for my own use, I can say that the liquidity provided by the resale market matters to me even though I’ve yet to access it. Who can honestly say they would pay $14k (with tax) for a simple leather bag if it weren’t for that? I suppose I still might buy 1, 2 or 3 for work bags but not ten times that just because I feel like it. I do understand the frustration of people trying to score their first or second quota bag but I don’t understand “playing the game”. It’s a lot faster, cheaper and easier to just buy a brand new bag in the exact specs you want on the resale market. There is a delicate balance to be struck but H and the resellers are in a symbiotic relationship. Believe it.
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I am not against resellers at all, although buying up half the stock is quite different. As a scarf collector, I would never be able to grow my collection of people were not selling older scarves on eBay and other places (I buy new season scarves at the boutique only, of course).
I can, however, confidently say that I buy bags with 0 expectation of them holding their value / reselling them. In fact, I am more likely to think of the sterling silver tableware we inherited and bought over the years as ‘value’ than bags. It seems that bags are just too fragile — they are not gold bars. What if your pen leaks all over the bag? Your kid takes a permanent marker to it? Something terrible spills on it and stains it? I suppose if you have lots of them, then statistically speaking, you are likely to be able to access most of the value.
Not trying to argue with you at all, just sharing my perspective.
I really do understand your point of view but a GREAT many of H’s customers never take the plastic off their hardware, dine with an empty chair for their bags, wrap twillies around the handles to protect them, line the bags with inserts and so on. They usually don’t let errant pen marks ruin them or children’s sticky hands play with them. I don’t baby mine but that doesn’t mean I would pay a small fortune ($67k for a Porosus B30 for example) for any bag purely as a consumption expense. Without the artificial scarcity that attaches to H’s quota bags and the cooperative secondary market, the bags would cost half of what do, similar to, say, Delvaux which are bags of equivalent quality IMO.
You are right — I do actually put a twilly around my Kellies’ handles, but that is partially because I have washed those twillies and I know they get filthy... seems easier than constantly cleaning the handle. I have to say that structuring my life around a bag is a bit too much for me — if I can’t use a bag to carry treats for the horse when going riding, then I am not buying one.
I do think that accidents happen no matter how protective you are of a bag. I had someone spill red wine on my Garden Party on the plane — it was on the outside, and it came off, but it was annoying. I had a French waiter trip over and drop a dish on me and my vintage ostrich Hermes once. Maybe I just have bad luck
I personally cannot imagine the level of commitment it takes to use a bag and then resell it in a pristine condition.I ride too and stuff treats in whatever I’m carrying also though it’s rarely a quota bag. Love my H saddle! It’s my favorite H creation by a mile. Pristine is too hard for me too and I don’t care that much. But, even a well loved bag trades for half the current purchase price because of that relationship between H and the resellers. Accidents definitely do happen...You are right — I do actually put a twilly around my Kellies’ handles, but that is partially because I have washed those twillies and I know they get filthy... seems easier than constantly cleaning the handle. I have to say that structuring my life around a bag is a bit too much for me — if I can’t use a bag to carry treats for the horse when going riding, then I am not buying one.
I do think that accidents happen no matter how protective you are of a bag. I had someone spill red wine on my Garden Party on the plane — it was on the outside, and it came off, but it was annoying. I had a French waiter trip over and drop a dish on me and my vintage ostrich Hermes once. Maybe I just have bad luck
I would love an Hermes saddle! Did you have it made custom? That will be my purchase once I get a horse (I am not really there yet with my ability, but working on it).
You are right about bags maintaining at least a portion of the price. I guess for me, if I specifically wanted to buy to resell / use as an alternative investment, I would probably go for high-karat gold jewelry instead.
Yes, it is bespoke which is the only way they do them. When you see what goes into a saddle which are not as expensive as a quota bag, it puts the bags into perspective. What kind of riding appeals to you? I enjoy jumping most.
@BagLady164, the idea of a license to carry H had me laughing. Would look fabulous! Imagine what kind of crazy LE items they could come up with, embossed with your name as an ID tag. @AnnaE, I feel you and am the same! I don’t buy as investment because I tend to fxxx up my items if I try to baby them.
Re the secondary market, I don’t think H has a problem with it, as long as it is done by genuine clients who have purchased their items with the intention of using them. And from what I heard, corporate disapproves of “the game” as a principle and method to obtain a bag, albeit that as @cravin put it, they are in the business of making money.
Otherwise, they’d go after every auction house that sold pieces, and probably refuse service at the spa unless you could prove a personal purchase. But that’s not the case and they are even so happy to see multi-generation pieces come back for service.
Many of you have also experienced the complimentary looks or comments from the staff when you come in with older designs and vintage pieces. If you happen to sell a piece here or there, they don’t care.
The issue here seems to be “fake showroom,” as I imagine the gang presented themselves as related to H in an official capacity, probably saying they are the VIP branch.
Re the secondary market, I don’t think H has a problem with it, as long as it is done by genuine clients who have purchased their items with the intention of using them. And from what I heard, corporate disapproves of “the game” as a principle and method to obtain a bag, albeit that as @cravin put it, they are in the business of making money.
Otherwise, they’d go after every auction house that sold pieces, and probably refuse service at the spa unless you could prove a personal purchase. But that’s not the case and they are even so happy to see multi-generation pieces come back for service.
Many of you have also experienced the complimentary looks or comments from the staff when you come in with older designs and vintage pieces. If you happen to sell a piece here or there, they don’t care.
The issue here seems to be “fake showroom,” as I imagine the gang presented themselves as related to H in an official capacity, probably saying they are the VIP branch.
I know, isn't this just capitalism? the free market at work? The only thing I could see as being illegal is, as you say, if they advertised their show room as being a legitimate outlet of Hermes - that I could see leading to fraud charges, which might also trigger other charges.
I agree with you about being cautious that the value of a B or K will grow. It seems to me that most people who resell with the expectation of making a profit, basically flip it to meet immediate demand and do not hold them long term. The other thing is that tastes change over time. No gaurantee that the B or K will be as coveted as now in 10 or 20 years.
As much as I love the brand and enjoy shopping in the store, it seems every other year we get a story that Hermes has ‘uncovered’ a nefarious group involved in selling its bags. The mystery and excitement of the Hermes brand used to be its exclusivity. Once they allowed the Kardashian crowd to order and buy all kinds of bags, the mystery left. So what if Hermes was targeted by a ‘gang of resellers’. I question whether anyone actually paid triple the price, too. Most people with that kind of money know when they are getting ripped off, no?
Plenty of people with more money than sense.
Unless they are purchasing a fake, they aren’t getting ripped off, they are paying the price for instant availability. It’s the same as paying to board first on an airplane.
how on earth do you jail / prosecute someone for buying things that were for sale? if the item's sold then it's sold, what the buyer does with that said item is their business. it's on the sales department for having sold whatever ridiculous classifying system they have. if you have a hierarchy then produce said items to said people. I'm sure if they want a bag their people will write or call you. no need for a sales store that's open to any other kind of your public.