How can I begin to compete with shoppers with unlimited budgets?

[Birkinitis]

I think you misunderstood my last statement. I didn’t mean “you will not get one”. I meant you can always get another highly valuable bag by purchasing from another brand. But, say, a Chanel will never be Birkin (beautiful as it is). Of course anyone can get a Birkin. And ways of obtraining it have been communicated to you by other Ladies on this forum. But you only seem to be willing to buy it by walking into a store and asking for it. This has happened before. But chances are slim. Chances are MUCH higher if you go to FSH, but I don’t get the feel from your replies that you are willing to try that path either.

Of course they are in the business of making money! But B/K/C is the Joker Card in the hands of their SAs! When you have limited supply and high demand you have two options: increase the price to weed out those that can’t pay OR sell selectively. The price goes up every year by XX% to counteract the ever growing spending ability (take China alone!). But craftsmen take time to train and I doubt Hermes will be willing to spread the art of making the bag too far as to upset the balance of supply and demand. After all it needs to be in brand’s favour to keep the Joker card in play.

So I do wish you all the luck as I do understand you want the bag. But you can’t have the “how dare they not want to take my money” attitude paired up with not willing to compromise on colour/size/Hardware, not willing to buy from a reseller or wanting to show loyalty to the brand... something has to give. Compromise on any one of those variables above and you will have your bag.

Makes perfect sense. I am not opposed to going to FSH, I just had not considered it. Thank you for your thoughts.

 

[doni]

I think this buy-stuff-for-a-chance-to-deserve-a-Birkin policy may have started out as a bona fides way to deal with offer scarcity vis-a-vis demand and the perception that people just wanted the big fat it bag thus compromising Hermes' commitment to craftsmanship and quiet luxury beyond a particular model. But as usual with contrived schemes, it is backfiring. Yes, a numer of TPF lovers buy heaps of Hermes goods because they love the brand, and get to buy into the B/K/C club this way.

Edited: PT

 

[Birkinitis]

Thank you Allanrvj for your reply.
It reinforces my belief that it is not H issue but it is in human nature to misinterpret things to feel important or misrepresent things to take advantage.
I don't want to offend anyone but it looks like a classic horse/carrot on a stick situation.
some people need the confidence of multiple purchases to ask for a Birkin and others like the OP is not intimidated by H.
If the H brand doesn't offer the Birkin in its flagship boutique by merit basis, how can some people even mention it?

True, well said! Wish I would have said that in my original post.

 

[A-Line]

I have not read through this entire thread, so forgive me if this has already been suggested. If you have an Amex platinum card, I have heard that the concierge will call around for you to help you get a Birkin or Kelly. I myself do not own any Hermès, but it is worth a shot. I can certainly understand why you would want to purchase from a boutique. Good luck! I really hope you get your dream bag.

I'll chime in right here because I have an Amex concierge person that I work with very regularly. For giggles and because he has helped me track down a limited edition toy item for my son, I asked him if they can do the same with a Hermes bag and the answer was no.

 

[Birkinitis]

I think this buy-stuff-for-a-chance-to-deserve-a-Birkin policy may have started out as a bona fides way to deal with offer scarcity vis-a-vis demand and the perception that people just wanted the big fat it bag thus compromising Hermes' commitment to craftsmanship and quiet luxury beyond a particular model. But as usual with contrived schemes, it is backfiring. Yes, a numer of TPF lovers buy heaps of Hermes goods because they love the brand, and get to buy into the B/K/C club this way. But the reality is that most of new B/K/Cs are in fact sold for the purposes of reselling or money laundering or both.

Edited PT

 

[Notorious Pink]

OP, I wish that I could help you or offer some advice that someone else here has not already said. My personal experience started with buying scarves for years until the SM actually insisted that I consider a bag. After I decided what I wanted (I gave a short list of what I liked), I waited a total of three days for the store to get it in stock. I never played a game, I never kept track of what I spent, I bought what I loved and then it was just a natural progression for me at the right time. Of course, that is just my experience, and yours is different. Since I can't help you in that regard, I can at least bring up a few things you may want to consider in your search for your B.

Even now when I make a request, it's for a range of colors (say, for example, a true red with blue undertones, or a list of similar colors: braise, rouge VIF, vermillion etc); it's nice to know exactly what you want but as pretty as gold is, if you do a little research here or on the H website you may find that you can at least give your SA a few options. The only specific color I ever requested was black, and that was after quite a few bags (for a long time I felt no need for any black bag). I may have missed it, but I don't think you mentioned anything about what kind of leather you wanted, and that is something you ought to consider as well, as the various types of leather have pros and cons, and if you truly only want one bag (it is a REALLLY slippery slope! Everyone wants 'just one'! ) it's a good idea to know about them, even if it's just to say you're ok with leathers x, y and z.

Another perspective I can give you is on the other side of the resale route - I have had a number bags I haven't kept, for one reason or another - for me, I find I need to live with something for a while to see if it is a "keeper". Some resellers are just flipping brand new at a premium, but others have bags that were genuinely loved but are being let go of for some reason. I have found that I prefer certain leathers, certain sizes didn't ultimately work out (my kids grew older and I could say goodbye to the larger sizes ), my wardrobe changes (currently DH keeps buying me scarves with green, is this a hint???). I thought maybe if you knew why there are some reasonable resellers with authentic bags, it might make you feel just a bit better about that option.

I know this doesn't really help in your quest, I just thought to offer you some related food for thought.

 

[AnnaE]

You are right, a person can go to Sothebys with enough money and buy a Monet or a Van Gogh but you can not go to Hermes and just BUY a Birkin. Oh what fun!

You know, in those cases, you are buying from a reseller and are relying on someone else to do the authentication for you.

(All in good jest, OP, I see your point there)

 

[Prinipessa]

One can appreciate a Monet or a Van Gogh but I don't think in this case one wants to purchase their pieces. So it's not quite the same.

Well said

 

[Birkinitis]

You know, in those cases, you are buying from a reseller and are relying on someone else to do the authentication for you.

(All in good jest, OP, I see your point there)

And you can get really ripped off at Sothebys as well. Their history is peppered with authenticated frauds and they got into big trouble for it.

 

[Prinipessa]

Makes perfect sense. I am not opposed to going to FSH, I just had not considered it. Thank you for your thoughts.

Going to FSH is risky and no guarantee as others have eluded to. Their new policy for getting an appointment is no guarantee that you will get one, I have friends who were in Paris for a week and did not score an appointment. Even if you get an appointment what are the chances they will have your exact bag in stock. Also think of the expense of travel, hotels, meals etc. Even with the cheaper cost and VAT refund the Birkin will cost a lot more when you add up all your expenses. But there's always Paris to enjoy.

 

[Prinipessa]

Whoaaaa Nellie, that is interesting and I don't doubt it for one second!

+1

 

[ladysarah]

I am humbled by the great wealth that so many people have, the unlimited budgets to continually visit the SA's and their vast collections of Hermes bags, clothes, shoes etc. I don't care where anyone's money comes from except my own, I earn it myself and I have saved enough to purchase a Birkin 30, Togo Gold with gold hardware. It is the bag of my dreams, my holy grail. I don't want 10 bags, I want 1 bag. I don't want any other color, I want Gold with gold hardware. There is no way that I am going to spend my hard earned money with a reseller, I do not want to go that route so I have started a relationship with an Hermes store and seeming have a "wishlist" containing 1 item associated with my profile. I only want to know "when" but even that appears to be a question that is aggressive or uncouth so I have not uttered that word to my darling young SA who is brand new to me and to H. How bizarre! Can you imagine the backlash in a normal business if you asked about the availability of an item and the answer was, "I simply don't know, could be two weeks to years." It's like I am willingly entering a relationship with someone who is totally disinterested in me yet I can not stop obsessing!
On a lighter note, a lot of the items in the store have zero appeal to me, I am scared to death of horses and the last thing that I would want to have is a bridle bracelet or a scarf with a giant horse on it. It doesn't mean I don't appreciate the brand, I am just not fond of horses. They buck and some like to kick.
I have spent the weekend fascinated by this website, I have read so many interesting posts and have learned a lot about the brand. I have so many questions but one comes to mind and I fear that I already know the answer. How can I ever get offered the bag that I want when so many, MANY people have so much greater spending power then I will ever have? It is a stretch to purchase a $395.00 scarf let alone a $3,000.00 sweater with a horse on it.. Hermes has done a brilliant job of creating desire by limiting distribution. I have read one of their lengthy financial reports (they are on the web) and let me tell you, this is a VERY profitable company. Good for them, it should be, their products and their marketing of their products is superb! The Birkin bag is lovely and I want it, plain and simple. I am the perfect audience, just without the resources to spend additional $1,000.00's. How can I compete?
Be gentle, I am a newbie~

I haven’t read the whole of this juicy thread. LOL but it would appear that depending on where the OP lives different policies apply. Where are you based ms Birkinitis? Where is your local store?

 

[AnnaE]

And you can get really ripped off at Sothebys as well. Their history is peppered with authenticated frauds and they got into big trouble for it.

Agreed — I like the impressionists and am dipping my toes in collecting, but every time I buy something at an auction, it comes with an inherent authenticity risk. It took me a while to become comfortable with that.

 

[Rami00]

Demand and people's spending habits, i.e. French people in general are not too crazy about status bags. Most will buy a Kelly or a silk scarf and that's it. Those who buy a lot are connoisseurs/collectors and there aren't many of them.
Edited PT

Funny you say that.
I went to the Sevres store in June - really wanted to see it and got into talking with an awesome SA. She explained the history of the store and also said "this store is mostly for the local clienteles. The bag sizes we received here (35 and 40) are used by french people - we like to put our baguettes, wine, groceries etc. Bags that are supposed to be used, all the other tourists style bags could be found at FSH"[/QUOTE]

 

[Prinipessa]

And you can get really ripped off at Sothebys as well. Their history is peppered with authenticated frauds and they got into big trouble for it.

As well as authenticators of Hermes, not alluding to any TPF authenticators, but I have friends who found out their "authenticated bag" was a fake when they brought it to H for spa, some months or years after purchasing it. One friend actually sued the seller and authenticator in small claims court and won a partial settlement. It was deemed partial because she had used the bag for several months before finding out.

There are several consignment shops in my area, and I get a laugh when I see high end fake H bags being shown with a paper saying it was authenticated by so and so. Also al lot of the authentication is based on photographs and they can never tell the full story, and there are cases of photos of real bags being submitted and a high end fakes being sold as authenticated. You want to be sure, buy from Hermes directly.