Paris trip for Hermes

[papertiger]

Please try to stay on topic. I realise because of the complexity of some of the posts members may veer off but in answer do not 'go there'.

For info and questions on US customs please post on the thread below: post https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/us-customs-discussion-airports-importing.905560/

Detaxing (to US from Europe) https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/best-way-to-detax-after-h-in-europe.178302/

or non-US destinations: https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/does-h-store-paris-wants-to-ship.605014/page-3

For questions relating to prices https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/reference-hermes-current-prices.102567/page-357

For traveling with boxes https://forum.purseblog.com/threads...me-hermes-boxes-when-traveling.1044553/page-5



I will leave this reminder as a sticky because tthis is often a thread that new members (or new Hermès lovers) post on - hopefully temporarily.

 

[Ally84]

Congratulations on your new B and a very beautiful color! Have a great day

Thank you so much xxx

 

[Ally84]

Congratulations!

Just want to share that my SA at FSH also did not relent on the 1 bag per group policy in Jun. I scored a B30 with my hubby’s appt and when I asked for a C to be purchased under my name, she said no because she knows both bags are for me. B n C are both sought after bags but I can buy another non B K or C.

Congrats on the B30!! We were told that they had none ( but they are such an elegant size.
I find this so frustrating and I'm sorry that you didn't get your constance. The one B/C/K per person per 6 months rule seemed reasonable as it kept everything exclusive, however one per group is absolutely ridiculous. Unlike your story it was obvious that the bag was for my mother and NOT for me, but they wouldn't serve her. Do you think this is a new rule or do you think our SAs were just being cheeky?

 

[hannahsophia]

Congrats on the B30!! We were told that they had none ( but they are such an elegant size.
I find this so frustrating and I'm sorry that you didn't get your constance. The one B/C/K per person per 6 months rule seemed reasonable as it kept everything exclusive, however one per group is absolutely ridiculous. Unlike your story it was obvious that the bag was for my mother and NOT for me, but they wouldn't serve her. Do you think this is a new rule or do you think our SAs were just being cheeky?

It might have been due to one birkin per appt time. Did you mention during the 1030 appt that your family also had a 630 appt? They may have moved that up if you mentioned. Your mother was offered a birkin at 630, so I don’t think it was new rule related or being cheeky. I think it was related to the one birkin per passport that made the appt rule. The SA may have also thought due to your age that the Birkin would be paid by your mother, making that two birkins on one passport?

 

[Hillychristie]

Congrats on the B30!! We were told that they had none ( but they are such an elegant size.
I find this so frustrating and I'm sorry that you didn't get your constance. The one B/C/K per person per 6 months rule seemed reasonable as it kept everything exclusive, however one per group is absolutely ridiculous. Unlike your story it was obvious that the bag was for my mother and NOT for me, but they wouldn't serve her. Do you think this is a new rule or do you think our SAs were just being cheeky?

I’m pretty sure they may bend the rule for those with big spending history? I forgot to add that I wasn’t allocated an appt which makes it harder for the SA to let me purchase one under my name.

If you’re visiting the next time, perhaps you and mum should split up?

 

[Carrierae]

You and your mom got an appointment on Tuesday, but did your mom’s friend try again for Wednesday? Hopefully, if she is a VIP, she help get a bag for your mom in the UK if she is unsuccessful on this trip!

Congrats for saving for your first bag! You’ll respect the bag even more since you saved and made sacrifices for it!

 

[Dreaming Big]

Hi! I wanted to share my rather hectic story in case it helps anyone looking to buy bags in Paris. Some background: my family was in Paris from Monday afternoon-Wednesday morning, and my mother and I both wanted birkins. We were also joined by my mom’s best friend, who is a Hermes VIP in the UK. It was my first one (I am 15 which I know is young, but absolutely adore Hermes [emoji173]️ and knew that if I saved and bought myself a birkin I would wear it forever), and my mother wanted one for her birthday - though Bs and Ks have been passed down to her by her late mother, she has never actually bought anything for herself. Neither of us had significant purchase history - I had a wish list in London and she had sent 2 bags to get cleaned in London. I wanted a b25 in magnolia, rose pourpre, rose tyrien or shocking, Togo or swift, and she wanted a b30 in a dark blue e.g blue nuit with gold hardware.

at FSH on Tuesday: My mother and I applied for appointments on saturday for Monday but were rejected. We were accepted for Tuesday - my appointment was 10:30 and hers was 6:30. My lovely father had done his best to network and secure us appointments, and he got us someone more prominent in the store (not sure what his name was, but he was meant to be head of SOs). My mother, her best friend, my father, my brother and I arrived at the store at 10,30, did all the queuing etc. and met this person my dad had been introduced to. He asked me what I wanted before we had even sat down and disappeared off. He came back just 10 minutes later holding a small box, in which was my lovely b25 magnolia, Togo PHW. I was elated and of course took it.
However, I was shocked at what happened next. My dad asked about a blue birkin for my mother and he said no, absolutely not, one bag only. I was honestly surprised to hear that only 1 bag per group was allowed as I thought it was pretty obvious that we weren’t resellers from how excited I was by my bag. I understand that Hermes must remain exclusive, but this seemed ridiculous.
We returned to FSH appointment at 6:30. It was just me, my mother and her friend as the boys had given up on shopping (typical). Our SA was lovely and wrote down my mother’s preferences. She left and came back around 20 minutes later with a huge box and led us to the women’s clothes where she opened it on a display box. Inside was a b35 blue nuit, Togo and GHW. It was lovely however my mother knows what she wants and finds the b35 too big for her, and too much of a work bag. The lady had mentioned that she had a b25 in a different blue but when we pursued this, she said it had gone - all that was left was b25 in magnolia (I was carrying my new baby at the time and I wonder if she said this because I had it already), and there were no b30 in any colour. So my mother asked on behalf of her friend, saying do you have anything red in crocodile? The lady went completely cold, saying sharply no, crocodile is very special. I tried to tell her that my mother has lizard and ostrich (I was not lying), but no crocodile. Still she would not budge. So we left without my mother’s birthday birkin.

At George V on Tuesday: After FSH, we were determined to try our hardest to get my mother what she wanted. As our hotel was right by the George V store, we tried there. To better our chances we split up - I was w/ my mom and her friend was on her own. There were no Bs or Ks on display, which I thought was a bad sign. After queuing for 10 minutes, we were served by a man. We explained what my mother wanted and he did not even go away and look, he said “we do not have any birkins or kellies, we have some wallets and a few garden parties left”. So we left defeated. My mother’s friend on the other hand was buying scarves and was so determined and politely persistent that she was led upstairs. Despite also being told there were no Bs or Ks she was actually shown a light blue Kelly mini II! She didn’t take it as it was not what my mother wanted.

I hope my story has helped anyone looking for bags! In the end I was surprised that despite what I had heard about George V selling Bs and Ks to locals only, we were offered something. I was also completely shocked that only one birkin was allowed for my family - has anyone else been told this? I find it unlikely that they were suspicious we were resellers, but it’s possible that they just didn’t want to give us 2 bags.

I am so happy about by baby birkin - I’ll post a picture as I am completely in love. Good luck to anybody trying to score a bag!

Congratulations on your Birkin and good fortune! Not everyone is offered one. And to hear your group was ultimately offered three coveted bags, including one to your specs and another one very close to your mom’s, on one trip is very exciting!
On two occasions, my FSH SA has been very clear that it is one K/B per appointment; but that if my DD and I both had appointments, she would be able to sell a bag to each of us for each appointment even if she took us both at the same time. It’s not 1 per group, but 1 per appointment and appointments are individual. Of course, like all H policies, the rule is not applied in every case.
I understand the idea behind it, although it is frustrating in its application. If FSH is assigning individual appointments, I guess one’s decision (not H’s) to make it a group appointment would take up 3 spots and potentially 3 bags. That undermines whatever system they are using to assign appointments.
When the queue system was in place, it was very frustrating to many people that groups would jump the line and each individual would get an appointment and a chance for a bag before the next people in line.
In any event, you guys got two appointments at FSH and were offered two Birkins AND a mini-K at George V!

 

[Ally84]

It might have been due to one birkin per appt time. Did you mention during the 1030 appt that your family also had a 630 appt? They may have moved that up if you mentioned. Your mother was offered a birkin at 630, so I don’t think it was new rule related or being cheeky. I think it was related to the one birkin per passport that made the appt rule. The SA may have also thought due to your age that the Birkin would be paid by your mother, making that two birkins on one passport?

Yes, one per appointment seems far more likely - I thought the policy was 1 per person per 6 months. No we didn't mention that as we thought that having a later appointment would give us a second chance, though in retrospect it would have been a better idea. The birkin was indeed put on my mom's card (my debit card has a £200 maximum so I didn't even try to pay with that), so you're probably right. I hadn't realised that this was the policy and if I'm being honest, I thought that our SA would make an exception seeing as it was for my mom's birthday. I just wanted her to be as happy as I am with my birkin; I hoped we would both get what we wanted, so I wasn't happy when we didn't

 

[Ally84]

I’m pretty sure they may bend the rule for those with big spending history? I forgot to add that I wasn’t allocated an appt which makes it harder for the SA to let me purchase one under my name.

If you’re visiting the next time, perhaps you and mum should split up?

So did you manage to talk your way into getting an appointment? That's impressive! Were you successful because there were cancellations?
You're probably right about big purchase histories - we didn't, but my lovely dad arranged for the head of SOs looked after us in the morning so I thought that given his status within the company, he would be able to give us both bags. I'm not sure when we will be next in Paris, however I definitely think that would be ideal as it would mean we both get bags, thanks for the advice!

 

[Ally84]

You and your mom got an appointment on Tuesday, but did your mom’s friend try again for Wednesday? Hopefully, if she is a VIP, she help get a bag for your mom in the UK if she is unsuccessful on this trip!

Congrats for saving for your first bag! You’ll respect the bag even more since you saved and made sacrifices for it!

No she didn't as unfortunately we all had to leave Paris at 11 a.m on Wednesday, so it would be cutting it very fine seeing as FSH opens at 10:30.
Yes, that is the plan! She has very kindly called her SA, though it means she will get her bag after her birthday. But, at least she will get it!
Thank you so much, I love love love it and can't wait to wear it in the future! Now that I've started collecting, I'm not sure I can stop....

 

[Ally84]

Congratulations on your Birkin and good fortune! Not everyone is offered one. And to hear your group was ultimately offered three coveted bags, including one to your specs and another one very close to your mom’s, on one trip is very exciting!
On two occasions, my FSH SA has been very clear that it is one K/B per appointment; but that if my DD and I both had appointments, she would be able to sell a bag to each of us for each appointment even if she took us both at the same time. It’s not 1 per group, but 1 per appointment and appointments are individual. Of course, like all H policies, the rule is not applied in every case.
I understand the idea behind it, although it is frustrating in its application. If FSH is assigning individual appointments, I guess one’s decision (not H’s) to make it a group appointment would take up 3 spots and potentially 3 bags. That undermines whatever system they are using to assign appointments.
When the queue system was in place, it was very frustrating to many people that groups would jump the line and each individual would get an appointment and a chance for a bag before the next people in line.
In any event, you guys got two appointments at FSH and were offered two Birkins AND a mini-K at George V!

Thank you!! Yes we were very lucky to be offered so many bags, but my mom was very particular about what she wants, so she declined the B and K. I didn't realise that this policy existed; I thought it was just one B/K/C per person per 6 months. It is frustrating indeed, however I also understand that it would undermine the system. I had hoped that we would be the exception due to my dad pulling some strings but unfortunately this was not the case. I have read stories on this thread about the old queueing system and definitely think this new online system is better, however it still has room for improvement. But it was indeed a hectic Paris trip!

 

[MrsL]

My Hermes FSH story:
Hi all, thought I would share my Birkin25 story to help others for the future.

My flight to Paris was Sunday evening, I wanted to secure an appointment or at least attempt to for Monday. I made an appointment on Saturday since the website is closed on Sundays. No luck. Arrived Monday morning and went to the store by 11 to see if I could maybe attempt a bag without an appoint. Met a lovely SA who was able to show me a Kelly Pochette in Magnolia without an appointment. I passed on it and was asked if she could squeeze me in with no appointment but she told me I was lucky enough to be shown that (haha). Decided to try again Tuesday, went back at 5pm as I read that that’s the time you can usually get an appointment without doing it online (side note: I made appointments everyday and did not get any for my mother nor I!). Tuesday, I thought my Birkin dreams were answered when they told me my SA from Monday was busy but another could help me since some spots were open. A SA came over, asked what I wanted (B or K 25, Rouge Tomate or Vermillion and then gave her more options in hope that I’d score a bag). She went to the back, I stood there for 30 minutes for her to return and tell me they have nothing. I left the store heart broken, determined to get a B or K on my trip to Paris was not working out well....

Again, I did the lottery to try and get a spot for Wednesday; denied. My hotel was 10 minutes for the FSH store so I decided Wednesday again at 5 pm I would go back. My mother was with me the entire time in hopes that she’d score a B or K as well. When we got to the store I saw the SA that helped me Tuesday and she told me she is busy but maybe my nice one from Monday could squeeze me in. My lovely SA from Monday was able to squeeze me in by 6:05, knowing I’d probably not score a bag as the day was over I didn’t get too excited this time. My SA took me upstairs, asked me what I wanted, said there may not be any but she’ll gladly check. She returned within 10 minutes with nothing in tow. My hopes of getting a B or K we’re coming to an end as I was leaving Friday morning. However, my SA saw how persistent I was with making appointments, showing up (almost annoying her daily), she told me come Thursday in the morning, 11:30, ask for her and she will try. I was so excited! My mother was excited to as she saw my persistence prevailed. I won’t lie, I barely slept Wednesday night in excitement for this morning! Thursday morning rolled around and I got to the store by 11:15, told them I had an appt with my SA and they told me go upstairs. Again, she greeted me, asked what I wanted and walked outed with a large box, i was so excited! She opened the box and said it’s not the exact color I want but it’s a Birkin 25 in Capucine with gold hardware. I was stunned by the beauty of this bag. I fell in love! I knew this was coming home with me but I also wanted my mother to receive a bag as this would be her first B or K as well and she was with me the entire time. My SA would not allow us to get two bags and said she was doing me a favor by letting me come in this morning with no appt.

Long story short: persistence is key, I made 4 appointments and were denied all. I showed up to the store every day (luckily it was close to my hotel) and was finally able to get my hands on a B. Also, I know my SA was doing me a “favor” but would have loved to get my mother one. She gave me her card and told me to contact her in the future for one (which I guess is nice?) They are not the nicest, I’m glad I got my bag. I’d also suggest doing your research before hand, I spent hours reading up on how to get an appointment without actually getting one. Kindness is always appreciated as well. Here’s a picture of my baby, my first Birkin 25!

Ps: I tried to get my mother a bag at the store on Avenue George but they told me they had nothing...twice

 

[eter69nity]

would just like to share my shopping experience in FSH this trip, arrived in paris on monday and had tried to secure an appointment on sat as the website is closed on sun but to no avail, decided to drop by FSH in the afternoon, tried to look for my SA but alas to my horror he has stopped working on the sale floor and moved to back end! was lingering around trying to look for the lovely female SA which served me temporarily last year and i managed to but she told me her appointments were full for that day and i had to try and request for another appointment on tuesday, i tried my luck and looked for another SA which served me last year and offered me a Birkin Bleu Zanzibar (which i snapped it up), managed to locate him, exchanged my pleasantries and asked him if he could help me as i tried to secure an appointment for the day but unsuccessful, he smiled and told me to wait. after about 15 minutes, he approached me and i told him since i bought my BZ Birkin last year from him, i’m trying to get a Kelly Sellier this year for my belated birthday present, he took my passport, did the usual verification and proceeded to ask me for my wish list, i told him i prefer a size 40 but i do understand it’s rather rare for a Sellier so i wouldn’t mind a size 35 and it MUST be GHW, he left for the stock room and after about 5 minutes (which seemed forever ) he came back with 3 BOXES...!! my heart skipped a few times i swear, he proceeded to guide me to another corner but was told by his colleague to go upstairs which i did and followed suit, went to a private fitting room, the first box he opened, he apologised for it being a 35 instead of a 40 but i swear i was in a daze already! out from the box he took out a Black Epsom Sellier 35 with GHW, i saw it and without hesitation i said YES! he suggested an additional strap for it that would pair it well as i mentioned that i like to crossbody my Kellys mostly, he showed me a few straps and i picked the Sangle Ecru/Noir/Noir in 50width and 105cm, proceeded to pay and left FSH on a monday a very satisfied and happy customer as i got my dream bag!

 

[Lilikay]

My Hermes FSH story:
Hi all, thought I would share my Birkin25 story to help others for the future.

My flight to Paris was Sunday evening, I wanted to secure an appointment or at least attempt to for Monday. I made an appointment on Saturday since the website is closed on Sundays. No luck. Arrived Monday morning and went to the store by 11 to see if I could maybe attempt a bag without an appoint. Met a lovely SA who was able to show me a Kelly Pochette in Magnolia without an appointment. I passed on it and was asked if she could squeeze me in with no appointment but she told me I was lucky enough to be shown that (haha). Decided to try again Tuesday, went back at 5pm as I read that that’s the time you can usually get an appointment without doing it online (side note: I made appointments everyday and did not get any for my mother nor I!). Tuesday, I thought my Birkin dreams were answered when they told me my SA from Monday was busy but another could help me since some spots were open. A SA came over, asked what I wanted (B or K 25, Rouge Tomate or Vermillion and then gave her more options in hope that I’d score a bag). She went to the back, I stood there for 30 minutes for her to return and tell me they have nothing. I left the store heart broken, determined to get a B or K on my trip to Paris was not working out well....

Again, I did the lottery to try and get a spot for Wednesday; denied. My hotel was 10 minutes for the FSH store so I decided Wednesday again at 5 pm I would go back. My mother was with me the entire time in hopes that she’d score a B or K as well. When we got to the store I saw the SA that helped me Tuesday and she told me she is busy but maybe my nice one from Monday could squeeze me in. My lovely SA from Monday was able to squeeze me in by 6:05, knowing I’d probably not score a bag as the day was over I didn’t get too excited this time. My SA took me upstairs, asked me what I wanted, said there may not be any but she’ll gladly check. She returned within 10 minutes with nothing in tow. My hopes of getting a B or K we’re coming to an end as I was leaving Friday morning. However, my SA saw how persistent I was with making appointments, showing up (almost annoying her daily), she told me come Thursday in the morning, 11:30, ask for her and she will try. I was so excited! My mother was excited to as she saw my persistence prevailed. I won’t lie, I barely slept Wednesday night in excitement for this morning! Thursday morning rolled around and I got to the store by 11:15, told them I had an appt with my SA and they told me go upstairs. Again, she greeted me, asked what I wanted and walked outed with a large box, i was so excited! She opened the box and said it’s not the exact color I want but it’s a Birkin 25 in Capucine with gold hardware. I was stunned by the beauty of this bag. I fell in love! I knew this was coming home with me but I also wanted my mother to receive a bag as this would be her first B or K as well and she was with me the entire time. My SA would not allow us to get two bags and said she was doing me a favor by letting me come in this morning with no appt.

Long story short: persistence is key, I made 4 appointments and were denied all. I showed up to the store every day (luckily it was close to my hotel) and was finally able to get my hands on a B. Also, I know my SA was doing me a “favor” but would have loved to get my mother one. She gave me her card and told me to contact her in the future for one (which I guess is nice?) They are not the nicest, I’m glad I got my bag. I’d also suggest doing your research before hand, I spent hours reading up on how to get an appointment without actually getting one. Kindness is always appreciated as well. Here’s a picture of my baby, my first Birkin 25!

Ps: I tried to get my mother a bag at the store on Avenue George but they told me they had nothing...twice

View attachment 4151679View attachment 4151680

Absolutely gorgeous! Congrats!

 

[hannahsophia]

Yes, one per appointment seems far more likely - I thought the policy was 1 per person per 6 months. No we didn't mention that as we thought that having a later appointment would give us a second chance, though in retrospect it would have been a better idea. The birkin was indeed put on my mom's card (my debit card has a £200 maximum so I didn't even try to pay with that), so you're probably right. I hadn't realised that this was the policy and if I'm being honest, I thought that our SA would make an exception seeing as it was for my mom's birthday. I just wanted her to be as happy as I am with my birkin; I hoped we would both get what we wanted, so I wasn't happy when we didn't

The only way I would think you could have gotten around this is if your dad paid with his card/passport for one and your mother paid with her card/passport for the other. Not 100% positive on the treatment if it were a family card with authorized users though. Just my two cents for next time! Enjoy the rest of your trip!

 

[Hillychristie]

So did you manage to talk your way into getting an appointment? That's impressive! Were you successful because there were cancellations?
You're probably right about big purchase histories - we didn't, but my lovely dad arranged for the head of SOs looked after us in the morning so I thought that given his status within the company, he would be able to give us both bags. I'm not sure when we will be next in Paris, however I definitely think that would be ideal as it would mean we both get bags, thanks for the advice!

Actually both my hubby and I didn’t score any appt and my hubby talked his way through to get one. That’s why they said they already made an excellent for us, so only 1 bag. Now that I know you’re 15, I’ll register my Children next time for an appt. May I know did they allow you to pay with your parents credit card or did you use your own?