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/

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.

 

[880]

It can’t hurt to ask. Worse case they say no. Nothing to lose!

Ask for Hermes Marseilles
Paris no longer takes hotel requests
(As per the Bulgari and Bristol hotels in Paris)

@rumes , agree with all of the advice you have already been given above, and I wish you all the best regarding your future health and treatments. I also agree with @acrowcounted to be open with your choices)

One bit of advice I have is to dress in colors complimentary to your favorite ones. Bc in case an SA cannot find the exact color match, they will search for the next closest or something that they think you might like (based on what you wear). Some colors skew green even when their name suggests otherwise, for example bleu orage.

 

[tempurabits]

To get a vat refund I needed to return the items and repurchase them. It was not a problem but it adds time to the visit.

so you have ordered stuff online & did pickup in store then return & rebuy for the vat refund when you pickup?
do you know if i can do that for a personalized item? planning to order a personalized calvi.

 

[rumes]

@rumes , agree with all of the advice you have already been given above, and I wish you all the best regarding your future health and treatments. I also agree with @acrowcounted to be open with your choices)

One bit of advice I have is to dress in colors complimentary to your favorite ones. Bc in case an SA cannot find the exact color match, they will search for the next closest or something that they think you might like (based on what you wear). Some colors skew green even when their name suggests otherwise, for example bleu orage.

Dearest 880, thank you very much for your comment and kind wishes. Honestly, I'm planning to wear green Oran sandals and accessorize with a green and orange-toned gavroche that day. Since I'll be carrying a gray B25, I'm thinking of wearing a gray dress to match.

 

[San2222]

so you have ordered stuff online & did pickup in store then return & rebuy for the vat refund when you pickup?
do you know if i can do that for a personalized item? planning to order a personalized calvi.

yes you can get tax refund for personalized calvi

 

[Ceeje89]

We were in Paris for 7 days and had an AMAZING time, but the H shopping was far from a highlight - in fact my DH said if he hadn’t already witnessed my usual delightful H shopping experiences at my home store that he’d be rather put off the brand just judging from our Paris visits. I can’t say anything was specifically out and out bad and no one was exactly rude to us, but it definitely felt harried, chaotic, and frenzied, and I was after things other than bags. Side note, Bottega Veneta and Louboutin by contrast were the best!

FSH was a mad house and while the other 2 stores weren’t as packed, the leather desks were constantly swamped. Even though I’d never been to these stores, I could always tell where the leather desks were by the increased density of people! Honestly given the sheer volume of traffic, I don’t blame the SAs for not bending over backwards for every tourist who walks in speaking broken / rudimentary French like us lol. Makes me realize how spoiled I’ve been with my home store, usually very quiet and relaxed.

No luck with leather appointment lottery nor with walk ins. Our declines ranged from immediate refusals before finishing the sentence to sympathetic “non madame”, to the associate checking on their iPad/phone before saying no. I did witness a couple ahead of us being told by an SA to “wait here for 20 minutes while I see if someone frees up, I’d rather that than see what you did yesterday” which gave me the distinct impression this couple literally waited around alllll day the prior day for the hope of an appointment

I did get some fun pieces as souvenirs and it was such a wonder to see all that eye candy on display so I’ll still call the venture a success but think I’ll stick with my domestic shopping from now on

Also, I got sassed every time i tried to take pics of the display cases so cannot make good on the promise of eye candy

so my purchases will have to do instead:

 

[Keepallboi]

Paris fashion week this Fall is Sept 23-Oct 1 (my birthday falls right in the middle of fashion week).

I’m hoping to get either a K25 or MK as I already have a B40 and K32 so I’m looking for a small bag for my next QB.

Would it be advisable to visit before fashion week (early September after the artisans return from holidays) or should I go mid/end of October after the fashion week craziness dies down?

Thanks in advance!

 

[hbr]

Paris fashion week this Fall is Sept 23-Oct 1 (my birthday falls right in the middle of fashion week).

I’m hoping to get either a K25 or MK as I already have a B40 and K32 so I’m looking for a small bag for my next QB.

Would it be advisable to visit before fashion week (early September after the artisans return from holidays) or should I go mid/end of October after the fashion week craziness dies down?

Thanks in advance!

I would go in late October to allow for stock to be replenished. If you go before FW but after the August holiday stock may be limited- especially since you’re looking for very sought after specs. Good luck!

 

[Keepallboi]

I would go in late October to allow for stock to be replenished. If you go before FW but after the August holiday stock may be limited- especially since you’re looking for very sought after specs. Good luck!

Thanks so much! That was my initial thought too!

We went last Sept (early Sept) and I was lucky to score my K32 even though stock was low according to my S.A. and luckily I LOVE the colour I got! But smaller bags are harder to get so late Oct makes sense

Second question (for all): I have a really nice S.A. who sold me the K32 in Paris, has anyone ever reached out to their Paris S.A. before a trip to Paris to pre-book an appointment vs just risking the chances with the appointment system?

 

[hbr]

Thanks so much! That was my initial thought too!

We went last Sept (early Sept) and I was lucky to score my K32 even though stock was low according to my S.A. and luckily I LOVE the colour I got! But smaller bags are harder to get so late Oct makes sense

Second question (for all): I have a really nice S.A. who sold me the K32 in Paris, has anyone ever reached out to their Paris S.A. before a trip to Paris to pre-book an appointment vs just risking the chances with the appointment system?

You can try pre-booking the appt but every time I’ve tried that, I’ve been told to try the lottery system. And I’ve been working with the same SA for about 8 years.

 

[880]

Thanks so much! That was my initial thought too!

We went last Sept (early Sept) and I was lucky to score my K32 even though stock was low according to my S.A. and luckily I LOVE the colour I got! But smaller bags are harder to get so late Oct makes sense

Second question (for all): I have a really nice S.A. who sold me the K32 in Paris, has anyone ever reached out to their Paris S.A. before a trip to Paris to pre-book an appointment vs just risking the chances with the appointment system?

Yes, I prebook and I am offered QB bags at each appt. I go twice a year; I am primarily a RTW client. Not sure how it will work going forward as my SA went on maternity leave for over a year and the sub kindly arranged for another sub on my last appt, but they always seem to find people to help me so I cannot complain. But, it seems as though everyone has a different experience, and this may be dependent on your relationship and whether your SA is in leather or can serve you across departments. I do not think it depends upon spend, as mine is relatively minimal at least compared to my local store.

 

[Veritybelle]

Thanks so much! That was my initial thought too!

We went last Sept (early Sept) and I was lucky to score my K32 even though stock was low according to my S.A. and luckily I LOVE the colour I got! But smaller bags are harder to get so late Oct makes sense

Second question (for all): I have a really nice S.A. who sold me the K32 in Paris, has anyone ever reached out to their Paris S.A. before a trip to Paris to pre-book an appointment vs just risking the chances with the appointment system?

I will try to pre-book with my SA on my next visit, but last year I found what worked best was to text her the day before to let her know that I would be coming in at an approximate time and that I would ask for her when I arrived. This approach yielded a response along the lines of “I’ll be here, and I look forward to seeing you.“

 

[Bdbunny]

@Ceeje89 sorry to hear your Paris H shopping was less than stellar. And I also read your customs post too- yikes! (Not to go off topic but I got interrogated last time too, but they usually charge me a flat 3% when I voluntarily declare.)

The shoe department at FSH is INSANE. I peeked my head over there and turned straight around! But I did get matching shoes to yours except mine are the ones in tan. I like the burgundy stitch markings. And I agree, they are surprisingly comfortable!

 

[Ceeje89]

@Ceeje89 sorry to hear your Paris H shopping was less than stellar. And I also read your customs post too- yikes! (Not to go off topic but I got interrogated last time too, but they usually charge me a flat 3% when I voluntarily declare.)

The shoe department at FSH is INSANE. I peeked my head over there and turned straight around! But I did get matching shoes to yours except mine are the ones in tan. I like the burgundy stitch markings. And I agree, they are surprisingly comfortable!

View attachment 5997409

Yes the shoe room was an absolute Zoo! But I am a shoe addict first and foremost so persevered there hehe

Between the Paris H stores, customs, and some other (minor) mishaps, DH and I decided we had activated some decidedly bad jou-jou somewhere along our trip. Ah well, c’est la vie.

So happy to be twining with you! Really like the contrast stitching on that color way!

 

[Bdbunny]

Yes the shoe room was an absolute Zoo! But I am a shoe addict first and foremost so persevered there hehe

Between the Paris H stores, customs, and some other (minor) mishaps, DH and I decided we had activated some decidedly bad jou-jou somewhere along our trip. Ah well, c’est la vie.

So happy to be twining with you! Really like the contrast stitching on that color way!

Well you know they say things come in three’s so I think you’re due for a good turn of events now!!!
But happy to read that you enjoyed Paris overall. That’s the best part of H shopping in Paris- it’s in Paris!

 

[thebirkinkellygirl]

Coming in with a success story!! 😍

Had my appointment with my SA (this was pre-booked) and we had an enjoyable time catching up, looking at the RTW stocks, browsing through FJ and homeware items.

We spent slightly over an hour shopping together and after I had everything I wanted check-listed, the magic question came up at a time when I least expected it! Trust me, by that time, I was literally screaming inside!!

My SA asked for my bag size preferences, type of hardware, type of leather and asked for a range of colors that I would be open to, so that she would have a wider bandwidth to work from! Then the waiting game began!

Shortly after, she came out and bellowed me to follow her and I was brought into a private room where 3 orange boxes were placed. By the size of the boxes, I knew exactly what they were!!

My SA asked which box I wanted to see first and we started off with the bigger boxes! They were a B25 and a K25 (both of which were the exact specs that I had told her were on my wishlist).

When it came to the last box, I knew exactly what it was - a Mini Kelly! While she slowly unveiled the bag, I was in a state of disbelief. I had heard so many stories of how hard it was to score a MK and thought it wouldn’t be possible to score one in my desired specs.

Lo and behold, my SA delivered exactly what I wished for, a MK gold on gold!

Sharing my success story here to let all my fellow Hermes lovers know that dreams do come true in Paris! 🫶🏻🫶🏻

On a side note, while I was shopping, DH and I saw many queuing up at the leather desk asking for cancellations and were rejected. My SA informed me that FSH will not be open on the 8th and 9th, only Sevres will open on the 8th, and Georg V will be open on the 9th.

Sending all fellow H lovers luck and love! ❤️