Price Justification?

getahat $500 is not that much of a bargain at these prices. lol
an interesting thing is, what you identify as "quibbles" is at the heart of the appeal of hermes for some of us. the lifelong service, enabling the bag to become an heirloom that will endure, that is part of the value of the cost to me. it "justifies" it.
also, shopmom, i cannot agree. we have other expenses, far far more important then a purse, and i would spend 7k of found money, or some portion of that, on a kelly. yes sirree. if not then, when?
 
getahat, for me this is easy to answer because of the strict limitations of the scenario you present.

If it was a replica of an Hermes bag (with or without the name Hermes), I would be upset because I feel very strongly about design/intellectual property rights.

On the charity question, I would give the money to charity.
 
from my perspective the first hypothetical is critically flawed in that the moment i find out it's a counterfeit -- however spectacular it may be -- it ceases to be my dream bag because of the intellectual property issues that venezia points out. not to mention the whole fraud aspect.

but let's tweak it a little. say my dream bag is a vintage piece and i've been told it's an old hermes from before they started putting identifying markings on their work. the whole world thinks that the house of hermes made these few beautiful bags. but then lo and behold a handbags scholar discovers that these bags were in fact produced at the workshop of joe schmoe on the left bank. then yes, it would still be my dream bag. and to anyone who asked about it i would proudly reply "oh, this? this lovely piece is a vintage joe schmoe "rive gauche."
 
Hmmmmmmm.....hot topic........I'd have to say (and maybe this is nowhere near the point you're trying to make, Getahat) that anyone who can afford to buy a $7K handbag is usually a person who also gives to charity. Now, if you don't normally have $7K in your posession and win a lottery or something then I can't see buying the bag OR donating to charity. You'd probably spend it on something you really, really need.....not a bag OR a donation.

And really, that's life. :shame: :flowers:

i def agree.
 
I agree with shopmom aswell that anyone who can afford a $7000 bag already gives to charity.
If somebody won a lottery, I still have faith that they could give a portion to charity, even if they never had the means to before.
I have no shame in admitting thAt I would HATE the bag if it was not an authentic Hermes Kelly. :yucky: :yucky: :yucky: All about the fashion fantasy for me, exclusivity, the hunt is the best part, next, next, next,....aaaahhhhh, I love the russsshhhhh...... :devil: :devil: :devil: Muaaahahahaha...................:wlae: :shame:
 
getahat, let me see if I can give you my view in as concise a manner as I can after the couple of glasses of wine I've had this evening.

1. If I purchased what I believed to be an authentic birkin, made with exactly the same materials to the same specs but which was not an Hermes birkin in fact, while I would be able to appreciate that while the bag itself is a work of excellent craftsmanship, my appreciation of it would always be tainted by the bitterness of having been hoodwinked into spending $7000 for a replica -- though not for the reason one might immediately expect. If I'd known the bag was just a replica of impeccable quality and that's what I wanted, I could have paid a bit (or a lot) less and been happy. But if I had been duped into paying the mark-up for an authentic birkin and didn't end up with one, I wouldn't in all honesty be able to enjoy the bag because I would always remember having been duped (despite being able cognitively to acknowledge the excellent craftsmanship).

2. If I were given $7000 to do with as I wished and had a choice between a birkin for myself or a donation to charity I'd choose charity. It's probably just a personal quirk of mine, but I think I would prefer making and saving my own money to purchase my own birkin myself. (Although I wouldn't be so ungratious as to turn away someone trying to gift me with an actual Birkin. :P )

So there you have my long-winded, slightly inebriate answers. :smile:
 
To answer getahat's questions... for me:

1. No, I would not be happy with the bag. To me, A Birkin or Kelly HAS to be Hermes, and even though no one could tell and it would still look "exclusive", I would not be happy. I am certainly interested in the name - this is why I buy Chanel, Tiffany silver, etc... there can be an identical look, but to me, it will always be a copy.
I'll fully admit that to me, the Birkin is a status bag, and that's one of the reasons I want one to symbolize the completion of my training. I think that's why getting the "perfect first Birkin" is so important to me.

2. Honestly, I'd take the money and use it for a bag as well like Shari.
 
^ and ^^ :yes::yes: agree with both answers

and if i were to justify the price on a birkin.or any Hermes bag..I'll tell you..nope..it is not justifiable. pure self indulgence. enjoy a very very well made bag. enjoy the name of it. enjoy the little thrill when I carry an H bag everyday.
just like men enjoy getting expensive cars...VERY expensive cars. just like travelers enjoy 6 star hotels. are they juistifiable? not really. do those cars really really cost that much to make? nope. but sure they are super well made! what about $3,000/night hotel...same thing.. wasting money? perhaps! that little selfish thrill/happiness from these materialistic stuff..priceless.. (at least to some of us)!
 
Yep! I LOVE my Hermes bags! THE most expensive things I own. One bag alone cost more than my sofa and I don't even want to get into the CROC! I think my CAR was cheaper!!!!!
 
I have a question for you girls, an SA at my H store in San Fran told me that a Black Birkin 25cm in togo with PAL HW is much more expensive than the same bag in 30cm. Does this make sense?
Are these two bag impossible to come by? Can someone help me out with my ?s...:smile: