Did your SA give you an indication that you would be getting an offer yesterday? Like did they say they saw something in a shipment?
Spend threshold for B/K/C
- Thread starter Bellub
- Start date
TPF may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others
I would agree with the others. If you didn't reach a high/decent spend until recently (2.5x+ and it varies greatly by store) I would think you probably have to wait another couple of months as your SA probably only puts you down for bags once you become eligible and how long you have waited since you got the last bag is somewhat irrelevant relative to spend (it matters if you and another client spent the same amount and she/he just got one 2 months ago but not if the other client significantly outspent you). Just my 2 cents. Hoping you would get good news much sooner though!
I had an appt to pick up a charge send item and in our prior appt I was told there should be good news soon. There was no news only that she was aware of my wishlist.
“Soon” in Hermes world means months.
I don’t think we can stress enough just how much individual experiences vary and that there is not a single solid “rule” because they can always be bent! This is why comparisons rarely achieve anything besides bringing additional worry and discontent, but it does seem like no matter how many times we repeat them people still keep on asking…
So for those who can’t help but fret (it’s ok we’ve all been there especially at the start!) here’s maybe another perspective: your individual experience will always vary, but there is probably a rough “average”, “rule of thumb” sort of idea you can use to help guide you in terms of expectations. While individual experiences vary a lot depending on specifics, to me the best - perhaps the only obvious - way to find indicators are from reseller prices. At the end of the day, money is money and market works to stabilize itself. So let’s say a 10k bag flips to 30k in the brand new reseller market (note: none of the numbers I’m using are going to be precise; it’s for general illustration purposes only). Is it realistic to expect that on average someone who spends say 4k gets that bag offer every year? I think the answer is no. What would be more realistic? Well it’s 20k in addition to the bag price, so let’s say that’s what you call “2:1”, but don’t forget the “prespend” goods of 20k themselves can normally be sold too. Resellers definitely do that math and are part of that business as well. So let’s say it’s some jewelry pieces which normally lose half of their retail value on the secondary market. Well that means x2. So spend 40k = roughly where I would put the expectation at (again don’t take that as gospel! Just a starting idea). H most definitely tell their employees to try to find customers who are not resellers but real “lifestyle” lovers of Hermes (whether they always succeed in doing this is another thing). So a super popular in demand bag having something like 3:1 prespend seems “normal” to me in this calculation. So I would tell someone who’s already spent 100k that they should take a step back, while someone who has spent 20k to be a little more patient, while remembering that there are always factors like luck and timing and so on. But I think we can still hold some expectations that can hopefully be called reasonable.
I’m not saying that your SA and SM are pulling out their phones and calculators and doing all the math of the bag’s secondary market price when they decide on the offer, but in general I do think they are aware of what’s going on out there, perhaps more than some of us realize. It’s why I always think carrying and using your beautiful H goodies are a good idea to help illustrate that you are the type of customer they have been told to look for. And for those who have long and established relationships, it makes sense to me that their SA/SM already knows this about them very well.
ETA: reseller prices definitely seem to be falling back down from their most crazed peak, so here’s hoping that’s good news for everyone
So for those who can’t help but fret (it’s ok we’ve all been there especially at the start!) here’s maybe another perspective: your individual experience will always vary, but there is probably a rough “average”, “rule of thumb” sort of idea you can use to help guide you in terms of expectations. While individual experiences vary a lot depending on specifics, to me the best - perhaps the only obvious - way to find indicators are from reseller prices. At the end of the day, money is money and market works to stabilize itself. So let’s say a 10k bag flips to 30k in the brand new reseller market (note: none of the numbers I’m using are going to be precise; it’s for general illustration purposes only). Is it realistic to expect that on average someone who spends say 4k gets that bag offer every year? I think the answer is no. What would be more realistic? Well it’s 20k in addition to the bag price, so let’s say that’s what you call “2:1”, but don’t forget the “prespend” goods of 20k themselves can normally be sold too. Resellers definitely do that math and are part of that business as well. So let’s say it’s some jewelry pieces which normally lose half of their retail value on the secondary market. Well that means x2. So spend 40k = roughly where I would put the expectation at (again don’t take that as gospel! Just a starting idea). H most definitely tell their employees to try to find customers who are not resellers but real “lifestyle” lovers of Hermes (whether they always succeed in doing this is another thing). So a super popular in demand bag having something like 3:1 prespend seems “normal” to me in this calculation. So I would tell someone who’s already spent 100k that they should take a step back, while someone who has spent 20k to be a little more patient, while remembering that there are always factors like luck and timing and so on. But I think we can still hold some expectations that can hopefully be called reasonable.
I’m not saying that your SA and SM are pulling out their phones and calculators and doing all the math of the bag’s secondary market price when they decide on the offer, but in general I do think they are aware of what’s going on out there, perhaps more than some of us realize. It’s why I always think carrying and using your beautiful H goodies are a good idea to help illustrate that you are the type of customer they have been told to look for. And for those who have long and established relationships, it makes sense to me that their SA/SM already knows this about them very well.
ETA: reseller prices definitely seem to be falling back down from their most crazed peak, so here’s hoping that’s good news for everyone
Last edited:
yeah just to echo the statement said by everyone before, relationships and understanding your style are really what drive the offers at Hermes and there’s no other rhyme or reason to it
Anecdotally, contrary to what I’ve been reading so far from many of you - my SA’s preferred form of communication is actually via text. I spend somewhere between $200-$2k every time I go to the store (so minimal) but I’m patient and try to be a pleasant customer without taking too much time in store unless it’s not busy to chit chat. I’ve gotten all my handbag offers via text (1 Evelyne and 1 Kelly 28) where my SA literally sent me images of the bags (the box for the Kelly) before I go into the store to pickup. The only time I’ve ever gotten an offer for something that I rejected (K28, didn’t like the color), my SA had me come in to the store without telling me what it was via text ahead of time.
Anecdotally, contrary to what I’ve been reading so far from many of you - my SA’s preferred form of communication is actually via text. I spend somewhere between $200-$2k every time I go to the store (so minimal) but I’m patient and try to be a pleasant customer without taking too much time in store unless it’s not busy to chit chat. I’ve gotten all my handbag offers via text (1 Evelyne and 1 Kelly 28) where my SA literally sent me images of the bags (the box for the Kelly) before I go into the store to pickup. The only time I’ve ever gotten an offer for something that I rejected (K28, didn’t like the color), my SA had me come in to the store without telling me what it was via text ahead of time.
The big resellers / “personal shoppers” are rarely working just by themselves. The goal being to make money, they have found how to best run the “business”. The bags are often not what they buy directly but sourced from numerous people which is also why it’s not so simple for H to ban them in some cases. Aside: years ago I remember seeing “recruitment ads” in international student groups in Europe to go line up for bags in Paris (this was before the lottery, I’m going to guess they changed to sign up for the lottery once Paris changed that), even giving out advice on how to dress/talk/behave to come off as genuine H “lovers” in order to score the bag and actually offer rewards for cases of success. I can’t imagine how much worse this has gotten with the crazy way the prices have gotten since then and the explosion of popularity of H bags (which I think the resellers play a part in and H is at least somewhat happy to actually let them).
I think a regular shopper will have to do *worse* than a reseller spend precisely because they won’t have those network / ways to flip, or the ability to travel and set up shop in countries with best retail prices (Europe for the most part) and are stuck with their local stores. The gauge I’m suggesting is that once you are doing “worse”, meaning you won’t be able to make a profit, there is less chance you are flagged as someone looking to flip (and therefore more likely a “real” customer), which at least officially is something H wants.
Also, I think it’s even been mentioned in this thread already, but of course there have been multiple firings of H SAs where the gossip vine suggests it’s because they were taking kickbacks and working with resellers.
Anyways this feels like drifting OT as well as going into speculations, so I’m going to stop here, happy to chat in DMs
Imho, your SA is wasting your time if you want a quota bag. Something similar happened to me in my local boutique; I changed SA to a newbie and told my last SA… honestly - I’m tired of waiting. She took me aside and told me, it was wise. She had a lot of old clientele and building it with a new addition of a store meant they are building their clientele list. I bought $3,700 and got offered a Birkin with 3 weeks. I also wanted to wear what I bought …
It worked out in the end - no hurt feelings and I can walk into my local boutique and Paris and have 2 SAs who I trust now to be honest with me. Good luck 🙏🏽
Moderate H customer here. I am by no means a VIP but I've been shopping for about 6.5 years and have gotten 3 B/K and 2Cs during that time (2 of them in Paris with zero prespend via appt). Last year my prespend was about 16k and I got offered (and took) a gorgeous box mini C in July. I would really like a K25 for my next bag. Since the mini C, I've spent another 4k. It's been 8 months since that bag and I'm wondering does my 16k continue to count towards a B/K or just my spend after the bag? Shopping at a large boutique in the US. I have a great relationship with my SA, we spent most of my appts chatting about other things not H related. However, I do not live near my home store but try to make it out 2-3 times a year for in person shopping. I wait for big purchases in store but buy a lot of shoes, home goods etc via text. I probably won't be making it out again until the fall as I'm pregnant. Was hoping for a push present this time 🤞
Someone's likely going to pop up and tell you your "prespend" "resets", but your cumulative spend and long-term relationship is what matters here - there are no rules. I would either let your SA know you are seeking to celebrate the birth of your child OR, possibly better, have your husband/wife/partner tell them they would like to get you something very special
Congratulations on your pregnancy!
I am new to Hermes in-store shopping. Only shopped online previously. I finally walked in my local store and unexpectedly has spent 16K in two months (fell in love with RTW when I tried them on). I like my SA. She never "recommended" me to get anything and only just helped me to get what I am interested in. But she could become quite intense every time I mentioned the QB bags (I only mentioned bags when she asked my wishlist and leather preference). I know only two months history may not be long enough, but wondering if I could start to expect a QB bag? The wishlist I gave her was very simple, B30/K28 neutral color, and 1-2 other nonQB bag. She has offered me one of the nonQB but I didn't take it because of the leather. I am > 1:1 in two months. I want to slow down and hold some items I like till they give me a hint of "your QB is on the way". Am I too naive... All the items I got I LOVE THEM, but I don't want to keep spending without knowing if a QB is very likely coming. Is my expectation realistic?
Last edited:
Impossible to say without knowing your location (some stores new clients might spend 2.5x to 3x before an offer while others could be much lower)...In general my experience has been if SA is intense or not willing to talk about QB it means it's not going to be anytime soon but every SA operates differently. 6-12 months is probably more realistic for your first QB but obviously some people have gotten it quicker so your best bet is probably to have an open conversation with your SA...(they won't explicitly comment on pre-spend but might drop hints around your profile or wait time)
Depending on your location, your SA might want to see if you will be a regular client (in for the long haul) or just in until you get a bag or bags. Agree with post above that it helps to be open with one’s SA and moderate one’s expectations. In NY, it’s my understanding (simply from talking to SAs and my friends) that new clients have been getting bags, but with generally more spend than 16K over two months and time. Of course every case is different and YMMV
Last edited:
Two months is not a reasonable expectation at 1.5:1. It’s a good spend, especially if mostly RTW but others are likely waiting for longer with similar spends. I agree with other posters that 6-9 months is a more reasonable expectation to have. Recommend slowing down but continuing to shop in smaller increments until you get closer to 25k or get an offer. Good luck.
Thank you all for helping me to figure this out. I am in PA. I do think I need to slow down to be realistic. RTW is very tempted but one can't get too many for one season! Be patient and only get items we really love is the key to keep on this journey happily.