I too have no animosity towards
@_Birkin_
and I don’t think he is lying.
I just find it a little disheartening, maybe triggering, and a little insensitive when he casually mentions,
“I personally consider that a 1:1 ratio is sufficient for B25 or K25 in the US. “
or
“In my experiences, if you do your homework well, there is a way to buy a B25/K25 with lower pre-spends (i.e., 1:1 or less than that) in the US boutiques.”
knowing that is not a majority of the experiences in the US especially as told in this forum.
If it were true, this forum wouldn’t exist. Also, I wouldn’t have gone to Europe and specifically traveled to Paris in the hopes of winning the Quota Bag lottery, which sadly, yes I failed 3 times. Hence, shopping in Southern California, at my store which happens to be competitive, is my only alternative. I don’t have the time or luxury to go to Europe a few times a year to keep trying my luck there especially, since I have family to take care of including an elderly parent with dementia.
He makes those statements and keeps mentioning YMMV, but his experience with his B35 in 2024 in the US is more in tune with the normal experiences, including my own and others I know personally.
To imply that people aren’t doing their homework or must be doing something wrong or not have that good of a relationship with their SAs is disheartening, triggering, insensitive, and somewhat elitist. I honestly feel, I do my research and do it well. I feel I am a good problem solver. Also, I feel I am a fairly decent person. Perhaps, I am just unlucky or perhaps don’t have the right connections.
Some people are just luckier than others and have happier stories of getting the bag with little or no prespend. Some have better connections. Amazing, and I am honestly happy for those of you. That’s why I love reading the Paris success stories. I honestly get joy from their joy and love success stories and happy endings.
But to make those statements without real first hand experience, in the US, is a little elitist and insensitive.
It’s great for him that he has a friend at Hermes to hook him up. Lucky for his connections. But, please don’t discredit the rest of us for actually being the norm and saying that what we are accepting is our norm and not yours. It is no one’s norm, just our own personal experiences, based on our luck and our connections.