Store Bought vs Reseller Bought - How Does it Feel?

#31
I wonder what theo world would be like if we could all just breathe out and let out tummies hang? LOL! It's like my best friend says...no-one EVER sits down on a public toilet...therefore, they must be the cleanest around.....

Anyway, I acquired my Birkin and my Caramel Kelly the non-boutique way, and let me say, I was jumping around, all silly and gleeful just as I was when I have purchased from the boutique. Both these bags were from great people (Flossy & Shopmom) so perhaps that made my experience as wonderful (if not more so) as buying at the store? In any case, every bag purchase involved hopping from foot to foot (not easy in the shoes I favour), breaking out in a light sweat, clapping of hands (like my three year old does), and the "aaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" moment! It truely is better than sex. Well, married sex, anyway.

Having said that, I love the store experience, just to have all the SA's share the joy with you....because only your tPF galpals and your SA's will ever truely understand.:yes:
 
#33
I bought all of my *H* bags from recommended resellers, and I had no doubts about their authenticity. All of them (except for one, which was lightly used) were brand new, never used, one even had the plastic still on the hw. They were not overpriced either, IMHO, and they are all EXACTLY what I wanted. I was (and still am) just as thrilled with all of them as anyone who bought from the boutique would be, but I don't feel that I missed out on anything by not buying from the boutique.

Honestly, I just don't have the time or patience to haunt the boutique, and spend money on accessories or other trinkets I don't really want or need just to build a relationship with an SA who will MAYBE allow me to order a Birkin at some point in the future, if s/he thinks I'm worthy. All the champagne and fancy tea in the world (which I can buy myself, thank you) are not worth it.

I've bought most of my scarves from the boutique as well as dept. stores, resellers and consignment shops. The biggest thrill for me was getting the scarf itself. The presentation and packaging are nice, but not my biggest concern. Same thing applies to the bags. My priorities are different, I guess.
 
#34
every Hermes item i own i bought directly from the boutiques myself except for three. i love the boutique experience..of course it is a big rush and you don't nitpick about authenticity and it brings you closer to your SA, etc. its just a great experience.
the reseller experience was very pleasant on her end..on my end i went a little crazy because i had never examined or held/felt a Birkin prior to my first purchase of one from a reseller so i was constantly doubting my ability to "tell". it was amazing quality, etc. but of course, who was i to judge? i was no expert. so i did what gazoo did...i took her to Manuela, the craftsperson in Beverly Hills H that same morning, and i had her stamped with my initials [much less lengthy than a spa treatment]. she too, examined a little and i too, held my breathe, turned beet red, shuffled, paced, sweated. Finally she wrote out an invoice, told me it would take a day or two, and said she'll call me when its ready. i practically leapt out of the store. i still wasnt totally calm because i was nervous she'd call me with bad news. but..that same evening she actually called me and told me she finished earlier than expected and it was ready for pick up the next morning.
it didnt end there.
still crazy, i [twice] visited NY very briefly a few months later and saw Claude. the first time i was asking about some stitch on my bag, which he explained to me.
the second time i just flat out asked him about my bag's authenticity. that story is somewhere on this forum. suffice it to say, he assured me, with his cute little smile, that my bag is "Real" (his words) and told me to enjoy it. he had looked it over and felt it and held it up to the light of the window but didnt even open it. he said he could tell and didnt need to further examine.
i was finally relieved.
and with all the little "tests" i keep coming up with, my bag keeps passing, so honestly, though it was stressful (i brought that upon myself) and though it was more expensive than retail (but still less expensive than other resellers), i am very happy and love my bag! now that i know Hermes much better i am certainly going to be calmer and will probably stick with the same reseller, unless i happen upon one i adore at the boutique in which case i'll be ecstatic.
 
#35
koukanamiya said:
I know I'm totally off topic but Hermes has TEA readily available????? I've only been offered water ... (in a nice Cristol St. Louis glass tho).

Gah, I LOVE tea ... I'll bet tea from Hermes tastes much better too.

Kou who can't get over the tea thing
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I had a cup of coffee on the top floor of hermes in 24 FSH, didn't even buy much, was looking at a new watch strap. The SAs were delightful. I made DH take a pic, will post it later if I can find it.

Just to keep on topic a bit, I know I am far more thrilled with box-new bought from a store than sales items. I have never bought from a re-seller but I think I would buy either brand new from a re-seller or real vintage fairly happily but with never quite the same thrill (unless I could get a snail cadena, I'm becoming obsessed with finding one!) The only advantage with a sales item is that I am less 'precious' with it; my Masai bought in the Paris sale in 2004 is very knocked about, poor thing, it bears up well though and of course it was much cheaper than a store price or a re-seller price. At the moment, I am happy to wait for my Birkin, I need to save up anyway, the anticipation and looking forward is all part of it. When I got to open my new Kelly in the store from shrink-wrapped, I nearly passed out with excitement :smile: :love:
 
#36
latigresse said:
Honestly, I just don't have the time or patience to haunt the boutique, and spend money on accessories or other trinkets I don't really want or need just to build a relationship with an SA who will MAYBE allow me to order a Birkin at some point in the future, if s/he thinks I'm worthy. All the champagne and fancy tea in the world (which I can buy myself, thank you) are not worth it. quote]

Latigresse, I think you made a very good point here. I totally understand what you mean. I've always found the idea of buying things you don't want or need to build a relationship to be very off-putting (and I don't do it myself).
I like shopping at the Hermes store because I put no pressure on myself to find or order anything. I go in pretty regularly, and if i like something, I will buy it. I take the time and let the bag find me. Each time is always a bit of an adventure and if they happen to serve me tea, so much the better. However, if there is something I really want specifically and don't want to wait for, I think shopping at the Hermes store can be a little taxing.
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#37
I admit there is a definite market for resellers. Most of the US stores just don't have the inventory to support demand. Some people don't even live within 300 miles of an Hermes. But I love going into the store. I don't mind picking up little things here and there, because I like most of what Hermes makes.........................except the Himalaya. Grands Fonds can have that all to herself.
 
#38
I have not yet purchased from a reseller. And I can't say I never will. However, right now, I prefer to purchase from the store. I don't like the thought of being even slightly stressed about the authenticity of my bag. I don't like the idea of sending some faceless individual money, not knowing if he or she will really send the right bag. I think buying from resellers is something you should do once you really are well versed in how to detect a fake bag and you KNOW of a good, reliable reseller. Besides all that, there is a great feeling from purchasing in the store with all the attention you get and everything.

So, suffice it to say, I think that your first birkin should be purchased from the store. I know it seems like you will have to wait a longtime, but sometimes bags come in and people get them quicker than they expected.
 
#39
When I first decided I wanted a birkin....specifically a raisin birkin....sometimes you just think there is no hope. No light...when will it come? Will it ever come...and I got a call. Someone that ordered the 35cm togo raisin moved out of the country and it was mine.

For anyone that wants a birkin.....I say...start going into the store...be nice to an SA, develop a relationship.

I think it helps if you really just pick out what you want. And stick with it.....

however...I don't know what I would do if I live in a city not near a Hermes. that would be HARD!
 
#40
Honestly, I just don't have the time or patience to haunt the boutique, and spend money on accessories or other trinkets I don't really want or need just to build a relationship with an SA who will MAYBE allow me to order a Birkin at some point in the future, if s/he thinks I'm worthy. All the champagne and fancy tea in the world (which I can buy myself, thank you) are not worth it
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That is how I feel in part. I do not mind building the relationship but to have to buy things that I do not really want at the moment bothers me a little. I would say that even though I do not own an Hermes bag when I have visited the store I have been treated very nicely and SA assistant has been helpful and cordial when answering questions about leathers, colors and have even provided a little bit of the history of the different pieces. Overall still birkinless but happy with the experience so far. Chances are that I will ended up getting at some point a birkin through a reseller as I lack patience myself...
 
#41
I couldn't agree more. It's frustrating that I feel I have to purchase items whenever I go into H so that an SA will eventually feel that I'm worthy of purchasing a Birkin. I really don't have the time nor the money to do this. How many scarves, wallets, agendas belts and bracelets can one have? (I know many of you will think "not enough" so let me rephrase - how many can one AFFORD?! ;))

After some time I think, I might I as well just not buy these other items and just use that money to buy a Birkin from a reseller even if they do charge a premium!
 
#42
love your story gazoo....not living near an H store, I miss all of this.....fortunately for me, though, I've developed a great relationship with my SA who sends me 'extras' when I purchase something from her...
 
#43
InLuvWithHermes said:
After some time I think, I might I as well just not buy these other items and just use that money to buy a Birkin from a reseller even if they do charge a premium!
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You hit the nail on the head! It's about cost-effectiveness. If my sole objective is to save for a Birkin and I'm making sacrificies in other areas of my life, WHY should I have to buy wallets, agendas, coin purses and other odds and ends? I just refuse to do it.

Buying from the resellers worked well for me. I had ample opportunity to examine, touch, feel and sniff before buying anything, and they were all to happy to accommodate me. Not all resellers charge outrageous prices. The ones I dealt with charged more or less what I would have paid at the boutique, so I don't feel that I overpaid. If I did, it was a minimal amount, certainly not thousands of dollars.
 
#45
InLuvWithHermes said:
I couldn't agree more. It's frustrating that I feel I have to purchase items whenever I go into H so that an SA will eventually feel that I'm worthy of purchasing a Birkin. I really don't have the time nor the money to do this. How many scarves, wallets, agendas belts and bracelets can one have? (I know many of you will think "not enough" so let me rephrase - how many can one AFFORD?! ;))

After some time I think, I might I as well just not buy these other items and just use that money to buy a Birkin from a reseller even if they do charge a premium!
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Well I guess for someone who doesn't really love most Hermes products, then a reseller WOULD be your best bet. :smile: It is true you need to make other purchases in order to get "approval" for a birkin, but when you like Hermes products, there should be something else that interests you enough to buy it. I don't buy belts and I only have a few scarves. But I made my selections carefully and picked only what I truly love. I didn't just randomly buy items with no thought or care for what I was buying.

But everyone doens't have to spend tons of time and money cultivating a relationship. Some people click right away and get offered a birkin, some people walk in the store and see one sitting on the shelf. It just depends. On another note, I would think that if someone is interested in being cost effective, they would try to buy a birkin from H, instead of paying the premium to a reseller. The premium you pay will probably add up to the amount of smaller H goodies you would have purchased while waiting for a birkin. At least in that case you would have more to show for your money. :smile:
 
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