Vintage Kelly 28 - Advice, thoughts, and general feedback?

[notchevron]

I've been poring over this forum, YouTube, Reddit, etc. and came to the conclusion that it makes the most sense for my budget/patience to go the reseller route. This will be my first and only Hermes purchase so I want to ensure I'm covering all my bases.

I found this 2003 Kelly 28 sellier in box leather on Ebay from a Japanese reseller that has thousands of good reviews. It comes with the lock, keys, shoulder strap, and dustbag. This bag would go through Ebay authentication and also comes with a 30 day return policy, so I'm planning on getting it authenticated by Bababebi as well. That said, I'm a very anxious person and my worst fear is sending it to Hermes spa and getting it confiscated (I reached out to Ebay and they basically said that if it's confiscated there's nothing they can do for me since I wouldn't be able to send back the physical item). With all that context, these are the main questions I have before I decide to pull the trigger:

• Does anyone have any advice for how to tell if a purse has been spa'd or retouched? I know Hermes will turn away any bags worked on by a third party, so I'd like to avoid that. Do they tell you it's had 3rd party work done immediately, or do you have to wait weeks and weeks if they end up shipping it to Paris?
• Any experiences where you know someone who's had their bag confiscated by Hermes? What happened?
• I'm planning on visiting the Beverly Hills boutique to drop it off for a spa. What has been your experience there for minor work (conditioning, buffing out scratches, etc)?
• I know superfakes are a very real risk to consider. How easy is it to fake a 21 year old bag in box leather/are these even common specs to fake?

Thanks so much in advance, any and all thoughts are appreciated!

 

[880]

Have it authenticated by @bababebi via photos prior to purchase

Ask the reseller if this has ever been retouched

@docride has a Lazarus thread where people ask if something is worth buying (or if she sees problems) Though she does not authenticate on that threads, she may be able to point out obvious red flags

Docride's Hermes Lazarus Thread (can this Hermes be Saved? )

Hi there, wear with dirt on it can sometimes be lightened , however then you have lightened worn areas , the dark handles can be degreased some but it won’t look like original color again will be lightened but not necessarily uniformly. Stains once set are generally permanent. And that’s the...

forum.purseblog.com

Pay via PayPal fee backed by Amex through official eBay channels

That’s all I can think of right now.

Uou can also go on discuss h resellers for feedback on a particular one ETA: for some reason I cannot find the link for that thread right now

ETA: imo older box leather can be gorgeous, but you have to be okay with its quirks, including propensity to scratch. These scratches are what will resolve into a burnished patina over the years. Also, there is an issue about water. I’ve had no problems wiping random rain drops off, but occasionally members have reported blisters. I use both Hermes spa and third party professionals to spa my bags without issue. (I’ve written a number of posts on this which can be found on the search icon upper right, magnifying glass icon)

ETA: I don’t personally hold much faith in an anonymous eBay authenticator, but IDK


good luck!

 

[Gin&H]

Thread 'Trusted Resale Websites'
https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/trusted-resale-websites.1068012/

@880 is this the thread you were referring to? I wasn’t sure if there was another one specific for eBay resellers

 

[880]

Thread 'Trusted Resale Websites'
https://forum.purseblog.com/threads/trusted-resale-websites.1068012/

@880 is this the thread you were referring to? I wasn’t sure if there was another one specific for eBay resellers

Thanks so much! Maybe it was renamed lol…. There used to be a reseller list and one where TPF members would discuss their experiences. I think this is it I appreciate your adding it in

ETA: OP, I’ve sent many bags to H Spa and to other spa (bc Hermes will not clean interiors; lighten handles; color correct sun damage and a host of other things). No bag of mine has ever been rejected, but a few members have reported immediate rejection but not that H kept the bag… (I don’t think I’ve read of a situation where H will send your bag away and months later inform you that it’s confiscated). Of course nothing is 100% certain. But, it seems unlikely.

ETA: since the retail price of a box leather 28 BBK is currently 16K plus USD, I think looking for a well priced, structurally sound bag makes sense.

Just make sure the handle is in good condition and firmly attached to the shoulder pads. Bc that’s not a cheap fix

 

[Gin&H]

@880 Haha I think I was recently renamed! I was reading through that thread and you had helped another TPFer on this similar issue and screencap’d the thread on how to search the forum. Your screencap shows the thread was previously named “Discuss: Hermes resale/ebay resellers”. It was bugging me until I got to the bottom of it 🤣.

 

[notchevron]

Thanks so much! Maybe it was renamed lol…. There used to be a reseller list and one where TPF members would discuss their experiences. I think this is it I appreciate your adding it in

ETA: OP, I’ve sent many bags to H Spa and to other spa (bc Hermes will not clean interiors; lighten handles; color correct sun damage and a host of other things). No bag of mine has ever been rejected, but a few members have reported immediate rejection but not that H kept the bag… (I don’t think I’ve read of a situation where H will send your bag away and months later inform you that it’s confiscated). Of course nothing is 100% certain. But, it seems unlikely.

ETA: since the retail price of a box leather 28 BBK is currently 16K plus USD, I think looking for a well priced, structurally sound bag makes sense.

Just make sure the handle is in good condition and firmly attached to the shoulder pads. Bc that’s not a cheap fix

Thanks so much for your input, this is really helpful! This bag is going for ~$12,500 USD and appears to be in great condition from the photos (of course, I'd have to see it IRL first). I saw previous posts about how expensive fixing the handles can be so that was actually the very first thing I checked

I'll absolutely have it authenticated by Bababebi if I do decide to purchase! I saw a previous/infamous thread about a Kelly mou that was confiscated by H so that haunts my dreams. Rationally I know that it'll probably be fine as long as I get proper authentication, but my brain can be irrational sometimes.

 

[Gin&H]

Thanks so much for your input, this is really helpful! This bag is going for ~$12,500 USD and appears to be in great condition from the photos (of course, I'd have to see it IRL first). I saw previous posts about how expensive fixing the handles can be so that was actually the very first thing I checked

I'll absolutely have it authenticated by Bababebi if I do decide to purchase! I saw a previous/infamous thread about a Kelly mou that was confiscated by H so that haunts my dreams. Rationally I know that it'll probably be fine as long as I get proper authentication, but my brain can be irrational sometimes.

@notchevron that’s not an irrational fear! I’m new to H as well and decided to go through the vintage route after reading this forum to an obsessive level lol. It is a terrifying prospect of buying an inauthentic item with hard earned money. I don’t really have any thing to add to the great advice @880 has already given….I just wanted to give you support and validation in what you’re feeling because I’m there with you too! I will say that since the bag you’re looking at is sold by a Japanese seller, Japan reportedly has strict counterfeit laws, so although not impossible, it makes it less likely that the bag is inauthentic. I’m sure you already know this since you are reading this forum and all the resources that I have been reading too lol. Good luck and hope it’s The One for you!

 

[notchevron]

@notchevron that’s not an irrational fear! I’m new to H as well and decided to go through the vintage route after reading this forum to an obsessive level lol. It is a terrifying prospect of buying an inauthentic item with hard earned money. I don’t really have any thing to add to the great advice @880 has already given….I just wanted to give you support and validation in what you’re feeling because I’m there with you too! I will say that since the bag you’re looking at is sold by a Japanese seller, Japan reportedly has strict counterfeit laws, so although not impossible, it makes it less likely that the bag is inauthentic. I’m sure you already know this since you are reading this forum and all the resources that I have been reading too lol. Good luck and hope it’s The One for you!

Thank you so much and wish you all the best in your vintage hunt as well! May we both secure the (authentic) bag of our dreams 🙏 I'm hoping the Japanese/Ebay/Bababebi triple layer of authentication will work out

 

[WhiteBus]

I echo all the advice given and also that the Japanese counterfeit laws are reassuring. Nonetheless due diligence is essential.
It is important to establish a paper trail - reassuring too.

I would avoid the non-Japanese based Asian second-hand consignment stores with similar names. That is just my instinct and not based on evidence of bad practice. But that is an example reacting to gut feeling.

 

[hermesgeek]

From what I know, Hermès only confiscates counterfeit items, not those repaired/worked on by third party professionals. So if the authenticity of the bag is confirmed, you’ll have less worry about it being confiscated when you take it to H spa. The worst that could happen is they give it back to you and not accept the repair if they find out it’s been worked on other than Hermès. So maybe think about whether you can live with a bag worked on by a third party professional or the fact that you’d need to go to a third party repair in the future.

Not my experience but I’ve heard from someone else that someone bought a bag through a reseller and brought it to Hermès for spa. Turns out the handles were retouched by a third party and Hermès accepted the repair in the condition that they replace the whole handle. So maybe if the work done by a third party is in a replaceable part of the bag, Hermès spa can reconsider.

Assuming you’re in Southern California since you mentioned the BH store, I recommend Mademoiselle M Atelier in Irvine also though she’s currently still on sabbatical I think. She’s an ex-Hermès artisan that started her own atelier/leather repair a couple years ago. Very nice, professional, accommodating! Though she says Hermès won’t repair any bags touched by a third party, someone asked her on Instagram if some of the bags she’s worked on have ever been accepted by H spa after and she said yes. You can look her up on YouTube too, she has been interviewed by Juliet Picard, an Hermès YouTuber.

Good luck and enjoy your journey to your Kelly! You may say it’ll be your only Hermès purchase but you’ll never know! It’s indeed a slippery slope

 

[haute okole]

Carol Sneyd is the After Care Manager at Beverly Hills. They have returned my bags within 3 weeks because they just needed a little cleaning. I wiped butter on my Nubuck dress which was sent to Paris to clean. I have also had one blanket rewoven because one had a moth hole. All repairs were in the $275 to $325 range. The dress took about 6 months because it was sent to Paris. I did not have any issues with the items being accepted because I purchased all of my items directly from the BH store. Good luck on your gorgeous new bag.

 

[A bottle of Red]

Aside from the all important authentication, I think you might want to ask questions about how the bag was used, was it properly stored in a smoke and perfume free environment and in the correct temperature/humidity, what does the bag look like unstuffed ( you want to be sure the structure is strong ), look for corner wear as well.
If they ever cleaned or conditioned the leather themselves, what products did they use.