Hi Ronn! I'm in a similiar situation to shoes (not that close to a Hermes boutique, impatient) ... and actually I've been emailing her. She's helped me through my indecisiveness of whether or not to get one through ebay. Actually I think she's been more of an enabler hah. At one point I had convinced myself to wait for one from the boutique, but somehow I wound up purchasing a Birkin last night through ebay!!! Hopefully I'll get it soon so I can post pictures!
There are several trusted ebay sellers that sell authentic Birkins. Even though they list their auctions with outrageous prices, I've found that if you email them with a reasonable offer, they are more than likely to take it. Only those that are completely clueless would pay the price they are asking! I did my research beforehand, finding out how much they retail for. Since Hermes increases their price every year, and if I had to wait 2-3 years on a waitlist, the price I'm paying now is actually probably very close to what I would have had to pay if I waited, but I get to have my bag now!!
Anyways, ebay is definitely a viable option if you don't want to deal with the hassle of the boutique, but there are several lucky ladies that have found their dream birkin just by walking into the store, so it could happen!! Good luck!