I am not familiar with the site you were mentioning, but I just checked it and they have 1 Birkin 25 and 11 Birkin 30 for sale! I am not trying to prove my point but I do fail to see the relevance of the Ann's Fabulous Find for the topic discussed, which is why are there so many Birkins available on the resale market since they are definatelly not the be found on the above mentioned website!
Why so many Birkins available on the resale market?
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I am not familiar with the site you were mentioning, but I just checked it and they have 1 Birkin 25 and 11 Birkin 30 for sale! I am not trying to prove my point but I do fail to see the relevance of the Ann's Fabulous Find for the topic discussed, which is why are there so many Birkins available on the resale market since they are definatelly not the be found on the above mentioned website!
Got a Birkin Bag to Sell? That’s a Problem for Hermès
https://www.wsj.com/articles/got-a-birkin-bag-to-sell-thats-a-problem-for-hermes-11582885805
forum.purseblog.com
This article by the Wall Street Journal from February says Hermes makes 120,000 units per year of just the Birkin and Kelly bags. So, even if only 10% of people who get a bag choose to resell it that is 12,000 new Birkin and Kelly available for resale each year.
I'm not sure how accurate this number is, but it seems right. Hermes currently has 311 stores around the world. Say each store has 200 people wanting a bag and the quota 2 bags per year. 311×200×2=124,200 Birkin and Kellys sold in-store each year.
Hermes has had a minimum of 300 stores worldwide since 2009. If Hermes has been producing at this quantity since 2009 that means there could be as many as 1,440,000 used Birkin and Kelly bags in existence. Again, if only 10% of those bags are on the resale market that's 144,000 bags.
Agreed. While I don’t fully believe the numbers in that link, I do think the premise of this thread is flawed. Are there actually “so many” birkins available resale? And even if so, why would someone not expect them to be there? H keeps making new bags and the old ones last a lifetime, so total quantity in existence does nothing but rise. Also, as shown previously, a lot of sellers significantly over price their bags on offer. This causes a two fold effect of those bags staying available forevvvvvver (thus glutting up “supply”) while also giving casual watchers the notion that they too could get 2x for their bag and thus they attempt to join the game by flipping their own bags at unrealistically high prices, adding to the apparent supply. Wash, rinse, repeat.Got a Birkin Bag to Sell? That’s a Problem for Hermès
https://www.wsj.com/articles/got-a-birkin-bag-to-sell-thats-a-problem-for-hermes-11582885805
This article by the Wall Street Journal from February says Hermes makes 120,000 units per year of just the Birkin and Kelly bags. So, even if only 10% of people who get a bag choose to resell it that is 12,000 new Birkin and Kelly available for resale each year.
I'm not sure how accurate this number is, but it seems right. Hermes currently has 311 stores around the world. Say each store has 200 people wanting a bag and the quota 2 bags per year. 311×200×2=124,200 Birkin and Kellys sold in-store each year.
Hermes has had a minimum of 300 stores worldwide since 2009. If Hermes has been producing at this quantity since 2009 that means there could be as many as 1,440,000 used Birkin and Kelly bags in existence. Again, if only 10% of those bags are on the resale market that's 144,000 bags.
I think the actual concern would be if there were “so many” new birkins available resale for retail price or lower. As long as people are trying to make a buck, that’s all the motivation you need to answer the “why”
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I'm pretty sure I was responding to the points about value, resale prices and whether these bags will linger on the resale market.
What I find interesting to look at are the prices of the Birkins sold on Vestiaire (you can filter on the left "Show sold product" and at the top "Sort by most recent"). I think the demand gives a better feeling than how many are offered. Of course there are the obviously fake bags that are marked as sold and the ones that look good online, but will be pulled by Vestiaire's authentication.
Some of the 'hermes' bags for sale, have never been anywhere near Hermes. I think we ve all heard (and read here) re seller horror stories...
Absolutely. I've seen bags for sale that are just off, and I bet I'm not the only one.
Then you take it to a cobbler or bag spa. Many cobblers (one in my city has been in business for 50 years) have been working on designer bags & shoes for years.
I suspect some are fake, but even if they are all real it doesn't surprise me. It's no different from Rolexes imho...the quantity is effectively unlimited yet you see them i resale markets all the time. There is a market for it, so if it works for others (even though it doesn't work for me) why not?
How would you know if the 2020 bag you bought from a reseller was one of the looted Chicago bags? You wouldn't, nor would the reseller. No one will know where the bag originated until it passes back through a Hermes. That’s a risk.
As far as taking an H bag to a cobbler for service, that’s a personal choice and a safe option. However personally, H service is one of the major benefits of owning Hermes. If one services it oneself, Hermes will no longer touch it.
Ann’s is relevant to the topic because you are talking about resellers and Ann’s is a reseller used frequently by tPF members.
Quite frankly, and this might be an interesting poll question, many tPF members (including me) have sold bags from their collections. How many I have no idea, but it’s an accepted practice to sell designer goods one no longer wants. So most of us are re-sellers in one form or fashion.
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That’s a great reason to only buy from the boutique and avoid resellers at ALL costs!
Also, I’m not one to play H games, so I go to FSH in Paris whenever we visit. Just waiting for all these lockdowns to be over so I can plan my next trip. I’ve been lucky twice there with quota bags.
I suppose that’s one way of looking at it, but for those of us who like to sell our designer things when we want to, we’re glad others feel differently. Also, what do you suppose keeps the value of all our boutique-bought B/K/C bags so high? Yes, that’s right, the fact that the bags have a resale value and those high reseller prices. Unlike many bags, Birkins and Kellys do not lose value the moment they leave the store. One reason for that is the strong secondary market for them.
Also keep in mind that there are actually those of us who don’t consider shopping at an H boutique “playing games.” Some of us actually enjoy owning Hermes products across the range, not just B/K/C. My SA is a tremendous resource and time-saver for me. I have never considered my SA to be an adversary or someone I play games with.
I totally agree with your post.
I really enjoy shopping with my SA I've never felt part of a 'game' I buy mainly accessories, a couple of watches, scarves and slg but widely spaced apart-My SA suggested I make a 'wish' for a quota bag and I did.
I get really (stupidly so I must confess) upset when people talk about 'scoring' a bag or 'playing the game'.
You either love the brand for the quality, design and heritage or you see it as a tick box exercise to 'score' iconic bags to show off on social media.
I own a few Hermes bags and all have been brought on the preloved market.
I dont actually consider genuine Hermes collectors like @Etriers who sell on their bags when they get bored with them or to fund another purchase 'resellers'-to me Resellers are those who buy new bags through setting up profiles with various luxury brands in order to purchase the sought after styles (in Hermes case quota bags) to sell on unused for sometimes huge mark-ups.
THOSE are the people I object to-
I consider those that 'recycle' their used bags by selling them through reputable consignment stores and sites part of the circular economy and I am grateful they do so.
If I had the budget for a new quota bag I probably would still go the preloved route because I mainly like the discontinued designs and also I'm fussy about colour and leather.
I sell on my designer clothes when I get bored with them, i've done the same with BV and YSL bags-I dont see why people shouldn't do the same with Hermes and spread the joy of owning something so lovely!