Hi guys i'm Eileen, today i want to share with you some of the Hermes buying tips
so I have three Hermes handbags including a Birkin 25 a Kelly 28 Retourne
and a Kelly 25 Sellier. I bought all my handbags from the same store and from
the same sale associate. I've received quite a lot of questions regarding
buying a Kelly or a Birkin from the Hermes store so I've compiled all these
questions into this video hopefully that will give you some answers
also this is based on my personal experience, every Hermes store works a bit
different so do take this with a pinch of salt. Question 1 do you have a Birkin
Kelly or Constance I think this is one of the most commonly
asked questions in any Hermes stores personally I've come to realize that all
the sales associate will have no option but to say no to you otherwise it will
cost a bit of chaos especially if the store was busy this is why in certain
Hermes stores they will show you the bag in the private room or the fitting
room. The store I go to is quite small so it doesn't have a private room so
usually if my SA offers me a bag she will let me know that exact
specifications just so I can do my research before going in
in fact with all my bags I had pretty much made up my mind before hitting the
store so it didn't take me a long time to try them out because that in itself
can attract a bit of attention from interested customers. Now I work in the
service industry myself so I can imagine the frustration of being asked the same
questions many times a day, every single day. I'm not defending the SA by any
means because it is part of their job so I'm sure they are expecting it as well
but I'm just trying to put things in perspective. So for example there were
times I was at the store and about five customers would ask the same questions
in the space of 15 minutes sometimes the SA
would suggest for the customers to visit the store more often in case the
shipment came in personally I don't think you'll get a bag offer just by
showing up every day I think it's just a nicer way to say no to you. Now I can
understand if you're already in the store you might as well ask the question
there's really no harm in asking but just prepare yourself that the answer
quite often will not be very exciting. Question 2, is there a waiting list? I've
been told there's no waiting list anymore. In the past they used to have
one so sometimes you could actually get a bag after waiting for a few years I
think Mel from Mel Soldera got her beautiful Birkin that way. If you ask in
the store now though they often don't have a waiting list anymore probably because
the demand is getting a bit high, I feel like even if you do have a purchase
history, your SA might still struggle to give you your exact dream bag. There are
suggestions that you should be slightly flexible with your requests because even
the SAs cannot control what shipment is coming in, so in short as a business
ii's rather pointless for them to have a waiting list because it's not very
common there's a Birkin in the store and no one wants it so I don't think they
will get around to calling their list before the bag is taken. Question three
do you need a purchase history and the answer is yes because even Hermes has a
sale target to hit so they do favor their buying customers when it comes to
their popular pieces. Of course you can argue that you're still a buying
customer even if you're only interested in their handbags because the bag is not
free after all. To this I can only say is all about
supply and demand and it's true that they are using their popular handbags
as a leverage to increase their sales as a company. Personally I really love the
Hermes rose gold so I guess that works in my favor but certainly not to my
wallet. Anyway I also love many other things from Hermes, I think their quality
is amazing so if I'm looking for something to complete my wardrobe I will
look at Hermes as an option, for example my wardrobe was missing a pair of
sandals so I decided to go for the Oran sandals but I'm not interested to have a
collection in different colors so essentially a purchase history is a must
if you want to get the bag offer but I will always recommend to only get things
that you actually love because that way even if you didn't get a bag offer
you've not lost out on anything. Question 4, how much do you need to spend?
To be honest, I've not asked my SA directly but I've heard in some countries
the SAs are quite upfront about this and quite often it's like a one to one
ratio which means it has to match the price of the bag you're after. My
instinct is at least for your first bag that's quite often the case but after
you've built up a relationship with your SA it shouldn't be as rigid anymore. For
example I was asked a question after I got my Hermes CDC bracelet and I asked
for the Kelly 28 but then last year I was offered but Kelly 25 with no
purchase history for the whole year. So my feeling is at least for my store
it doesn't work on a year by year basis I also want to say that I got all my
bags around the last quarter of the year especially around Christmas time. I've
heard that they usually have more shipment in
around that time of the year so if you are saving up for a treat just keep that
in mind. Question 5 how to choose your SA. now
I don't think you should only approach managers just because they have more
authority. That said, I know SAs do have to run by their managers before
they can offer you a bag so I guess it's really up to you but I think having
someone you can click with is more important. Also, always buy everything
from the same SA so for instance even if something you want is available
online you should still email your SA and get it from her
In fact I've stopped going to all the other Hermes stores because I know if
there's something I want my SA would be more than happy to help
and talking about my SA she is quite young and fairly new to Hermes but
she's lovely and always willing to help so I feel very comfortable doing my
shopping with her and I can honestly say I like her as a person, she knows my
family well and we always speak about hers so just like me and you they will
appreciate to be treated well. So just be yourself and be genuine because it goes
both ways. Question 6 can I turn down a bag offer
and the answer is yes in fact my SA often says to me, if it doesn't feel
perfect don't get it. it's a lot of money. So I never feel the pressure to buy
anything I'm not 100 percent sure about. Along the same line you should never
feel obligated to buy a bag in a color you hate even if it's a Birkin
I'm sure your SA will want you to have a bag you're happy with as well so just
help her out by being very clear about what you want and the compromises you'll
consider. For example you might want a Birkin 25 in any gray colors but you will
only consider silver hardware so basically you need to know what you want
yourself otherwise your SA will struggle to give you the right bag
however I think the option to say no is only available if you have a purchase
history because if you really hit the jackpot and got off at a bag with no
previous spending I believe it will be a
take-it-or-leave-it situation. Question 7 what to do if your SA is leaving. Now
that's always a possibility your SA might leave their job and usually they
will let you know and someone else will take over and look after you
I really don't think they will want to lose a customer so I wouldn't worry too
much but I agree you don't always find someone you can get along with. My SA
is actually leaving by the end of the year, I feel really sad to see her go but
I wish her all the best so hopefully I will come across someone who is as
friendly again but what will be will be so I will keep being myself and we'll
see what happens. Last but not least what about Paris. I've
heard a lot of people manage to get the back from Paris. First of all they should
have more stocks at the flagship store. Secondly they deal with a lot more
tourists customers on a daily basis so you should have a higher chance of
scoring a bag without a purchase history. Also it works out a lot
cheaper if you can claim the VAT back so I don't think there's any harm in trying
especially if you're in Paris anyway but just make sure to go with a low
expectation. I will not suggest going back and forth to try your luck though
because you're on holiday so you should enjoy yourself and not be stressed out
because of a bag. if I ever be sick Paris again I think I'll give a try mainly for
the experience. So those are some of the Hermes buying tips I know not everyone
is a fan of this system but I think many fashion houses are not doing the same
for the popular pieces so unfortunately it is what it is. If this whole business
model doesn't sit well with you you can always try resellers or the pre loved
market, after all buying a bag should be a treat not a stressful encounter. So I
hope you've enjoyed the video thank you so much for watching and don't forget to
Like subscribe and share I will see you in my next one bye