- Insiders revealed their best tips and tricks for scoring the bags to DailyMail.com
- The pricey purses can cost upwards of $300,000 with one even selling for $2m
- Shoppers can be rejected due to a lack of purchase history with the luxury brand
While getting a Nobel Peace Prize or even winning a Grammy Award may seem like the achievement of a lifetime, there’s one thing that some believe is even more of an accomplishment – and that’s successfully getting your hands on a brand-new Hermès Birkin or Kelly bag straight from the store.
For many fashion aficionados, these iconic accessories are an ultimate status symbol reserved only for celebrities, socialites and the ultra-wealthy. In fact, the bags have become so difficult to attain that the brand was hit with a lawsuit last month by two Californians over their near-grueling sales practices.
Made from materials like crocodile and alligator skins, luxe leathers with fancy names like Tadelakt and Monsieur Grainee, the bags take a minimum of 18 hours to hand craft, costing the customer tens of thousands of dollars.
‘Each piece is crafted by hand in Pantin, France, at the Hermès atelier, by one expert craftsperson,’ Rachel Koffsky, who is the international head of handbags & accessories at Christie’s, told DailyMail.com.
‘It takes many hours to complete a Birkin or a Kelly before it is approved for sale.
‘The double-needle saddle stitch cannot be replicated by a machine and, when done correctly, will not unravel.’
But just because you have the money to march into the Hermès store and request a Birkin or Kelly from a sales associate doesn’t mean it’s that simple – there are complex politics at play here.
FEMAIL is lifting the lid on what it really takes to get an Hermès Birkin or Kelly straight from the insiders themselves, and what steps you will need to take to get one in your possession.
However, when DailyMail.com reached out to a number of potential sources to fill us in on this lore, even granting them anonymity in this piece, many didn’t want to talk.
One potential source even admitted that they were about to be granted another bag offer and didn’t want anything to get taken the wrong way.
But for those who were willing to let us inside their world, FEMAIL gathered some key insider tips, secrets and tricks of the trade.
How to start working with a sales associate
The road to securing a Birkin or a Kelly bag begins by working with a sales associate at one of their boutiques around the world.
They are the ones who will help you not only make your first purchase with the luxury brand, but also hold the keys to those exclusive bags, according to insiders.
Those who are looking to purchase a Birkin or a Kelly can’t just get one by simply walking into a store and asking for one. Instead, it’s widely known that you need to build up purchase history of other items with one particular sales associate.
‘I got a rep from walking in and buying something,’ New York City-based mom and content creator Izzy Anaya told DailyMail.com.
‘It was many years ago and a smaller purchase, but as the years pass, I remain with the said rep,’ Anaya, who goes by @theaveragerichhousewife online, continued. ‘The best is to develop a relationship with a sales rep.’
Roma Abdesselam, who goes by the username Stay At Home Daughter on her popular TikTok account, likened finding the right sales associate to dating.
‘Developing a successful relationship with an SA (sales associate) is like dating until you find the right man,’ she told DailyMail.com. ‘It’s all a game and dating is a game in itself.’
‘You go through trial and error but the one thing you have to remain is loyal to them,’ she added. ‘Sales associates want to be treated with respect. Everyone and their mom wants a Birkin or a Kelly, they get that kind of pressure from everyone.’
However, according to one New York City socialite who owns multiple Birkin bags, it really all boils down to the sales associate.
‘I’d say the honest truth is not about having a strong purchase history, it’s more about befriending the sales associate,’ the socialite told DailyMail.com on the condition of anonymity.
According to Reddit threads on both handbags and The Hermes Game subreddits, it can take anywhere from a week, a month or even multiple years to get offered a Birkin or a Kelly bag from your sales associate.
‘I have never tried but I have heard from friends it’s sometimes easier to get appointments in other cities,’ Anaya told DailyMail.com, citing Paris as one of those places.
What to buy first with your sales associate: jewelry, chess sets and more
Once you’ve secured a sales associate who you enjoy working with, the next step is to start buying items to indicate that you’re serious about your future as a potential Birkin owner.
‘You should focus on ready-to-wear, high-end jewelry and furniture,’ Abdesselam explained to DailyMail.com.
‘The easiest way to get what you want is by being an Hermès customer that actually enjoys what the store has to offer besides Kellys and Birkins.’
Anaya agreed, sharing that she often purchases her personal items and even gifts for others from her sales associate.
However, the most important thing to keep in mind here is ‘consistency,’ when it comes to purchasing, according to Anaya.
And, per many of the threads on the The Hermes Game subreddit, it’s rumored that items like fine jewelry (watches in particular), homeware and furniture can earn the sales associates an alleged higher commission.
‘Hard to sell’ items, like bookends and chess sets, are also a high commodity for commission, one Reddit user alleged.
Sales associates do not earn commission for any quota bags.
Even after you score the Birkin, too, it’s important to keep buying, especially if you ‘want access to upcoming items,’ Anaya told DalyMail.com.
‘I personally like many of their goods for gifting so I’m always buying something… big or small,’ she said. ‘This keeps the relationship.’
However, earlier this month, the brand was hit with a lawsuit for this very practice.
Two Californians served Hermès in a class-action lawsuit, alleging that in order to get a Birkin, they had to purchase other luxury items, which, in turn, boosted the sales of their other products.
The politics of saying ‘no’ to a Birkin or Kelly offer
Although the excitement of getting offered any Birkin or a Kelly may be absolutely tantalizing for some customers, the truth is that you often have little control over what your sales associate will have available for you.
Hermès boutiques around the world can only purchase a certain amount and style of Birkin bags bi-annually, and rarely know what they will look like ahead of time, according to Sotheby’s.
So, what happens when you get offered a neon-yellow Birkin instead of a brown crocodile one you were hoping for?
According to Anaya, it’s not bad form to turn down a Birkin or a Kelly offer from your sales associate.
‘Not everything is for everyone,’ she admitted.
‘I’ve had instances where I thought I want something and when it came in… I had changed my mind and it didn’t hurt our relationship in any way.’
The YouTube sensation emphasized that these bags are in high demand and even have a waiting list, which means that if you don’t want it, someone else will be more than happy to take it.
Koffsky also highlighted the importance that came with the decision to invest in one of these pricey bags in the first place.
‘When investing in a Birkin or a Kelly bag, the most important factor is to choose a piece that you will love to use and to wear, and that will fit into your life,’ Koffsky explained.
‘Birkin and Kelly bags are pieces to love for life. Is an essential color like black with gold hardware more functional for your lifestyle, or do you love bright colors? It is a very personal decision and with gentle wear and proper storage, you will have your bag for a very long time.’
Best practices with sales associates: kindness is key
In order to maintain a great relationship with your sales associate and ensure that you’re at the top of their mind out of their long list of clients, there are some things you can do to to keep up the connection.
And, in fact, most of them are quite simple.
‘Treat your sales associates as humans,’ Abdesselam told DailyMail.com. ‘Ask them about their day, their families et cetera. Be patient for the bag you want and be picky.’
‘Your wish list is there for a reason and it will eventually get fulfilled,’ she said.
Another anonymous Manhattan socialite even claimed to DailyMail.com that they didn’t have a purchase history when they bought their first Birkin bag in NYC – just a good personality.
‘Have a big personality and be super friendly and they will eat it up,’ the socialite revealed.
‘My first Birkin purchased from the store in NYC was done with no purchase history. Simply by befriending the associate.’
Other tricks of the trade and secrets
While it’s important to play by the rules, there are some other tactics some insiders have up their sleeves – sometimes proving to be successful, and other times, not at all.
Abdesselam recalled the time in 2021 where she pretended that she was pregnant in order to score a Birkin or Kelly in Milan, documenting it in a viral TikTok that reached more than 10 million views.
She explained that the Milan store was a ‘very hard city to score a bag’ in, because they tended to ‘favor locals.’
‘Before going in I stuffed my shirt to make it seem like I was pregnant,’ she explained to DailyMail.com.
In the end, Abdesselam was hoping she could convince them to offer her one as a ‘push present.’
‘I even looked at baby shoes (which I bought because I had to stay in character),’ she explained.
‘Nonetheless the fake pregnancy to get offered a Birkin was unsuccessful.’
Buying secondhand: faux-pas or totally fabulous?
If you’re not keen on playing by these Hermès ‘rules,’ those who are still interested can always buy a Birkin or a Kelly on the secondhand market.
In many cities around the world, like Japan, there are stores that are dedicated to vintage and secondhand Hermès pieces, including the famed Birkin and Kelly bags.
There is also a large market for them online, on websites such as The Real Real, FashionPhile, and Rebag.
High-end marketplaces such as 1stDibs, Christie’s and Sotheby’s also have a curated selection of the bags, which you can purchase from their website.
There’s no shame in this game, either, according to the experts.
‘Don’t be afraid to buy secondhand!’ Anaya told DailyMail.com.
‘Some of these pre-owned are in amazing shape and half the wait time!’
Tailored iPhone applications and authentication services like Entrupy, Real Authentication or Bababebi can also help you to make sure that your pre-loved purchase is 100 per cent real.