By Maura Carlin, Editor
Image courtesy: @vk_8112
Let’s play a game. What if . . . Hermès Birkins were available on demand? Would you still covet the bag? Or does the bag’s allure depend on you being a lady(or gent)-in-waiting?
Stories about the difficulty of purchasing a Hermès handbag are ubiquitous. Some call it the Hermès “game” or “journey,” trying to ascertain and execute best practices to get you that Birkin or Kelly offer, although nothing guarantees success when it comes to Hermès. As we all know, demand continuously outstrips the supply of these products, and there doesn’t appear to be enough for everyone in pursuit.
Even for Hermès clients with strong relationships, bag options can be limited – here’s a Gold Kelly 28, take it or leave it. Rarely are you successful in asking on the spot for the same bag in a different leather, size, or hardware. Clients typically accept what they are offered unless permitted to create a design by Special Order.
Getting a Birkin or Kelly is rarely easy unless you’re an über-spender, celebrity, or top influencer. And even then, it can be challenging.
Image courtesy @im.trangdang
Three people in California were so frustrated and angry that they sued the brand. They claim that Birkins and Kelly are too hard to purchase and that Hermès violated antitrust laws. In support of that allegation, plaintiffs allege their sales associates pushed various amounts of other products, telling them that spending thousands on other items was the path to a bag. The case is pending as the parties await a decision on Hermès’ motion to dismiss the case.
Image courtesy: @masha_lobanovaa
In December 2024, Pierre Alexis Dumas, one of the Hermès heirs and the brand’s Artistic Director, provided CBS News with a robust tour and interview about Hermès and its products. He explained why the famous Birkin bag is so “costly,” not expensive. In that interview Dumas distinguishes the two terms: cost is the price of making a quality luxury bag, whereas expensive suggests the item is not worth the price. For the former, he says, clients must be patient. In other words, you have to wait for your Hermès bag.
He used that rationale to suggest that anyone can get a Birkin someday. Dumas says:
“It’s a long process. You go to a store, you get an appointment, you meet a salesperson, you talk about what you want. It’s not available. You’ll have to wait. They’ll come back to you. It takes a long time. Eventually, it’s going to happen.”
Whether that’s believable or not, you decide. Many potential Hermès clients have been dreaming of Birkins for years and have yet to get one. Long-time waiters are skeptical.
But what if the situation were completely different? What if . . . Hermès handbags were plentiful and available on demand in the Hermès boutique for anyone? That is, anyone who is able and willing to pay the five-figure plus price tag. The cost alone is a screening process of sorts. Consider further, though. . .
Image courtesy: @iitsninaaaa
Imagine: Hermès shelves are fully stocked. Whatever style, size, color, and leather you request would be brought out of the infamous Hermès storeroom and presented for purchase. Not feeling the Rose Sakura Kelly with gold hardware? No problem; the sales associate then offers a Rose Pale with palladium.
You could walk into a Hermès boutique and leave with a Mini Kelly or an exotic Birkin. No more building a profile or establishing a relationship, and no more “no Birkin for you” as you see others getting the offer. It would be shopping for Hermès bags on a first-come, first-get basis, with supply being the only restriction.
Image courtesy: @leoniehanne
Is that the dream or the nightmare? Consider whether you would value Birkin ownership if it were easy to achieve. Waltzing into a store and finding the bag of your dreams waiting is simple and convenient, but does it make the handbag less desirable? Especially, if everyone else can do the same.
Image courtesy @im.trangdang
Many brands beyond Hermès seem to think so and are adopting strategies of exclusivity or scarcity. The recent Louis Vuitton x Murakami collaboration was only available by pre-order, which seemed limited to top customers. When Chanel launches a new bag style, like the recent Chanel 25, clients are urged to get their requests in early, even prepaying, due to restricted supply and access. Probably not coincidentally, this approach also facilitates supply control so brands don’t end up with unsold merchandise.
So, we ask you: Birkins for all – yes or no?
Love, PurseBop
XO
Updated: March 30th, 2025
Comments
2 Responses to “What if Hermès Birkins Were Available on Demand?”
People who live in countries where there is a waitlist system still seem to want the Birkin, so that answers your question.
Hermes wants desperately to be perceived as exclusive but it is just a question of money ( spent at the shop) , to get one piece eventually. That is the reason why I have zero interest in their bags. It is not based on class or exclusivity. Otherwise you wouldn’t see so many vulgar and tacky ex – strippers converted into rappers with huge Hermes collections. Where is the class and exclusivity?