How to buy a Hermes Bag in Store in 2023
Welcome to how to buy a Hermes Bag in store ultimate guide! There are a few tips and tricks of the trade to get offered a coveted Hermes quota bag in store, and today I'm sharing with you all the secrets!
I bought my first Hermes Birkin Bag in Paris about 5 years ago now. Many things have changed over the last couple of years, and I wanted to provide you with the most up-to-date guide for getting your hands on a coveted Hermes Birkin Bag, Hermes Kelly bag or a Hermes Constance bag. (Also known as a quota bag)
Be Well Informed on the Hermes Brand
I always tell people when it comes to buying a Hermes Kelly, Birkin, Constance the more knowledge and understanding of the brand the better. This is your time to show off your knowledge of the Hermes brand. I’m not saying go in there and act like it’s a school presentation, I’m saying go into Hermes confident because you know about the product and brand.
Hermes Associates love to see people who are knowledgeable and care about the brand. Most of the people who work at the brand are highly passionate about Hermes and if you’re passionate about the brand as well that is a great common ground.
Build a Relationship with your Sales Associate
The second tip is to build a relationship with your sales associate, they are the decision marker when it comes to your Hermes bag fate. Get to know them, talk to them about their life, your life, hobbies, anything really… but build a relationship with them.
Once you have a relationship built, you will feel more comfortable and confident to ask for a Birkin, Kelly, Constance or your Dream Hermes bag. Keep in mind that Sales Associates don’t get paid commission on quota bags, they only get paid on other items in the store. This is why some people have reported that you have to have a buying history to purchase a Hermes Kelly, Birkin, or Constance. I was able to purchase a Special Order Hermes Birkin bag without a buying history.
The Hermes System Communicates Internationally Now
In 2022, Hermes implemented a way for the European point of sales system to communicate with the US point of sales system. The reason this is important is due to the fact Hermes limits the number of quota bags you can buy in a year. In the past, people were buying a quota bag.
The quota bags have been changed to 1 a year! Make sure you are buying the exact bag you want
As of 2023, you can only purchase one quota bag from Hermes. The Hermes quota bags include The Birkin, The Kelly, and the Constance bag. These quota bags are the highly coveted and desired bags Hermes makes.
With only being able to purchase 1 quota bag a year, make sure that you purchase the exact bag you want. Sometimes Sales Associates (SA) will offer you colors, sizes, stitching you don’t want. It’s okay to say no, let me repeat, it’s okay to tell your Sales Associate no and that you are waiting for your dream bag. When it comes to buying a Hermes bag in store, especially at such a high price tag, you want to make sure you get exactly what you want.
Figure out what makes you unique and why they should offer you a bag
The last tip on how to buy a Hermes bag in store, is having a unique story to tell your Sales Associate about why you want this specific bag. For example, is this a birthday present, anniversary gift, holiday, etc. Anyone that has a convincing story about why they need a Kelly Bag, Birkin Bag or Constance bag typically has a better chance of scoring their dream bag.
The final piece of advice I will leave you with comes from one of my readers who was so passionate about purchasing a Kelly bag on a recent trip. He was telling anyone who listened that he wanted to purchase a bag for his wife for their 10-year anniversary. He told the hotel manager when he checked in, he told the restaurant worker at an upscale restaurant, and even told a worker at a show they saw.
But all that talking paid off because someone he was talking to, mentioned to him that he had a connection at the Hermes store, and it was that connection that got him a foot in the door and an appointment in the leather goods department. Ultimately, he ended up getting his wife her dream Kelly bag. Some might call this dumb luck, but I call this consistency and not giving up. At the end of the day, you never know who is connected to who and who will be wiling to help you out.
Recap on how to buy a Hermes Bag in Store 2023
In short, when it comes to buying a Hermes bag in 2023 there are 5 main things that you need to know in order to be offered one of the most coveted bags on the market.
- Number 1: The first thing, is you need to be knowledgeable and passionate about the Hermes brand
- Number 2: Build a relationship with your Sales Associate, remember they are people too.
- Number 3: the systems communicate internationally now, so goodbye to the days of trying to game the system to purchase more than 1 quota bag a year.
- Number 4: The quota bag for popular Hermes bags, such as the Kelly, Birkin, and Constance is 1 bag a year, so make sure you get exactly what you want.
- Number 5: Finally, the last piece of advice I have for you to purchase a Hermes Bag in 2023, is to figure out what is unique and special about you that makes a Hermes Sales Associate want to offer you a bag.
I hope all these tips and tricks help and you get offered your dream Hermes bag, or you could always purchase a vintage Hermes bag!
Sincerely Petite in Paris,
Diane
An article on how to buy a purse in a Hermes store? Really?? You walk in, say you’d like to purchase XXX, pull out your card and swipe.
I wish it was that simple, unfortunately, Hermes plays by their own rules, and it’s not that simple
Best,
Diane
My friend just got 1 bag in Feb and 1 bag today (July) both from Paris.
That’s great news! Happy to hear she was able to get 2 bags this year!
Best,
Diane
Hi
Is it easier to get bags and shoes in west coast stores ? Also is the mini lindy easy to get ?
Hello Dania,
The easiest place to purchase a Hermes bag would be in Paris. Both the East Coast / West Coast stores receive roughly the same amounts of bag. For shoes, yes you should be able to get shoes at the store on the West Coast. I have seen the Mini Lindy available for sale on the Hermes website. Here is an article I wrote about how to purchase bags from the website directly. The Mini Lindy should be relatively easy to purchase in store due to the fact it’s not a quota bag.
Hope that helps,
Best,
Diane
Hey!
Loved this read. Wanted to ask, does this mean that if I pre spend in UAE on other Hermes items, it’ll show up on the systems in Paris? Or they would only see quota bags owned.
Thank you 🙂
Hello Erica,
From my understanding right now, they can only see the quota bags, but I’m expecting them to expand to be able ot see everything.
Hope that helps!
Best,
Diane
Hello Dear and thank you for the advice. I saved up an entire years for my dream handbag as I think truly a Birkin represents the hard work and dedication to my success. My story is simple I’m a girl that fell in love with the world’s most unattainable Purse and I will keep fighting for my true love.
Hello Karen,
Fingers crossed you are able to be offered a Birkin!! 🙂 I hope your dream comes true
Best,
Diane
Dear Diane,
May I ask if you know any information about purchasing a Lindy bag? If a tourist visits only once a year , is it possible to get by buying other goods as compliments?
Hello Jenny,
Thank you for your message! Yes, it’s definitely possible to purchase a Lindy bag in store and directly on the Hermes website (although for this you have to be quick, and I’ve only seen it a few times on the website). It will be easier to purchase a Lindy bag in store compared to a Birkin / Kelly / Constance. My biggest piece of advice, is if they say they don’t have it in stock, check a different store or come back the next day.
Hope that helps!
Best,
Diane
The SA at Hermes said that all 10 bags on display can not be sold. Is that a thing or did he not want to sell me a bag?? He said they are display only.
Hello May,
Thank you for your message. Yes, that’s correct, the bags you see on display unfortunately can’t be sold. They also have bags that you can try on to figure out what size you won’t, and those can’t be sold either.
Hope that helps answers your question
Kind Regards,
Diane
Hi Diane,
You mentioned about stiches in your article. Do you happened to write anything about their type of stitches?
Hello Izzah,
Hermes offers two type of stitching, here is a detailed explanation of the two: https://petiteinparis.com/hermes-birkin-sellier/#what-is-the-difference-between-the-sellier-and-the-retourne-stitching
Let me know if you have any other questions
Best,
Diane