How To Buy A Birkin (& Not Get Fooled By Fakes)

It’s not just a bag, it’s a Birkin. This coveted luxury good has garnered fame across the fashion industry and wider pop culture landscape (thank you Sex and the City), making it one of the most famous handbags in the world. Getting your hands on one is easier said than done – but not impossible. From navigating fakes and frauds to nurturing that Hermés relationship, here’s how to buy a Birkin.

The Hermés Birkin Shopping Experience, Demystified

One of the most famous items in fashion history, the Hermés Birkin is renowned for its craftsmanship and timeless design – as well as being one of the hardest luxury goods to get a hold of. ‘The Birkin is one of the most recognised styles of bag from high-end French heritage accessories label Hermés,’ explains Emily Abraham, founder of pre-loved designer boutique Love Luxury. ‘It’s a luxury handcrafted bag which has come to be a symbol of wealth (given its high price point), celebrity fanbase and exclusivity, with a very long waitlist that is tricky to get on.’

The bag, which was first created in the 1980s, was inspired by British actress and singer (and handbag namesake) Jane Birkin. Birkin famously ran into Jean-Louis Dumas, Artistic Director and Chairman of Hermès, during a flight to London – where she proceeded to drop her usual basket bag, resulting in everything inside it clattering to the floor. Dumas, having witnessed the whole debacle, offered to design a bag for the actress then and there. ‘When everything fell out of whatever bag I had, the man next to me said, “you should have one with pockets,”’ Birkin recounted in a 2012 interview with Vogue. ‘I said, “the day Hermès makes one with pockets I will have that.” And he said: “but I am Hermès, and I will put pockets in for you.”’ A quick sketch on an airplane sick bag later, and the first Hermès Birkin was put in motion.

But what makes it such an enduring luxury staple today? According to Emily, it’s the craftsmanship of the bag itself. ‘The Birkin is a beautifully handcrafted bag, made from the most premium of materials and designed to last a lifetime,’ she tells us. There’s also an element of investment that buyers find appealing: ‘Many purchase with the intention of handing the bag down through generations. For many it’s a once in a lifetime buy, for others it can be a clever investment.’

There’s also the exclusivity piece; people often want what they can’t have. ‘Hermés does not generally allow just anyone to purchase a Birkin,’ confirms Emily. ‘They first need to develop a relationship with the brand through the purchase of other more readily available accessories, as well as join waiting lists for sought-after pieces. It’s this exclusivity and the status that comes with carrying a Birkin that contributes to its popularity. The fact they’re not readily available directly from the brand and the fact many don’t want to play the long “Hermés game” make them very popular on the secondary market.’

How To Buy A Birkin Brand New

As Emily highlighted above, shopping a Birkin from Hermès can become quite a complicated and multi-layered task. And, interestingly, not all Hermès boutiques will operate in the same way. ‘It varies in different parts of the world,’ confirms Emily, ‘but the bottom line is that it’s all about building a relationship with the brand.

‘In the US and Dubai for example, you have to spend a certain amount on other Hermés products before they offer you the chance to purchase a Birkin. In the UK you create a wish list with your dedicated Sales Associate, and then it’s a waiting game to see if you’ll be offered a bag of your choice. Initially you may be offered accessories that aren’t on your wish list, but the more you purchase from the brand the more likely you are to be offered what you do want.’

It takes a lot of patience, but Emily warns it’s best not to cut corners here. ‘A lot of customers will buy what they’re offered and immediately sell it privately or to a secondary sales store in order to get a step closer to what they actually want,’ she says, ‘but should Hermés discover anyone doing this they will be immediately blacklisted. They do keep a close eye on the secondary market so customers have to be very careful.’

You can find a list of the Hermés boutiques in London at hermes.com

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How To Buy A Birkin Second Hand

Thankfully, second hand shopping is often a little easier – but be warned, you’ll likely have to pay a little more. The preloved market has seen a huge spike in demand for Birkin handbags, and with only a limited number in circulation this has pushed the price up. It’s estimated that a vintage Birkin is twice as valuable as a new one, fetching over £20,000 at resale compared to around £9,000 from Hermés stores.

‘You can walk into a preloved goods store like Love Luxury or go online and purchase one immediately,’ says Emily. ‘Although you should expect to pay a premium for the immediate access if you want something box fresh. It will cost you more than it would directly from Hermés in the majority of cases as you haven’t had to spend money playing the Hermés game.’

There are also a lot more options (and benefits) when it comes to shopping preloved. ‘You can look at resale stores where the products are majority box fresh, or pre-loved bags that have been used and sold privately on sites such as eBay and Vestiaire. The advantage of buying on the secondary market is that you can make sure you get exactly what you want, whereas with Hermés a lot of people settle for styles they might not necessarily have picked, but by refusing customers aren’t able to build the relationship they want with the brand.’

We’ve rounded up some of London’s top locations for shopping vintage luxury bags here.

Verifying Your Birkin

Even the most discerning of collectors can get fooled by a fake. ‘Counterfeit goods are becoming more and more sophisticated, so there isn’t one giveaway sign that would show if a Birkin is real,’ warns Emily. ‘There are the very poor fakes on the market which are obviously not genuine – you can easily see the poor quality – but a lot of bags these days are very difficult to spot with the untrained eye. A huge amount is scrutinised when authenticating a Birkin: font, hardware stitching, grain of leather, colour, shape, weight, even the box.’

This means that the safest bet when it comes to checking the validity of your purchase is professional authentication. ‘Self-assessment is really not possible when it comes to spotting a genuine Birkin in most cases,’ says Emily. Most reputable preloved retailers will offer an authentication service that will confirm whether your item is real of fake. ‘It’s a highly skilled and trained professional who will be able to 100 percent confirm if the bag is genuine. It’s not something you can learn on YouTube, and when it comes to purchasing such a high value item you want to be absolutely certain that its the real deal.’

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A Luxury Goods Expert’s Top Shopping Tips

Still on the hunt for one of your own? Emily shares her top tips for shopping a Hermés Birkin, preloved or new:

1. Be Realistic

If it seems too good to be true then it is; make sure you completely trust where you’re purchasing from.

2. Check The Condition

A bag without an authentication certificate should be avoided. There’s no guarantee it’s the real thing.

3. Check The Condition

Look at the condition – a slight scratch can knock off thousands from the value

4. And The Colour

Colour is also very important. If it’s a classic colourway the bag will be worth more, making it a much better investment for the future.

5. Keep It Budget Friendly

A Birkin should also always be something in your budget that ultimately you love and want to wear.