According to a recent report by the Wall Street Journal, the brand is becoming so exclusive that even the wealthy find it difficult to make a purchase, challenging traditional economic expectations. For example, a basic black leather Birkin 25 is priced at $11,400 before tax at the Hermès store and can immediately be resold to a secondhand dealer for $23,000—double the original price.
Secondhand dealers like Privé Porter then resell the bag for up to $32,000 via social media or at pop-up stores in Las Vegas.
The Birkin bag is renowned for its difficulty, even for those with plenty of money. Competition intensifies in wealthier areas, increasing the bag’s scarcity value. According to the WSJ, in the U.S., store employees who can select recipients from a long waitlist hold the upper hand in their power relationship with customers.
Some affluent female customers have gone to great lengths to win over store employees, bringing homemade cookies and even offering Beyoncé concert tickets and luxury travel vouchers to gain favor.
In March, a case in the U.S. emerged where customers who could not purchase a Birkin bag sued Hermès for “unfair business practices and violating antitrust laws.”
The reason for the lawsuit was that Hermès was selectively selling this product only to people deemed valuable.
A similar situation exists in Korea, where the waitlist for a Birkin bag extends to several months.
Celebrity Choi Hwa Jung said on her YouTube channel that she had to wait about a year to receive a Hermès Birkin bag 35 she had ordered at the main branch of Shinsegae Department Store 20 years ago. However, she received it in just nine months and said she was “lucky.”