How to buy a Hermès bag? Birkin handbags reportedly outperform stocks and gold with 14.2% annual increase in value

Hermés bags are timeless luxury pieces on most fashionistas' wishlists.

A report published in the American Reporter states that the value of these high-end bags increases by 14.2% annually. The resale value of a Birkin has risen more than gold, and it would seem that the demand for the iconic silhouettes has risen more than ever.

According to James Firestein, founder of luxury resale and authentication platform OpenLuxury, the resale value of Hermés bags has outpaced gold:

"The resale value of particularly the Birkin and Kelly bags over the past 10 years has outpaced gold,”

A leather Birkin may sell for as low as $9,000 directly from the Hermés store, according to Sotheby’s. If you are looking to buy a Birkin, you have the option of contacting the store directly or exploring other retail options.

In a December 2024 CBS article, Pierre-Alexis Dumas, artistic director at Hermés, described the process of acquiring a Birkin from the store:

“You have to walk into an Hermès store, and uh — you have to be patient,”

He added:

"Yes. Um, I have children, too. And I have desires, too. But I’m saying 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 gonna happen.”

Retailer sites like RealReal, Sotheby’s, Rebag, Revolve, and myGemma are known for offering Birkins for sale.

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History of the Birkin bags and how their allure began

The Birkin was created on a flight from Paris to London in 1984. Jane Birkin, actress and singer, complained to Jean-Louis Dumas, then executive director of Hermés, who was seated next to her on the flight, that she had no bag to carry her essentials as a young mother. Dumas sketched a rectangular bag with a burnished flap and saddle stitching suitable for the actress’s needs.

The luxury bag was named after the actress and was released into the market in the same year. It was not until the 1990s that the bag became popular among fashion enthusiasts. The bag’s status as a luxury symbol was solidified in the August 2001 episode of the popular series Sex and the City when Samantha uttered the iconic line, “It’s not a bag—it’s a Birkin!”

Madison Avenue reported in October 2022 that Hermés experienced increased demand for the Birkin since the episode aired.

Hermés described the Birkin bag as:

"Telling an epic story with flair: a design by the creative duo Octave Marsal and Théo de Gueltzl, embroidered in Lunéville stitch, plunges the emblematic Faubourg Saint-Honoré store into the heart of a luxuriant jungle. In an ultimate display of prowess, the design extends over the leather of the flap and the base of the bag."

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The Hermés bag has undergone special iterations over the years. Some of its designs include the 2009 Shadow Birkin, the 2010 Himalaya, the 2020 Cargo, and the 2021 Birkin 3EN1.