The Hermès Game

A step by step guide to securing your first quota bag.

I’ve been “playing” the Hermès game since early 2022, and since then, have accumulated quite the collection if I do say so myself. When I first wanted to get into Hermès, I was told just about every rumor you can possibly think of and was warned of how difficult it would be. From “You have a better chance of scoring a Birkin if you come with your boyfriend, Hermès loves men!” to “you have to spend double the price of the kelly and then you’ll definitely get the offer”. Yet, somehow, I walked away with my first kelly 25 in a limited edition color within three months and I’m here to tell you exactly how.

I want to start out by saying that I’ve never had a negative experience while shopping at Hermès, because not only do I have the most amazing sales associate, but the store location I shop at has nearly become a second home to me. Everyone that works there is so wonderful and I’ve become friendly with the entire store. We’ve all heard the horror stories about being treated a certain way shopping there, but I’ve genuinely never found it to be true. The worst experience I’ve had was in Paris simply being denied a leather appointment, but even then, the sales associate was perfectly lovely. However, I am confident that I have this experience because Hermès can smell from a mile away who is truly invested in their brand, and who is on a witch hunt. Which leads me to my first piece of advice, if all you care about is a quota bag, you’re less likely to get one.

Why they can’t just give you the bag

People seem to think Hermès stores just constantly have stock of quota bags all the time and that they’re hiding bags from people and refusing to give them out. This is simply just not the case. If it was, a lot more people would be walking around with Kelly’s and Birkins. Hermès shipments are delivered completely at random every few weeks or even months in a very limited amount.

SA’s earn commission on everything except quota bags, which is why so many clients believe that spending heavily will eventually earn them one. I have seen that strategy work, but I have also watched people spend four times the price of a quota bag and still walk away empty handed. In those cases, the associate often has no intention of offering a bag at all. A client who appears generous with their money, eager to please, and willing to keep buying is far more profitable than one who expects results. The bill grows, the commissions add up, and the promise of a bag remains just out of reach. It is, without question, an expensive theory to test.

With all of that being said, in my opinion, Hermès can see right through people that just want to walk around with a mini kelly because they know it’s a status symbol. Hermès values clients who truly want to invest in their brand and understand that the quality of the brand is unlike anything else on the market, and the best way to start building a relationship with the maison is your sales associate. I cannot emphasize enough how much you need a sales associate you really connect with. If you don’t feel like you immediately click with your SA the first time you shop there, go back another day and try chatting with someone else. They will be able to read if you actually click or if you’re just kissing their ass because you want a bag, so really be sure the synergy is there. And whatever you do, once you do click with someone and start shopping with them, do not shop with a different salesperson afterwards. The only exception is if you’re traveling internationally and even then it’s still a no no. That is the biggest form of self sabotage I’ve ever heard of. The key is to stay consistent with one sales associate, and if you have the time, I’d recommend going twice a month. You have to understand that because the bags are so limited literally in quantity, you want to make sure your sales associate really likes you because you want to be top of mind when the shipment comes in.

So what should you buy?

Realistically speaking, the big ticket items are technically ready to wear, jewelry, and home décor. However, like I said before, the relationship with your sales associate and how invested you actually are in the brand really is what is most important. Buy what you’re actually interested in regardless of the price tag and your authenticity in the shopping process will really shine through. It’s not that shoes are seen as a less valuable purchase than a jacket, it’s that everyone walks into the store wreaking of desperation ready to buy a pair of orans because they think it’s the easiest birkin bait in the store. So if you have a good relationship with your SA and there genuinely isn’t a piece of ready to wear that you’re interested in on that specific day (or you simply just can’t afford it) but there is a scarf or a pair of shoes that you like, as long as it’s clear you’re genuinely interested in the brand as a whole, I personally don’t think it makes any difference. Or it has not, in my experience.

When should I pop the question?

The question I know you’ve all been on the edge of your seat for: when should I ask to make a wish list? How do you come across genuinely invested in the brand, while also anxious as hell to make your wishlist? The best way to do it in my opinion is to wait until the third or fourth time you shop with your SA, and then bring up how you’d love to make a wish list if possible. However, I never brought up my wishlist at all until a bag was given to me. I never asked about the status of a wishlist item while I was waiting; instead, I waited until I really got to know my SA and bought several bags. By that point, I believe I was already onto my fourth bag and she then knew how invested I was in the brand as a whole and I wasn’t just fiending for a bag. Again, you don’t want to come across as if you’re only in it for the birkin. If you have a good SA, they are doing everything they can to help you get the bag of your dreams, and adding constant pressure by asking for updates is most certainly unpleasant.

What colors and bags are hardest and which are easiest?

Fantastic question, with a somewhat elaborate answer. Every year, Hermès releases new colors that are only produced for a year or two, and those colors are most definitely the hardest to get in comparison to the colors that are produced every single year. Gold, black, and etoupe are what I consider to be more so “beginner” colors because they are without question the easiest offers to get and a lot more of them are made in production. However, it also depends on what the other clients at your store location are asking for…for instance, I got my lime mini kelly because at that point in time everyone at my store location wasn’t interested in a bright color, it was winter so everyone was asking for a neutral. So it really depends, but ultimately, the limited edition colors that Hermès makes are the most difficult because simply less are produced (neutral or colorful), then permanent colorful bags, then permanent neutral colors.

Having said that, which type of bag is the most difficult is a much easier question. In the US, I would actually argue a kelly cut is the most difficult bag to get because they are not shipped here very often for some reason. On the flip side, a kelly cut is on the easier side to ask for in Paris. After a kelly cut, I’d say a pochette is hardest to get. Yes, harder than a mini kelly because again, simply not as many are sent to the US for whatever reason. If you want a mini kelly, even with an amazing sales associate, I’d say you’re probably going to be waiting at least a year to fulfill that wish, so I’d suggest also adding on a birkin or kelly 25 onto your list so you can get something offered in the meantime. A good rule of thumb is the smaller the bag, the more difficult to get. So I’d say the order goes as follows: kelly cut, kelly pochette, mini kelly, kelly elan, 25s, 30s, so on and so forth. Unless you’re interested in like a grizzly birkin, but that’s a story for another day.

In conclusion, you’ll probably be waiting at least a year for a mini kelly in black and I recommend not being picky about the hardware. On the other hand, if you wanted a mini kelly in a bright limited edition color, I’m not sure you’d ever get it to be honest unless your SA is a magician. All this to say I’m confident someone could get a birkin or kelly 25 in black within 6 months if all goes according to plan. If that’s not girl math I literally don’t know what is.

But what if I don’t like what’s offered to me?

Everyone seems to be terrified to deny an offer at Hermès because they’re convinced they’ll be blacklisted from the brand and never receive another quota offer again. I can tell you firsthand that this could not be further from the truth. I have denied two different offers from my sales associate and received new offers within weeks each time. I also declined every bag I was offered in Paris the first time I ever secured an appointment there, and I was still able to get another appointment on my next visit to Paris. I was so terrified the first time I denied an offer that I profusely apologized to my SA, but she is so fantastic and assured me she wanted me to be 100% happy with my purchase. At the end of the day, these bags are incredibly expensive, and you only get two a year, so you need to be absolutely thrilled with your purchase. Don’t let people scare you into saying yes to anything that’s offered to you, if you get offered something that isn’t what you were looking for, I promise you’ll get an offer that makes more sense for you afterwards!

Why do people get randomly lucky?

To be perfectly honest, I have no idea. I’ve heard all the same stories on TikTok about people walking in and magically receiving a bag offer on the spot. If I had to guess, those situations happen because a sales associate offered the bag to another client earlier in the day, the client declined it, and the associate then offers it to someone else, likely because it isn’t on anyone else’s wishlist in the store. The closest I’ve gotten to lucky was getting a leather appointment in Paris because someone cancelled, but even then, I didn’t walk away with a bag because I didn’t like any that were presented to me. I genuinely do not have a clue, but on the bright side at least I’ve never once been jealous of someone’s “lucky” offer.

Why not just buy from a reseller?

I’ve worked with resellers in the past in exchange for a bag, meaning I created content for the reseller in return for a quota bag, and you would too if the opportunity presented itself. I’ve never personally spent my own money on an Hermès bag from a reseller, but I absolutely would if there was a color or bag that was no longer made that I really wanted. I’m sure that day will come, but the truth is, it’s largely because I really do not see Hermès as a game. I truly see it as an investment, and I’m convinced that mindset is why I’ve had such a phenomenal experience shopping in store. The pieces I’ve bought are pieces I will pass down to my kids, and their kids after them, not just because of the name, but because the quality can actually withstand that kind of legacy. When you compare almost any other designer good to an Hermès piece, the difference is startling. There is a reason the moment you walk out of an Hermès store with a new bag, its value has multiplied twice at minimum. How many stocks can you name that double the moment you buy them? None, as far as I’m concerned.