Can you buy Hermes bags online without dealing with an SA?

Most bag lovers interested in Hermes products have their own Hermes story to tell. It could be how you were treated or told there were no bags they could sell you. I used to be interested in getting a Birkin if I ever had a chance. By reading what I just wrote, it feels distorted. Why, as a customer who can afford the product, must you rely on whether the SA likes you or thinks you may be the potential gold mine? Listen to many Hermes regular customers' experiences, and it sounded like often you have to indirectly beg the SA to give you a chance to buy a bag, not even Birkin or Kelly.

When I went to a Hermes store in the area, I noticed there wasn't a line to get in, and customers knew they were not likely to get anything since the SAs often tell customers they have no bags to sell them. I went in, talked to a friendly SA, and she basically told me the same thing. After looking around and talking to her for a good 15 minutes, indirectly telling her I am not a reseller and sharing my financial ability, she brought out an $8000 leather pouch for me to look at. Wasn't it a lie when she told me she had nothing earlier? The trickiness and dishonesty left a sour taste. I have been through enough to care a little less about how people look at me or feel I constantly have to prove to other people, and now I have proof myself to buy a freaking bag? Are most customers struggling with dignity and self-love? Despite my experience, I have friends who ended up buying Birkin or Kelly bags, but not after they purchased plenty of random items. Apparently, they are in a good place in life to afford multiple Hermes bags and products. However, they still had to go through various informal interviews at multiple Hermes stores to finally have the "opportunity" to buy a bag they were offered, not a bag they wanted to buy. The whole experience is bizarre. So you are supposed to feel proud about getting your first Hermes bag after being treated as if you were not worth it?

If you love Hermes products and want a bag, you can buy it online from their website. I am not referring to reseller websites like TheRealReal. You can buy most of the bags on the Hermes website when they restock. Unfortunately, if you are obsessed with Birkin or Kelly, I haven't seen these options on their restock list. However, with the economic crisis that is going on everywhere, that may change sometime in the future. So far, I have seen many popular Hermes bags available on their website. For example, there are many sizes and options of Garden Party, In-The-Loop, Picotin, Herbag, Lindy, Bolide, Evelyne, etc. Instead of buying a ton of random accessories and home goods you don't need or want, you can buy the bag you wish to when they restock. You have to follow closely regarding their restocking hours, but it is more straightforward than dealing with SAs. From my observation, they restock their website in the morning, and most items are gone by the afternoon.

There are no complicated tips in terms of buying Hermes bags online. When you are ready to buy, check their website in the morning before noon time. However, I recommend only doing so when you are ready to buy. They do put in a safety precaution method on their website to avoid questionable resellers or buyers. If you check the handbag pages too frequently, they may block your IP address, and you won't be able to access their website afterward. They seem to recognize the benefit of selling bags online like Dior and Louis Vuitton. However, I think they still try to figure out the right way to do this to increase revenue without affecting their prestigious status.

If you have been buying at the store and wondering why they started to change, here are my theories. First, company profit must be the primary drive for the change. Many other luxury brands are doing well by selling their hit bags without worrying about the revenue on clothing and home goods. If Hermes continues to limit their customers, their profit will also be limited.

In addition, dupes and super fakes are flooding the market. Let's face it, Hermes bags have relatively simple construction, and it is not hard to duplicate them if you have skillful craftsmen. I have seen fakes that look identical to the authentic Hermes bag, which should worry them. You wonder where they would go when they keep pushing their customers out of the door. I bet many of them ended up buying some dupes to try. There are vast amounts of realistic fake bags on social media posing as genuine, which must have affected Hermes' prestigious brand value. Like the infamous LV Neverfull bag, you are not as interested in obtaining one once you see it everywhere on the street. I am sure I am not the only one wondering if the bag is authentic whenever I see a Neverfull on the street. Hermes probably knew they had to change before their bags became the next Neverfull. Thus we are seeing more frequent restocking of their website. Only time will tell if this is the right path for them, but for now, you get to take a break from pretending at the Hermes store and buy a goddamn Hermes bag you want on their website!