Where to buy a Hermès Birkin bag without the waitlist

One secondhand style sold at Sotheby’s for $137,500 (approximately £107,890) in 2020

Pre-loved Birkin bags are in high demand (The Independent)

Designer handbags are a dream purchase with the Hermès Birkin bag considered the cream of the crop no matter who you talk to. However, unlike picking out a statement style from Prada, Gucci or even Chanel, a Hermès Birkin isn’t all that easy to get ahold of, and not just because of its five to six-figure price tag.

In fact, the true difficulty of trying to purchase one of these coveted accessories has now made headlines as two shoppers in California are suing the brand for allegedly persuading them to spend tens of thousands of pounds on shoes, belts, clothes and other items in order to be “deemed worthy” of buying a precious Birkin bag.

Yes, really. While it’s commonly known in the fashion circuit that you can’t simply walk into a store and buy a Birkin bag off the shelf, it’s rumoured that the luxury label encourages you to ‘earn’ the privilege, whether that’s through being a loyal customer or a person in the public eye.

So it’s probably not surprising to learn that the pre-loved Birkin market is booming, with one secondhand style selling at Sotheby’s for $137,500 (approximately £107,890) in 2020. After all, once a bag breaks into the resale market, all the House rules and restrictions no longer apply.

What you may be surprised to find out, however, is that you can actually buy a Hermès Birkin bag on Amazon, thanks to the retailer’s partnership with luxury resale site Hardly Ever Worn It (HEWI), which specialises in pre-loved finds, from Dior scarves and Jimmy Choo shoes to, of course, Hermès Birkin bags.

Hermès pre-loved craie taurillon clemence leather birkin 35 PHW: £9,737.50, Amazon.co.uk

(Amazon)

If you happen to have £10,000 going spare, you can snap up this cream leather pre-loved birkin bag at Amazon right now. Its condition type is “very goo, although Amazon does state that “these items are pre-owned and may show signs of being stored even when unworn and unused. Please refer to images, and use the zoom function for more detail”. So be sure to pay close attention before taking the plunge on this pretty large purchase.

Should you want a slightly different colour, there are currently seven available on the Amazon site in blue sapphire (£26,250, Amazon.co.uk), navy blue (£21,995, Amazon.co.uk), grey (£15,000, Amazon.co.uk), turquoise (£14,458.50, Amazon.co.uk) deep burgundy (£19,995, Amazon.co.uk), cream (£9,737.50, Amazon.co.uk) and a three colour combo (£9,315, Amazon.co.uk) colourways, and you can add them to your basket just as you would your dishwashing tablets – although, much, much more expensive.

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Hermès Birkin bag FAQs

What makes the Birkin bag so special?

This really is the key question. According to the brand, it’s the “rare heritage leather with unique character,” the “entirely vegetable-tanned natural cowhide [...] that gains a patina and becomes even more beautiful over time,” and the clean lines that “appeal to connoisseurs”. Although we’d argue that it’s the exclusivity of being able to own one that makes it so appealing. After all, anyone with a disposable few thousand pounds can cop a Chanel, Prada or Gucci option, but only those “deemed worthy” may buy a new Birkin.

How long is the waitlist for a brand-new Birkin?

The world of Hermès Birkin bags is a rather mysterious one, so there are no set rules or timelines on how long you’d have to wait to be able to buy one. According to Vogue, “boutiques have their own style offering, with infrequent deliveries and little notice as to which colourways or finishes will be available to purchase at any given moment. For this reason, customers who want a brand new bag should enquire in store, and seek advice from Hermès sales experts.” So, it most likely comes down to what size, colour and material you’re after and, if the lawsuit readings are anything to go by, your relationship with the brand.

How to sell your pre-loved designer handbags

If you already own a Birkin or any other designer bag that you’d like to part ways with and earn some money from, the good news is that there are now plenty of ways to do it. Multiple reselling platforms, such as HEWI, eBay and Vestiaire Collective are available to use, and it’s really as simple as setting up an account and listing your items online. If what you’re selling is of particularly high value, you may want to look into third-party authentication offered through the platforms so that sellers know you’re holding onto the real deal. 

How to tell if a designer bag is authentic

If buying a pre-loved designer find online, it’s always best to do your research to ensure you’re actually shopping for the real deal. Firstly, only shop from reputable, trusted retailers and keep an eye out for any form of authentication badge. At HEWI, “each pre-owned item has been through a meticulous three-step pre-screening process designed by the Hardly Ever Worn It in-house experts, each possessing over a decade of experience in verifying luxury goods.” This three-step process includes “comprehensively evaluating via physical inspection, detailed analysis and final confirmation to guarantee that every item offered meets the highest standard of quality”. You can read more about the authentication process on the HEWI website. You’ll find similar processes at Vestiaire Collective and eBay – here you can keep an eye out for an authenticity blue tick here too.

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