Lilac Blue never set out to be a buyer of Hermes Birkins and Kellies from the public. We have a team of private buyers, and a network of close partners across the globe who provide us with the newest and most desirable Hermes bags every week.  But our social media agency has done such extraordinary work that we now have inquiries every day from people wanting to sell Hermes bags. So I thought it a good idea to tell you here how we work, and some of the best ways you can go about selling your bag.

Selling a Brand New Bag
If you are selling a brand new Hermes Handbag there are a few bags that will earn you a substantial premium.  Birkin, Kelly and Constance handbags are notoriously hard to get, so if you have scored one, you can make some money immediately. Here’s how:

If your bag is one of the following, it will be of immediate interest to dealers:

Birkin 25, 30 or 35cm
Kelly 20, 25, 28 or 32cm

Classic colours such as black, gold (tan) or orange. Bright popular seasonal colours such as a new pink, red, orange, blue or green. In popular leathers such as Togo or Epsom.

What you should do:
Contact the main resellers, such as Lilac Blue London (yes, us). You can expect to receive 20-25% in addition to the Hermes retail price that you paid. You will need to provide photos, and then to visit us. We are in Vigo Street, London W1. Between Regent Street and Cecconi’s Restaurant.

In America you might want to contact Rebag. In Singapore you can contact Luxlexicon.

To achieve the margin, you have to provide the following: The bag in perfect condition with all its accessories: this means the bag must be exactly as it was when it was sold to you, with plastic covers on the hardware and completely unworn. (If you have worn it and present it as new, we will know it has been worn – this causes embarrassment for everyone!). The accessories are the lock, key and clochette (key cover), dustbag, and the orange box in perfect condition with no damaged corners (be very careful if you are travelling with the box). We will also need the original receipt, but don’t panic, your identity will be protected.

If it is a bag we are happy to buy, you will receive 20 or 25% above the European retail price. So a bag that is €8,200 this year – such as a Birkin 35cm in Togo leather – will fetch you €10,250, or £9,185.

You need to bring the bag into Lilac Blue London, and provide ID and your home address. If we agree to buy it, the money will be paid by bank transfer to the UK, Europe, or a number of other countries. It will arrive the same day it is transferred, or if being Europe, the day after that.

If you would like to achieve more than the 20-25%, you may choose to put the bag on consignment. This also applies to bags that are not eligible for immediate purchase (these might include a less popular colour, such as brown, or a lesser known leather, such as Swift).

Consignment (you get paid once the bag is sold)
Consignment on new bags can offer better returns. Currently Lilac Blue London pays 30% premium for a bag left on consignment. So a 35cm Birkin at the time of writing, which costs €8200 in Paris, will fetch €10,660, or £9,550. If you bought the bag in mainland Europe, that is a profit of £2,200. If the bag is extremely sought after, or a limited edition, you may be able to get more. We ask people to be aware that the market is highly competitive, and that the higher the price of the bag, the longer it will take to sell. If you are realistic with the price, the bag will sell within 2 months. Lilac Blue London offers great customer service and will pay you quickly, but the bag must be absolute perfect, and left with us. Any deviation from this will impact on the time it takes to sell.

Becoming a professional seller
Here is another thought: perhaps you would like to sell bags regularly…

If you would like to become a professional reseller, you can receive higher returns, but have to be ready to wait longer for the bag to sell, and you have to provide at least 3 bags. Essentially you become a professional investor. You can expect to be contacted once a month with updates on sales, and you can command up to 35% profit (that 35cm Birkin that cost you €8200 will now fetch €11,070. That’s €2,870 or £2,570 profit, more than you will get on almost any other investment, including gold.) You have to leave the bags for up to 6 months with us. So it’s an amazing return on your investment, but you must be prepared to wait for your money. If the bag does not sell after 6 months you can take it back and we will give you the photos to help you sell it elsewhere.

Pre-loved bags
If you have a used bag to sell….

We only buy a few pre-loved bags to keep as stock. Mostly we sell them on consignment. This means you will receive the funds when the bag is sold. You will want to know what price you can fetch, and this is not a simple question. The age, condition, and accessories that you have kept with the bag all have a major part to play. If you have a Birkin or Kelly, and you have the lock and key, dustbag, orange box, and the receipt, and the bag is in a very good condition, you can expect to receive the price that you originally paid for the bag. You might expect more, but bear in mind that every brand of handbag apart from Hermes and Chanel devalues by 50% or more the moment you walk out the boutique. Unlike other companies, Lilac Blue will set a price that you will receive for the bag, and we will add our margin to it (from 10% – 30%). This allows us to negotiate the price with customers, rather than having to contact you every time we have an offer on it.

Other companies you might like to try in the UK, are Designer Exchange, who will buy for cash, and Rewind Vintage. Then there is Vestiaire Collective, a large online portal for luxury goods which operates in a similar fashion to eBay. You will have to do your own photographs and communicate with potential buyers, which is not a great experience. We do not recommend eBay. In the US, the company Rebag will come to collect your bag and will buy it from you. There are more companies opening in Europe later this year so we can expect this second hand luxury goods market to become more buoyant.

The best pre-loved bags to sell:
Small Hermes Kelly in Crocodile
Hermes Birkin 30cm in classic Hermes colours
Any Pink Birkin or Kelly
Lizard Birkin or Kelly

Bags shown here are a 35cm Etoupe Birkin in Togo leather, a 30cm Black Birkin in Epsom leather, a 35cm Black Kelly in Lizard and a 25cm Bourgogne Kelly in Shiny Crocodile.

Payment Terms

Lilac Blue is one of the most flexible and fast payers for bags left on consignment. We can pay you in most currencies and most countries. You are informed as soon as your bag is sold. From here you have to wait 14 days as each customer may return a bag to us within 14 days of the date of purchase. You will need to provide your name and address and proof of ID for this service.

Thanks for working with us! Let us know if you need more information by emailing contact@lilacblue.com or telephone or whatsapp on + 44 7887 409934.

Annabelle Hunt

July 2019