Hermès,
the one that appreciates.
Handbags and leather goods, including the pieces that hold value better than anything else in fashion. Every item checked in house.
Currently holding handbags and leather goods, plus occasional homeware and jewelry. Browsing opens San Diego Jewelry Buyers, my own store, which is where the listings live.
Hermès available today
Hermès is the only house in fashion where the bag is a genuinely reliable store of value. Supply is deliberately short of demand and has been for decades, which does the rest.
It follows that this is where authentication matters most, and where the fakes have the biggest incentive to be excellent. The hand stitching is the hardest thing to reproduce and it is the first thing we look at.
How do you authenticate a Birkin or Kelly?
No single detail settles it. These are the three we check on every Hermès piece before it is listed, and the ones we look at first if you bring one in.
Saddle stitching
Genuine Hermès is hand saddle stitched, which produces a slightly irregular angled stitch a machine does not replicate. This is the single strongest tell on the brand.
Blind stamp and craftsman mark
The heat stamp carries a date indicator and the individual craftsman's mark. Placement, depth and the character used all have to be right for the era.
Hardware and leather
Plating quality, the turn of the lock, and leather that behaves the way the named leather should behave.
If you already own a Hermès piece and you are not sure what it is, bring it to 907 6th Ave and we will tell you, free. We buy Hermès too, though there is no hurry and no obligation either way. Book a look.
Do Hermès bags hold their value?
Straight, not flattering.
- Birkin and Kelly are the strongest resale in all of fashion and frequently exceed original retail.
- Leather and color matter enormously here, more than on any other house.
- Even non bag Hermès holds well. Scarves, homeware and small leather goods all have a real market.
Browse the category instead
Common questions about Hermès
- Do you buy Hermès bags?
- Yes, and Hermès is the bag we are most interested in seeing walk through the door. Leather, color and hardware matter enormously here, far more than on any other house, so photographs of the blind stamp and the corners help before you come in. Send those first or bring it to 907 6th Ave for a free evaluation.
- How do you authenticate a Birkin or Kelly?
- Hand saddle stitching first, since it is the hardest thing to fake, then the blind stamp and craftsman mark, hardware plating, and how the leather behaves against what it claims to be.
- Do Hermès bags really go up in value?
- The Birkin and Kelly frequently resell above what they cost new, which is close to unique in fashion. Supply has been kept below demand for decades.
4.9 on Google, 634 reviews.
★★★★★
“I had been holding onto old silverware and silver items for a couple decades and finally decided to move out what I was not going to use. I did some research then I called them at the end of the day yesterday. They were helpful on the phone and even texted me where they offer free parking. I came…”
Jim Lehrman · Google
★★★★★
“I had been holding onto old silverware and silver items for a couple decades and finally decided to move out what I was not going to use. I did some research then I called them at the end of the day yesterday. They were helpful on the phone and even texted me where they offer free parking. I came…”
Jim L. · Google
★★★★★
“It was a very pleasant experience. And my first time bringing family jewels of up to 100 years vintage to obtain evaluation which might result in a purchase. I was impressed with the ease and comfortableness. Each piece was examined and measured carefully Notations were made. I added some…”
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