When Angela Phan, a private-equity consultant based in Carmel, Calif., decided she wanted an Hermès Birkin bag, she looked for inspiration by watching YouTube videos and reading forums on handbag website Perthblog. Phan, who had previously bought plates, silverware and scarves from the brand, had her heart set on a neutral-hued Birkin 35.
But she couldn’t just walk in and buy it. Hermes is known for offering Birkin and Kelly bags intermittently, usually to its most loyal customers. Analyses of how to play the “Hermès game” — going to less-trafficked stores, building relationships with salespeople, or buying what you need to buy to be recommended a bag (usually not your preferred color or size) — have proliferated on Reddit and TikTok. These sales practices led two California residents to file an antitrust lawsuit against Hermes in March in disdain. (Last year, Hermes told BoF that it “strictly prohibits the sale of certain products as a condition for the purchase of other products.”)
Fan ultimately decided to buy the items she wanted second-hand, even though she might end up paying double the retail price.
“People were like, ‘You weren’t patient enough,’ or ‘Why didn’t you travel?’ But I just wanted that bag. I really love it and I want to buy it,” she said.
Fan is part of a growing group of shoppers who are willing to stray from traditional channels to get their hands on fashion and pay a premium to get what they want, when they want it.Luxury thrives on exclusivity, and with many brands producing their most popular items in small quantities or reserving them for their most loyal shoppers, inevitably not everyone can get what they want.
“Demand for these luxury items has increased significantly and the customer experience has changed,” said Jeff Hess, global head of watches at Sotheby’s. “It’s become much more challenging and difficult to purchase these popular models at retail, across all luxury items.”
But increasingly, shoppers are finding alternative ways to purchase luxury’s most coveted items. There are big-box resale shops like Fashionphile, Vestiaire Collective, Rebag, and The RealReal; sector-specific stores like watch-centric Watchfinder and Chrono24; and boutique retailers like Privé Porter and Jane Finds, both of which focus almost exclusively on Hermès. Meanwhile, auction houses are increasingly investing in fashion, hosting events to sell rare handbags and watches to elite shoppers. Plus, a new wave of social media-native dealers, personal shoppers, and self-proclaimed fashion “saucers” are using Instagram DMs to pitch shoppers not just legendary bags but also coveted items like Alaia mesh flats and The Row’s Margaux carryalls.
All of these options cater to consumers who can’t access them on their own or who “don’t want to go to a store and have to kowtow to a salesperson,” said Privé Porter founder Michelle Burke. They respond to a growing sentiment among consumers that the traditional luxury shopping experience lacks convenience and personalization.
“[These shoppers] “They don’t mind paying a premium to get what they want right now,” Burke says.
The rise of alternative purchase paths could have a larger impact on the industry as a whole. Luxury brands face competition not just to sell their products but also to get exposure across more channels. After years of focusing on key customers, brands need to find ways to engage new consumers, said Joel de Montgolfier, executive vice president of luxury, retail and consumer at Bain & Company.
“[As a luxury brand] “The less exclusive you are, the more problems you have. The more you control the distribution, the more you focus on promoting the brand, the more you focus on the luxury experience, the easier your job is,” says Franck Muller, founder of luxury consultancy Bridge to Luxury.
What drives demand?
Dissatisfaction with the luxury shopping experience has led to the popularity of fashion intermediaries among everyone from aspiring shoppers to top-tier buyers.
This shift accelerated during the pandemic when stores closed and shopping became more difficult, according to fashion insider Gab Waller. After stores reopened, shoppers found themselves having to stand in line outside, sometimes for hours, only to end up not getting what they wanted, she said. Plus, building relationships with different salespeople can be arduous and sometimes scary.
“When a customer goes into a boutique and asks for something, they might be laughed at and told, ‘You don’t have a chance.’ [you] “People say, ‘I have that,'” Waller said. Such reactions make people wonder, “Why bother?” she added.
For others, shopping for themselves, whether that means scrolling online or interacting with a salesperson in-store, just doesn’t appeal. Some sources have secured celebrity clients — Waller has worked with stars such as Sofia Richie Grainge and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.
“My clients prioritize privacy above all else, especially when it comes to their shopping records,” says Nicole Pollard-Bamey, a stylist and soother who goes by the name Lalaluxe on Instagram. She says her client list includes celebrities, heads of state, CEOs and even royalty. “They don’t want to go to the stores and they don’t want the Victorian experience. Their biggest luxury is time and energy.”
For some shoppers, the reason they’re looking for alternatives is simple: They can’t get what they want at retail. Maybe they want something hot right now, like Miu Miu’s collaborative sneaker with New Balance. But they’re collectors, and they buy in such large quantities that the brand alone may not be able to meet the demand. Burke has a handful of customers who spend more than $2 million a year on bags. Privé Porter saw a 40 percent increase in revenue last year and opened a new store in Las Vegas in February. Burke said shoppers will continue to pay higher prices to resell as bags become harder to find at retail.
“I don’t know what the limit is,” Burke said. “Someone who was paying $18,000 in 2018 is now willing to pay $28,000 for the same bag.”
Procurement Increased
There are also more ways than ever to acquire hard-to-find items beyond traditional channels like auction houses and resale sites like The RealReal, and more recently, a new generation of Instagram-born fashion saucers and personal shoppers have emerged to service avid consumers looking for any piece of clothing.
For most buyers who charge a brokerage fee, the journey starts with a direct message on Instagram. If the item is in season, they contact their network of salespeople and stores to double-check the shelves. For pieces that can’t be bought at retail stores, like a Birkin, vintage pieces or rare watches, they go to a network of dealers, private sellers and consignment shops. Some buyers acquire items they know will be popular in advance, like Chanel flats with a unique texture or color, says Christina Samano, a former Neiman Marcus salesperson.
Saucers aren’t just after Birkins and Rolexes. Chanel, Hermès and Miu Miu shoes are popular, Waller says, as are Loro Piana, The Row and especially Margaux bags. At one point last year, Alaïa flats made up 70 percent of requests on Sourceware, a U.K.-based luxury-finding app, and Phoebe Philo-era Celine is always popular, says founder Erica Wright. New products surface and sell out only after a few influencers start posting about them, she says.
Waller, who has more than 81,000 followers on Instagram, gets at least 50 requests a day. Samano, who has 31,000 followers, says he can’t put down his phone because he’s inundated with DMs. Sourceware plans to launch in the U.S. in October.
As fashion sources grow in popularity and Instagram becomes their workspace, the sources themselves have become celebrities: Celebrity stylist and personal shopper Michelle Lovelace famously bagged the Birkin bags Kanye West gifted to his then-girlfriend Julia Fox and their friends in 2022, while Waller signed with IMG earlier this year and is a contributor to Vogue magazine.
Waller says he can’t work without strong relationships with brands. Still, there’s some resistance, especially among people who don’t distinguish between saucers and resellers. Wright says Saucer fills a void, adding that shoppers want more service when it comes to fashion.
“Luxury experiences have become so fragmented and so much of a gamble,” Wright says. “Consumers are looking for a curated approach. They want to feel heard and have a personalized experience.”
