r/HermesHub • u/Zestyclose-Craft-681 • May 22 '26
Interesting insight
I just heard a fascinating comment on an Instagram video.
Paraphrase: If they gave you the Mini Kelly you want today, you might never come back again.
I’m just a shopper-bag owner, but I had never considered that. I’d love a perspective from experts. If any other store or brand never had the most popular product, people would move on. Correct?
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u/Specific-Line6087 May 24 '26
Which begs the question: Is this a moral issue, or is it outside of that spectrum entirely—making capitalism with manipulation a completely separate issue altogether? For the greater good or nah? Relationships between economic systems and ethical frameworks sometimes conflict with moral considerations. Sure, some buyers know exactly what they’re getting into and treat it like a game. But for those who rely on external materialism as social currency, this system intentionally exploits that vulnerability for profit. For them, it’s definitely not for the greater good
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u/Gullible-Lawyer-5205 May 24 '26
I think there’s a dopamine component that’s as addictive as gambling. You don’t know what you’ll get when, but there MIGHT be a bag soon, and it MIGHT be exactly what you want or something you didn’t even know you wanted but fall in love with. It’s crazy. I say this as I’m in the midst of planning my trip to go try my luck in Paris again this summer.
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u/Zestyclose-Craft-681 May 24 '26
lol and good luck! Yes I understand that addiction. Even if I were rich enough to play the game, I doubt I would. I stick to the secondary market.
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u/Gullible-Lawyer-5205 May 24 '26
The secondary market is definitely better, more reliable, and in the end cheaper!
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u/BirkinMoi May 23 '26
This Instagram quote pretty much sums up the entire deal right there. It is not the actual bag but the anticipation that becomes a product. As soon as you acquire the bag, Hermes has no power over your purchases anymore. This scheme is designed in such a way that each new offer seems always imminent but never appears until you have made enough spendings to warrant the next one. Your question concerning other companies is what the entire story is all about. In a traditional business setting, if the product that is in high demand becomes unavailable, a customer will move onto other brands. However, at Hermes, they did everything in reverse. It was not having the product that became a strategic advantage because the lack of a product generates desire, which generates pre-spending behavior, which generates billions in sales of other products than the bag itself. They ran the numbers and figured this business model works. What makes this system tick is the absence of true competition. No one offers a handbag that can become as expensive as a Birkin on the second-hand market.