Anyway, the reason why the book spurred some interest among readers is because it’s known in the industry that there’s a waiting list to the waiting list of Birkin buyers and that you’ve to wait for about 2 years to get your Birkin. But the author, Tonello, was able to crack the Hermes code. He was able to buy several hundreds of Birkins – about USD1.6M worth in 3 years – and resold them in eBay and to private clients for hefty profit margins.
How did he do it? He dressed for the part (all branded clothes and accessories). He learned how to successfully profile the Hermes staff – in any Hermes store, he can easily identify which one would most likely show him a Birkin (the grandmother type). He mastered the art of shopping in Hermes – as a pre-requisite, buy scarves, notebooks, pens, bracelets and other accessories first (ranging from USD1,000 to USD10,000 worth depending on the store’s location) before you ask for a Birkin. Usually, the staff will show you 1 or 2 available Birkins but if they say there’s none available, just tell them that you prefer to get all the Hermes stuff from a single store. As you walk out from the store, a staff will run after you and say that a client just cancelled an order and there’s already one Birkin available. Get the idea? The book is entertaining as the author vividly describes his adventures around the world to get Birkins. But after several chapters, you realize what a superficial life this guy is living - dressing up, partying, high-class traveling ... Worse, out of desperation, there was also a time when he started resorting to unethical tactics - calling up a Hermes store and pretending to be someone who ordered a croc Birkin but is now canceling the order. In this way, a croc Birkin will be made available for him (at the expense of another buyer).
But towards the end, when his mom was stricken with cancer and sadly passed away, Tonello finally saw the light. He realized that while Birkin-hunting, though he earned a lot, he also lost a lot of time which he could have spent with loved ones instead. He also saw through his clients - no quantity of Birkin bags will ever make them happy. And as a final lesson, let me share with you Tonello’s credo - Work to live, not live to work.
