IS HERMES SO MUCH BETTER THAN LOUIS VUITTON??? - Designer Handbag & Purse Chat.. The Bag Forum

archie42 · January 30th, 2009, 06:19 PM

Hello,
I am a serious LV collector... and I am curious....

IS HERMES SO MUCH BETTER THAN LV?

also ... what is a fair price for a BLACK KELLY on the used market?

lilstrlett · January 31st, 2009, 05:54 AM

Authentic Designer Bag Reseller ~ let-trade.com ~
Here's a used Kelly 40cm on let-trade. They have great used bags, and are always in great shape!

The price for this one is $5499, but retail is somewhere around $10k to $11k

amaryllis · February 1st, 2009, 08:38 AM

I love the quality of both. Hermes is not trendy like LV, and their custermer service is outstanding. I am not into the monogram look, and I prefer a solid colored leather handbag. I don't like the cookie cutter look so I now have more Hermes than LV. Every now and then I'll purchase an LV accessory. I HTH!

amaryllis · February 1st, 2009, 08:39 AM

BTW, check ebay for deals on pre-loved Kelly bags. Sometimes you can find them as low as 2500USD.

pingping · February 1st, 2009, 09:38 AM

I think so, though I have to say I've never had an Hermes bag! But from what I hear, all of their bags are individually hand-made and all are closely inspected before sale. With LV bags in general, they're much more mass-produced so there's more of a chance of flaws and imperfections, know what I mean? And I'm sure quality varies within LV lines too - like the suhali bags are probably of better quality than the mono bags, and runway/limited edition pieces are better than suhali, etc.

boysRsmelly · February 1st, 2009, 04:39 PM

I don't really think LVs are prone to flaws or imperfections. I mean, they still spend a lot of time producing each individual piece. In my opinion, Hermes bags are a bit overpriced for what you're actually getting.

londonhandbagseller · February 1st, 2009, 08:41 PM

Hermes is a price class all on its own.They dont have to advertise or get a famous person
to put it out there like LV.
if you go to the Hermes site,you cant even buy the birkin or the kelly bags on there!

And to buy the Birkin croc,the only place to buy that bag is ebay.

You would have to wait about 3 years to buy it off Hermes cos of the waiting list.

Hermes have real history as well,they started off making horse riding saddles.

Also Hermès handbags have been noted for being one of the few brands of handbag to either hold or increase in value with time,giving them the distinction of being considered by some as "investment quality" products

To compare LV with Hermes is like comparing Mercedes with Ferrari

skyrider007 · February 3rd, 2009, 08:52 PM

LV < H but I love them equally : )

M_Butterfly · February 9th, 2009, 01:32 PM

I do not own an Hermes bag (only a scarf so far) but I would guess that they are probably much better. As much as I desire to own an Hermes bag on Rouge H (love the color and think it will go well with 85% of my outfits) I am a self proclaimed attention ho and I think in some way Hermes is very suttle and understated. Nothing wrong with that. I think many people that buy Hermes like this characteristic,

frbspa · February 19th, 2009, 04:22 AM

I agree that Hermes' quality and perceived status are much higher than LV. Every Hermes item including every small accessories are handmade by a specific artisan. If there were any problems later on or for spa treatments, it will go back to the specific person who made it in the first place, there are artisans who have worked with Hermes for more than 30 years and their experience are immense.
Hermes' company history is so rich and old (in a good way), I love something with a story and heritage behind it, makes me feel the items from that particular company comes with the lovely tale behind it too.
Hermes also have their own farm for their leather and the exotics (if I'm not mistaken, got this info from BagSnob) so they control the leather quality which is why even the 'good' Hermes fakes still cannot fool an Hermes lover

Hermes makes more than just Birkin and Kelly bags, these are not my style either. BUT one of my HG bag is the Evelyn (crossbody style)
DECADES INC.: June 2007
and the Lindy (love the unique design)!!
What's Haute Blog - Haute Handbags & Purses. Haute Fashion. Haute Blog.
Hermes is more of a quiet luxury (only select people know the variety of designs available, most only know the famous 2) while LV is more 'in your face' where everyone knows the monogram, Damier etc (that said, I love the Damier

)
You can also custom make your bags: choose the type of leather, the color, the hardware, the size and of course the design. Unfortunately the price reflects that privilege

I guess it all depends on personal taste and the function/place you're using the items for.
I have both LV and Hermes accessories (can't compare the bags as I have an LV but not an Hermes, yet) and can definitely say I

the Hermes much more(Please don't stone me LV lovers

)
PS: Not affliated with these sites, just to show the bags...

Heart Everton · April 16th, 2009, 10:15 PM

Actually a brand new 32 Retourne Kelly in Fjord, Togo, or clemence leather from a Hermes Boutique is $7600 USD as of 3/16/09. There was a recent price increase so add 8% more to that price.

Only the Kelly and the Birkin are 100% handmade. Hermes does not own their leather, crocodile, ostrich, lizard, alligator, goat, buffalo farms. This is a myth. They purchase their leather materials from different farms all over the world. In fact they buy their calf leather from France and their crocodile, alligator, and ostrich leather from farms in the US.

In the US, you can walk into a Hermes Boutique and if they have a few Kellys on the shelves, you can just buy it. No waiting for three years. The "waitlists" are for people who want to order a certain color, leather, hardware combo (wait is usually 3-9 months or up to two years depending on what country Hermes Store you are buying from). For customized orders, you have to be a "regular" customer to order kellys or birkins with whatever combinations you want (leather, color, hardware type, contrast lining/stitching/piping, different color leathers on the same bag, etc.). They are called Special Orders and are only given to VIP customers and still have to be approved by Paris prior to being accepted. There is no additional fees for Special Orders.

Hermes will refurbish/repair their bags at a small fee but it does not go back to the original craftsman. This is a myth. Most Boutiques have someone who can do minor repairs or it is sent to Paris for repairs/refurbishing by their craftsmen (not necessarily the original one).

valerie · August 12th, 2009, 06:58 AM

I own and love both Hermes and Louis Vuitton bags, but in my opinion Hermes is in a different league. For me LV is more for day to day use. I keep my Hermes's for special occasions: they are more expensive and feel more precious. I also find that Hermes stores have a more personalized approach: they treat your bag as a jewel and they talke about them with sincere passion. LV also has a very good service and customer approach, but it's different, more big scale, more sterile.

Blue · October 2nd, 2009, 01:22 PM

If you are asking for an honest opinion. So much of Hermes is about the marketing. I love Hermes but I had to turn my back on them when the fakes were the same quality.

Hermes allows the fakes to go unchecked to encourage people to only buy from Hermes. One site has been hand crafting bags for over ten years. They even export without the hardware on. Put on real Hermes hardware and sell them in Japanese resale shops. Long time Hermes lovers would say the authenticity of them is questionable, if asked is this real.

I want a product of that price to be better than the fake.
I don't want a bag that's 11K to be that close to a $700.00 fake.

LV has super fakes too, but at least they try to get them shut down.

add1t · October 9th, 2009, 11:07 PM

for the bag qualities, yes
but for the prices, no

mizz_tiff · October 18th, 2009, 03:36 PM

I truly believe that yes, anything Hermes is better than Louis Vuitton. I have been watching videos about how Hermes makes their bags and it's amazing! Totally handmade just like the "old" days. It's truly something to check out. Don't get me wrong, I like Louis Vuitton as well..