New book on Birkin-chasing - "Bringing Home the Birkin"
I was browsing Fabsugar and saw this post on a new book about a guy, Michael Tonello, who makes a living seeking and reselling Birkin bags. He's written a book about his exploits that is coming out next month. Looks like my kind of read!
It's many a girl's dream to own a Birkin bag, and it was Michael Tonello's job to make that dream a reality . . . for those who could afford it.
He spent nearly a decade traveling the world in search of Birkins to resell on eBay, and once bought 140 of the coveted bags in a three month period. Tonello's forthcoming memoir Bringing Home the Birkin ($18) chronicles his hunt for the $8,000+ bag, of which Victoria Beckham is said to own 100. "I began to feel like I was a drug dealer," he said. "You know, there are people that will do almost anything to get one of these bags." Intense reading!
Re: New book on Birkin-chasing - "Bringing Home the Birkin"
Sounds like a pretty good read, and an interesting business model. I wonder how you raise capital for that? Haha. Imagine going to a bank to request a loan to buy/resell Birkins!
Michael Tonello: Birkin buyer cracks code for 'it' bag
stuff.co
Quote:
The elusive Birkin bag made by Hermes is so sought after as a status symbol by women worldwide that the French fashion house has a two year waiting list for potential owners -- or does it?
Michael Tonello, a beautician turned fashion buyer, says he devised a system to bypass the much-talked about list and spent five years traveling between different Hermes stores to snap up Birkin bags to meet -- and profit from -- this pent-up demand.
Initially he sold them online but then began selling them at a handsome mark-up to wealthy private clients who didn't want to wait two years, with people aware that Hermes handbags are one of the few brands that hold or increase in value over time.
Tonello said cracking the code let him to buy hundreds of Birkin bags and he is now adamant that the waiting list is just a fantastic marketing ploy. So what was his trick?
"I would go into a store with a list in my Hermes Ulysse notebook and pile up scarves, shawls, bracelets, worth about $2,000. This made me seem a regular Hermes client," Tonello told Reuters in a telephone interview.
"Once I had that pile ready to buy at the last moment I'd ask for a Birkin and they would usually produce one of the back room. In 2005 I bought 130 Birkins in a three-month period -- and you tell me there is a waiting list?"
Tonello, who wrote the book "Bringing Home the Birkin," released this month, about his Birkin adventures, said he has receipts to back his story.
A spokeswoman for Hermes in Australia, Nicole Morgan, said the company was making no official comment on Tonello's book.
She said managing requests for handbags, all of which are handmade in Paris, was part of their customer service.
DEALING BAGS LIKE DRUGS
Tonello said there was no other bag with the same allure as the Birkin so it made sense that Hermes would want to retain the mystery of its list and sense of the bag's scarcity.
"The bag has become the iconic 'it' bag, the symbol of ultimate luxury, because of its inaccessibility to the general public. People really want what they can't have," said Tonello, an American who lives in Barcelona.
"But I'd travel to different countries, walk into Hermes, use my formula, and get a bag, and return home with six or seven Birkins several times a month. It's odd to say there is a list when I could walk in and out of nine out 10 stores with a bag."
The elusiveness of the Birkin has ensured it has remained one of the world's most coveted bags since Hermes named it after British actress Jane Birkin in 1984, with prices starting at about $9,000 and rising to about $34,000 for a crocodile skin bag.
Birkins are regularly spotted on the wrists of glamorous celebrities, such as Victoria Beckham, Katie Holmes, and "Desperate Housewives" actress Eva Longoria.
But Tonello said he began to feel like a drug dealer after a while spent Birkin trading.
"I kept notes on which stores I went in, when and what I bought, and I wouldn't repeat a store for six months," he said.
"In the store in Paris I went in maybe once too often and they checked the computer and discovered how many bags I had bought. They sent me a fax saying essentially they would no longer sell me any bags."
He has now given up trading bags -- and doesn't miss it.
"I don't like the bag. In all honesty I don't think it is very practical as it's time-consuming to get in and out of and the bag is rather heavy, even empty," he said.
Re: Michael Tonello: Birkin buyer cracks code for 'it' bag
I read the book--it was a good quick read. By no means life changing unless you really can afford to go into Hermes and drop thousands on stuff you wont use just to get a bag. If you like Hermes and want a fun book to read on the beach, this is it. Just buy an ocassional scarf, get friendly or call ahead to see if your fave SA will be at the store, and one day you just ask if they have a Birkin. That's how I got mine.
Re: Michael Tonello: Birkin buyer cracks code for 'it' bag
I just found this site and joined! I was just searching Michael Tonello by google and ended up here.
I am so glad I did.
Michael Tonello is gracious, kind and super friendly!
I loved his book too!
I have a Birkin,and I purchased mine at Hermes last year.
Re: New book on Birkin-chasing - "Bringing Home the Birkin"
Michael is a friend of mine,and he is just the nicest guy! He would be so happy to hear from anyone who has enjoyed his book!
I just emailed him a link to this site, and I know he will be pleased to read your positive posts!
New book on Birkin-chasing - "Bringing Home the Birkin"
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