I was both pleased and a bit sad to finish Bringing Home The Birkin by Michael Tonello this evening. Pleased because it was another highly entertaining book in my summer reading list. Sad because I wanted to read more.

Bringing Home The Birkin is the real story of how Michael traveled around the world (US, Europe, South America, and a bit of Asia) to find the Birkins for his eBay customers who are obsessed with the famous bags from the House of Hermes. The Hermes Berkin is so famous and desirable mainly for three reasons: top quality (leather & croc), price ($8,000 to $80,000 give or take), and rarity. Rarity was perhaps the key to the story due to the notorious one to two-year waiting list for the Berkin. Rich and famous would not guarantee you a Birkin. Michael, however, found a secret formula to bring home the Birkin for his customers, so he went everywhere – from the largest flagship Hermes store in Paris (24 Faubourg Saint Honore) to the tiny Hermes store in Capri, Italy.

Originally from Massachusetts, Michael decided to move to Barcelona after a make-up gig because (1) he was so much in love with the city and (2) someone promised him a job there. (1) has not changed. As for (2), after signing a five-year lease on his new Barcelona apartment, Michael found out to his amazement and frustration that the job was not gonna happen. Only then had he discovered eBay so that he could sell off some of the items in his closet, including a Hermes pashmina scarf that would change his life forever.

I really love the book because, as much as the Birkin is the main catch of the story, Bringing Home The Birkin is essentially about the human psychology and behavioral economics. We know that a crocodile bag is expensive, but the price of a Hermes croc bag would not be so high if customers did not drool for it. Regardless of how rare the material is, if there were no significant demand, Hermes would simply be unable to charge thousands of dollars for a bag. As if it was not difficult enough for customers to find a Birkin, Hermes made sure it was more the case by different techniques including keeping a waiting list with high-profile customers, putting “Reserved” sign on the only display bag, and limiting the number of Birkins sold to each customer in every purchase. Hermes’ strategy and customers’ perception worked so well together they proved one thing: in luxury fashion, the intrinsic value of an item is much lower than the value perceived by its customers. Hermes customers made the connection not only between rarity and value but also between rarity and social status. Michael Tonello knew it only too well he went on a journey that led to the most awesomely ridiculous relationships along the line of his eBay business.

Yet, even the most outrageously beautiful dream does not last forever. The last chapter was about Michael waking up from his orange-coated dream. It was quite personal and not as glamorous as the previous chapters, but absolutely my favorite. I almost felt the pain in his words, and he could have made it even more dramatic, but he chose not to. It was simply not his style. When I read his book, I could almost picture him sitting right there telling me the stories. Once he started, I could not stop listening, and once he stopped I wish he would have moved on. Nonetheless, a good reader must have some patience. I’ll be waiting for the next Michael Tonello book. Meanwhile, if you have a sparkling interest in fashion especially in handbags, luxury fashion, and particularly Hermes, I highly recommend this book. And if you ever want to bring home a Birkin, this is a website of “Sarah”, one of Michael’s customers who turned out to be another reseller: Createurs Deluxe. You could access some excerpts from the book here.