From Bags to Riches (3): Doing It For Yourself

Yes, I finished the book quite a while ago but I've been slow in adding my conclusion to this blog, so here it is: Michael Tonello's 'Bringing Home the Birkin' is to fashion and brands what Peter Mayle's 'A Year in Provence' is to foreigners wanting to move to the Mediterranean and buying an old house there.

You'll read about it in a very quick tempo and then want to start doing it yourself.

And that's the whole point of this post: could I start buying up Birkins myself and selling them at a profit?

First of all, as Michael writes in his book, Hermes now has a web site, which makes it easier for its fans to get their hands on those classic products.

Then there's also the three standard factors 'location, location, location' to consider: isn't Taiwan the wrong place to be doing this sort of thing? Most European and American luxury products seem to be cheaper in their country of origin, despite the obvious higher standard of living there. Blame most Asian governments for taxing luxury products at a high rate. Which is probably why Michael bumped into Asian resellers here and there.

So if I buy, say, Birkins, in Taiwan, will I be able to resell them at a profit on the Internet or to other resellers, such as the Createurs de Luxe Michael mentioned in his book? Traveling to Europe to get my hands on cheaper Birkins than in Asia isn't likely to work, especially with the rising price of oil making air travel more expensive. If I stick to Taipei, there won't be much choice, the store under the Grand Formosa Regent pictured in my previous posting, or the one on the ground level of the 'green giant' Sogo BR4 department store.

Should I turn my attention to other products? Say, Balenciaga's Motorcycle Bag? Or Louis Vuitton's - I should really say, Takashi Murakami's - new line of bags known as Monogramouflage?

Maybe I need to brainstorm for a little bit longer, or send an e-mail to Michael himself to ask the man for advice. After all, he was so kind to write a comment on my first post about his book. You can find more info about him at http://www.bringinghomethebirkin.com/, which also includes a blog listing his appearances.