Authentication
How every piece is examined before it is listed: the six-point check, what we deliberately ignore, our condition scale, and the guarantee behind it.
This page explains how Hermès authentication works here. We examine every piece by hand before we list it. If one element does not reconcile, we decline the bag. Anyone can type “100% authentic”, so here is exactly what we do instead.
The six-point Hermès authentication check
Counterfeiting has improved, so no single detail decides the matter any more. A convincing fake can carry a correct-looking stamp. It can carry correct-looking stitching, or correct-looking hardware. It very rarely carries all of them at once, executed correctly, in combinations that agree with each other and with the year the bag claims.
So our Hermès authentication assesses six areas independently. Then we check each one against the others.
1. Blind stamp and placement
The heat stamp records when Hermès made the bag. We check the character itself, along with its depth and crispness. We also check where it sits, because placement moved over the decades. A stamp in the wrong position for its claimed year is a problem, however well someone formed the character. The stamp dates a bag. It never certifies one on its own.
2. Hardware
Weight first. Genuine hardware sits solid and heavy in the hand, and plated zinc never quite does. Then we look at plating quality, engraving depth and evenness, turn-lock machining, and how the feet seat. Screw types and finishing changed over time, so they have to agree with the stamp.
3. Saddle stitching
This is the hardest thing to fake convincingly. Hand saddle stitching leaves a slight, consistent slant, and a thread tension no machine reproduces exactly. We look at the angle, the spacing and the tension. Then we watch how the stitch behaves where it turns a corner or meets a seam.
4. Leather and grain
Each leather carries a characteristic grain, weight, hand and smell. Togo does not behave like Clémence, and Epsom does not slouch. Therefore we confirm three things: that the leather matches the listing, that Hermès offered it in that colour in that period, and that it has aged as its claimed age suggests.
5. Edge paint and finishing
Craftsmen build edges up in layers, then finish them by hand. So we look for the profile of that build-up, for evenness of colour, and for how it has worn. Sloppy or plastic-looking edge finishing remains one of the more reliable tells on an otherwise competent fake.
6. Interior construction
Here we check lining leather, pocket construction, the zipper pull and slider, and the stamping inside the pocket. Interiors are where corners get cut, because most buyers never look closely at them.
What we do not rely on
We never treat a box, dust bag, receipt or authenticity card as evidence. Anyone can buy packaging separately, and sellers routinely pair it with counterfeit goods to make them convincing. We list inclusions on every product page because they affect value and completeness. They prove nothing.
Similarly, we place no weight on provenance stories. Nobody can verify where a piece came from, or who owned it, so that story counts for nothing in an assessment.
How we grade condition
We use one scale, and we apply it the same way to every piece. Our photographs show the grade rather than flatter it. Where a bag shows wear, we photograph it close up and describe it in the listing.
| Grade | What it means |
|---|---|
| Store Fresh | Never carried. Plastic intact on hardware, corners and base unmarked, full set of inclusions. |
| Unworn | Never carried, though plastic may have been removed or inclusions may be incomplete. |
| Excellent | Carried lightly. No visible corner wear; hardware bright with only faint surface marks under close inspection. |
| Very Good | Gentle signs of use. Slight softening at the corners, light hairline marks on hardware, structurally perfect. |
| Good | Honestly worn and photographed as such. Visible corner wear or patina, sound structure, clean interior. |
| Fair | Significant wear, priced accordingly and documented in detail. Suitable for a buyer intending to have the piece refurbished. |
| Refurbished | Professionally restored. Any work carried out is itemised on the listing. |
Our Hermès authentication guarantee
Does a piece you bought differ materially from its listing? Does it fail an independent Hermès authentication by a recognised third-party service of your choosing? Send it back for a full refund, including return shipping. That guarantee is the whole reason buying at this level online is reasonable. We would rather lose a sale than qualify it.
Hermès authentication, answered
Do you provide a certificate of authenticity?
No, and treat any reseller who does with caution. A seller who prints their own certificate is simply stating their own opinion, so it carries no independent weight. Instead we give you a written condition report, detailed photography of every area we assess, and a full refund if an independent authenticator disagrees with us.
Can I have a piece independently authenticated before or after buying?
Yes, and we encourage it. Buy the piece, then have a recognised third-party service assess it. If they do not agree it is genuine, send it back for a full refund, including the cost of return shipping. In addition, we will supply extra photographs of any area an authenticator asks about before you buy.
What does the blind stamp actually tell you?
It records the year Hermès made the bag, and on older pieces the atelier that built it. However, it dates a bag rather than proving anything: the stamp has to agree with the hardware, the leather and the construction of that period. A correct stamp on a bag whose stitching belongs to another decade tells its own story.
Inclusions, replicas and affiliation
Do bags arrive with their original box and receipt?
We itemise inclusions on each product page, and we never assume them. If a box, dust bag, clochette, lock, keys, rain cover or receipt comes with the bag, we photograph it and list it. If something is missing, we say so plainly, rather than let you discover it on delivery.
Do you sell replicas, or “mirror” and “factory” pieces?
No. We deal exclusively in genuine goods. If a bag fails our examination, we decline it, and we never list it — at any price, under any description.
Are you affiliated with Hermès, Chanel or Louis Vuitton?
No. Her Birkin Bags is an independent reseller of pre-owned and store-fresh goods. Consequently we hold no affiliation with, authorisation from, or endorsement by any of the houses whose pieces we sell, and we make no claim to represent them. We use brand names only to describe the genuine goods we offer.