Birkin size is the most consequential decision you will make, and the one most often made badly — because it is usually made from photographs, and photographs have no weight.
Here is what each size actually holds, who it suits, and what it costs you.
Birkin size 25
Holds: a phone, a compact wallet, keys, a lipstick. Not a water bottle. Not a paperback. Not, in most cases, sunglasses in their case.
The 25 has been the most requested size for close to a decade, and it carries the largest premium over retail of anything in the range. It is light, it photographs beautifully, and it is genuinely charming in person.
It is also, for most people, not a bag you can run a day out of. A significant number of buyers who chase a 25 end up carrying a 30 within the year and quietly reselling. If you carry very little, or the bag is for evenings, or you are buying primarily for the object — it is the right choice. Otherwise be honest with yourself first.
Birkin size 30
Holds: a full-size wallet, a small tablet, a water bottle, cosmetics, a scarf, and the ordinary debris of a working day.
The 30 is the size the bag was designed around, and it remains the most sensible one. It sits comfortably in the crook of the arm, it is light enough to carry loaded all day, and it does not tip over into luggage.
It also costs more at retail than a 25 and trades below one — which makes it the clearest value in the entire market for anyone who intends to use the bag. You are being rewarded for wanting the practical option.
Birkin size 35
Holds: a 13-inch laptop, files, everything above, and a change of shoes.
A genuine working bag, and the one that has fallen furthest out of fashion — which is exactly why it represents the strongest value on the market if you will fill it.
The caution is weight. A 35 in Clémence is a heavy object before anything goes into it, and loaded it is a commitment. If you are drawn to a 35, choose the leather carefully — Epsom is the lightest of the common options and Togo is a reasonable middle. This is the size where the leather decision stops being aesthetic and becomes physical.
Birkin size 40
A travel bag, priced as a niche. It has its devotees — it was originally the size closest to the bag’s origin story — but it is genuinely large, and for most buyers it is a second or third Hermès purchase rather than a first.
A test that works
Empty whatever bag you currently carry onto a table. Look at the pile honestly — not the version of yourself who carries less, the actual pile.
- Phone, cards, keys, one small item → 25
- All of that plus a proper wallet, water and cosmetics → 30
- Anything with a laptop or documents in it → 35
Most people who do this properly land on the 30.
On the resale question
Yes, the 25 is the most liquid size and will sell fastest. It is also the size most exposed to fashion: demand for small bags has been extraordinarily strong, and a shift in that would be felt here first and hardest.
That is not a prediction. But a buyer paying a large premium for a size rather than for a rarity should at least know that is what they are paying for. A 30 in a good configuration has never been difficult to sell either.
If you are deciding between two specific pieces, talk to us. We would rather you bought the right size once.
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