Three years ago I went grocery shopping at Whole Foods with thrifting in mind. There used to be two Savers Thrift stores but the other one closed already.
After thirty minutes I finally got my grocery shopping done so I am on my way to thrift.
Although it is a bit far away from where I lived, it is that abundance of purses and handbags that keeps me coming back.
Thrifting and reselling is how I make my living and over the years I’ve grown tremendously and it is those trials and errors that taught me how to become a smarter thrifter. I usually spend an hour or sometimes longer because I do not rush and I built friendships with the store managers and a few of their employees, which is nice.
I went browsing the office section, then the books, toys, and the purses and wallet section.
When I checked the wallet and purses section nothing caught my eyes so I walked away and when I knew I had to leave in ten minutes I decided to go and do a final check.
Still nothing that I find appealing with the purses and wallets so I decided to stand in the corner to be still for a moment.
Without a reason, I looked up and saw a brown wallet with a weird texture. I stared at it for a moment and I ran my hand across it to feel the material and when I sniffed and touched it I realized it is made of leather so I grabbed it.
It has that letter H closure in silver color which I didn’t think much of. Then when I opened it, right away I saw “Hermès — Paris Made in France” embedded in the middle.
And I’m thinking… is this actually a real Hermès? I am not sure but even if not I bought it because it is made of leather. Also, the price is $4.99 and even if it is not real leather, for such a cheap price I am buying it anyway.
I headed straight to the cashier and she said, would you mind if I looked inside. I said to her go ahead. It took her by surprise because she recognized it was a genuine Hermès. She called her manager and told her what I found. When I looked around me I was surrounded by women who were curious about what the buzz was all about.
They asked me if it is real and my response was I have no idea but I am buying it anyway.
That feeling of hitting a homerun is what I felt walking away from the store.
When I got home I started researching and found a YouTube video of a lady that owned lots of Hermès handbags and purses. She also owned one like what I found at Savers.
I did my own research and here is what I found out. The zipper inside has Hermès stamped on it, the outside back zipper — the letter H is also a part of the zipper, the closure has that letter H as well, the fonts are all aligned and inside on the coin pocket area is the blind stamp reads: 10, V, and a square symbol and inside that square is a letter D or O — so when I decoded it, it was made in 2011.
Hermès online confirmed what I had is a genuine Hermès and it is called the Épsom Chocolate Hermès trifold wallet and it is vintage as they don’t make one like this anymore and haven’t for many years.
I knew from the very beginning I would not be using this wallet because it doesn’t have many pockets so the best thing to do is to sell it. I listed it on my online stores but what I found were cheaper buyers who love to own expensive things but want them at a bargain price. Since I have no rush to sell it — one thing I learned when it comes to selling expensive items is not to let them go to lowballers because if I do that I am devaluing the item’s worth.
With patience and the belief I hold that the right buyer will find me, it got manifested and I let it go for $500 rather than let it sit in my drawers for many more years. The lucky buyer is a man who spent that money for his wife because he said to me she is worth every penny. It was his gift to her for Christmas.
Interestingly enough, after Christmas he emailed me back and said his wife is so happy and I am happy as well.
