California shoppers are suing French fashion house Hermès, accusing the company of illegally selling its iconic Birkin bags exclusively to customers with a “sufficient purchase history” at the boutiques.
Hermès violates antitrust laws by “tying” the sale of one product to the purchase of another, two California residents claim in a putative federal class-action lawsuit filed Tuesday in San Francisco.
They claim that behind the illegal sales scheme is the company's team of salespeople who lure customers into buying shoes, scarves, jewelry and other items simply for the opportunity to buy a Birkin bag.
These bags are handmade and can cost thousands of dollars. Customers cannot purchase them online, but they are not offered for sale in stores either.
The lawsuit claims that "only those consumers deemed worthy of purchasing a Birkin bag will be shown the bag [in a separate room in the store]." ".
I believe that the company itself should regulate the filtering of customers who order goods and cannot or have changed their minds about paying for it. Using the purchase history, the company verifies the solvency of specific buyers.