The Collector Guide
Hermès pre-spend
What pre-spend means, what collectors say counts, the Purchase Ratios they report and where their reports disagree.
Published 2026-09-30 · Reviewed on 2026-10-03 · 44 questions · 19 sources · Updated on 2026-10-03
MyQuotaBag is an independent app and is not affiliated with Hermès International or any of its affiliates. This page summarizes public reports from collectors and publishers. It is not verified fact and states no Hermès rule. Each boutique and country works differently and practices change. These are general observations shared without commitment. We do not claim that pre-spend exists or that any amount is required. Collectors describe bags going to established clients who buy over time, come back and build a relationship with their boutique. No outcome, offer or allocation is predicted or guaranteed.
On this page
- What is Hermès pre-spend?
- How does Hermès pre-spend work?
- How is the Purchase Ratio calculated?
- Will a Sales Associate say how much to spend?
- What counts toward Hermès pre-spend?
- Do Small Leather Goods count toward pre-spend?
- Do non-quota bags count toward pre-spend?
- Does online Hermès spend count toward pre-spend?
- Is pre-spend counted before or after tax?
- Does a spouse's spend count toward pre-spend?
- What Purchase Ratio do collectors report?
- Is 1.00:1 enough for a first quota bag?
- Can you be offered a quota bag with no pre-spend?
- Is it normal to reach 3.00:1 without an offer?
- Do men need less pre-spend?
- How long after reaching a high ratio does an offer come?
- Is it better to spend a large amount at once or spread it out?
- Does pausing purchases hurt the chance of an offer?
- Who decides on a quota bag offer, the Sales Associate or the manager?
- Does pre-spend reset after a quota bag?
- How long do purchases count toward pre-spend?
- Does the bag you ask for change the pre-spend?
- Does asking for a precise color and hardware make it harder?
- Does pre-spend differ by country?
- Does changing boutiques help?
- Is there a best time of year for quota bag offers?
- What is the leather ratio and is there a 30% rule?
- Do exotic Birkins and Kellys need more pre-spend?
- How much pre-spend for a Constance?
- Does accepting a Constance delay a Birkin or Kelly?
- Does a watch count like fine jewelry toward pre-spend?
- Is pre-spend counted per year or cumulatively?
- What happens to pre-spend when a Sales Associate leaves?
- Do Hermès pop-up boutiques receive quota bags?
- Can you be offered a quota bag while traveling, without local history?
- How much pre-spend do collectors report in Canada?
- How does pre-spend compare between Los Angeles boutiques?
- Are the Purchase Ratios posted online representative?
- Is a quota bag realistic on a small budget?
- How do annual price increases affect pre-spend?
- Are paid guides on getting a Birkin worth it?
- Is the Shoulder Birkin harder to be offered?
- Should you track your pre-spend?
- Can you return a purchase after being offered a quota bag?
Every answer carries its status. Official: stated by Hermès or by a primary record such as an auction result or a government page. Reported: stated by publishers or collectors, not by Hermès. Conflicting: collector reports give incompatible versions; the page shows them side by side. Unknown: no reliable answer yet.
What is Hermès pre-spend?
Pre-spend is what collectors call the purchases a client makes at Hermès before being offered a quota bag such as a Birkin or Kelly. Compared with the price of that bag, it becomes the ratio MyQuotaBag calls the Purchase Ratio.
Details and sources
No Hermès pre-spend rule or threshold appears in the materials MyQuotaBag reviewed, so what counts and how much are known only from collector reports. Collectors most often name Ready-to-Wear, fine jewelry, watches and home among the purchases that count, while leather goods and online orders are disputed. The Purchase Ratios collectors reported at their offer, measured in MyQuotaBag Data, are not a threshold set by Hermès.
The records behind this answer, with every source counted, are in its machine-readable version.
How does Hermès pre-spend work?
In the accounts collectors publish, pre-spend is a purchase history built over months with one boutique, often with one Sales Associate, before a quota bag is offered, if it is offered at all. Hermès has published no pre-spend rule and says it prohibits making a sale conditional on other purchases.
Details and sources
What those purchases add up to, divided by the price of the bag, is what MyQuotaBag calls the Purchase Ratio.
Hermès has published no pre-spend rule, threshold or formula in the materials MyQuotaBag reviewed. It has said it “strictly prohibits any sales of certain products as a condition to the purchase of others”, according to Business of Fashion (March 20, 2024).
In March 2024, shoppers in California filed a proposed class action in federal court alleging that Hermès ties access to the Birkin to purchases of other products. A federal judge dismissed the complaint in September 2025 and the plaintiffs appealed to the Ninth Circuit. The public copy of the appeal docket shows the case still in briefing at its last filing, dated May 27, 2026. An allegation is not a finding. MyQuotaBag has not seen a ruling on the appeal.
How is the Purchase Ratio calculated?
The Purchase Ratio divides what a client has spent at Hermès by the retail price of the quota bag in question, so 1.50:1 means one and a half times the price of the bag.
Details and sources
Collectors usually leave bags out of the spend and most quote it before tax. Some write the ratio the other way round (1:2 instead of 2.00:1), so a figure always needs reading in context. MyQuotaBag Data reads each reported ratio as spend divided by the price of the bag and writes it X.XX:1.
Will a Sales Associate say how much to spend?
It depends on the country in collector reports: in the United States Sales Associates are described as never naming a figure, while some reports from mainland China describe an amount stated in advance.
Details and sources
In Hong Kong collectors describe hints about categories rather than a number. Several collectors in the United States report Sales Associates who say pre-spend does not exist. None of this has been confirmed by Hermès.
What counts toward Hermès pre-spend?
No Hermès list of what counts toward pre-spend appears in the materials MyQuotaBag reviewed, so the answer comes from collector reports, which disagree on leather goods and online orders.
Details and sources
In collectors' reports, fine jewelry, Ready-to-Wear, home and watches are the purchases most often described as weighing more toward a quota bag; scarves and twillys, shoes and Small Leather Goods are more often described as weighing less.
Specialist publishers do not agree on how much this ranking matters: a July 2026 guide puts fine jewelry at the top from its author's own experience, while PurseBop's September 2025 guide recommends buying across departments without ranking them.
Category by category, in collector discussions on Reddit read on October 3, 2026 (none of it confirmed by Hermès):
- Ready-to-Wear: counts; one of the categories named most often.
- Shoes: counts in most reports; some describe it as weighing less.
- Fine jewelry: counts; often described as weighing more.
- Watches: counts; several collectors link a watch to an offer soon after, which is not proven.
- Home: counts; tableware bought piece by piece is a common way to build history.
- Fragrance, beauty, scarves and twillys: count in several reports, usually described as weighing less.
- Small Leather Goods: disputed, see below.
- Bags, quota or not: do not count in most reports, see below.
- Orders on the Hermès website: disputed, see below.
The figures and every source are in MyQuotaBag Data: Which purchase categories do collectors mention most often?
Do Small Leather Goods count toward pre-spend?
Collectors disagree: on Reddit the common view is that Small Leather Goods do not count, while other collectors say the opposite view prevails on PurseForum.
Details and sources
One collector reports a Sales Associate saying that Small Leather Goods add to a share of leather in the client file that managers look at, which would weigh against the client. In Toronto one comment says they count at half their value since early 2026. Each version comes from a few people and none can be checked.
Do non-quota bags count toward pre-spend?
Most collectors report that bags do not count toward pre-spend, whether quota bags or not.
Details and sources
Whether buying one delays a quota bag is disputed. Some collectors say a non-quota bag such as a Picotin can delay an offer; others report an offer a few weeks after buying one. In some boutiques the Constance is reportedly treated as a quota bag. Which bags are quota bags is on Quota bags.
In one widely discussed thread, at least seven collectors said buying a non-quota bag did not delay their offer, several of them were offered a quota bag soon after a Picotin or a Garden Party. Accepting a non-quota bag that a Sales Associate proposes is more disputed: some collectors say it can push the quota bag back and one reports a manager refusing a quota bag right after.
Does online Hermès spend count toward pre-spend?
Whether online Hermès spend counts toward pre-spend is not settled: some collectors report that orders on the Hermès website appear in their client history, while others report that such orders count for little or nothing with their local boutique.
Details and sources
The figures and every source are in MyQuotaBag Data: Does online spend count toward a quota bag?
Is pre-spend counted before or after tax?
Most collectors who discuss it count pre-spend before tax, since sales tax does not go to Hermès.
Details and sources
At least one collector gives her Purchase Ratio after tax. The difference matters most where sales tax is high. Prices in the United States and Canada are shown before tax; in Europe they include tax.
Does a spouse's spend count toward pre-spend?
Collectors disagree: some report Sales Associates who look at a couple's purchases together, while others say the spend of relatives does not help at a boutique.
Details and sources
One collector reports two quota bags a year, sometimes three with her spouse's profile. No report describes how a boutique links two profiles.
What Purchase Ratio do collectors report?
In the reports MyQuotaBag holds, the median Purchase Ratio at the moment of an offer is 1.50:1, with half of the 174 reports between 1.00:1 and 2.00:1.
Details and sources
Offers below 1.00:1 are documented and some collectors report ratios above 3.00:1 without being offered the bag they asked for. Whether ratios are rising cannot be confirmed on the samples MyQuotaBag holds. These reports come from collectors who were offered a bag. They say nothing about collectors who are still waiting, so a ratio cannot be read as a probability.
The distribution, its method and the reports behind it are in MyQuotaBag Data: What Purchase Ratio do collectors report before a first Birkin or Kelly?
Is 1.00:1 enough for a first quota bag?
Collector reports disagree: some describe a first offer around 1.00:1, others describe needing two or three times the price of the bag.
Details and sources
In MyQuotaBag Data the median Purchase Ratio at a first quota bag offer is 1.55:1, with half of the 84 reports between 1.00:1 and 2.00:1. Collectors describe the boutique, the bag requested and the relationship as weighing as much as one number. A ratio is an observation, not a threshold.
Can you be offered a quota bag with no pre-spend?
A few collectors report it, mostly in Europe or while traveling, for example a little-known model in London or a Birkin 25 in Paris after an appointment booked by a hotel.
Details and sources
These accounts are rare and say nothing about how often it happens. In the United Kingdom collectors describe a wish registered in a boutique without pre-spend. Reports from Paris are on How do I get a leather goods appointment at Hermès in Paris?
Is it normal to reach 3.00:1 without an offer?
It is reported: collectors in competitive boutiques describe 3.00:1 to 4.00:1 without an offer; some of them later report an offer after a pause or a change of Sales Associate.
Details and sources
The median in MyQuotaBag Data comes from collectors who were offered a bag. Collectors still waiting are counted apart: 28 reports in the dataset say no offer yet at the date they were written and give a Purchase Ratio; more say they are waiting without a figure. None of them enters the median. A ratio cannot be read as a probability.
Do men need less pre-spend?
No reliable answer exists: one collector discussion calls lower pre-spend for men mostly a myth and no report compares men and women on the same basis.
How long after reaching a high ratio does an offer come?
Several collectors report an offer within two weeks to two months once their Sales Associate raised the subject or asked for the wishlist, while others report six months or more at a similar ratio.
Details and sources
One collector reports an offer two weeks after asking her Sales Associate how much longer it would take. Another reports an offer five months after the level she had in mind. Waiting times from the first purchase are on How long does it take to get a first quota bag?
Is it better to spend a large amount at once or spread it out?
Collector reports show no consensus: some describe a large first purchase drawing attention, while others describe a Sales Associate preferring regular purchases across departments.
Details and sources
Reports on both sides end in offers: two large purchases a few weeks apart followed by an offer, or months of smaller purchases followed by one larger piece of jewelry and an offer. Several collectors say the relationship weighs as much as the amount.
Does pausing purchases hurt the chance of an offer?
No report shows that a pause causes or prevents an offer: many collectors describe slowing down around 2.00:1 while keeping small purchases; some report an offer a few weeks after pausing.
Details and sources
Others warn against buying nothing at all until a bag arrives. One collector in Canada reports a pause of several months, one small purchase at Christmas and an offer in January.
Who decides on a quota bag offer, the Sales Associate or the manager?
Collectors report that a manager approves quota bag offers, often on the Sales Associate's proposal.
Details and sources
In London one collector reports that the team allocating bags does not speak with Sales Associates. Hermès has not described the process.
Does pre-spend reset after a quota bag?
Collectors give three incompatible answers: it resets after each quota bag, it resets after about two years or it never really resets.
Details and sources
One collector reports a Sales Associate in the United States calling the reset a myth. None of the versions can be checked.
A reset on January 1 is also asked about often: one Sales Associate in New York reportedly said it is the wishlist that lapses after a year, not the pre-spend; others say the count restarts when a quota bag is paid.
How long do purchases count toward pre-spend?
Several collectors report that purchases older than about two years stop showing in the history a Sales Associate sees, a figure that appears in at least five separate discussions.
Details and sources
Hermès has not confirmed it. Some collectors say two to three years.
One collector describes two years visible on the Sales Associate's tablet and the full lifetime history in the boutique's own systems.
Does the bag you ask for change the pre-spend?
Many collectors believe it does: a Birkin 25 or Kelly 25 in a neutral color is described as the most requested, while larger sizes and less known models are described as easier.
Details and sources
In the reports MyQuotaBag holds, offers for 35 cm bags tend to sit low and one Kelly 25 in a rare color sits far above the median. Collectors often advise widening the color or the size. The medians by model are on What Purchase Ratio do collectors report for each Birkin and Kelly model?
Does asking for a precise color and hardware make it harder?
It is not measured: collectors often advise opening the color palette, especially for a Birkin 25, but no report compares precise and open requests.
Details and sources
Some collectors report declining several colors before the one they accepted, sometimes months later. MyQuotaBag records the bag offered, not the precision of the request.
Does pre-spend differ by country?
Collector reports describe large differences: the United States is often described around 2.00:1 or more, mainland China with an amount stated in advance and the United Kingdom with a wish registered in a boutique.
Details and sources
Canada is thinly documented: what MyQuotaBag holds is on What do collectors report in Canada? Collectors name competitive boutiques without comparable data; that question is on Which Hermès boutiques are the most competitive?
Does changing boutiques help?
Collectors disagree: some report better results at another boutique, while others note that history does not follow the client between boutiques in some reports.
Details and sources
Starting over means building a new history. Whether history follows a client across countries is on Does Hermès purchase history carry across countries?
Is there a best time of year for quota bag offers?
No data confirms a season: one collector claims more bags circulate from February to April and from September to November, which no other report supports.
Details and sources
Other collectors mention holidays such as Christmas in their accounts, without a pattern.
What is the leather ratio and is there a 30% rule?
Some collectors report that a manager looks at the share of leather in a client file, meaning non-quota bags and Small Leather Goods against everything else; one Sales Associate reportedly put the comfortable level under 30%.
Details and sources
The figure is not stable: another collector cites up to 50% for Small Leather Goods and several say each boutique has its own level. Some collectors take all leather goods out of their total to read what they call their real pre-spend. None of this comes from Hermès.
The Ratio Calculator splits a spend by category, so the share of leather in your own numbers is visible at a glance.
Do exotic Birkins and Kellys need more pre-spend?
Most collectors in the discussions read say no: exotic Birkins and Kellys are described as no harder and often easier, since fewer clients ask for them and their price is far higher.
Details and sources
Size is described as mattering more than skin: a croc Mini Kelly is called much harder than a croc Birkin 30. Alligator is described as more available than ostrich or crocodile. Some boutiques in Europe and Asia reportedly keep exotics for clients who already own classic leather quota bags. Exotic leathers themselves are on What are Hermès exotic leathers?
How much pre-spend for a Constance?
Collector reports disagree because boutiques treat the Constance differently: some handle it like a quota bag with its own pre-spend, others offer it after a short history or from a waiting list.
Details and sources
Figures quoted for a Constance range from about half the price of the bag to roughly 1.00:1, with one account of an offer after two visits. One Sales Associate in Montreal reportedly said the Constance is not a quota bag there. Whether it counts as one is on Is the Constance a quota bag?
Does accepting a Constance delay a Birkin or Kelly?
Collectors disagree: several report a Birkin or Kelly a few weeks or months after a Constance, while others say their boutique restarted the count or deducted the Constance from their pre-spend.
Details and sources
One collector reports no Birkin 25 four months after a Constance 18, with a Sales Associate describing the Constance as leather rather than a quota bag. The answer seems to depend on the boutique.
Does a watch count like fine jewelry toward pre-spend?
Collectors widely agree that a watch counts like fine jewelry, with the price mattering more than whether the watch is quartz or mechanical.
Details and sources
Several collectors describe fine jewelry, watches, home, equestrian and Ready-to-Wear as the purchases most often followed by an offer. Claims about Sales Associate commissions by category circulate without any source and are not repeated here.
Is pre-spend counted per year or cumulatively?
Collectors who answer describe pre-spend as cumulative rather than yearly, while noting that regular purchases are read differently from the same total spread over a long time.
Details and sources
One collector puts it this way: 2.00:1 in six months does not read like 2.00:1 in two years. How long purchases stay visible is on How long do purchases count toward pre-spend?
What happens to pre-spend when a Sales Associate leaves?
Collectors report that the purchase history stays in the boutique file, but that the relationship largely starts again with the new Sales Associate.
Details and sources
One collector reports that the manager noted her history and moved things along a little; another reports a first quota bag three months after being moved to a new Sales Associate. Turnover of Sales Associates is described as frequent in some boutiques.
Do Hermès pop-up boutiques receive quota bags?
Most collectors who discuss it say a temporary pop-up does not receive quota bags, since it is not a permanent boutique.
Details and sources
Clients of a pop-up are reportedly referred to a nearby flagship for leather. One hearsay account mentions a Constance brought to a pop-up for a client.
Can you be offered a quota bag while traveling, without local history?
Collectors mostly say no in the United States and Canada, especially for a Mini Kelly or a Kelly Pochette, while some boutiques in Asia are described as working differently.
Details and sources
Miami is described as having too many local clients with long histories; Hong Kong is described as not offering without history in one report. Reports from Asia are on Why do people buy Hermès bags when traveling in Asia? and from Paris on How do I get a leather goods appointment at Hermès in Paris?
How much pre-spend do collectors report in Canada?
Collectors in Canada most often describe about 1.50:1 to 2.00:1 for a first Birkin or Kelly, in a market of four boutiques that several call very competitive.
Details and sources
Some collectors say they have never seen less than 2.00:1 for a Birkin 25 and more for black; one reports 4.00:1 to 5.00:1. Vancouver is described with a floor around 1.00:1 and 1.50:1 to 2.00:1 as realistic; Toronto is described as slow. What MyQuotaBag Data holds for Canada is on What do collectors report in Canada?
How does pre-spend compare between Los Angeles boutiques?
Collectors describe Beverly Hills as asking for more than other boutiques in the Los Angeles area, with figures from about 3.00:1 to 5.00:1 depending on the bag, while Topanga is described as easier but with less stock.
Details and sources
Other collectors say that with time and a steady relationship the amount matters much less. Some readers contest the ranking between Beverly Hills and South Coast Plaza. MyQuotaBag does not rank boutiques; the reports for the city are on Los Angeles in MyQuotaBag Data.
Are the Purchase Ratios posted online representative?
Collectors widely agree they are not: people who post their ratio tend to be those who were offered a bag after spending little, so the typical ratio is likely higher than what is posted.
Details and sources
Collectors also point to people at 5.00:1 still waiting who rarely post. One collector who logs every purchase adds that many people do not count everything. MyQuotaBag Data has the same limit: its median comes from collectors who were offered a bag, which is why reports from collectors still waiting are counted apart.
Is a quota bag realistic on a small budget?
Collectors in the discussions read almost unanimously say no; several point to the resale or vintage market as a known price instead.
Details and sources
One collector sets out the arithmetic: if purchases count for about two years, even 1.00:1 means purchases equal to the price of the bag within that time. Several collectors warn against debt. One reports small regular purchases over years before an offer.
How do annual price increases affect pre-spend?
Collectors note that a price increase changes the reference: the same spending gives a lower Purchase Ratio once the price of the bag goes up.
Details and sources
Several collectors describe an increase every January or February, with two increases in the United States in 2025. Some say rising prices make resale or buying in Europe more attractive. Dated prices are on What are the documented Hermès bag prices by model and market?
Are paid guides on getting a Birkin worth it?
Collectors widely say no: the information is shared freely in collector communities and no guide can make a boutique offer a bag.
Details and sources
A Sales Associate reportedly said many false rules circulate online, so any amount or category presented as required deserves caution. This guide is free and shows each answer with its status, its date and where collectors disagree.
Is the Shoulder Birkin harder to be offered?
Collectors report that it is, with two Sales Associates reportedly saying it arrives rarely; reported ratios of 2.00:1 and more.
Details and sources
One collector reports 3.00:1 to 4.00:1 in the United States. A rumor that the model is being discontinued is not confirmed. One collector in London was offered one without pre-spend, as a little-known model at the time of her wish.
Should you track your pre-spend?
Many collectors keep a light record for their budget, so they are ready to pay the day an offer comes, without buying to raise a number.
Details and sources
Some track until their first quota bag and then stop; others never count and buy what they like from the first day. One collector says a Sales Associate keeps the count once a client becomes a regular. MyQuotaBag is built for the first habit: a private record of what you bought, sorted by category.
Can you return a purchase after being offered a quota bag?
One collector reports no refund but store credit and adds that returning purchases made toward a bag is seen as playing the game and can hurt the relationship.
Where MyQuotaBag fits
MyQuotaBag reads your receipts, sorts each purchase by category and calculates your Purchase Ratio from what you record, so you know your own numbers instead of guessing them. It is a personal reference: the app does not know how a boutique weighs a purchase and does not predict an offer. See the app.
Sources
- Hermes Prespend Guide: What Actually Counts (2026)
- Can You Explain the Concept of the Hermes Spend Ratio?
- Hermès Faces Class Action Suit Over Birkin Sales Practices
- Plaintiffs Appeal Dismissal of Hermès Birkin Antitrust Case
- Cavalleri v. Hermes International, No. 25-6587 (9th Cir.), public docket copy
- Hermes Quota Bag System Explained (2026)
- What to Buy at Hermès to Build a Well Rounded Profile in Pursuit of a Quota Bag
- Do SLGs count towards pre-spend in the U.S?
- How much does buying a non QB really set you back time wise?
- What Purchase Ratio do collectors report before a first Birkin or Kelly?
- Pre-spend question (when to share a wishlist)
- Prespend strategy: upfront vs gradual
- Stores with the highest pre-spend requirements?
- Is getting an exotic Birkin or Kelly much more of a challenge?
- What is the average prespend for a QB?
- Price increase again in 2027?
- Please don't ever pay for a how to get a Birkin guide
- Prespend for shoulder Birkin?
- When do you stop tracking your pre-spend and just buy what you love?
What collectors report on this page also draws on public collector discussions. Read on Reddit (r/TheHermesGame and related communities), PurseForum, YouTube and collector blogs. Observations are paraphrased and counted. No usernames, personal details or individual purchase histories are published.
More in The Collector Guide
In MyQuotaBag Data
How this page was written
Each section answers one question in its first sentence, then gives the details. Every answer carries its status and its date and the sources are listed with their dates at the end of the page. What collectors report is written as reported, never as an Hermès rule. Collector discussions are counted by platform; a thread is linked only where it supports a specific point and never when it tells one person's story. Figures from MyQuotaBag Data are read from the dataset each time the page is built.
Community insights currently come from public research and community reports, not private MyQuotaBag user data. Any future use of user data will be anonymized, aggregated and controlled through the app's privacy settings. How this data is built