What Should I Do If I Get Offered a Quota Bag Not On My Wishlist?

Dear PurseBop:

What should I do if I get an offer of a quota bag that I did not ask for?

Dear Offer Me a Quota Bag:

We all know how hard it is to get offered a quota bag from Hermès and how long we must wait to get the offer. When that offer is not a bag that resembles one on your wishlist it can be very confusing. You have several choices that we will discuss.

Your first instinct may be to immediately accept the bag out of excitement. However, it is best to say it is beautiful but it caught you of guard since it is not one you considered to put on your wishlist. Consider the following:

Does the bag, color, size, leather, and hardware make “your heart sing?” In other words, do you love it at first sight? If you are trying to convince yourself that you love it, then pause and ask yourself if it will go with your wardrobe, lifestyle, and needs in your collection.
Is the size, style, color, leather, and hardware close to what you were hoping for? If not, is it better than you expected or falls short. Sometimes when requesting a Kelly 25 Sellier the SA will offer a Kelly 28 Retourne. You may be so excited to accept this offer at the time but later realize it is bigger than you wanted and not as structured as the Sellier that you wanted. Do not fall into this situation. It is a major purchase and your SA wants you to be happy with your decision.
Declining the bag will not negatively impact your relationship with your SA. Your SA wants you to be happy with your purchase and to see you wear the bag when you return to shop. Often when declining an offer, the exact bag or one very close is offered as soon as it arrives in store. If you decline the bag, tell your SA you are willing to wait for the bag on your wishlist. Ask if the bag you are requesting is in production. Often a client will request a color or leather that either is not in production or that location did not place on their buy list.
If you love the bag, and it sparks joy in your heart and you can see yourself using and enjoying the bag, accept it and let the SA know she picked out a beautiful bag to add to your collection.
If you have any doubt about whether it is the correct bag for you remember “doubt means don’t.” It is a huge purchase and you should be sure about your decision.

Summary of Suggestions:

Accept the offer if:

It immediately sparks genuine excitement;
You can see yourself wearing it immediately;
It is a desirable and practical neutral color, leather, and size for your wardrobe and lifestyle;
It is a special bag that you had not considered because you did not think it was possible such as a Kelly Desordre, a Colormatic Kelly, Cloute Constance, the new electrum hardware, or other limited edition bag;

Decline the offer if:

You feel any hesitation or are already doubting how you will wear this bag with your wardrobe and lifestyle;
The color is too bright or impractical for your wardrobe of neutrals or the leather is too delicate to use with your lifestyle of a busy mom with young children or a fast paced career that requires a lot of travel for example;
It risks delaying your true dream quota bag that you felt was so close to arriving and you prefer to wait to get exactly what you want;
If you have any doubts and you are making excuses to convince yourself to accept the bag then politely pass.

Also read:

Is It Really Getting Harder to Be Offered a Quota Bag