Quick answer
Exotics are the most valuable Hermes bags we buy. In our model crocodile and alligator pay about 2.2 times the Togo figure, lizard 1.8 times and ostrich 1.35 times. Selling one in the UK can need CITES paperwork depending on the species, and we check it with you before we pay. The money lands within 2 hours of authentication, on a UK banking day.
What We Pay for an Exotic Birkin
Each row is one Birkin size, and each column changes only the leather. Everything else is fixed: a complete set from 2012 onwards, excellent condition, palladium hardware and Noir, Gold or Etoupe. Togo is there as the benchmark, so you can see what the skin alone is worth.
| Size | Togo | Ostrich | Lizard | Croc / alligator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birkin 25 | £12.5k to £15k | £16.9k to £20.3k | £22.6k to £27k | £27.6k to £33k |
| Birkin 30 | £10.6k to £12.7k | £14.3k to £17.2k | £19.1k to £22.9k | £23.3k to £28k |
| Birkin 35 | £9.2k to £11k | £12.4k to £14.8k | £16.5k to £19.8k | £20.2k to £24.1k |
| Birkin 40 | £8.2k to £9.8k | £11.1k to £13.3k | £14.8k to £17.7k | £18k to £21.6k |
Complete set from 2012 onwards in excellent condition, palladium hardware, Noir, Gold or Etoupe. Only the leather changes across each row.
- Crocodile or alligator
- About 2.2 times Togo
- Lizard
- About 1.8 times Togo
- Ostrich
- About 1.35 times Togo
- Paid
- Within 2 hours
What We Pay for an Exotic Kelly
The same leathers on the Kelly. Size matters even more in exotics than in calf: a crocodile Mini Kelly 20 pays about £32,900 to £39,400 and a crocodile Kelly 25 about £29,700 to £35,600. Our page on selling a Kelly covers Sellier and Retourne, and the Birkin page has the calf bands for every size.
| Size | Togo | Ostrich | Lizard | Croc / alligator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kelly Mini 20 | £15k to £17.9k | £20.2k to £24.2k | £26.9k to £32.2k | £32.9k to £39.4k |
| Kelly 25 | £13.5k to £16.2k | £18.2k to £21.8k | £24.3k to £29.1k | £29.7k to £35.6k |
| Kelly 28 | £11.1k to £13.3k | £15k to £17.9k | £20k to £23.9k | £24.4k to £29.2k |
| Kelly 32 | £9.2k to £11k | £12.4k to £14.8k | £16.5k to £19.8k | £20.2k to £24.1k |
| Kelly 35 | £8.2k to £9.8k | £11.1k to £13.3k | £14.8k to £17.7k | £18k to £21.6k |
Complete set from 2012 onwards in excellent condition, palladium hardware, Noir, Gold or Etoupe. Only the leather changes across each row.
The Four Exotic Leathers We Buy
Hermes works in six exotic skins: American alligator, porosus saltwater crocodile, Niloticus Nile crocodile, Nile monitor and Salvator lizards, and ostrich. Crocodile, alligator and lizard come in shiny or matte finishes, and each skin is priced on its own terms.
Crocodile
Porosus and Niloticus. Porosus carries a small caret mark beside the Hermes stamp and Niloticus carries two dots. The top of our range.
Alligator
American alligator, marked with a small square beside the Hermes stamp. We price it alongside crocodile.
Lizard
Niloticus and Salvator lizard. Each bag is cut from a single skin, so Hermes lizard is mostly made in 25 cm and smaller sizes.
Ostrich
Recognisable by the raised dots left by the quill follicles. It pays well above calf. Farmed ostrich is generally outside the CITES trade controls that cover crocodile, alligator and lizard.
The Himalaya
The Himalaya is matte Niloticus crocodile, dyed from smoky grey at the edges to white at the centre. It sits outside our bands, so we price it individually by phone. Ring the desk on 07939 590661 and a specialist will talk it through with you.
If you are not sure which skin you have, our guide to Hermes leather types covers exotics alongside calf, or pick Not sure in the calculator and we will read it from your photos.
CITES Paperwork for a UK Sale
Crocodile, alligator and lizard all come from species covered by CITES, the international agreement on trade in endangered species. In the UK the listed species sit in annexes, and GOV.UK's guidance on commercial use of endangered species sets out what that means when you sell. In summary:
| What GOV.UK says | |
|---|---|
| What counts as selling | Selling, offering for sale, keeping for sale and transporting for sale all count as commercial use. |
| Annex A species | You need an Article 10 certificate to sell, unless an exemption applies. Owning or giving one away needs no certificate. One exemption covers dead crocodilian specimens in Annex A with source code D that are legally marked or identified. |
| Annex B species | No Article 10 certificate is needed to own or trade, but you must be able to give evidence that you got the item lawfully. |
| Certificates | A specimen specific certificate stays with the item for its whole life and passes to each new owner. A transaction specific certificate is valid only for the named holder. |
Which annex your bag falls under depends on the species and the population the skin came from, and that is what its paperwork records. Exotic Hermes bags are often sold with CITES paperwork, so check wherever you keep the receipt. When you send photos, include the receipt and any CITES document or certificate. We check them against the bag itself, including the mark beside the stamp, and tell you straight away if anything is missing.
Not legal advice
This is a plain summary of the GOV.UK guidance, not legal advice. The Animal and Plant Health Agency deals with certificate applications, and the GOV.UK page linked below is the place to check anything unusual about your own bag.
What We Need From You
We buy complete sets from 2012 onwards only, exotic or not. For an exotic that means:
- The bag, the key, the lock and the clochette.
- The box and the original receipt, plus any CITES document or certificate that came with the bag.
- Six photos: front, back, base, inside, the date stamp and a close-up of the Hermes stamp with the mark beside it.
- Photo ID and proof of address. We ask for both on every purchase, without exception.
Exotic skins show wear first at the corners, the handles and the edges of the flap, where scales can lift or dry out. Photograph those closely: an honest picture gets an offer that does not move when we arrive. Before you send anything, you can run through the checks in our guide on how to tell if a Hermes is real.
How Selling an Exotic Works
Every step is on the how it works page, and the full list of Hermes bags we buy covers every model in calf and canvas too.
Sources: GOV.UK, Commercial use of endangered species: check if you need an Article 10 CITES certificate; Sotheby's, The Complete Guide to Hermes Lizard Bags; LDJ, A Complete Guide to Hermes Exotic Leathers; Ginza Xiaoma, CITES Certificate for Hermes Exotic Skin Bags.