Quick answer
Right now we pay about £15,000 to £17,900 for a Mini Kelly 20, about £13,500 to £16,200 for a Kelly 25 and about £9,200 to £11,000 for a Kelly Cut, for a complete set from 2012 onwards in excellent condition and a core colour. The money is in your account within 2 hours of authentication, on a UK banking day.
What We Pay for a Kelly
These are today's bands for every Kelly we buy, before we have seen your bag. They assume a complete set from 2012 onwards, in excellent condition, Togo leather with palladium hardware and one of the three colours that always have buyers: Noir, Gold or Etoupe. Your own Kelly lands higher or lower in its band depending on the details further down this page.
| Model and size | What we pay |
|---|---|
| Hermes Kelly Mini 20Most wanted | £15,000 to £17,900 |
| Hermes Kelly 25Most wanted | £13,500 to £16,200 |
| Hermes Kelly 28 | £11,100 to £13,300 |
| Hermes Kelly 32 | £9,200 to £11,000 |
| Hermes Kelly 35 | £8,200 to £9,800 |
| Hermes Kelly Pochette | £8,700 to £10,400 |
| Hermes Kelly CutMost wanted | £9,200 to £11,000 |
What we pay a private seller for a complete set from 2012 onwards in excellent condition, in Noir, Gold or Etoupe, Togo leather, palladium hardware. Indicative, subject to authentication in person.
- Sizes we buy
- 20, 25, 28, 32, 35
- Also bought
- Pochette, Kelly Cut
- Years we buy
- 2012 onwards
- Paid
- Within 2 hours
Sellier or Retourne: Which Kelly You Have
Every Kelly is built one of two ways, and a buyer will ask which yours is. Sellier, French for saddler, is sewn with the leather right side out, so every seam is visible and the edges are sharp, finished with a resin edge coat. It holds a rigid, angular shape and is usually made in firmer leathers such as Epsom or Box. Retourne means turned: the bag is sewn inside out and then turned the right way round, so the stitching sits hidden inside rounded seams. It is softer and slightly roomier, and is usually made in Togo or Clemence.
| Sellier | Retourne | |
|---|---|---|
| Seams | Stitching visible on the outside | Stitching hidden inside a rounded seam |
| Edges | Sharp, with a resin edge coat | Soft and rounded |
| Shape | Rigid and upright | Relaxed, settles with use |
| Usual leathers | Epsom, Box | Togo, Clemence |
| Sizes | Mini Kelly 20 is Sellier only | 25 to 35 come either way |
To check yours, look along the edge of the flap and the sides. A line of stitches running along a crisp edge is Sellier. A smooth, rounded edge with no stitches along it is Retourne. You do not need to be sure before you send photos: the specialist reads it from the pictures. Our guide to Kelly bag value goes further into how the two compare on the resale market.
How Condition Moves a Kelly's Price
After size and leather, condition moves a Kelly more than anything else. Store fresh means unworn with the plastic still on the hardware. Excellent means carried lightly with the corners and handle intact. Good means visible wear without structural damage, and fair covers worn corners, marks or a handle that needs work. On a Sellier Kelly, look hard at the corners: the sharp edges show wear first, so photograph them straight on.
| Size | Store fresh | Excellent | Good | Fair |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kelly Mini 20 | £17.2k to £20.6k | £15k to £17.9k | £12.7k to £15.2k | £10.2k to £12.2k |
| Kelly 25 | £15.5k to £18.6k | £13.5k to £16.2k | £11.5k to £13.7k | £9.2k to £11k |
| Kelly 28 | £12.8k to £15.3k | £11.1k to £13.3k | £9.4k to £11.3k | £7.5k to £9k |
| Kelly 32 | £10.5k to £12.6k | £9.2k to £11k | £7.8k to £9.3k | £6.2k to £7.5k |
| Kelly 35 | £9.4k to £11.3k | £8.2k to £9.8k | £7k to £8.3k | £5.6k to £6.7k |
Complete set from 2012 onwards, Togo leather, palladium hardware, Noir, Gold or Etoupe. Only the condition changes across each row.
The Kelly Pochette and the Kelly Cut
The Kelly Pochette is a miniature of the Kelly worn as a clutch, with the turnlock and flap of the full bag. The Kelly Cut is a long, slim, rectangular evening clutch built on the same design. Both are bought on the same terms as a full Kelly, as a complete set from 2012 onwards, and the Kelly Cut is one of the three Kellys we have buyers waiting for.
Which Kellys Sell Fastest
Kelly 20 and Kelly 25
The two sizes with a queue behind them. A clean one in a core colour is usually priced within minutes of the photos arriving.
The Kelly Cut
The third Kelly on our most wanted list. It rarely comes up, and it moves as soon as it does.
Noir, Gold and Etoupe
The three colours that always have buyers. Seasonal colours still sell, at a lower figure unless the bag is rare.
Exotic leathers
A crocodile or alligator Kelly is worth more than double the same size in Togo. Our page on selling an exotic Hermes bag has the bands and the CITES paperwork.
If you are not sure which leather yours is, our guide to Hermes leather types shows how to tell Togo from Epsom and Clemence, or pick Not sure in the calculator below.
What We Need From You
We buy complete sets only, which is what lets us authenticate in minutes and pay the same day.
- The Kelly, the key, the lock and the clochette, and the shoulder strap if yours came with one.
- The box and the original receipt. The receipt settles the year and proves ownership at once.
- The year. Read it from the blind stamp with our date stamp checker. We buy from 2012 onwards.
- Six photos: front, back, base, inside, the date stamp and the hardware, plus one of the receipt.
- Photo ID and proof of address. We ask for both on every purchase, without exception.
Missing the receipt or the key?
Ring the desk on 07939 590661 before you write the Kelly off. We will tell you in one call whether it is still a bag we can buy.
How Selling Your Kelly Works
The how it works page covers every step, including the ID checks. We buy Birkins and Constances on the same terms, and the full list of Hermes bags we buy has the bands for every other model. Weighing a cash sale against consignment? Our comparison of the best places to sell a Hermes bag shows what you keep each way.
Sources: Sotheby's, The Ultimate Guide to Hermes Kelly Bags; Madison Avenue Couture, The Kelly Sellier vs Retourne. Buying bands come from our own buying model.