An Hermès Birkin bag is one of the most coveted and luxurious fashion accessories in the world – but with prices starting at $12,000 per bag, it’s not affordable for most.

The Birkin can’t be purchased over the counter at a Hermès store because customers have to build a purchase history with the brand to even have the chance to buy it — but now shoppers are excited about Walmart’s $78 version .

The leather wallet looks strikingly similar to a Birkin and is available in a variety of colors including olive, black, elephant gray, emerald green and ivory white.

It’s been praised by online shoppers, with hundreds of TikTok videos dedicated to the fashionable bag.

“I wonder if the Walmart Birkin bag knew it would represent the whole of 2024,” said a TikTok user @yourfinestpardon in a recent video while sharing a picture of the Walmart shopping bag.

“A regular Birkin costs $30,000 to $80,000 or more depending on the bag,” the fashion content creator continued.

“The idea behind the Birkin is that when you see it, you know you can’t afford it – you can’t even get an invitation into the store to buy the Birkin.”

“And not everyone who’s invited into the store can even buy a Birkin – that’s so elusive.” So Walmart just said, “How about we make a Birkin and make it for $80.” ?”

According to the TikTok user, reviews say the bag is just as good as the original.

“It allows the average person to buy a bag that looks exactly like the Birkin,” she said.

“And the people who spend over $30,000 on a Birkin are probably not happy about it, because capitalism is not based on buying a luxury item and making it affordable for everyone,” she stressed.

On Walmart’s website, a description of the bag says: “Stylish and simple appearance, practical internal structure, reasonable layout, easy to use.”

It is now sold out online in almost all colors.

“I love the Wirkin!” wrote one enthusiastic fan in the comments section of the TikTok video.

“Best result of this: asking a rich lady, ‘Oh cool, did you buy that bag at Walmart too?'” “And watch the meltdown,” laughed another.

Others weren’t so sure about the Birkin bargain.

“It looks like a Walmart Birkin. And after a few uses… it will definitely look like a Walmart Birkin,” one reviewer agreed.

“Unless it’s real, durable leather, it’s nothing new under the sun…I bought a Hermès dupe in China 10 years ago…didn’t last long unfortunately…” another agreed.

Birkin bags take at least 18 hours to make from materials like crocodile and alligator leather, as well as luxurious leathers with fancy names like Tadelakt and Monsieur Grainee.

The “base” model costs around $11,400 before taxes when purchased directly from Hermès, while special editions can cost several hundred thousand dollars.

However, analysts told the Wall Street Journal that the expensive wallets only cost Hermès about $1,000 to produce.

Dedicated shoppers have gone out of their way to snap up the wallets, which are only produced in limited quantities and are typically only offered to customers who have a long purchasing history with the brand.

Insiders told the Journal that Hermès required buyers to spend $10,000 on other goods such as shoes and scarves before inviting them to purchase a basic model.

To be eligible for a rare, limited-edition purse, regular Hermès customers must spend about $200,000 on other items in the store, it says.

Even if the coveted offer is made, buyers are shown a single bag that they have been invited to purchase and are not allowed to specify the color.

If you’re lucky enough to get your hands on a Birkin from Hermès, you can sell it to an online retailer for around $23,000, who will then list it for around $32,000.