Luxury goods maker Hermes is the target of a new lawsuit filed in the United States, accusing it of selling highly sought-after Birkin bags only to customers with a solid purchase history, the Associated Press reports.

A lawsuit filed this week in the US alleges that Hermes is violating antitrust laws by forcing customers to buy other items in the store before being given the privilege of purchasing a Birkin bag.

Handcrafted by artisans in France, Birkin bags can fetch tens of thousands of dollars or hundreds of thousands of dollars on the second-hand market.

Celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Kim Kardashian or Cardi B have been seen with such bags.

Bags can only be purchased in a Hermes store, not on the website. However, the complaint, filed in a court in San Francisco, claims that the average shopper cannot simply walk into a Hermes store to buy such a bag.

Bags are shown only to “deserving” customers in a separate room.

According to the complaint, Hermes’ sales partners are instructed to select customers who are qualified to purchase the bags.

“Defendants instruct these retail partners to offer Birkin bags only to consumers who have previously purchased other products such as shoes, scarves, belts, jewelry and home goods,” the complaint added.

While the sellers do not receive a commission for selling the Birkin bags, the lawsuit alleges, they are ordered to use the bags as a way to get customers to buy other items, for which they receive a 3 percent commission.

The lawsuit filed seeks class action status for all US residents who purchased or were required to purchase additional products to purchase a Birkin bag within the past four years.

The plaintiffs are seeking monetary damages and an injunction to prohibit the sales strategies attributed to Hermes.