Ebay Hats: Victories, Defeats, Gripes & Items of Interest

[mercuryfelt76]

I spotted a grey 1993 Lock & Co homburg wrongly advertised as a WOOL felt. Lock's don't make wool felts and clearly nobody else spotted this. I was the only bidder and won it for $49.99US. Then the seller emailed me to tell me she had 2 more identical hat's which I could have for the same price. You wait 10 years for a hat and then 3 come along at once.

Lock's haven't made a grey open crown in grey for at least 15 years. Plus the only open crown homburg they sell it a wide brim and high crown which looks like a cowboy hat on my little frame. I particularly wanted one of these hats from Lock's - Churchill wore one - and their homburgs are $400US (approx exchange rate). I might change the black ribbon on one for a burgundy.

 

[ejbhats]

I spotted a grey 1993 Lock & Co homburg wrongly advertised as a WOOL felt. Lock's don't make wool felts and clearly nobody else spotted this. I was the only bidder and won it for $49.99US. Then the seller emailed me to tell me she had 2 more identical hat's which I could have for the same price. You wait 10 years for a hat and then 3 come along at once.

Lock's haven't made a grey open crown in grey for at least 15 years. Plus the only open crown homburg they sell it a wide brim and high crown which looks like a cowboy hat on my little frame. I particularly wanted one of these hats from Lock's - Churchill wore one - and their homburgs are $400US (approx exchange rate). I might change the black ribbon on one for a burgundy.

It appears you hit the jackpot! It helps to know the background.

 

[Omne]

I spotted a grey 1993 Lock & Co homburg wrongly advertised as a WOOL felt. Lock's don't make wool felts and clearly nobody else spotted this. I was the only bidder and won it for $49.99US. Then the seller emailed me to tell me she had 2 more identical hat's which I could have for the same price. You wait 10 years for a hat and then 3 come along at once.

Lock's haven't made a grey open crown in grey for at least 15 years. Plus the only open crown homburg they sell it a wide brim and high crown which looks like a cowboy hat on my little frame. I particularly wanted one of these hats from Lock's - Churchill wore one - and their homburgs are $400US (approx exchange rate). I might change the black ribbon on one for a burgundy.

Great find!

 

[Omne]

Ok, I'm still working on figuring out vintage hats. It's taken me this long to try and get a handle on the new stuff.

Anyway I saw this on ebay and, correct me if I'm wrong, but this doesn't seem to be all that old as far as being vintage.

Vntg-Sovreign-Stetson-Blk-Felt-Fedora-w-Box-7-3-8-

 

[monbla256]

Ok, I'm still working on figuring out vintage hats. It's taken me this long to try and get a handle on the new stuff.

Anyway I saw this on ebay and, correct me if I'm wrong, but this doesn't seem to be all that old as far as being vintage.

Vntg-Sovreign-Stetson-Blk-Felt-Fedora-w-Box-7-3-8-

What age in Vintage hats are you looking for? It looks to be at least from the '60s/'70s but a search here on the Forum for sweatband/liner styles might help you date it.

 

[billyspew]

What age in Vintage hats are you looking for? It looks to be at least from the '60s/'70s but a search here on the Forum for sweatband/liner styles might help you date it.

Looks newer than that. Could even be from the last 10-15 years.

 

[T Rick]

The problem was with your bid. At $100 the minimum bid is $2.50, if you would have bid $104.50 it would have registered(assuming it was done in a timely manner).

Actually, no. In the last seconds, the bid increment is no longer valid. I have won auctions (of over $100) by a penny.

There are a few "theories" of how to be a successful bidder on eBay. The bottom line is he who bids highest (no matter when, as long as it's before the auction close) wins. If one wants to place their maximum bid early on (convenient, and it works sometimes, as in the case above), fine. But you're costing yourself money (places your high bid as a "target", allowing others to search out your max- I've even had some discover my max and then retract their bid!). As a Seller, I'd LOVE people to do this.

Another way is to bid late (ie: sniping). I've actually seen arguments where some considered sniping as stealing. No bull, these guys were serious. Hogwash, of course. To enter a late bid places the bidder in the advantageous position where others do not get to "react" to their bid. The majority of eBay auctions (at least the ones I track) are won in this manner. But again, you can defend against it by simply bidding a higher amount (either earlier or later, no matter when) than anyone else.

To enter a late bid in the last seconds, and then see you are outbid, and enter a higher bid yet again is a recipe for losing the auction (trust me, I've done it many times, even winning a few). Frustrating when the bid doesn't load due to some computer slow down or bottle neck. More successful (and less irritation) if you simply decide what your real maximum is, then place that as a bid once, then if it goes over, walk away happy as it went for a price over what you were willing to pay (albeit, often pennies or dollars over).

Now, as for the sniping services (online registration and fees, no software I know of), they are IMO a Godsend. Since using these, I've rarely missed an auction I intended to bid on (used to happen all the time), and my success rate has gone up dramatically. The objective after all, is to end up with the item. Fair? It is within all eBay rules and procedures, and certainly not immoral. Just because some don't "like" the idea or practice, does not make it "unfair". (It's not unfair when some succeed more in life than others either Gents, it's simply the way that it is).

Now if eBay wanted to change this situation, and make their proxy bid system the ruler of the land, they could do it easily. The could institute something similar to the "15 minute rule" on GunBroker.com. (Going, going, gone in auction terms). Regardless of auction end time (the real culprit that enables "sniping"), once a bid is placed, the auction is extended if need be, so that there is always a 15 minute period after the last bid. This enables anyone who wants to outbid the high bidder to do so (and of course, a proxy bid could then automatically counter). So sniping would be pointless, and the highest proxy bid would be the way to win.

But eBay is all about the money too, that is why they exist. And I assure you if they felt they would make more money that way, that is the way it would be. I'm sure they've studied it. And I'm sure they've concluded that the current bidding system is best for them. So don't expect it to change any time soon.

Don't swim against the current. It's frustrating, and carries a low chance of success. Two words for you, Auction Sniper (lose the space, add the .com). Your life will be enriched, and your time freed up (I have had the system fail to place my bid exactly once, system was down, cost me a beautiful vintage razor- I got over it several wins later).

 

[carouselvic]

I have won auctions by less than a penny= the same amount, but my bid has taken a fraction of a second sooner. I use Auction Sniper all the time. I lost a auction just last week, even tho my sniper bid has higher than the ending selling price. My high bid was not enough to exceed the next minimum bid increment.

 

[T Rick]

The problem was with your bid. At $100 the minimum bid is $2.50, if you would have bid $104.50 it would have registered(assuming it was done in a timely manner).

I have won auctions by less than a penny= the same amount, but my bid has taken a fraction of a second sooner. I use Auction Sniper all the time. I lost a auction just last week, even tho my sniper bid has higher than the ending selling price. My high bid was not enough to exceed the next minimum bid increment.

Maybe they've changed it (unknown to me) but it used to be that in the final seconds, the bid increment was no longer in effect (any higher bid would win).

 

[Joshbru3]

1920's American Fashion Hat

Okay....who beat me in this auction....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&rt=nc&nma=true&item=170644861784&si=aEFVm%252FdenFDCuzE%252FO2glM%252BnRvDk%253D&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMEDWX%3AIT#ht_500wt_922

 

[rlk]

Okay....who beat me in this auction....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&rt=nc&nma=true&item=170644861784&si=aEFVm%252FdenFDCuzE%252FO2glM%252BnRvDk%253D&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMEDWX%3AIT#ht_500wt_922

Interesting old hat, but at $34.00 you know who to blame...(not me)

 

[Joshbru3]

Interesting old hat, but at $34.00 you know who to blame...(not me)

True, True. I should have bid more, but I thought I could get it cheap. It was my fault. I was only beaten by a small margin. I'd still love to see pictures of it if anyone on the lounge won it.

 

[Tango Yankee]

That happens to me quite often, you're not alone. All those devices people can buy to bid faster in the last seconds takes fair market practice out of the picture and chaps my arse! It's not fair on any level of common decency. Those devices should be used exclusivley for voting on American Idol and not a public auction forum.
Eric

What is fair market practice? I use a sniper for the same reasons as has been put forth by others, i.e. not wanting to be chained to my computer or stay up all night to monitor an auction but I also use it to overcome a severe disadvantage: I use Hughes.net for Internet access as my choices are that or dialup--though there are days when the bandwidtthh I get from Hughes.net is as low as dialup. If you don't have reliable high-speed internet access snipers are a must!

Actually, no. In the last seconds, the bid increment is no longer valid. I have won auctions (of over $100) by a penny.

I'm not so sure about that or hw it works at all, for that matter. There have been times when I've lost bids because my highest bid was less than a full increment above the previous bid; I've also won bids by less than the full increment. [huh]

More successful (and less irritation) if you simply decide what your real maximum is, then place that as a bid once, then if it goes over, walk away happy as it went for a price over what you were willing to pay (albeit, often pennies or dollars over).

And that's it in a nutshell. Bidding wars are good for the seller, not so much for the buyer. You still see it every once in a while where a couple of bidders go to war, incrementing the price higher and higher. That approach is for fools.

Cheers,
Tom

 

[mercuryfelt76]

It appears you hit the jackpot! It helps to know the background.

Thanks ejbhats, they were also clearly marked "handmade fine fur felt" and the stitching was clearly handmade and definately never worn. 10 years I've waited for one of these!

So, as I live in London and have been a customer at Lock's for 10 years, I took the hats to the shop to ask how old they were. They found a little "1993" on one of them and even stretched them on a long oval and never charged me a penny.

They said the hats were probably unsold stock, they were also very lightly bashed, as if it had been on a shelf. Worn hats either seem to develop a pinch or a worn brim depending how they were taken off time and time again by the wearer. But shelf hats are treated more gently in front of the staff!

While I was in the shop I had a look at their top hats to compare them to the one I just got from a hat maker and restorer who charges a fraction of the price Lock's would have charged me for one in 7 1/4. They told me to bring it in and they would iron it for me, which they did on my next visit, again for no charge.

Surely I'm going to wake up any moment now

 

[HatsEnough]

I never bid until the last 10 seconds of any auction, ever. After seeing what the bid is standing at during the last 10 seconds, I figure what my top bid would be and then I enter that. If I win, yaaaa for me. If I lose, that's life. Sometimes I have a chance to bid one more time in the last 4 seconds, but usually I don't bother. I also never use a sniper service. Oh, it isn't because I have anything against them. It's because if I had a sniper service then I'd be bidding on even more hats than I already do... and that is too many as it is. If I am not present for those last 10 seconds, then I just don't bid. Anyone who thinks sniper services are "cheating" is simply wrong. The bids are made during the auction. Every bid made regardless of how or from where they were made is fair game. It's just that simple.

 

[fmw]

I never bid until the last 10 seconds of any auction, ever. After seeing what the bid is standing at during the last 10 seconds, I figure what my top bid would be and then I enter that. If I win, yaaaa for me. If I lose, that's life. Sometimes I have a chance to bid one more time in the last 4 seconds, but usually I don't bother. I also never use a sniper service. Oh, it isn't because I have anything against them. It's because if I had a sniper service then I'd be bidding on even more hats than I already do... and that is too many as it is. If I am not present for those last 10 seconds, then I just don't bid. Anyone who thinks sniper services are "cheating" is simply wrong. The bids are made during the auction. Every bid made regardless of how or from where they were made is fair game. It's just that simple.

You can put your maximum bid in at any time. When you do it won't affect the outcome at all. Only the size of the bid affects it.

 

[Tango Yankee]

You can put your maximum bid in at any time. When you do it won't affect the outcome at all.

Not quite true. There are people out there that will bid in increments to find your maximum bid. I've seen more than one auction where it was obvious that an early bidder had put in their maximum bid and someone else had come along and ratcheted up the price a bit at a time, sometimes abandoning the effort before exceeding the early bidder's maximum. All that bidding one's max bid early in that case is give someone else the chance to drive up what you're going to pay for it (if someone else doesn't come along and bid higher, that is).

Putting in your highest bid early is another tactic that only helps the seller, IMHO.

Cheers,
Tom

 

[Saint-Just]

You can put your maximum bid in at any time. When you do it won't affect the outcome at all. Only the size of the bid affects it.

Unfortunately this is incorrect. You have the usual idiots (or "friends", as sellers sometime call them) who will increase their bids $2 by $2 throughout the sale just to be on top, thus raising the final sale price to you.
I also snipe, like hatsenough (without sniper software) and bid my max in the last few seconds. If it's enough I win, if not someone else gets it. My bid may be identical to the one I could have placed 4 days earlier. But since not everybody bids its max I usually end up much better off by bidding later.


edit: must... type.... faster....

 

[HatsEnough]

You can put your maximum bid in at any time. When you do it won't affect the outcome at all. Only the size of the bid affects it.

That is actually woefully incorrect.

If I say to myself, "say, I think I'd go $200 on that hat," and the auction has 3 days to go, it would be a foolish time to key in my $200! The reason why you should never do this is because it needlessly starts a bidding war early. Being a smart ebayer means never, ever bidding until the auction is close to over. It is just self defeating to start driving up the bidding with days still to go.

 

[Mario]

Interesting old hat, but at $34.00 you know who to blame...(not me)

:arated: I'd definitely have punched in a substantially higher number. That really looks like a rare beast. Gotta love that crown!