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

[HatsEnough]

I've had a few Merrimac hats in the past. Sold them. Didn't like them much.

 

[randooch]

It is fur felt and the color is close to the color in the photo of the underside of the brim--a nice blue-grey. The felt feels thick and doesn't feel like the best around, but decent and it is a nicely-made hat. The liner is sewn in. There's a union sticker under the sweatband. It is "Admiral Quality" and was sold in Conneaut, Ohio.

The other hat the seller listed turned out to actually be wool (and I expected that with the "Merrimac Process") but still a nice hat with one exception: the sweatband is dried out, stiff and fragile :eusa_doh:. I've asked to return it.

Regards,
Tom

Let us know how the return goes, eh? The blue-gray one is sharp!

 

[pjt113]

I bought this last week on Ebay, my first Borsalino, only one other bidder which seemed strange, only thing I can attribute it to is the "wool" in the description and the posting being in Italian. The hat should be green, if you look in the close up shot which is supposed to be of the sweatband, you'll notice the liner is green and you can see the underside of the brim, which is green also. I got this for $39 including shipping, I have a feeling it's either going to be a steal or a big bust. I'll keep all of you posted.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/30058797211...72110&_sacat=See-All-Categories&_fvi=1&_rdc=1

 

[randooch]

Looks very promising, pjt. Good work, scouring the overseas ebay offerings!

 

[MikePotts]

I love a challenge......

.............I guess [huh]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/110742504142?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

If indeed it does turn out to be Australian (if) I s'pose it could have some fur in the felt & maybe I can make something of it. Brother 'El Sid' recently and very kindly sent me some vintage ribbon that may suit it depending on how well it turns out.

I'll be sure to keep you informed.....

MP

 

[CaramelSmoothie]

Have you ever seen an Ebay seller list a hat as being from the wrong decade and trying to get an exorbitant amount for it? I came across such an auction back in August. This hat must be from the 1960s as far as I can tell but the seller is trying to pass it off as a genuine 1920s cloche and trying to get 300 smackeroos for it. He/She hasn't gotten a single bite on it even though the option to make an offer is part of the auction and I feel like emailing the seller and telling him/her that if that auction is active between now and the end of eternity they're not going to get anywhere close to 300 for this hat, more like 30 bucks and that is being very generous, here is the hat:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gorgeous-Vi...122?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item415c865a92

 

[HatsEnough]

Have you ever seen an Ebay seller list a hat as being from the wrong decade and trying to get an exorbitant amount for it? I came across such an auction back in August. This hat must be from the 1960s as far as I can tell but the seller is trying to pass it off as a genuine 1920s cloche and trying to get 300 smackeroos for it...

I routinely email ebay sellers to correct the bad info in their listing. Most of the time I get a nice reply thanking me. About 60% of the time they change it right away. Once in a while, but not often, I get a nasty reply. Also once in a while a seller will be adamant that they are right even though they are wrong. Anyway, it can't hurt to drop a non-snarky, helpful email to them, I always say.

 

[CaramelSmoothie]

I routinely email ebay sellers to correct the bad info in their listing. Most of the time I get a nice reply thanking me. About 60% of the time they change it right away. Once in a while, but not often, I get a nasty reply. Also once in a while a seller will be adamant that they are right even though they are wrong. Anyway, it can't hurt to drop a non-snarky, helpful email to them, I always say.

Because the seller is anticipating the hat selling for a couple of hundreds, I have a feeling they will reply by saying that they are sure that it is a 1920s hat. The hat was listed in mid August, I think I will wait until about November to email them and tell them, duh!, you are not getting 300 bucks for passing off a 1960s church hat as a 1920s cloche which is why 3 months later your auction has not received any nibbles. LOL

 

[alanfgag]

I know how you feel CaramelSmoothie. It's funny, the temptation to take a poor or foolish ebay description or email forward as if meant for us personally. Ebay is the world... and like on the street or on the subway platform, we have to let go of stuff we don't approve of or know better.

It does encourage me that in my ebay transactions, I've had good experiences almost every time.

cheers,
Alan

 

[Tango Yankee]

I routinely email ebay sellers to correct the bad info in their listing. Most of the time I get a nice reply thanking me. About 60% of the time they change it right away. Once in a while, but not often, I get a nasty reply. Also once in a while a seller will be adamant that they are right even though they are wrong. Anyway, it can't hurt to drop a non-snarky, helpful email to them, I always say.

Just so, Hats! I do the same. Sometimes they react well, sometimes badly. I sometimes get the feeling that some of the ones who react badly do so because they know it is wrong and were hoping to sucker someone in; they do not want to be corrected. If the buyer calls them on it they can just shrug and say "Hey, I'm not an expert!"

I recently contacted a seller of an Ironrite chair who had it listed as local pickup only. I suggested that she might be able to get more interest if she considered dismantling the chair for shipping. She thought it was a great idea, changed the listing, and there was some interest. I wound up winning it and another item she had for sale. I've received one, waiting on the chair.

Cheers,
Tom

 

[alanfgag]

I hope someone will buy this one so we can see some better photos.

 

[Tango Yankee]

Dang. He has a $3,500 starting price and a reserve on top of that???

If I'd recently won the lottery I might buy it, but I haven't. That is a very rare hat and to have such documentation to go with it as well as who the original owner was may very well make it worth that and more, for all I know. This will be an interesting one to watch. Thanks for bringing it to our attention, Alan!

Cheers,
Tom

P.S. I just noticed the seller does not give the size anywhere. I'll send him a note and ask.

 

[HatsEnough]

Now that is one cool hat. That is not one cool price.
But, I thought Generalissimo Francisco Franco was still dead.

 

[HatsEnough]

Question:

Do any of you Stetson experts think that this "Diplomat" originally was sold with a liner in it?

When I got it, there was no liner.

I see no evidence that there was ever a liner. No loose strings, or different color to the felt inside where it may have been shielded from the head for any period of time.

But the felt is not a "lite" felt and there is no faded spot where one of those round Stetson glued in crown tags would have been, either.

So, I wonder if long ago the liner was dispensed with? In fact, if the original owner did throw away the liner it would have to have been done very early in the hat's history as, like I said, there is no color difference to the felt where a liner may have protected it longer. The color of felt inside is entirely even.

So, opinions?

(That last photo makes it look greener than it is due to the flash. It is quite a bit darker than that.)

As to color it is a khaki brown leaning toward a greenish or gray. The ribbon is a great contrasting color with a hint of burgundy in the brown ribbon. It has four rows of stitching on the 2-1/2 inch brim in what I assume is the Stetson "wafer edge."

 

[zetwal]

Do any of you Stetson experts think that this "Diplomat" originally was sold with a liner in it?

When I got it, there was no liner.

Are you interested in a non expert opinion?

 

[zetwal]

Have you ever seen an Ebay seller list a hat as being from the wrong decade and trying to get an exorbitant amount for it?

Yes, we do see this sort of thing on a fairly regular basis (but the overall percentage is rather low).

 

[HatsEnough]

Are you interested in a non expert opinion?

LOL. I'm interested in all Lounger's thoughts on the question.
I love this place because it has helped me correct some misconceptions I've had in the past. I'm not afraid to be wrong, but I really hope no one is afraid to correct me!

 

[zetwal]

LOL. I'm interested in all Lounger's thoughts on the question.
I love this place because it has helped me correct some misconceptions I've had in the past. I'm not afraid to be wrong, but I really hope no one is afraid to correct me!

OK cool, I will float my opinion ...

I think it is more likely than not that the hat in question came with a liner.

 

[Lefty]

I hope someone will buy this one so we can see some better photos.

There's my grail hat. As a grail hat should be, it's beyond my reach, and is the most amazing hat thing I've ever seen.

That's got to be the same one that Stephen from Bencraft talked about trying to buy a number of years ago.

 

[randooch]

Well, it says "bid with confidence", and I'm pretty confident that it's a 7 7/8 rather than 6 7/8, so I think I'll snap it up and give it the ol' soak-n-bake-in-the-hot-car routine, see if maybe I can get it down to a snug 7 1/2.