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

[Roan]

Brad, I just cried a little when I thought about hats being that cheap

Me too; if hats were that cheap now my whole house would be filled with them! Kind of makes you wonder what's driving the prices up so high though....

 

[Garrett]

Kind of makes you wonder what's driving the prices up so high though....

This forum....

 

[fedoracentric]

This forum....

That and so many singers and actors suddenly wearing them.

 

[Walt]

I wonder if these high paid BIN sales are that way because of the assumption at auction they would go higher so some buyers accept that is the only way they can get something--seems hard to imagine that in this case though. Sometimes just too hard to believe some things are worth as much as they are willing to pay. Or maybe some people just have lots of extra money to spend so price is no object.

Unfortunately for us buyers auctions tend to drive prices higher assuming two or more bidders who want something bad enough show up. Appraisers on the Antiques Roadshow often quote retail vs auction price to make that point. Irrationality happens in bidding for some people.

I suspect the auction prices wouldn't go as high in many cases if the auction end was extended for bids made in the last minute effectively ending snipe bidding which can also help drive the prices up. It certainly would be interesting to survey enough buyers to find out. "Did you bid high to avoid losing by $1 but hoping that no one would bid near that high and since with only seconds left at the end and not enough time to bid higher surely no one else would bid as high?" Flawed logic but I bet it happens!

Since ebay is really the only way to get a good price for some things, sell quickly and increase the odds that enough buyers will see it I fear they will continue to raise their fees at will.

Many (most?) of the sellers are not dealers in the traditional sense (though of course there are those) but are simply people who are frequenting thrift shops, yard sales, estate sales and auctions looking for stuff to flip on ebay. The word has gotten out and for many this economy stinks and so everyone is looking for more ways to make money.... Now everyone has a smart phone at those places and is trying to figure out what they are looking at and if they can sell it for a high profit.

 

[Landman]

Here is one I took a gamble on. The seller stated in the listing he thought it was wool but in one picture you can see an older Stetson sizing tag. I'm hoping it is something besides wool. Anybody have any idea what it might be?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vinatge-Joh...qkKVEl3mvPz%2FCxUsLzw%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

 

[CaramelSmoothie]

"Did you bid high to avoid losing by $1 but hoping that no one would bid near that high and since with only seconds left at the end and not enough time to bid higher surely no one else would bid as high?"

Guilty as charged!

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Yes, this stuck in my craw too. The casual assumption by eBay that everyone was scalping on shipping fees, and that they (eBay) should get a cut of the action, showed exactly what eBay is all about.

eBay really irritated me with the charging commission on p&p it felt unjust.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

And pretty much anything you wanted in size 7, from any era you care to name, could be had for $25.

You guys should have been here 10 years ago, when a pristine '40s Borsalino size 7 3/8 going for $100 was outrageous.

Brad

 

[splintercellsz]

Here is one I took a gamble on. The seller stated in the listing he thought it was wool but in one picture you can see an older Stetson sizing tag. I'm hoping it is something besides wool. Anybody have any idea what it might be?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vinatge-Joh...qkKVEl3mvPz%2FCxUsLzw%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

I don't think it's wool. It's hard to see the tag in that photo but it may be 30s - 50s.

 

[alanfgag]

Looks like a pre-1960 single field manufacturing label... hard to see the over welt but perhaps a triple thread wafer edge? I like it.

 

[gtdean48]

Me too; if hats were that cheap now my whole house would be filled with them! Kind of makes you wonder what's driving the prices up so high though....

Just try to sell one & you'll see the low prices again...Up when you're buying, Down when you're selling!

 

[Landman]

Justin and Alan,

Thanks for your comments. Even though the manufacturing tag is not very visible it look older to me and I just couldn't imagine it being a wool hat. Did Stetson even make wool hats back then?

 

[jskeen]

I doubt very seriously it's wool, and the style and tag would be odd for anything newer than early 60's, imho. Gotta love that some sellers think that "100% wool" is a positive selling point for hats though. I wonder what would have happened to it to cause the sweat to completely disintegrate though. Pics are too bad to tell for sure, but looks like a few pieces are left in there, so I would not think somebody removed it for some reason. Makes me a little nervous about the condition of the felt, but probably worth a little risk. "great shape except for the leather missing. That's kind of like a car that "runs fine, but transmission is gone""

 

[Joao Encarnado]

I suspect the auction prices wouldn't go as high in many cases if the auction end was extended for bids made in the last minute effectively ending snipe bidding which can also help drive the prices up. It certainly would be interesting to survey enough buyers to find out. "Did you bid high to avoid losing by $1 but hoping that no one would bid near that high and since with only seconds left at the end and not enough time to bid higher surely no one else would bid as high?"

There was a portuguese auctions website that had that system. It even got affiliated with ebay.com. It died.

 

[CaramelSmoothie]

There was a portuguese auctions website that had that system. It even got affiliated with ebay.com. It died.

Yahoo Auctions (memba' dem?) did that foolishness also. Gone like the dodo bird because of it. lol.

 

[alanfgag]

Justin and Alan,

Thanks for your comments. Even though the manufacturing tag is not very visible it look older to me and I just couldn't imagine it being a wool hat. Did Stetson even make wool hats back then?

Don't worry... it won't be wool. Just needs one of your nice sweatbands.

 

[CaramelSmoothie]

Use Etsy, I feel it's more of a community people are more honest and fees are lower I've put 90% of my stock on etsy and I can sell it at lower prices but make the same money, which works our better for the customer, eBay really irritated me with the charging commission on p&p it felt unjust.

Have you also tried Bonanza?

 

[Landman]

Don't worry... it won't be wool. Just needs one of your nice sweatbands.

Thanks! I might make another attempt at installing one

 

[TheDane]

Thanks! I might make another attempt at installing one

Ha, I saw that hat 30 minutes before end and tipped John Galt, but he was out, till after the auction had ended. I'm happy to see, you got it instead, Mike

Had it been closer to 7 1/4, I would have gone for it myself. A nice hat, and nowhere close to wool ... "a weal wabbit", for sure. Congrats

 

[Landman]

Ha, I saw that hat 30 minutes before end and tipped John Galt, but he was out, till after the auction had ended. I'm happy to see, you got it instead, Mike

Had it been closer to 7 1/4, I would have gone for it myself. A nice hat, and nowhere close to wool ... "a weal wabbit", for sure. Congrats

Thanks Ole. I just put a low bid in without asking the Seller any questions. It was driving me crazy...I just wanted to take a closer look at it!