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

[DiamondJimLA]

I'm new and just posted in the New Members subforum yesterday. This post is about an "interesting" hat I stumbled across on eBay (its new). This is absolutely not why I am getting into hats, but it has a slightly interesting history, so here goes.

The hat is a "Dodgers" hat and I'm a fan (yeh, I heard you not all are!). After I noticed it and being a newly hat person, I started researching. I live and grew up in L.A. There always was and of course still is a large Mexican population, in my younger years more just indigenous rather than recent immigrants. And "East L.A." was the area most known for Mexican families, still is for the most part.

So in or about 1932, Frank (of Frank's Hats) invented what is called the "lowrider hat". Still popular with the Mexican crowd, especially those with lowriders (typically highly restored 50's-60's American cars, but lowered a bunch). Never ever even thought about it, but in retrospect it is a look I've seen around for a long time.

Frank's Hats is still around and still making tons of these hats, as a small "family" operation, now called "Frank's Hats Garcia Hats" (I think they merged with Garcia along the way. Their website is: https://www.frankshatsgarciahats.com/

I am not expecting you to all rush out and buy some lowrider hats, in fact not at all. Just found the history a little interesting. I'll wear mine if I go to a Dodger game (not very often these days) or maybe if they are in the playoffs. Pics of mine above.

 

[Frunobulax]

Anyone ever hear of “Joe the Hatter” before?

View attachment 365896 View attachment 365897 View attachment 365898 View attachment 365899 View attachment 365900

Toldja Joe made a helluva hat.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Anyone else here surprised to see the Stetsonian in 7 1/2 sell for $1,350.00? Nice hat, but the sale price shocked me.

 

[Frunobulax]

Anyone else here surprised to see the Stetsonian in 7 1/2 sell for $1,350.00? Nice hat, but the sale price shocked me.

View attachment 366008 View attachment 366009

Wow.

 

[belfastboy]

Toldja Joe made a helluva hat.

I have to take you more seriously from now on!

 

[Frunobulax]

I have to take you more seriously from now on!

That would be a big mistake.

 

[Louis Mountbatten]

@belfastboy speaks the truth @GuessWho... It’s not just that there are so few men today with head sizes that start with a “6” it’s also that those lucky devils are used to picking gems up for a pittance....

There is a flip side to it, though. When a guy with a 7-5/8 head plunks down $300 and more for a hat, he can also sell it for that. When a 6-7/8 or size 7 guy plunks down $100 for the exact same model in the same shape... he ain't gettin' no $300 if he tries to sell it! About the only exception is Whippet mania. Those are still selling well. Even a size 7 Whippet can sometimes get north of $150.But, if you are trying to sell the smaller sizes, you return is also a pittance (usually, but not always--due to the vagaries of ebay).

 

[deadlyhandsome]

There is a flip side to it, though. When a guy with a 7-5/8 head plunks down $300 and more for a hat, he can also sell it for that. When a 6-7/8 or size 7 guy plunks down $100 for the exact same model in the same shape... he ain't gettin' no $300 if he tries to sell it! About the only exception is Whippet mania. Those are still selling well. Even a size 7 Whippet can sometimes get north of $150.But, if you are trying to sell the smaller sizes, you return is also a pittance (usually, but not always--due to the vagaries of ebay).

I’m not shedding any tears for the poor sole who’s a size 6 3/4 and has 500 spectacular vintage hats but can only sell them for $20 each. That’s a problem I wouldn’t mind having.

 

[belfastboy]

There is a flip side to it, though. When a guy with a 7-5/8 head plunks down $300 and more for a hat, he can also sell it for that. When a 6-7/8 or size 7 guy plunks down $100 for the exact same model in the same shape... he ain't gettin' no $300 if he tries to sell it! About the only exception is Whippet mania. Those are still selling well. Even a size 7 Whippet can sometimes get north of $150.But, if you are trying to sell the smaller sizes, you return is also a pittance (usually, but not always--due to the vagaries of ebay).

so the answer is to buy a hat you like and wear the crap out of it, enjoy it and when it is done celebrate and toss it away....buy another. At $50 you will def get your monies worth from the hat.

 

[belfastboy]

That would be a big mistake.

Don't blow up my illusion!

 

[Louis Mountbatten]

so the answer is to buy a hat you like and wear the crap out of it, enjoy it and when it is done celebrate and toss it away....buy another. At $50 you will def get your monies worth from the hat.

That's about right! LOL. Buy it because you like it and bag the "makin' money idea."

 

[Just Daniel]

I was communicating with the seller on this one, just chatting and cheering as it went stratospheric. I meant to ask him if it was going to Japan.

Anyone else here surprised to see the Stetsonian in 7 1/2 sell for $1,350.00? Nice hat, but the sale price shocked me.

View attachment 366008 View attachment 366009

 

[steur]

@belfastboy speaks the truth @GuessWho... It’s not just that there are so few men today with head sizes that start with a “6” it’s also that those lucky devils are used to picking gems up for a pittance. On a hat many of us would be instantly clicking the buy it now button at $250 in size 7 3/4 will often languish for months at $50 in size 6 7/8…because are smaller headed brethren have 50 similar hats to chose from for the same price or less. I’ll sift through hundreds if not thousands of hats online to find one in my size. If your a size 6 7/8 the hard part is not buying 25 hats a day.

Yes, my wife made me promise to NOT buy her another great vintage hat in spite of my protests that the deals are tooo good to pass up.

See?! Us small sized guys have problems all of our own!

 

[steur]

I’m not shedding any tears for the poor sole who’s a size 6 3/4 and has 500 spectacular vintage hats but can only sell them for $20 each. That’s a problem I wouldn’t mind having.

Half a tear maybe if the poor soul is a size 7 ?

 

[belfastboy]

See?! Us small sized guys have problems all of our own!

Yes, there anre many days I am grateful that I have too large a head to fit all those smaller vintage hats. The shortage and expense of those hats in my size is about the only impediment to my urges!!!

 

[Snowman]

Sure, I’ll pay almost $600 to have a $5 hat shipped. How many ya got?

 

[Frunobulax]

Sure, I’ll pay almost $600 to have a $5 hat shipped. How many ya got?
View attachment 368296

Borne on the backs of virgins directly to your front door.

 

[Louis Mountbatten]

Dishonst ebay sellers used to try that trick all the time in the old days. "Here is something worth $50, folks, but I'm only selling it for $10...... plus $75 shipping." Ebay ended that for the most part when they began charging sellers their fee with shipping included as part of the basis for the fee when it used to be only the sales price excluding shipping costs.Meanwhile, ebay made millions more by hiking the seller fees just because of these few a-holes that tried to rip off buyers with outrageous shipping costs so they could pad their sale price.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Borne on the backs of virgins directly to your front door.

Virgins? A sadder but wiser girl for me.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

This Vanzina is in rough enough shape I won’t feel bad for stripping it down and having it re-blocked and made into something I might really like. Lots of potential in this old Farm hat.