Fedora Lounge classifieds

[Pater Familias]

Just wondered why members posting hats for sale go almost immediately to eBay?

I belong to several music-related forums and it seems more common to try to sell it to another member of the community and only go to eBay as a latter resort.

Just curious.

 

[Dinerman]

Why sell on ebay?

Quite simply, you can generally get higher prices there.

I don't like naming a price.
I feel hat prices can be a bit insane, and though I have no problem taking that money when the price is named willingly in an auction format by the buyer, I have a very hard time actually asking for it. On 90% of the hats I sell, I would never pay the price someone else is willing to pay.

And as far as naming a price goes, there is no rough standard value for hats like there are for cars and instruments. It's hard enough to correctly identify and date exactly what a hat is. Price depends on size, brand, quality, identifiable model name, popularity (on this board), color, condition, and precisely who sees it. Presentation is everything. A lot of hats, even ones sold by members of the lounge are poorly represented, so the buyer, even if they're educated in hats, does not know precisely what they're getting. Even if you've done the research and know exactly what you have, you can't look up the blue book value for a gray 1952 7-3/8 Stetson Playboy with two small moth bites. It doesn't exist. It hasn't been agreed upon, and with all the makers and models over the years, it's fairly rare in the grand scheme to even find two hats that are exactly the same to give any point of comparison.

People want a deal. I know I do. I usually don't touch anything over $30 or so if I'm going to be the one wearing it. Part of the fun is the hunt. Looking for that deal, and finding it. I just sold a hat for $513 on ebay. I would never in a million years asked that price had I posted a classified, and I'm sure if I did no one would touch it. I could have posted it to the classifieds for $200 and had it sit for months with maybe a few "nice hats" and a couple lowball offers but no sale. Or I could post it to ebay, as I did, and make good money and have it sold in a week.

As far as trying to keep these things within "the community", remember- The Fedora Lounge has over 12,000 members. Posting to the classifieds takes practically the same risk as casting it into the waters of the eBay, though the high prices which are commanded on the auction site, provided you take the care to list thoughtfully keep the price up, thereby hopefully assuring it goes into the hands of someone who will appreciate it.

 

[Brent Hutto]

So basically the Lounge classifieds serve as an advertisement for the fact that an item is headed to eBay? [huh]

 

[Pater Familias]

You can generally get much higher prices on ebay.

I suspected as much. I haven't been a member very long, but I'd like to see the following if you post an ad on TFL:

- if you post here for a set price first and subsequently announce it's going to ebay, you'd agree to sell it to another member of TFL at a Buy-it-Now price equal to the original price.

- if you simply post an en eBay link you'll include a BiN price for members responding to your ad on here.

Just my two cents.

 

[Mike K.]

So basically the Lounge classifieds serve as an advertisement for the fact that an item is headed to eBay? [huh]

I wouldn't go so far as to say that. There are a number of items in the classified section that never make it to Ebay, as many of us prefer to sell/buy/trade with fellow Fedora Loungers. Some people just choose to post their links to an Ebay auction (many times after initially offering their items here at the FL).

 

[rlk]

I suspected as much. I haven't been a member very long, but I'd like to see the following if you post an ad on TFL:

- if you post here for a set price first and subsequently announce it's going to ebay, you'd agree to sell it to another member of TFL at a Buy-it-Now price equal to the original price.

- if you simply post an en eBay link you'll include a BiN price for members responding to your ad on here.

Just my two cents.

Nice idea but if there are any ebay bids you cannot simply sell to another and cancel the auction. Listing on ebay also incurs fees.

 

[Pater Familias]

Nice idea but if there are any ebay bids you cannot simply sell to another and cancel the auction. Listing on ebay also incurs fees.

"If there are 12 hours or more before the end of the listing, you can end the listing early without restrictions. If there are any bids on your item when you end the listing, you’ll be asked whether you want to cancel the bids or sell the item to the high bidder."

 

[Brent Hutto]

I wouldn't go so far as to say that. There are a number of items in the classified section that never make it to Ebay, as many of us prefer to sell/buy/trade with fellow Fedora Loungers. Some people just choose to post their links to an Ebay auction (many times after initially offering their items here at the FL).

Well good. I thought maybe I had missed the point when I pick up that nice navy blue Christy's Marlborough off the classifieds a few weeks back.

 

[Not-Bogart13]

I think we should try to think back upon the last couple of years. It used to be that almost every ebay item posted in the classifieds had been offered previously to just FL members, but many things sold before having to do that. Over time, fewer and fewer items have been selling and must be posted on ebay. At this point, quite a few are probably skipping what has become a near-useless step. Great stuff shows up and lingers for weeks, even months.

Also, if you are selling for financial reasons, you might feel guilty trying to get a big price from friends... even internet friends. If some poor schlub overpays on ebay? Oh, well. [huh]

 

[gtdean48]

I think they serve 2 different focuses. TFL classified is if you have a set price & ebay is for letting the market set your selling price. Some folks did make me an offer type listings on TFL. I tried one & bartenders said no-dice. I've sold hats both ways & will usually offer a hat at an asking price on TFL Classified & if no takers, take it to ebay. Others let ebay set the price & notify the Lounge they have a listing.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

.



Some say that eBay's http://clothing.shop.ebay.com/Mens-Hats-/163619/i.html?_npmv=3 section is basically an external section of the Fedora Lounge.


.

 

[rlk]

"If there are 12 hours or more before the end of the listing, you can end the listing early without restrictions. If there are any bids on your item when you end the listing, you’ll be asked whether you want to cancel the bids or sell the item to the high bidder."

If it is early enough you can do it but you will still be charged the fees and be on the record as having cancelled an auction. Also screwing any who have placed bids which may actually be higher. Some FL Classifieds sales don't actually follow through(nothing binding). The classifieds also only seem to work for bargain sales or very special items--both of which would probably do better on ebay.

 

[bigbjorn]

I think the thing is - on many message boards, the classifieds are an extension of the community there - they are preferred to ebay because the hassle is perceived as lower, the transactions easier, the likelihood of satisfaction from both buyer and seller are better. That doesn't seem to be true here, and I do think that's a bit unfortunate. I'd certainly prefer to buy from Loungers than random sellers on Ebay.

 

[carldelo]

I have no desire to buy/sell on ebay, and specifically don't want a Paypal account (just too dangerous/tempting, if you know what I mean). If I have a hat to sell, it will be here or nowhere. I have been surprised in the recent past by members posting a hat for 24 hours or less before becoming impatient and shifting it to ebay. I figure it's going to take at least a couple of weeks, which I'm willing to put up with to avoid the ebay experience. I would never buy from ebay, but would from a lounge member whom I would generally trust to tell me the truth about the hat in question. I guess it just depends on how patient vs. desperate the seller is.
PS recently I sold two hats on the classifieds here - both took longer that an ebay auction, but were smooth and congenial transactions...

 

[kaosharper1]

So basically the Lounge classifieds serve as an advertisement for the fact that an item is headed to eBay? [huh]

I have bought and traded hats directly on the classifieds. Its a mixture of ebay advertising and direct sales.

 

[Pater Familias]

Personally I think this is a healthy discussion.

I don't mind folks going to eBay, but hell don't do it after 14 hrs (most of them overnight) like one ad for a hat I'd love to have bought from a fellow member.

Just my two more cents...that makes four cents now for me.

 

[Guttersnipe]

I long ago gave up on selling through the FL classifieds. In the past I've had to deal with a certain flake factor (people replying "dibs" in the thread, but then never following up, or even worse, PM'ing me to buy only to change their mind, etc.). Alas, I'm thinning out my vintage suit collection as we speak, and ikely going straight to eBay with the whole lot of it.

 

[Pater Familias]

I long ago gave up on selling through the FL classifieds. In the past I've had to deal with a certain flake factor (people replying "dibs" in the thread, but then never following up, or even worse, PM'ing me to buy only to change their mind, etc.). Alas, I'm thinning out my vintage suit collection as we speak, and ikely going straight to eBay with the whole lot of it.

That's cool, but why not just go to eBay and not place an ad here saying, 'hey, I'm selling this cool stuff guys, but you'll have to wait 7 days before you might be able to buy it somewhere else.' I just get sick of looking through the new classifieds just to discover a bunch of ebay links. Maybe I'm the only one.

On The Gear Page (musician site) we pay a monthly or yearly subscription to post in the classifieds. It's pretty cheap, like $12 for a year. Might weed out some things.

 

[Pater Familias]

So when a fellow lounger has a hat for sale on ebay, you do NOT want to know about it ? Personally, I PREFER to buy hats from loungers, whether on ebay or not. It looks like you've been having to go through all this pain here for almost two months now - I am sorry for any ebay links I have posted that have contributed to it!

We had managed to keep this on an adult, intellectual level. Congratulations on really burning me good. You are so cool.

 

[frussell]

eBay is just sometimes easier

I've sold and traded here a few times. It's been a pleasure overall, but I've encountered what Guttersnipe was talking about too. In the last few months, I've had three different classifieds answered with "Consider It Sold," or "It's Mine!" type PMs, only to have the buyer change their mind later. If I tell someone "It's Mine," I mean that I will take it, no ifs, ands or buts about it. The same goes for me if I tell that buyer it's theirs. eBay can be a crummy place sometimes, but it weeds out the over-eager buyers who don't read the ads completely, and a lot of the tire-kickers who take you through the process of more pictures, more detailed measurements and descriptions only to decide it wasn't what they were looking for anyway. Not a knock on fellow Lounge members at all, everyone gets carried away, but at least on eBay, the terms are pretty concrete. I try to price everything I sell here at least 15 to 20% lower than what I ask on eBay, just as a courtesy to fellow hat enthusiasts, and because I value the community here. Frank.