Finds and Deals - Leather Jacket Edition

[Coriu]

For the ladies...TRD leather vest like new $22 opening bid auction ends in 5 hours
https://www.ebay.com/itm/144078286046?hash=item218bbc2cde:g:c4AAAOSwqNRgBfbt

 

[handymike]

View attachment 342874 The Original Leather Line.

Not sure if here is the correct place to post for ID, anyone heard of them? View attachment 342872
60s Jacket

Yes, this was a shop in NYC's West Village (171 W. 4th St.) up until 1999 or so. I bought a jacket from them when I lived in the City. It was great quality.

edit- apparently opened in 1991
https://trademark.trademarkia.com/the-original-leather-line-est-long-agonew-york-75474014.html

 

[Will Zach]

^^
The amount of knowledge here is astounding. Wow.

 

[JMax]

Lesco CR Brown 48 (run small) $75

https://www.ebay.com/itm/LESCO-Leather-Jacket-48-/224503463268?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286

 

[Al 916]

Yes, this was a shop in NYC's West Village (171 W. 4th St.) up until 1999 or so. I bought a jacket from them when I lived in the City. It was great quality.

edit- apparently opened in 1991
https://trademark.trademarkia.com/the-original-leather-line-est-long-agonew-york-75474014.html

Thank you Mike. The trademark from 91 features a stylised man and woman, whereas the one on this jacket is just a man. I wonder if it ties in with selling unisex clothing.

 

[handymike]

Mine was just a guy too, maybe you are on to something. Never seen their womens’ label though.

 

[Leather Walker]

50's brown leather jacket, BIN $99 >> ebay.com/itm/304041926758

 

[jadub]

Wow, a shop in Japan recently did a large scale dump of many Schott jackets. I don’t know how enticingly priced they are but there may be some gems in there for someone. I just searched for Schott leather jacket.

 

[jadub]

This one looks nice but not priced as a total steal I’d say.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/174813611026?hash=item28b3b40412:g:EjMAAOSwMS1g1BFz

 

[JMax]

Vanson Highwayman 44

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Va...-/274844706485?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286

 

[Coriu]

I've been wanting to ask this for a long time. I sometimes see jackets on ebay from Japanese sellers that are priced so high it makes me wonder. Am not talking about the high-end Japanese brands that command such high prices. I've noticed this same phenomenon with a certain brand of shoes/boots..where a Japanese seller will suddenly list about 10 pairs of used shoes priced at about twice what they typically go for on ebay. Is this a function of them pricing these items at typical sale prices in Japan and/or are they clueless what the global market will bear on ebay?

 

[Monitor]

I've been wanting to ask this for a long time. I sometimes see jackets on ebay from Japanese sellers that are priced so high it makes me wonder. Am not talking about the high-end Japanese brands that command such high prices. I've noticed this same phenomenon with a certain brand of shoes/boots..where a Japanese seller will suddenly list about 10 pairs of used shoes priced at about twice what they typically go for on ebay. Is this a function of them pricing these items at typical sale prices in Japan and/or are they clueless what the global market will bear on ebay?

This has been a topic of quite a few discussions in the past with no definite reason ever being established of course but basically, it all comes down to people of Japan sometimes having an odd idea on pricing. Same as any other country I suppose but the apparent randomness of pricing indeed appears to be a little more prominent on Yahoo Auctions.
This has poured over to eBay a year or so ago, when the Japanese finally mustered enough courage to try and sell things internationally so in the beginning, you could have found the same Vanson jacket being sold by three sellers, for a price that was ranging from $300 to $1000.

This super cool member of TFL, BigJ, lives in Japan and he had often shared his insights on how things work over there. Definitely worth reading.

 

[Guppy]

I've been wanting to ask this for a long time. I sometimes see jackets on ebay from Japanese sellers that are priced so high it makes me wonder. Am not talking about the high-end Japanese brands that command such high prices. I've noticed this same phenomenon with a certain brand of shoes/boots..where a Japanese seller will suddenly list about 10 pairs of used shoes priced at about twice what they typically go for on ebay. Is this a function of them pricing these items at typical sale prices in Japan and/or are they clueless what the global market will bear on ebay?

Japan has a different set of economic circumstances than the USA. Some things that are cheap here, like watermelons, beef, or tuna, can be super expensive over there.

I'm not sure what specifically it is about leather jackets, but it does seem that certain American brands (especially Langlitz) seem to be overpriced there. It's hard to find any Langlitz in Japan for a price under $2000, and that's for a bog standard Columbia, where you can get a new Langlitz for around $1200-1500 straight from Langlitz in the USA. Designs like a padded Timberline or Sidewinder will run you around $3500-4000 in Japan. It seems the Japanese market has a lot more of the styles Langlitz offers that aren't seen as commonly as the Columbia and Cascade are in the US. The Japanese market seems to really go for the padded/quilted look and mouton collars.

Used Vanson jackets likewise often are listed at prices greater than what they list for new in the US, or close to it, although not to quite such an inflated degree. Still, you can sometimes find really good deals on Japanese jackets, that make them worth looking at even when you factor in the higher costs of shipping and dealing with proxy service fees to complete the deal.

The challenge is finding one in your size, and being able to translate the description accurately enough to feel secure that you're buying something you really want. As more western buyers become aware of the Japanese market, and compete with each other in auction bidding, this will probably change.

 

[Leigh H]

70s Suede Buco

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BUCO-Authentic-1970s-Vintage-Suede-Jacket-Dark-brown-38-Used-from-Japan-/144087577072

 

[Leigh H]

Love this 70s Belstaff Fringe

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rare-vin...-/174808107858?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286

 

[Pandemic]

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQgx4vGD42Q/?utm_medium=copy_link

The measurements look like they might work for me, but I’m scared to ask the price.

 

[Monitor]

Love this 70s Belstaff Fringe

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rare-vin...-/174808107858?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286

This is too perfect.

 

[Coriu]

This has been a topic of quite a few discussions in the past with no definite reason ever being established of course but basically, it all comes down to people of Japan sometimes having an odd idea on pricing. Same as any other country I suppose but the apparent randomness of pricing indeed appears to be a little more prominent on Yahoo Auctions.

I can understand an "occasional" seller not being aware of pricing. What perplexes me is when a Japanese seller who obviously sells a lot comes up with these crazy prices. Here is an example...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/234059268012?hash=item367f04ffac:g:5ZcAAOSwfWBgz~7Y

This seller sells a lot of American boots. I expect he is no novice and may even be quite knowledgeable about American boots. I would expect him to know that this same pair of boots new could be had for about 1/3 of the price. And Russell ships lots of boots to Japan, so it's not as if these boots are not available to the public there.

 

[Monitor]

@coiru, many of these Japanese based stores that deal in heritage clothes are actually a business, rather than an individual seller. My guess is that this seller is actually a middleman who is simply re-listing all these shoes from Yahoo Auctions or something to eBay, taking advantage of people who have no access to the Japanese market. They rarely actually have the item in possession & will physically acquire it after someone has BIN'd it - Provided it's still even available on Yahoo! Combine that with the general confusion over pricing and this is what you get.

So in reality, these sellers don't really need to have much of a clue on anything they sell (as you can see by the lack of description which is always a telltale sign you're dealing with an arbitrage trading business), other than to set the price really high, hoping for someone who can't figure out Buyee or something, will bite.

 

[Coriu]

@coiru, many of these Japanese based stores that deal in heritage clothes are actually a business, rather than an individual seller. My guess is that this seller is actually a middleman who is simply re-listing all these shoes from Yahoo Auctions or something to eBay, taking advantage of people who have no access to the Japanese market. They rarely actually have the item in possession & will physically acquire it after someone has BIN'd it - Provided it's still even available on Yahoo! Combine that with the general confusion over pricing and this is what you get.

So in reality, these sellers don't really need to have much of a clue on anything they sell (as you can see by the lack of description which is always a telltale sign you're dealing with an arbitrage trading business), other than to set the price really high, hoping for someone who can't figure out Buyee or something, will bite.

Thanks for explaining that. Is this a Japanese phenomenon or are others doing it? I don't see sellers in US functioning this way, ie jacking prices up that high.