Hats and social media

[Gobi]

What do you all think if the impact of social media on hats? I, like most of you probably, see all these ads on Facebook (almost more than actual posts) hat "companies" selling cool looking hats but they rarely disclose that they are made from wool. Some of them claim to be fur felt but they're selling them for like $30 so obviously that isn't rabbit fur. That's an issue since they are further skewing the quality terminologies. Most of these companies in my feed use pictures of Clint Easteood or Tom Petty. They get a lot of likes which concerns me. The ads all kind of look the same but they all have different names which leads me to believe they are foreign scammers. So the hat that the buyer recieves, if they receive anything at all, will be of poor quality causing those buyers to have a bad experience with hats. That's not good.
Next we have low quality wool and synthetic felt hats being sold at fashion stores to younger women so they can wear them for a quick insta shoot and be done with them. That doesn't seem good either.
Our fine felt lids are being thrown into the same category as these cheap hats and scams. I don't really like where this is going. Thoughts?

 

[deadlyhandsome]

What do you all think if the impact of social media on hats? I, like most of you probably, see all these ads on Facebook (almost more than actual posts) hat "companies" selling cool looking hats but they rarely disclose that they are made from wool. Some of them claim to be fur felt but they're selling them for like $30 so obviously that isn't rabbit fur. That's an issue since they are further skewing the quality terminologies. Most of these companies in my feed use pictures of Clint Easteood or Tom Petty. They get a lot of likes which concerns me. The ads all kind of look the same but they all have different names which leads me to believe they are foreign scammers. So the hat that the buyer recieves, if they receive anything at all, will be of poor quality causing those buyers to have a bad experience with hats. That's not good.
Next we have low quality wool and synthetic felt hats being sold at fashion stores to younger women so they can wear them for a quick insta shoot and be done with them. That doesn't seem good either.
Our fine felt lids are being thrown into the same category as these cheap hats and scams. I don't really like where this is going. Thoughts?

My daughter bought a wide brim wool hat by Lack of Color. She very consciously avoided asking my advice. She wears the hat with some frequency, but not every day. It’s holding its shape and she likes it. What more matters? I know it’s not a great hat, but it’s the fashion accessory she wanted and it checks all her boxes. Not all of us need quality, or rather we define quality differently. By the time the hats starts looking rough she probably will have moved on from this style of hat anyway. I’ve been trying to talk her husband, my son-in-law into trying a hat but he has no interest, but wears a ball cap now and then.

I’ve seen those social media advertisements where they use Stetson catalog photos to sell their junk hats. The hats that arrive look vastly different according to the photos I’ve seen from the purchasers.

 

[Rmccamey]

This is not really a new concept, social media just provides a (not so) new platform from which to advertise. And scammers, as we call them now, and salespeople and companies have not always been "exactly" truthful about what they are selling. Also consistent across the ages is the concept of utility and how it is defined. I don't need a Mercedes to get from point A to point B. Two generations ago, utility was buying a product and using it until the product became unusable or unsafe or the owner died. Today, utility is buying a product to meet a specific need, then the product is disposed of and/or replaced. Stated differently, the price of most low-level consumer goods is much less a percentage of income today than two generations ago because those people could not afford to replace their hats every year. My grandfather's had 2 or 3 hats their entire lifetime. I'm fortunate that I can afford and wear 2 or 3 of those same brands and styles every week!

I'll conclude by saying how fortunate we are to still have access to many of those great, old hats - even though Loungers are a small fraction of the hat buying public - and how much appreciation we should show to the custom hat makers of today who take pride and ownership of their products and put their heart and sole into learning their craft.

What do you all think if the impact of social media on hats? I, like most of you probably, see all these ads on Facebook (almost more than actual posts) hat "companies" selling cool looking hats but they rarely disclose that they are made from wool. Some of them claim to be fur felt but they're selling them for like $30 so obviously that isn't rabbit fur. That's an issue since they are further skewing the quality terminologies. Most of these companies in my feed use pictures of Clint Easteood or Tom Petty. They get a lot of likes which concerns me. The ads all kind of look the same but they all have different names which leads me to believe they are foreign scammers. So the hat that the buyer recieves, if they receive anything at all, will be of poor quality causing those buyers to have a bad experience with hats. That's not good.
Next we have low quality wool and synthetic felt hats being sold at fashion stores to younger women so they can wear them for a quick insta shoot and be done with them. That doesn't seem good either.
Our fine felt lids are being thrown into the same category as these cheap hats and scams. I don't really like where this is going. Thoughts?

 

[Edward]

I qlways report such ads to Facebook. I doubt it makes much difference, but it's something at least.

 

[shopkin]

If you go onto Facebook then you deserve what it dishes out. There is a simple solution.

 

[Who?]

I’ve been trying to talk her husband, my son-in-law into trying a hat but he has no interest, but wears a ball cap now and then.

When he is old, and a significant part of his scalp has been replaced, either by skin grafts or scar tissue, he may wish he had worn a hat.

I see a lot of old guys walking around with really gnarly-looking heads.

 

[belfastboy]

My daughter bought a wide brim wool hat by Lack of Color. She very consciously avoided asking my advice. She wears the hat with some frequency, but not every day. It’s holding its shape and she likes it. What more matters? I know it’s not a great hat, but it’s the fashion accessory she wanted and it checks all her boxes. Not all of us need quality, or rather we define quality differently. By the time the hats starts looking rough she probably will have moved on from this style of hat anyway. I’ve been trying to talk her husband, my son-in-law into trying a hat but he has no interest, but wears a ball cap now and then.

I’ve seen those social media advertisements where they use Stetson catalog photos to sell their junk hats. The hats that arrive look vastly different according to the photos I’ve seen from the purchasers.

Last year I was with my wife and we went into a hat store in a small town. She saw a Brixton straw hat for $100....really liked it.

I wanted to tell her all the things wrong with it but had the sense to keep my mouth shut and she bought it. She looks great in it, loves to wear it and if she gets another 2 seasons out of it then it is money well spent. There is room in the market for cheaper hats.

 

[belfastboy]

What do you all think if the impact of social media on hats? I, like most of you probably, see all these ads on Facebook (almost more than actual posts) hat "companies" selling cool looking hats but they rarely disclose that they are made from wool. Some of them claim to be fur felt but they're selling them for like $30 so obviously that isn't rabbit fur. That's an issue since they are further skewing the quality terminologies. Most of these companies in my feed use pictures of Clint Easteood or Tom Petty. They get a lot of likes which concerns me. The ads all kind of look the same but they all have different names which leads me to believe they are foreign scammers. So the hat that the buyer recieves, if they receive anything at all, will be of poor quality causing those buyers to have a bad experience with hats. That's not good.
Next we have low quality wool and synthetic felt hats being sold at fashion stores to younger women so they can wear them for a quick insta shoot and be done with them. That doesn't seem good either.
Our fine felt lids are being thrown into the same category as these cheap hats and scams. I don't really like where this is going. Thoughts?

The local print and TV did a segment on me as a custom hatter. Previous to the exposure all my hat making business was on line. Afterwards all the clients popped out of nowhere.
They were guys that wore hats, most of them cheap hats as that is all that is available locally. They had no idea such a thing as a custom hat makers existed and to find one just up the street from them was a revelation. I think if a man buys a cheap hat, hates the hat but discovers he loves wearing hats there is a chance he may venture further afield and upgrade to a better hat. I think there is just as much chance of these cheap hats helping to grow the hat wearing market as it has to squash it.

 

[hambone71]

The local print and TV did a segment on me as a custom hatter. Previous to the exposure all my hat making business was on line. Afterwards all the clients popped out of nowhere.
They were guys that wore hats, most of them cheap hats as that is all that is available locally. They had no idea such a thing as a custom hat makers existed and to find one just up the street from them was a revelation. I think if a man buys a cheap hat, hates the hat but discovers he loves wearing hats there is a chance he may venture further afield and upgrade to a better hat. I think there is just as much chance of these cheap hats helping to grow the hat wearing market as it has to squash it.

I started out years ago wearing readily available department store hats such as Scala and Dorfman Pacific and thought I was hot to trot. Then I found this place and starting learning about quality and styles and realized that the $30/$40/$50 mall hats were way overpriced for what I was getting. So, yes, I agree that the cheap hats can absolutely lead to an interesting journey toward quality hats.

I see ads on FB too for cheap novelty looking western hats. They usually show a pic of Kevin Costner from a Yellowstone scene to try and sell their junk.

 

[belfastboy]

I started out years ago wearing readily available department store hats such as Scala and Dorfman Pacific and thought I was hot to trot. Then I found this place and starting learning about quality and styles and realized that the $30/$40/$50 mall hats were way overpriced for what I was getting. So, yes, I agree that the cheap hats can absolutely lead to an interesting journey toward quality hats.

I see ads on FB too for cheap novelty looking western hats. They usually show a pic of Kevin Costner from a Yellowstone scene to try and sell their junk.

I bought my first hat about 60 years ago a black stingy brim.....I think it cost me $10 which was a about a days wages for me as a 12 year old kid. I thought I was the coolest kid on the block. Skip ahead many years and my next hat was a $50 Stetson that didn't last very long. Finding this Lounge has cost me a lot more than a few days wages but damn it is a fun journey.

 

[Who?]

Evidently I have transgressed, and one of my posts was disappeared.

I shall endeavor to do better, but I will add that it was my first.

 

[Rmccamey]

Finding this Lounge has cost me a lot more than a few days wages but damn it is a fun journey.

Excellent observation. Like the old adage about "free kittens", right!

 

[hambone71]

Excellent observation. Like the old adage about "free kittens", right!

+1

 

[Gary in NC]

My daughter bought a wide brim wool hat by Lack of Color. She very consciously avoided asking my advice. She wears the hat with some frequency, but not every day. It’s holding its shape and she likes it. What more matters? I know it’s not a great hat, but it’s the fashion accessory she wanted and it checks all her boxes. Not all of us need quality, or rather we define quality differently. By the time the hats starts looking rough she probably will have moved on from this style of hat anyway. I’ve been trying to talk her husband, my son-in-law into trying a hat but he has no interest, but wears a ball cap now and then.

I’ve seen those social media advertisements where they use Stetson catalog photos to sell their junk hats. The hats that arrive look vastly different according to the photos I’ve seen from the purchasers.

Last summer I saw one of those ads selling "Stratoliners" by name, and using Stetson catalog pics like you said. All the comments were very positive too. It was crazy - everybody just gushing about how great they were. I posted a comment calling them out, asking if Stetson actually gave them permission to use their trademarks and images to sell knockoffs that were made outside of the USA. My post was deleted within the hour and I was blocked from posting anything further. They finally went away, probably banned by FB, but then shortly reappeared with the exact same ad with a different company name selling "Stratoliners". The idiotic comment section was aglow with praise for them.

 

[Who?]

Last summer I saw one of those ads selling "Stratoliners" by name, and using Stetson catalog pics like you said. All the comments were very positive too. It was crazy - everybody just gushing about how great they were. I posted a comment calling them out, asking if Stetson actually gave them permission to use their trademarks and images to sell knockoffs that were made outside of the USA. My post was deleted within the hour and I was blocked from posting anything further. They finally went away, probably banned by FB, but then shortly reappeared with the exact same ad with a different company name selling "Stratoliners". The idiotic comment section was aglow with praise for them.

Some folks just don’t know any better, and never will.

You can’t protect ‘em from themselves.

 

[belfastboy]

Some folks just don’t know any better, and never will.

You can’t protect ‘em from themselves.

What is that quip...."Remove the warning labels and let Darwinism sort it out"

 

[Who?]

Whenever I read the Darwin awards, I don’t know whether to laugh or shake my head.

 

[Edward]

Last summer I saw one of those ads selling "Stratoliners" by name, and using Stetson catalog pics like you said. All the comments were very positive too. It was crazy - everybody just gushing about how great they were. I posted a comment calling them out, asking if Stetson actually gave them permission to use their trademarks and images to sell knockoffs that were made outside of the USA. My post was deleted within the hour and I was blocked from posting anything further. They finally went away, probably banned by FB, but then shortly reappeared with the exact same ad with a different company name selling "Stratoliners". The idiotic comment section was aglow with praise for them.

I'd be wary of writing that off as people knowing no better - in all likelihood, the factory knocking out whatever it is you'd receive of you actually ordered the product (assuming it wasn't a total scam from top to bottom and you received anything at all, that is) have a marketing team posting most of those positive responses themselves under various dummy accounts. It's a pain, but all you can do is keep reporting these things to Facebook. I wish FB were forced to be more answerable about these things when it's clearly a scam and they gets reports it is such.

 

[JeffOYB]

The fake hat companies have really come on strong in the last month, i wd say. and they are proliferating. These arent just cheap hats or party fun hats. These are scam companies. People are not getting the hats that they order. Lots of ppl are complaining to online fraud sites. In short, theyre giving hats a bad name. Cheap is fine. But they dont get what they ordered -- the look is different. I noticed a >distressed< hat scam seller -- and the reviews are that customers are NOT getting distressed-looking hats but instead strange small things. It seems very strange. I havent followed it in complete detail but it seems bad. I suppose we can all just report em when we see em. Can we be confident they are all of the same ilk or related? None are doing reasonable cheap-hat service, correct? This is worse than that. Thats my take on it. Has anyone found a legit cheap-hat company in the bunch yet? The sad sad thing is that i just LOVE seeing pics of hats! The scammers use some nice pics! The distressed hats look cool! Its the first time Ive seen so many hat pics on FB and its sad that I have to report them all... boo

 

[JeffOYB]

I love seeing hat ads in my FB stream. Hats are nice to see. The images look good. TOO BAD THEY ARE FAKE SCAmS! ...Spoils the whole thing. Why cant we have nice things? It would be nice if there was a renaissance of access for sellers of wonderful hats. Oh but they couldnt be listing them for $30... It gives free enterprise a bad rap if crime is the only thing that pays... ARGH!