Is the vintage hat market dead?

[Chiliarches]

Howdy, all.

I have a decent collection of beautiful vintage hats that I no longer wear...so I will probably sell most of them over the coming months.

I popped over to the classifieds section to see what was listed...since I haven't really engaged on the forum in a decade...and I see almost no hats listed on the first three or four pages. Does no one buy and sell old hats anymore?

 

[jonesy86]

What size ya got?

 

[Chiliarches]

What size ya got?

7-1/8, mostly.

Stetson, Adam, Dobbs, Knox, a bunch of other makers I can't remember. All pretty good.

Example of a good one: an electric blue Stetson Stratoliner.

But going back to the original question...are all the hat acquirers/collectors out of the game?

 

[deadlyhandsome]

There are a lot of us who buy vintage hats. The classifieds are full of leather jackets, boots, etc., but hats are occasionally listed. To be honest, I usually get more when I sell via eBay, even after paying the fees. eBay also offers additional protections for both parties. I’ll sell directly here on TFL to members I know and trust, but not to just anyone.

There are fewer vintage hats being bought but that’s because there are fewer vintage hats being sold anywhere. I scour the markets pretty thoroughly and I can go months without finding a nice hat that fits me and I can go months without finding any hat in a size that begins with a “7” that was made prior to 1950.

List your hats: I’m sure there will be interest.

 

[Trenchfriend]

Market saturated, as with everything else.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Market saturated, as with everything else.

You think the market is saturated? I think it’s 100% a supply issue. There is a finite and ever decreasing number of vintage hats. As time goes on, there will be fewer and fewer of the vintage hats we seek and those that do show up go for ever higher prices: supply and demand at work. The vintage hat market isn’t saturated, it’s hungry for product that just isn’t there. The cost of decent vintage hats has increased at a rate that far outpaces inflation.

 

[Frunobulax]

My .02¢, is that this particular market is not the best place to sell a hat. We have fewer members posting than in the past, particularly in the hat forums. While our members are appreciative of a good vintage hat, there are likely no more than a dozen or so "customers" for any given hat.

It seems that, other than eBay, Facebook marketplace has become somewhat popular for some of our members.

 

[belfastboy]

You think the market is saturated? I think it’s 100% a supply issue. There is a finite and ever decreasing number of vintage hats. As time goes on, there will be fewer and fewer of the vintage hats we seek and those that do show up go for ever higher prices: supply and demand at work. The vintage hat market isn’t saturated, it’s hungry for product that just isn’t there. The cost of decent vintage hats has increased at a rate that far outpaces inflation.

I stopped the 'hunt' for vintage a few years back as there was so much crap out there and I don't possess the patience to sift through the chaff to get to the good bits. If I buy vintage it will be from here on the Lounge, from a known quality seller such as you, or Scott on Etsy, or MiamiBruno on Ebay. Even if I pay a premium for it at least I know I am getting quality and honesty and in the long run quite likely better value regardless the price.

 

[Dotneck]

I'm also kind a of new to the buying and selling of vintage hats. I've recently acquired a bunch of nice quality vintage hats that don't fit me...too small. Most are 6 7/8. I had nice old Stetson one reblocked so it would fit my 7 1/8.

I would like to sell mine too...but I'm having trouble setting a price. I can't figure out if the hat is not drawing interest of if the price is too high. What's a price range to try if listing a nice hat?

BTW...I might be interested in the blue Stratoliner in 7 1/8.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I'm also kind a of new to the buying and selling of vintage hats. I've recently acquired a bunch of nice quality vintage hats that don't fit me...too small. Most are 6 7/8. I had nice old Stetson one reblocked so it would fit my 7 1/8.

I would like to sell mine too...but I'm having trouble setting a price. I can't figure out if the hat is not drawing interest of if the price is too high. What's a price range to try if listing a nice hat?

BTW...I might be interested in the blue Stratoliner in 7 1/8.

Hat sizes that start with a 6 are tough to move at any price.

 

[belfastboy]

I'm also kind a of new to the buying and selling of vintage hats. I've recently acquired a bunch of nice quality vintage hats that don't fit me...too small. Most are 6 7/8. I had nice old Stetson one reblocked so it would fit my 7 1/8.

I would like to sell mine too...but I'm having trouble setting a price. I can't figure out if the hat is not drawing interest of if the price is too high. What's a price range to try if listing a nice hat?

BTW...I might be interested in the blue Stratoliner in 7 1/8.

I don't sell many hats on Ebay but I am a bicycle collector that has sold a ton on Ebay. Setting the price for vintage or collectibles is truly a crap shoot. To me the advantage of Ebay is that if I put the item on true auction the world's marketplace will tell me the correct price for the item in that snapshot in time.
There is no proper price or correct value for anything really it is just a matter of what a willing buyer and a willing seller agree upon and thus the advantage of a true Ebay auction.

 

[Dotneck]

To me the advantage of Ebay is that if I put the item on true auction the world's marketplace will tell me the correct price for the item in that snapshot in time.
There is no proper price or correct value for anything really it is just a matter of what a willing buyer and a willing seller agree upon and thus the advantage of a true Ebay auction.

I haven't sold anything on ebay in decades (when I liquidated a bunch of commercial photography gear.) Maybe its time to set up my account again...and pay ebay and paypal their cut...

 

[belfastboy]

I haven't sold anything on ebay in decades (when I liquidated a bunch of commercial photography gear.) Maybe its time to set up my account again...and pay ebay and paypal their cut...

The downside is the cut these days is much more substantial than in days past.

 

[Mcox47]

Here's another 7 1/8 guy interested. Knox, Dobbs or Cavanagh all welcome. Post a few and the experts here (not me) can better help you.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

The downside is the cut these days is much more substantial than in days past.

eBay is still a bargain compared to an auction house. They are a for-profit business and I don’t begrudge them a share of the sale. In exchange I get a worldwide market and some protections.

I recently bought a hat on Etsy that was not as described so I opened a case. Etsy told me that I’d have to take it up with PayPal and Etsy didn’t help at all. eBay does a much better job at dispute resolution.

I’ve also had hats languish on eBay for months with no interest and then all of a sudden someone will buy it for full price. Getting them in front of the right people at the right time is critical so I usually don’t start with a price that’s less than what I’m comfortable with it selling for. I’ve also had hats that haven’t received any bids in 4+ one-week cycles and then one person bids and then by the end of the auction it’s gathered 15 bids and sold for three times my opening price. The market is fickle.

 

[jonesy86]

7-1/8, mostly.

Stetson, Adam, Dobbs, Knox, a bunch of other makers I can't remember. All pretty good.

Example of a good one: an electric blue Stetson Stratoliner.

But going back to the original question...are all the hat acquirers/collectors out of the game?

I am always on the look out for a Pre 70s vintage 7 1/2.

 

[Just Daniel]

I spend most of my time on Stetsons, and the market is pretty hot. There may be less hats in the classifieds because folks are getting a better response on eBay. Those who want to keep hats in the Lounge family more often send personal messages.

I’m a 7 1/8. Any <1950s Stetsons you have will get my attention!

Dan

7-1/8, mostly.

Stetson, Adam, Dobbs, Knox, a bunch of other makers I can't remember. All pretty good.

Example of a good one: an electric blue Stetson Stratoliner.

But going back to the original question...are all the hat acquirers/collectors out of the game?

 

[Edward]

You think the market is saturated? I think it’s 100% a supply issue. There is a finite and ever decreasing number of vintage hats. As time goes on, there will be fewer and fewer of the vintage hats we seek and those that do show up go for ever higher prices: supply and demand at work. The vintage hat market isn’t saturated, it’s hungry for product that just isn’t there. The cost of decent vintage hats has increased at a rate that far outpaces inflation.

Over here it's certainly true that the market has dropped off for our notion of "vintage" - plenty of forties nights and other 'vintage' events dropping off. The kids now in their early twenties increasingly seem to be more interested in the eighties. Much of the retro market is now firmly in the hatless era. That said, I'd agree that while the market isn't growing, I don't think it has shrunk significantly enough for that to account for shortage. What I think is happening is that most remaining vintage stock (and every year, some are lost to damage, moths, and whatever) gradually ends up in the hands of collectors, in whose hands it either remains long term or changes hands privately on increasingly rare occasion. Personally, I've moved away from vintage to look pretty much exclusively for repro. What's always mattered to me is the style; I can appreciate vintage, but what I'm really looking for is 'wardrobe', stuff I can take out and wear on a daily basis without worrying about it. I wonder - if I'm not alone - if that hasn't also had an impact in changing the nature of the market: if it's all collectors who are after very specific details of a dwindling supply (particular colour, label, whatever), does that add to the general notion of "rare collectible" that helps to push the price up to what a very specific market with a different appreciation is prepared to spend?

I haven't sold anything on ebay in decades (when I liquidated a bunch of commercial photography gear.) Maybe its time to set up my account again...and pay ebay and paypal their cut...

I remember when I first experienced eBay's 'final valuation fee' - that was a kick in the teeth compared to the old days when you paid a few more pennies for each option in the auction (such as more than one photo, buy it now, and so on) and you got a second go for free if it didn't sell first time.... I've not sold anything on eBay in a while, but for many things they're the only realistic option. Certainly not a place to sell low-value items the way it once was (DVDs especially), but for many things I've yet to find a marketplace as big, or as 'protected'. I have defected for buying a few things to Aliexpress, but I tend to keep my purchases low value there as returns and such are a hassle and there's a bit less of a guarantee of legitimacy. That said, if what you want are some cheap bits and pieces where it's not a big financial risk, it can be a route to find for much less a lot of the items regularly now showing up on eBay at a much higher price from more localised sellers. The Aliexpress buyer protection can be pretty good as well. That said, it's only available to the likes of us as a buyer...

Etsy I use a lot for handcrafted items, often nicer than ebay, and they have some very good vintage sellers. The flipside there is the search tool is very primitive compared to eBay's, so the buyer is much more likely to be scrolling through endless listings, and isn't quite as easily reached...

All in all, ebay is what it is, and for the market it reaches probably still worth using, though if they complete their desired evolution towards being a place for businesses to sell high volume, low value units, I suspect they'll end up losing out as the competition is much greater there.

 

[belfastboy]

Over here it's certainly true that the market has dropped off for our notion of "vintage" - plenty of forties nights and other 'vintage' events dropping off. The kids now in their early twenties increasingly seem to be more interested in the eighties. Much of the retro market is now firmly in the hatless era. That said, I'd agree that while the market isn't growing, I don't think it has shrunk significantly enough for that to account for shortage. What I think is happening is that most remaining vintage stock (and every year, some are lost to damage, moths, and whatever) gradually ends up in the hands of collectors, in whose hands it either remains long term or changes hands privately on increasingly rare occasion. Personally, I've moved away from vintage to look pretty much exclusively for repro. What's always mattered to me is the style; I can appreciate vintage, but what I'm really looking for is 'wardrobe', stuff I can take out and wear on a daily basis without worrying about it. I wonder - if I'm not alone - if that hasn't also had an impact in changing the nature of the market: if it's all collectors who are after very specific details of a dwindling supply (particular colour, label, whatever), does that add to the general notion of "rare collectible" that helps to push the price up to what a very specific market with a different appreciation is prepared to spend?



I remember when I first experienced eBay's 'final valuation fee' - that was a kick in the teeth compared to the old days when you paid a few more pennies for each option in the auction (such as more than one photo, buy it now, and so on) and you got a second go for free if it didn't sell first time.... I've not sold anything on eBay in a while, but for many things they're the only realistic option. Certainly not a place to sell low-value items the way it once was (DVDs especially), but for many things I've yet to find a marketplace as big, or as 'protected'. I have defected for buying a few things to Aliexpress, but I tend to keep my purchases low value there as returns and such are a hassle and there's a bit less of a guarantee of legitimacy. That said, if what you want are some cheap bits and pieces where it's not a big financial risk, it can be a route to find for much less a lot of the items regularly now showing up on eBay at a much higher price from more localised sellers. The Aliexpress buyer protection can be pretty good as well. That said, it's only available to the likes of us as a buyer...

Etsy I use a lot for handcrafted items, often nicer than ebay, and they have some very good vintage sellers. The flipside there is the search tool is very primitive compared to eBay's, so the buyer is much more likely to be scrolling through endless listings, and isn't quite as easily reached...

All in all, ebay is what it is, and for the market it reaches probably still worth using, though if they complete their desired evolution towards being a place for businesses to sell high volume, low value units, I suspect they'll end up losing out as the competition is much greater there.

Yes, the search tool on Etsy is just primitive and vexing.

 

[Daniele Tanto]

This is a topic that interests me and touches closely. I have thought about it a lot in recent months and have decided not to sell hats here anymore. I'm sorry, but too few requests, perhaps also due to transport costs from Europe, but above all a lack of interest. I also recognize that the hats I put on sale are European and the interest is not as great as for US made hats, moreover I have always practiced a very favorable pricing policy which, however, has not paid off. I also find that making cheap prices does not count because I then see mediocre hats sold at dizzying prices, but I know the market and its protagonists here on FL. I also believe that interest in vintage hats has declined with the aging of a generation and actually FL is, in my opinion, in a period of tiredness. I am working to open a small online shop for the hats I have to sell which are many and some rare and unobtainable, where fans will be able to have at hand and eyes what is available without dispersing the hats among a thousand other items of clothing. I will keep you informed