Is this for real?

[mingoslim]

I had a friend send me the following link to a completed auction at OFAS . . .

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320124900046&ssPageName=ADME:B:EF:US:2

Can you beleive the selling price?
Is this for real?

I am simply stunned!

 

[besdor]

Here is a classic example of someone who did not know what they were getting. This hat new, costs 125.00 and is made today. It could also be an example of a seller manipulating the bidding price by using another ID. I've seen this happen before.


Steven
www.bencrafthats.com

 

[Tango Yankee]

Amazing, isn't it?

I watched the auction out of curiosity. I wasn't interested in the hat at all as it was fairly obvious it wasn't vintage. At least, obvious to someone like me who has been a member of the Lounge for 6 months and paying attention to what was being said!

The seller really piled it high and deep, too! The visual insinuation of vintage with the use of the hat box as a prop was pretty good. That's going to be one very annoyed buyer if he (or she) figures out he's been had! Not that there will be any recourse in this case. The actual description of the hat was spot-on and no actual reference to age was made. The hat-pin was a dead give-away, though.

Cheers,
Tom

 

[mingoslim]

I own a Downs . . .

Bought it in Chicago last winter for $80 . . . It was my rain and snow hat last winter.

But now I think I am going to eBay it . . . I will be happy to get my $80 back, and will invest anything above and beyond in an AB or one of Mr Fawcett's finest

 

[scotrace]

Membership in Fedora Lounge: a Good Thing.

 

[Bud-n-Texas]

All I can say, is "I hope he got kissed"

 

[warbird]

Some people just get way too wrapped up in the auction. i have seen this happen in other areas as well. CigarBid is an online cigar auction site and JR Cigars has one as well. I regularly see people bid more for the price of a box of cigars than the regularly suggested price. They pay whatever they bid too.

Now on JR the bids are kind of a joke, as Lew Rothmann has set up the system so that you never pay more for the cigars than his regular price. So technically if you want to, you can bid $10,000 for a box and win the cigars and pay full retail instead. But why bother, just order them at on sale prices.

On ebay, you're stupid, it could cost ya big.

 

[HamletJSD]

Thanks for FL

I am glad to be slowly learning ... I'd never have paid that price, but could easily pay too much. Without some of the knowledge I am picking up here on the lounge, I likely would have already made a few mistakes.
You have to admit that the hat looks pretty darn sharp as presented.

 

[feltfan]

Interesting that it was presented with a vintage box.

Also interesting that Stetson is using brown sweatbands
and has brought back a classic logo for the liner. The hat
does carry some of the hallmarks of a a vintage Stetson,
though sadly without the associated quality.

 

[Tango Yankee]

Interesting that it was presented with a vintage box.

This was salesmanship at it's best! He took a product, presented it very well (the only embellishments would be in the bit about the Stetson Company and how they make their hats, but not about the hat itself), started it out with a low price, and the bidders took it from there. :eusa_doh:

The primary difference between this auction and other auctions the same seller is running is that in this one he (or she--no way to tell) did not make any reference as to the likely age of the hat.

My hat's off to the guy, so to speak. :eusa_clap

Cheers,
Tom

 

[Tango Yankee]

Membership in Fedora Lounge: a Good Thing.

Absolutely! As a newby I wouldn't have bid near that much on a hat. It's only due to what I've learned here supplemented by my growing experience that I finally started bidding large amounts for hats I particularly wanted. Without the knowledge I've gained here (from so many willing and eager to share--thanks, everyone! :eusa_clap ) I wouldn't have the confidence to bid like that.

Cheers,
Tom

 

[DOUGLAS]

It is always a good idea to use other hats as reference. I still do. I feel bad for the buyer as he/she could have gotten a great hat or hats for that price, but the seller new how to sell. The studio ambiant lighting and the box all made a nice image and the copy is very creative with out any real info.

 

[carouselvic]

more scams

tango yankee that black open road you bought this week was offerer to me as a second chance, no doubt it is a scam, but they sure look real

 

[Feraud]

All that money and the hat box was not included.

 

[Tango Yankee]

tango yankee that black open road you bought this week was offerer to me as a second chance, no doubt it is a scam, but they sure look real

Definite scam--be sure to report it to eBay!

BTW, that hat is a perfect example of what I meant about having the confidence to bid big on a hat I want due to what I've learned here! If I'm correct, it's not a very early OR (plastic shield in top of crown) but early enough to still be a quality hat (1/4 size designation brown sweat, solid liner.)

Or, I could be entirely wrong and ignorance is bliss! lol

Cheers,
Tom

 

[Rick Blaine]

The seller really piled it high and deep, too!

The copy in the auction, save the final paragraph, was lifted almost verbatim from the Stetson website, so it is really Stetson who's piling it high & deep.

The visual insinuation of vintage with the use of the hat box as a prop was pretty good. That's going to be one very annoyed buyer if he (or she) figures out he's been had!

No one has been "had". The box is a prop. There is nothing, either explicit nor implicit, that suggests "vintage", no representation that would likely mislead buyers acting reasonably under the circumstances, perhaps if the item was listed in the vintage category, in fact as you noted, there is no reference to age at all, nowhere in the copy does the word "vintage", "classic" or even "old" appear. And in the final line of copy it is quite explicitly stated that "the antique vintage Stetson box is not included".

When I am a photographer & I spend hours shooting food to make it look more appetizing than it really is, that represents real skill, real talent, real experience and real training. I am paid accordingly because those skills, talents, experience & training will help sell more of the client's product.
Take a trip over to McDonalds or Burger King. Look at the photos on the menu board and compare to the burger that you buy. Would you call those photos an honest representation of the hamburger they produce?
Advertising is all about creating a need in the target audience where that need didn't exist before. It doesn't matter whether you're selling burgers, SUVs or the church.




Caveat emptor

 

[Orgetorix]

That's one beautiful auction!

 

[Tango Yankee]

The copy in the auction, save the final paragraph, was lifted almost verbatim from the Stetson website, so it is really Stetson who's piling it high & deep.
No one has been "had". The box is a prop. There is nothing, either explicit nor implicit, that suggests "vintage", no representation that would likely mislead buyers acting reasonably under the circumstances, perhaps if the item was listed in the vintage category, in fact as you noted, there is no reference to age at all, nowhere in the copy does the word "vintage", "classic" or even "old" appear. And in the final line of copy it is quite explicitly stated that "the antique vintage Stetson box is not included".

When I am a photographer & I spend hours shooting food to make it look more appetizing than it really is, that represents real skill, real talent, real experience and real training. I am paid accordingly because those skills, talents, experience & training will help sell more of the client's product.
Take a trip over to McDonalds or Burger King. Look at the photos on the menu board and compare to the burger that you buy. Would you call those photos an honest representation of the hamburger they produce?
Advertising is all about creating a need in the target audience where that need didn't exist before. It doesn't matter whether you're selling burgers, SUVs or the church.




Caveat emptor

Touchy subject?

What I was referring to as far as piling it high and deep was putting in a lot of info about the company, rather than the hat itself. As I said, he was spot-on about the hat. I've not perused the Stetson site itself lately, so didn't know it came from there. Not surprised, though.

As for the seller being had, well, he was... he took the bait, hook, line, and sinker. He was given a sales pitch and he bought it. The use of a vintage box as a prop was a very good move. Whether you think so or not, it does add the connotation of vintage to the scene. As you should know being in the business, props or backgrounds or other means are often used to create an association with a product that's not necessarily accurate. As you will read in a later post of mine, I also said this was an outstanding bit of salesmanship. At no point did I say the seller did anything wrong. Quite the contrary.

Once the buyer figures out what happened (assuming they do) they're going to feel like they were taken for a ride despite the fact it was their own lack of knowledge that provided the fuel for the transportation.

As for your question regarding the burgers shown in advertisements compared to what you really get, the answer is of course no. I know this through experience. If I were to walk into a fast-food place for the first time in my life and see those photos, that's what I'd be expecting. I'd be sorely disappointed when it wasn't and I'd feel like I'd been had. I'd have also learned a lesson, just as the buyer of this hat stands to learn a lesson.

Caveat emptor, indeed!

Cheers,
Tom

 

[HamletJSD]

Everything you said is correct, Rick. I think what I would lament most is the lack of knowledge in the consumer.

In a capitalist, market-driven society such as ours, supply and demand set prices (a very good thing considering some of the alternatives). This seller did nothing wrong UNLESS, as suggested, he had a cohort driving up the price.

The only difference between your examples and the hat listed here is that this item is more easily confused for something rare and unattainable. No Big Mac will go for $85 at auction, because everyone knows you can get one for two bucks right up the street. That being said, though, there's nothing wrong with making your product look as desirable as possible.

Anyway, (long story short) I think the thread was started in the spirit of saying "know what you're buying before you bid" and not "hey, look at this weasel who's trying to con people." Just my two cents.

 

[Feraud]

The seller did his job selling the hat. Aside from some nonsense about Stetson's customization of each hat to the seller's measurments, he did not lie about the hat. Then again, he said very little about that lid.