OTHER THAN eBAY Hats: Victories, Defeats, Gripes & Items of Interest

[belfastboy]

I completely misread that as he shipped it via "virus express." Even though it's not what you said, what a fitting term for the shipping process these days. Understandably so in a lot of cases. It would have been nice if you would of been notified of the shipping situation. I hope they come earlier than expected.

Yes, I can cut a seller tons of slack given our situation. I have an order from a craftsman in Poland. When the items were ready to ship he contacted me to inform that express post was not available and my choice was via boat (I might receive it in this lifetime) or courier (at twice the cost). I informed him to hold it to see if what develops. In two weeks the express post came back and the goods arrived in Canada within days and are awaiting customs clearance. I very much appreciated the opportunity of choice.
I sent an email expressing my disappointment to the Australian supplier and received in reply an expletive laden response. I suppose he is under duress from others as well but let me say the expletive laden response was not well received at this end.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Yes, I can cut a seller tons of slack given our situation. I have an order from a craftsman in Poland. When the items were ready to ship he contacted me to inform that express post was not available and my choice was via boat (I might receive it in this lifetime) or courier (at twice the cost). I informed him to hold it to see if what develops. In two weeks the express post came back and the goods arrived in Canada within days and are awaiting customs clearance. I very much appreciated the opportunity of choice.
I sent an email expressing my disappointment to the Australian supplier and received in reply an expletive laden response. I suppose he is under duress from others as well but let me say the expletive laden response was not well received at this end.

I wonder if he knows that he lost unknown numbers of future orders? I was looking at a beaver blend and a couple rabbit felts from The Hat Makers Emporium, but not anymore. No exaggeration, I just deleted three of his hat bodies from my Etsy cart. Running a small business is tough, but if your customer service is that bad you deserve for your business to fail. Hat makers are a small group and these things rightfully get around quickly.

 

[belfastboy]

I wonder if he knows that he lost unknown numbers of future orders? I was looking at a beaver blend and a couple rabbit felts from The Hat Makers Emporium, but not anymore. No exaggeration, I just deleted three of his hat bodies from my Etsy cart. Running a small business is tough, but if your customer service is that bad you deserve for your business to fail. Hat makers are a small group and these things rightfully get around quickly.

Yes, I had high hopes for him as a supplier as he talked about this mysterious South America felt manufacturer. I am now hoping Sunrise and their lighter weight coypu bodies will fill the bill. I bought 6 Czech bunny felts from a UK milliner supply house. They are factory seconds at about $12 each. The flaws are sometimes hardly noticeable or you can work around them but you get the next ones off the pile so no guarantees. I thought for that money they would be good felts to learn on....for $12 the cost of learning becomes more affordable.

 

[belfastboy]

Yes, I can cut a seller tons of slack given our situation. I have an order from a craftsman in Poland. When the items were ready to ship he contacted me to inform that express post was not available and my choice was via boat (I might receive it in this lifetime) or courier (at twice the cost). I informed him to hold it to see if what develops. In two weeks the express post came back and the goods arrived in Canada within days and are awaiting customs clearance. I very much appreciated the opportunity of choice.
I sent an email expressing my disappointment to the Australian supplier and received in reply an expletive laden response. I suppose he is under duress from others as well but let me say the expletive laden response was not well received at this end.

Okay, this all has a happy ending. HatMakers just emailed me to advise he was confusing my shipment with another client's. Mine has not been shipped yet. We have agreed to cancel/refund and relook at it in a few months when/if things return to normal and he can ship Express Post. Chris was gracious about it all and apologized as he confused me with another client with which he was having difficulty. Happy Ending.

 

[Louis Mountbatten]

Nice point. I wonder what side the ribbon is on? I can’t tell from the pics.

There is also no sweatband, but is a full satin liner. Also indicative of women's hats of the era.

 

[BobHufford]

Picked up a stash of semi-modern hats yesterday for $10 each (they are currently in quarantine and rotating through the freezer, so I'll post pics of them in the New Hats thread when they debut). The neighborhood where these were located was very close to the Lake of the Ozarks. It had been built as one of many "villages" on the hills overlooking the lake -- nice little lake homes -- in, I would guess, the late 1950s. Apparently the neighborhood went downhill at some point and there were many abandoned houses (rotting in place), burned out shells and lots of front yards filled with tall grass, junk cars, junk yard dogs, etc. The private gravel road had not been graded in decades by all appearances (and teeth rattling). It was all a bit shocking. The fellow selling the hats (purchased at a storage locker auction) was nice enough and his trailer fairly well maintained, but we were happy to get out of there. I've lived in some bad neighborhoods in my day (including the one with the highest crime stats in Springfield shortly after we married), but this one was particularly sad. I swear I heard banjos and smelled meth. Then, after trying to find the address on Street View to show a co-worker (I guess the Google Car was afraid to go down there) I stumbled across the fact that the hat seller was a registered sex offender.

Now I'm wondering if I should "vet" these locations before I take off to pick up a "local" purchase. Do any of you do that?

On a side note, the traffic "into" the Lake of the Ozarks was bumper-to-bumper. No wonder pics like these showed up this weekend. Or maybe they were all buying hats that I missed.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I really wasn’t looking for another of this style, but it’s a “Cross Plains” rather than the “Plains” I already have (3 I think), and it’s in canyon and I really like that color.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

View attachment 237790

Picked up a stash of semi-modern hats yesterday for $10 each (they are currently in quarantine and rotating through the freezer, so I'll post pics of them in the New Hats thread when they debut). The neighborhood where these were located was very close to the Lake of the Ozarks. It had been built as one of many "villages" on the hills overlooking the lake -- nice little lake homes -- in, I would guess, the late 1950s. Apparently the neighborhood went downhill at some point and there were many abandoned houses (rotting in place), burned out shells and lots of front yards filled with tall grass, junk cars, junk yard dogs, etc. The private gravel road had not been graded in decades by all appearances (and teeth rattling). It was all a bit shocking. The fellow selling the hats (purchased at a storage locker auction) was nice enough and his trailer fairly well maintained, but we were happy to get out of there. I've lived in some bad neighborhoods in my day (including the one with the highest crime stats in Springfield shortly after we married), but this one was particularly sad. I swear I heard banjos and smelled meth. Then, after trying to find the address on Street View to show a co-worker (I guess the Google Car was afraid to go down there) I stumbled across the fact that the hat seller was a registered sex offender.

Now I'm wondering if I should "vet" these locations before I take off to pick up a "local" purchase. Do any of you do that?

On a side note, the traffic "into" the Lake of the Ozarks was bumper-to-bumper. No wonder pics like these showed up this weekend. Or maybe they were all buying hats that I missed.

View attachment 237791

View attachment 237790

Picked up a stash of semi-modern hats yesterday for $10 each (they are currently in quarantine and rotating through the freezer, so I'll post pics of them in the New Hats thread when they debut). The neighborhood where these were located was very close to the Lake of the Ozarks. It had been built as one of many "villages" on the hills overlooking the lake -- nice little lake homes -- in, I would guess, the late 1950s. Apparently the neighborhood went downhill at some point and there were many abandoned houses (rotting in place), burned out shells and lots of front yards filled with tall grass, junk cars, junk yard dogs, etc. The private gravel road had not been graded in decades by all appearances (and teeth rattling). It was all a bit shocking. The fellow selling the hats (purchased at a storage locker auction) was nice enough and his trailer fairly well maintained, but we were happy to get out of there. I've lived in some bad neighborhoods in my day (including the one with the highest crime stats in Springfield shortly after we married), but this one was particularly sad. I swear I heard banjos and smelled meth. Then, after trying to find the address on Street View to show a co-worker (I guess the Google Car was afraid to go down there) I stumbled across the fact that the hat seller was a registered sex offender.

Now I'm wondering if I should "vet" these locations before I take off to pick up a "local" purchase. Do any of you do that?

On a side note, the traffic "into" the Lake of the Ozarks was bumper-to-bumper. No wonder pics like these showed up this weekend. Or maybe they were all buying hats that I missed.

View attachment 237791

I’ve only gone to people’s homes twice to buy or look at hats. It’s almost all online for me. I have gone to homes for other items found on Craigslist. Some have been sketchy. I think a little reconnaissance and background is appropriate. You feel like sharing how you can identify the smell of meth?

 

[Rmccamey]

Nice hat, Brent. It should shape up well.

Trivia: Cross Plains, TX (about 30 miles from me) is the home of Robert Howard, the creator of Conan the Barbarian!

I really wasn’t looking for another of this style, but it’s a “Cross Plains” rather than the “Plains” I already have (3 I think), and it’s in canyon and I really like that color.

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[deadlyhandsome]

Nice hat, Brent. It should shape up well.

Trivia: Cross Plains, TX (about 30 miles from me) is the home of Robert Howard, the creator of Conan the Barbarian!

That’s a coincidence! I’m often told I look a lot like a young Arnold Schwarzenegger.

What?

 

[belfastboy]

View attachment 237790

Picked up a stash of semi-modern hats yesterday for $10 each (they are currently in quarantine and rotating through the freezer, so I'll post pics of them in the New Hats thread when they debut). The neighborhood where these were located was very close to the Lake of the Ozarks. It had been built as one of many "villages" on the hills overlooking the lake -- nice little lake homes -- in, I would guess, the late 1950s. Apparently the neighborhood went downhill at some point and there were many abandoned houses (rotting in place), burned out shells and lots of front yards filled with tall grass, junk cars, junk yard dogs, etc. The private gravel road had not been graded in decades by all appearances (and teeth rattling). It was all a bit shocking. The fellow selling the hats (purchased at a storage locker auction) was nice enough and his trailer fairly well maintained, but we were happy to get out of there. I've lived in some bad neighborhoods in my day (including the one with the highest crime stats in Springfield shortly after we married), but this one was particularly sad. I swear I heard banjos and smelled meth. Then, after trying to find the address on Street View to show a co-worker (I guess the Google Car was afraid to go down there) I stumbled across the fact that the hat seller was a registered sex offender.

Now I'm wondering if I should "vet" these locations before I take off to pick up a "local" purchase. Do any of you do that?

On a side note, the traffic "into" the Lake of the Ozarks was bumper-to-bumper. No wonder pics like these showed up this weekend. Or maybe they were all buying hats that I missed.

View attachment 237791

Always tell someone where you are going so they at least can recover a body!

 

[belfastboy]

That’s a coincidence! I’m often told I look a lot like a young Arnold Schwarzenegger.

What?

I am often accused of being a Barbarian!

 

[M Hatman]

View attachment 237790

Picked up a stash of semi-modern hats yesterday for $10 each (they are currently in quarantine and rotating through the freezer, so I'll post pics of them in the New Hats thread when they debut). The neighborhood where these were located was very close to the Lake of the Ozarks. It had been built as one of many "villages" on the hills overlooking the lake -- nice little lake homes -- in, I would guess, the late 1950s. Apparently the neighborhood went downhill at some point and there were many abandoned houses (rotting in place), burned out shells and lots of front yards filled with tall grass, junk cars, junk yard dogs, etc. The private gravel road had not been graded in decades by all appearances (and teeth rattling). It was all a bit shocking. The fellow selling the hats (purchased at a storage locker auction) was nice enough and his trailer fairly well maintained, but we were happy to get out of there. I've lived in some bad neighborhoods in my day (including the one with the highest crime stats in Springfield shortly after we married), but this one was particularly sad. I swear I heard banjos and smelled meth. Then, after trying to find the address on Street View to show a co-worker (I guess the Google Car was afraid to go down there) I stumbled across the fact that the hat seller was a registered sex offender.

Now I'm wondering if I should "vet" these locations before I take off to pick up a "local" purchase. Do any of you do that?

On a side note, the traffic "into" the Lake of the Ozarks was bumper-to-bumper. No wonder pics like these showed up this weekend. Or maybe they were all buying hats that I missed.

View attachment 237791

 

[BobHufford]

I hinted at this one in the "Waiting For" thread. I was able to win this at an on-line auction, but was even more fortunate to have a "hat buddy" here in the Lounge that was willing to pick it up and ship it (as the auction was "no shipping"). A big thanks to Perry (@hatophile ) for the assist!

Mr. Best (1908 - 1983) was the owner of a silica sand company in Chardon, Ohio. The passing of his son Robert in March of this year most likely allowed the hat to escape the family.

Mr. Best was also a philanthropist.

In that spirit I plan to give this hat to my future son-in-law.

 

[Rmccamey]

Excellent is all I can say!

I hinted at this one in the "Waiting For" thread. I was able to win this at an on-line auction, but was even more fortunate to have a "hat buddy" here in the Lounge that was willing to pick it up and ship it (as the auction was "no shipping"). A big thanks to Perry (@hatophile ) for the assist!

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Mr. Best (1908 - 1983) was the owner of a silica sand company in Chardon, Ohio. The passing of his son Robert in March of this year most likely allowed the hat to escape the family.

View attachment 238515

Mr. Best was also a philanthropist.

View attachment 238516

In that spirit I plan to give this hat to my future son-in-law.

 

[Blare]

I hinted at this one in the "Waiting For" thread. I was able to win this at an on-line auction, but was even more fortunate to have a "hat buddy" here in the Lounge that was willing to pick it up and ship it (as the auction was "no shipping"). A big thanks to Perry (@hatophile ) for the assist!

View attachment 238514

View attachment 238509

View attachment 238512

View attachment 238510

View attachment 238511

View attachment 238513

Mr. Best (1908 - 1983) was the owner of a silica sand company in Chardon, Ohio. The passing of his son Robert in March of this year most likely allowed the hat to escape the family.

View attachment 238515

Mr. Best was also a philanthropist.

View attachment 238516

In that spirit I plan to give this hat to my future son-in-law.

A big WOW on that one! Congratulations... to you and future son-in-law!

 

[Rmccamey]

I want to ask Bob if I can "pretend" to be his son in law, but I'm sure he would only "pretend" to send me a Stetson 150!

A big WOW on that one! Congratulations... to you and future son-in-law!

 

[Blare]

A project Borsalino and an old moth bit Mallory. If I can’t revive the Borsalino... I think the sweat might live on nicely inside my old stylepark that is missing its own.

 

[Blare]

I want to ask Bob if I can "pretend" to be his son in law, but I'm sure he would only "pretend" to send me a Stetson 150!

LOL!!

 

[BobHufford]

If I can’t revive the Borsalino...

I think that will bounce right back. Nice hats!