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There is a place to put in Guides on Ebay, I tried to copy/paste this in but it keeps saying something about HTML or something. i don't want to have to re-write the whole thing.
Remember guide for uninitiated EBAYERS!
Men’s Dress Hats, Questions for the Seller & Buyer!
There are a variety of styles of hats that fall under the category of Men’s Dress hats. The most famous is the FEDORA, which has wide latitudes and parameters for dimensions yet still falls under the description. Your best bet is to do some research visiting online stores to get a good description and look at pictures to match up with the hat you’re selling. Still, “Fedora” is a much misused term with sellers calling all sorts of men’s hats, a ‘fedora’ that are not. HOMBURGS are also in the mix and are similar to a fedora but the especially the brim and sometimes the crown are shaped differently. BOWLERS, DERBIES, TOP HATS, PORK PIES, ALPINE and STINGY BRIMS round out usual men’s dress hats.
First off, the best of these hats are made of fur felt, either: beaver, rabbit or a blend of both. Occasionally, you may find an exotic fur used in the felt. If you are positive of the content, please list it, exotic fur felt can be quite desirable. Also, there are some well made hats that contain synthetic materials that were blended with real fur to make the felt. The dress hat has a relative in Western hats, both using fur felt bodies to make the hat. Western hats often have different beaver contents are noted as X’s, with the idea that more x’s are better felts. Although wool felt hats can be well made and serviceable, fur felt is generally noted as a better quality.
The quality of the felt may allow for cleaning and re-blocking plus re-sizing sometimes but these are moderate to expensive restorations when done by professionals. The cleaning and restoration of hats were once available in most towns and cities. Now there are only a small number of hatters and shops prepared to do this work. Amateurs should consider many repairs in the realm of pros only, unless they have many hats to practice on to get the experience. Some defects are not repairable or extremely difficult to do such as holes or divots in the felt. Holes can come from too much improper handling and the dreaded “moth bites.” Moth larva may munch on the felt creating small holes and divot like tracks along the surface of the felt. Moth flakes or cedar should be utilized in the storage area to keep these destructive pests away from your quality hats. Any holes or divots need to be described and shown in photos if possible. Dirt, dust, stains, smudges, or damages to the surface again must be described and shown in photos. Dust and dirt may be cleaned by a knowledgeable person, but should not be done by the untrained as the felt can be quickly and irreversibly damaged. Spots and stains are not always removable and again should be noted and photographed.
Smells or odors should be noted, most can be removed by cleaning, airing out or if the hat is placed in a bag with a box of baking soda like the refrigerator odor removal type for about a week. Don’t get that baking soda on the hat though!
Always try to show pictures of the details of the imprints on the sweatband and the liner. Careful checking under the sweatband may reveal tags with codes that are of interest to the collector. The style of crests and such can often be used to find the era of manufacture. Occasionally an actual date may be revealed and that is good detective work to the delight of the collector. Be sure to include all of the liner, sweatband imprints and tag information in your written description! Be as accurate and honest in your description. If you can do “macro” or close up pictures of these details that clearly show them all the better, it will help sell the hat.
Take clear and focused pictures from every conceivable angle: outside: top, bottom, front back and both sides. Inside: close-ups of any imprints and details. The box, if you have a box, can be generic or specific to the hat or totally unrelated, describe and photograph separately. Also try to describe the colors of the hat as it doesn’t always show correctly on the computer monitor. Fuzzy pictures are a detriment and a headache.
Measurements and dimensions are critical to a men’s hat so be prepared to measure! Describe to Crown & give height front and rear. Describe the brim, as to the WIDTH. Does it curve up or down or both? Please measure from the base of the crown, at or near where the bottom of the ribbon or band is, and out to the edge. Also note as some hats are wider at the front and the rear than the sides, you may wish to measure all of these sections to be sure.
Good pictures of the ribbon and the bow are essential too! Also the edge of the brim maybe worked in a variety of ways such as raw, bound, stitched, folded and pressed all of which are of interest to the collector or user.
Even if you find a size tag, old hats tend to shrink so double check the ACTUAL SIZE of a hat! Please, measure the CIRCUMFRENCE of the hat, INSIDE, all the way AROUND the SWEAT BAND in inches to nearest fraction of an inch. If you do not have a cloth tape measure, then use a piece of string and read measured string against tape measure or yard stick. Here is a conversion chart for converting Inches to US sizes:
INCHES US Size Metric
21” = size 6-5/8 = 53 cm
21-1/2” = size 6-3/4 = 54 cm
21-3/4” = size 6-7/8 = 55 cm
22” = size 7 = 56 cm
22-1/2” = size 7-1/8 = 57 cm
22-3/4” = size 7-1/4 = 58 cm
23” = size 7-3/8 = 59 cm
23-1/2” = size 7-1/2 = 60 cm
24” = size 7-5/8 = 61 cm
24-3/8” = size 7-3/4 = 62 cm
24-7/8” = size 7-7/8 = 63 cm
25-1/8” = size 8 = 63 cm
Also the size tag may mention a shape type like LONG OVAL which is a specific shape to match a head shape. This is key information to be listed!
A good, complete, and accurate description, noting all the details, along with clear pictures will bring you a better chance for a good sale.
In the ITEM TITLE you should consider first listing the following:
STYLE, MAKER, MODEL, COLOR, SIZE and then some sales pitch.
These first five items will help more to sell the hat by allowing the collector find your treasure quickly and easily.
Example: Fedora Stetson Playboy Grey 7-7/8 Film Noir very clean!
Again, the more details in your write up you can accurately list the better the chance to sell. And the more accurately you describe the hat including faults the more likely you will NOT have an angry customer looking to return the hat as misrepresented in the listings.
If you don’t know the actual age of the hat then don’t guess unless you care to expound on why you think it is of a certain age. Many hats made in the 60’s and later are listed erroneously as much earlier manufacture, style does not always indicate age.
Damaged hats may be restorable, our hatters can do some remarkable and rather astonishing restorations but they are labors of love, time consuming and of great expense. That said, rare and desirable models may suggest a complete rebuild to revive a notable hat.
Collectors may be looking for certain specific details which are always good to publish in the Question and Answer area to help all the buyers, it is not privileged information.
Happy selling and good luck with your hat auction.
Remember guide for uninitiated EBAYERS!
Men’s Dress Hats, Questions for the Seller & Buyer!
There are a variety of styles of hats that fall under the category of Men’s Dress hats. The most famous is the FEDORA, which has wide latitudes and parameters for dimensions yet still falls under the description. Your best bet is to do some research visiting online stores to get a good description and look at pictures to match up with the hat you’re selling. Still, “Fedora” is a much misused term with sellers calling all sorts of men’s hats, a ‘fedora’ that are not. HOMBURGS are also in the mix and are similar to a fedora but the especially the brim and sometimes the crown are shaped differently. BOWLERS, DERBIES, TOP HATS, PORK PIES, ALPINE and STINGY BRIMS round out usual men’s dress hats.
First off, the best of these hats are made of fur felt, either: beaver, rabbit or a blend of both. Occasionally, you may find an exotic fur used in the felt. If you are positive of the content, please list it, exotic fur felt can be quite desirable. Also, there are some well made hats that contain synthetic materials that were blended with real fur to make the felt. The dress hat has a relative in Western hats, both using fur felt bodies to make the hat. Western hats often have different beaver contents are noted as X’s, with the idea that more x’s are better felts. Although wool felt hats can be well made and serviceable, fur felt is generally noted as a better quality.
The quality of the felt may allow for cleaning and re-blocking plus re-sizing sometimes but these are moderate to expensive restorations when done by professionals. The cleaning and restoration of hats were once available in most towns and cities. Now there are only a small number of hatters and shops prepared to do this work. Amateurs should consider many repairs in the realm of pros only, unless they have many hats to practice on to get the experience. Some defects are not repairable or extremely difficult to do such as holes or divots in the felt. Holes can come from too much improper handling and the dreaded “moth bites.” Moth larva may munch on the felt creating small holes and divot like tracks along the surface of the felt. Moth flakes or cedar should be utilized in the storage area to keep these destructive pests away from your quality hats. Any holes or divots need to be described and shown in photos if possible. Dirt, dust, stains, smudges, or damages to the surface again must be described and shown in photos. Dust and dirt may be cleaned by a knowledgeable person, but should not be done by the untrained as the felt can be quickly and irreversibly damaged. Spots and stains are not always removable and again should be noted and photographed.
Smells or odors should be noted, most can be removed by cleaning, airing out or if the hat is placed in a bag with a box of baking soda like the refrigerator odor removal type for about a week. Don’t get that baking soda on the hat though!
Always try to show pictures of the details of the imprints on the sweatband and the liner. Careful checking under the sweatband may reveal tags with codes that are of interest to the collector. The style of crests and such can often be used to find the era of manufacture. Occasionally an actual date may be revealed and that is good detective work to the delight of the collector. Be sure to include all of the liner, sweatband imprints and tag information in your written description! Be as accurate and honest in your description. If you can do “macro” or close up pictures of these details that clearly show them all the better, it will help sell the hat.
Take clear and focused pictures from every conceivable angle: outside: top, bottom, front back and both sides. Inside: close-ups of any imprints and details. The box, if you have a box, can be generic or specific to the hat or totally unrelated, describe and photograph separately. Also try to describe the colors of the hat as it doesn’t always show correctly on the computer monitor. Fuzzy pictures are a detriment and a headache.
Measurements and dimensions are critical to a men’s hat so be prepared to measure! Describe to Crown & give height front and rear. Describe the brim, as to the WIDTH. Does it curve up or down or both? Please measure from the base of the crown, at or near where the bottom of the ribbon or band is, and out to the edge. Also note as some hats are wider at the front and the rear than the sides, you may wish to measure all of these sections to be sure.
Good pictures of the ribbon and the bow are essential too! Also the edge of the brim maybe worked in a variety of ways such as raw, bound, stitched, folded and pressed all of which are of interest to the collector or user.
Even if you find a size tag, old hats tend to shrink so double check the ACTUAL SIZE of a hat! Please, measure the CIRCUMFRENCE of the hat, INSIDE, all the way AROUND the SWEAT BAND in inches to nearest fraction of an inch. If you do not have a cloth tape measure, then use a piece of string and read measured string against tape measure or yard stick. Here is a conversion chart for converting Inches to US sizes:
INCHES US Size Metric
21” = size 6-5/8 = 53 cm
21-1/2” = size 6-3/4 = 54 cm
21-3/4” = size 6-7/8 = 55 cm
22” = size 7 = 56 cm
22-1/2” = size 7-1/8 = 57 cm
22-3/4” = size 7-1/4 = 58 cm
23” = size 7-3/8 = 59 cm
23-1/2” = size 7-1/2 = 60 cm
24” = size 7-5/8 = 61 cm
24-3/8” = size 7-3/4 = 62 cm
24-7/8” = size 7-7/8 = 63 cm
25-1/8” = size 8 = 63 cm
Also the size tag may mention a shape type like LONG OVAL which is a specific shape to match a head shape. This is key information to be listed!
A good, complete, and accurate description, noting all the details, along with clear pictures will bring you a better chance for a good sale.
In the ITEM TITLE you should consider first listing the following:
STYLE, MAKER, MODEL, COLOR, SIZE and then some sales pitch.
These first five items will help more to sell the hat by allowing the collector find your treasure quickly and easily.
Example: Fedora Stetson Playboy Grey 7-7/8 Film Noir very clean!
Again, the more details in your write up you can accurately list the better the chance to sell. And the more accurately you describe the hat including faults the more likely you will NOT have an angry customer looking to return the hat as misrepresented in the listings.
If you don’t know the actual age of the hat then don’t guess unless you care to expound on why you think it is of a certain age. Many hats made in the 60’s and later are listed erroneously as much earlier manufacture, style does not always indicate age.
Damaged hats may be restorable, our hatters can do some remarkable and rather astonishing restorations but they are labors of love, time consuming and of great expense. That said, rare and desirable models may suggest a complete rebuild to revive a notable hat.
Collectors may be looking for certain specific details which are always good to publish in the Question and Answer area to help all the buyers, it is not privileged information.
Happy selling and good luck with your hat auction.
