Who on Earth was it?

[johnnyphi]

Too late...

Lounge members had the first crack at several beautiful hats that did not receive a single bid. (Still haven't decided what to do with the 6 7/8 Whippet). The rest of the world can have the next crack. Viva Capitalism!

Googling the buyer, it's someone in Kobe who has paid huge amounts for vintage stuff (eyeglass frames, old household stuff, etc.) on local eBays all over the world, Singapore, Italy, and others.

I hope a certain new-old-stock seller doesn't read this thread ... he may have a heart attack. The "concentrated niche market" may be "niche," but it's not so "concentrated."

 

[Stoney]

Lounge members had the first crack at my 6 7/8 Whippet. The rest of the world can have the next crack. Viva Capitalism!

Odd that I never saw it listed and just checked the Merchants Sections posts.
Still can't find where a 6 7/8 Whippet went up for bids.
[huh]

 

[johnnyphi]

You're right...

OK... You're right... I haven't posted the Whippet, yet. I almost did, but I was nervous about the level of interest. Instead, I posted a heckuva Schoble and a beauty of a Lee in 6 7/8. Not a single bid.

I also posted a humdinger of an open crown Stetson in the first auction... Size 7 1/4. Same size as the Whippet. No bids.

There is a 7 1/2 Schoble, with a "Brad Bowers certified" Cav Edge... No bids.

Don't get me wrong... I'm not upset... Just trying to understand the market.

I see lots of folks on the Lounge complaining about prices on eBay, and I've seen a great reaction to our own auction process from some members, but the winning prices are relatively low, and I don't see the general membership participating.

Odd that I never saw it listed and just checked the Merchants Sections posts.
Still can't find where a 6 7/8 Whippet went up for bids.
[huh]

 

[AlanC]

Y'all need to keep your eyes on the Johnnyphi auctions. Pristine hats from the same period going for a third to a half of that price here.

Johnny, I'll quote myself from this thread. People really ought to be all over them. There is the added bonus of them being a known quantity unlike the crapshoot ebay usually is.

I hope you keep giving the Loungers first shot at the hats, but for the ones that end with no bids here ebay is your sensible option.

 

[Viper Man]

OK... You're right... I haven't posted the Whippet, yet. I almost did, but I was nervous about the level of interest. Instead, I posted a heckuva Schoble and a beauty of a Lee in 6 7/8. Not a single bid.

I also posted a humdinger of an open crown Stetson in the first auction... Size 7 1/4. Same size as the Whippet. No bids.

There is a 7 1/2 Schoble, with a "Brad Bowers certified" Cav Edge... No bids.

Don't get me wrong... I'm not upset... Just trying to understand the market.

I see lots of folks on the Lounge complaining about prices on eBay, and I've seen a great reaction to our own auction process from some members, but the winning prices are relatively low, and I don't see the general membership participating.

In fairness, I made an offer of $100 (your opening bid) for the 7 1/4 Stetson after the auction ended and you rejected my offer because you thought you could get more money for the hat although you never bothered with a counter offer.

Additionally, with the smaller sizes, it's not a matter of interest as much as it is a smaller demographic. Everyone knows that smaller sizes are more abundant & go for less because there aren't as many people out there who can wear them. Hell, if I was a size 6 7/8, I'd clean house on e-bay.

 

[Stoney]

Everyone knows that smaller sizes are more abundant & go for less because there aren't as many people out there who can wear them. Hell, if I was a size 6 7/8, I'd clean house on e-bay.

Quite right Viper. Those of us with small noggins do clean up with great hats for very little money. We are just fortunate that our now uncommon small heads were actually closer to the norm back in the day and hence there are plenty of them to go around. I've bought many a fine lid for less than $20.00 and a few quite nice ones for 5 dollars or less. This is why you do not see the small heads fighting over an average vintage hat. Small Heads... I think I like the sound of that. It's just this side of degrading , but not really.

No offense meant Johnny, but IMHO $60.00 opening bid for an average 6 7/8 lid is a bit steep for those of us that typically pay much less. It's not that the hats you've listed are poor quality, it's merely that the small sizes are very easy to find. For example I picked up a Knox Forty this week for $64.99, pictures look pristine we'll see when it gets here. The thing about this hat is that it was priced at $40.00 new back then so it should be one helluva hat, rather than just average vintage. When you start talking about 6 7/8 Whippets and the like I'm sure there will be a lot of competition between the Small Heads for these.

Note that the opposite applies for hats 7 1/2 and bigger. Most Big Heads have a harder time finding decent vintage lids in their size, let alone good or great ones and the going rates are typically much higher than your opening bid of $60.00. I'm sure you will find that nearly all , if not all of these bigger hats will sell out on the lounge and in a big way.

 

[Viper Man]

I will admit that Johnny's prices for the larger sizes seem fair but I have been lucky enough to find late 40s/early 50s vintage in excellent condition on e-bay for as low as $25 in my size and I believe the most I have paid was $65. Were they NOS? No, but the were in very good to excellent condition. It's rare but those deals are still out there. Honestly, I don't think I have ever bid on a hat when the starting price was $100. However, I have bid that much (and then some) on a hat that started out at $50 or less. I can also recall bidding high in an effort to scare off the other bidders but the beauty of e-bay is that I don't have to pay full price if that tactic works. That's simply not the case here.

 

[fatwoul]

...I also posted a humdinger of an open crown Stetson in the first auction... Size 7 1/4. Same size as the Whippet. No bids...

Wish I'd seen it.

 

[fatwoul]

...Have you made a counter offer for a BIN to him? You have your foot in door already.

You're right, and I probably should. But I suspect the guy would be disappointed with any offer I made him. To be honest, I've lost several hat auctions on there recently, and this was the one to finally sour me. I might return to eBay in a while, but if people are going to expect $300 for an old whippet, I'd rather spend the same money on something really special from the likes of Fawcett, Moore, Kitter or Delk.

Ooh. OK, so if I ever write a book and need the name for a fictional law firm, I now have it: Fawcett Moore Kitter & Delk. Excellent. Or if it was a fictional financial house it might be FawcettMooreKitterDelk.

 

[MrFusion]

I see lots of folks on the Lounge complaining about prices on eBay, and I've seen a great reaction to our own auction process from some members, but the winning prices are relatively low, and I don't see the general membership participating.

I'm still looking for a 7 3/8 LO in a color/style that I can't live without. Most of the hats listed are smaller than that (understandable so). So I continue to watch and wait...

 

[feltfan]

There is a 7 1/2 Schoble, with a "Brad Bowers certified" Cav Edge... No bids.

Don't get me wrong... I'm not upset... Just trying to understand the market.

I see lots of folks on the Lounge complaining about prices on eBay, and I've seen a great reaction to our own auction process from some members, but the winning prices are relatively low, and I don't see the general membership participating.

I don't love the process. It lacks some of eBay's advantages.
I will admit that it has some advantages over eBay, too, and when
the right 7 1/2 LO shows up, well...

But regarding that Schoble, it's all about brim width.
Yeah, crown discoloration is a pretty big deal, too, but
2 3/8" brim is not wide enough in most cases. Depends on the hat.

 

[AlanC]

...but if people are going to expect $300 for an old whippet, I'd rather spend the same money on something really special from the likes of Fawcett, Moore, Kitter or Delk.

Honestly, I feel the same way. At that price I'm going to want a guaranteed hat, essentially, and almost any vintage you buy from pictures and description have a level of risk. With Art et al I know I can rely on the product.