Fedora Lounge Impact

[wgiceman]

Is it just me, or have you guys noticed that as the popularity of the FedoraLounge increases, the likelihood of winning a nice hat on ebay seems to decrease?

 

[alanfgag]

I don't think it's a linear progression, but it does come in waves. It only takes a handful of enthusiastic new members in acquisition mode to spike the price of auctions in a certain size for a time. I've been guilty of being there and doing that. Fortunately, we only have one head so the problem ebbs just at is flows. There are still fantastic hats out there that go unnoticed or underbid on ebay.

cheers,
Alan

 

[LoveMyHats2]

I have to agree with alanfgag, there are many great deals all over eBay, many of my hats have come from there. I think however, some of what happens regarding eBay is what you are personally willing to spend to win an auction. But all in all, there have been some great hats that sold very much under what they were worth on eBay. I also think that the more people that are "here" on the FL adds to some of the exposure to some deals on hats as well and also locations of custom hat makes. There are some hats in pictures posted on this site that members own that are fantastic.

Also to add to this, I find it neat that hats are becoming back into style (did they really ever leave)?, and that more people are aware of the FL.

 

[wgiceman]

Well, I will be glad when the ebb comes back around. (Of course, I could remedy this by over-bidding way beyond my budget. But then my wife might be tempted to remove my head and having a hat becomes pointless! :eusa_doh

 

[wgiceman]

I have to agree with alanfgag, there are many great deals all over eBay, many of my hats have come from there. I think however, some of what happens regarding eBay is what you are personally willing to spend to win an auction. But all in all, there have been some great hats that sold very much under what they were worth on eBay. I also think that the more people that are "here" on the FL adds to some of the exposure to some deals on hats as well and also locations of custom hat makes. There are some hats in pictures posted on this site that members own that are fantastic.

Also to add to this, I find it neat that hats are becoming back into style (did they really ever leave)?, and that more people are aware of the FL.

I must admit that I have gotten some great deals in the past. But as my knowledge has grown (thanks primarily to the lounge), I find myself desiring to get great deals on better quality hats. I guess there are many more getting the same knowledge and awareness. But isn't it funny how the best deals seem to be in the sizes other than your own?

I, too, am glad that there seems to be a resurgence in popularity and demand for hats overall. Right now, a lot of people approach hat buying from a cost perspective only, whereas loungers look at quality first and then value. That is the approach I am leaning towards. I keep telling myself that I have enough hats, but I just want to get one more ........ just one more ........ just one .......

 

[Undertow]

I think the lounge is still relatively small in the grand scheme of things.

Hats have always been revered, but it seems they're becoming more "popular". Certain aspects of 20th century men's fashion seem to be virile enough to survive this era of Crocs and sweatpants, but only because these aspects of fashion already border timelessness.

Lately, through the popularity of certain television series as well as a shift in male self-esteem, it would seem folks are coming back to high style. Groups like the Lounge may be tiny footnotes in that mechanism, but certainly not the catalysts.

I say blame Hollywood!

 

[gtdean48]

TV, movies & entertainers have more of an impact than the Lounge.
Shows like Mad Med, White Collar plus movies like The Adjustment Bureau, Shutter Island & then what the celebrities are wearing influence ebay buying more than us Lounger. JMHO

 

[RBH]

TV, movies & entertainers have more of an impact than the Lounge.
Shows like Mad Med, White Collar plus movies like The Adjustment Bureau, Shutter Island & then what the celebrities are wearing influence ebay buying more than us Lounger. JMHO

Where do you think the impact on the shows and movies came from?

 

[gtdean48]

Where do you think the impact on the shows and movies came from?

Arkansas!!!!

 

[LoveMyHats2]

I must admit that I have gotten some great deals in the past. But as my knowledge has grown (thanks primarily to the lounge), I find myself desiring to get great deals on better quality hats. I guess there are many more getting the same knowledge and awareness. But isn't it funny how the best deals seem to be in the sizes other than your own?

I, too, am glad that there seems to be a resurgence in popularity and demand for hats overall. Right now, a lot of people approach hat buying from a cost perspective only, whereas loungers look at quality first and then value. That is the approach I am leaning towards. I keep telling myself that I have enough hats, but I just want to get one more ........ just one more ........ just one .......

In truth these words you speak, the "just one more" addiction! I think in general most of us have that same "bug" if you want to call it that, a drive to find one more than may be one up on what we have in our treasures already. In this many are guilty, well I know I am! But as for having to deal with anything negative, regarding purchases, I do not have that hurdle as my Wife shops and hunts all over looking for what I may like and will buy things for me. I actually try to keep it reasonable with her as far as prices go, but if I see something she has bid on (eBay) and I let her know to drop the hammer on it, she will outbid godzilla if need be. Lately, I have been looking into the custom made hat makers. That is a hard choice as each one makes such great looking hats. I think I am going to order from black sheep first.

 

[wgiceman]

In truth these words you speak, the "just one more" addiction! I think in general most of us have that same "bug" if you want to call it that, a drive to find one more than may be one up on what we have in our treasures already. In this many are guilty, well I know I am! But as for having to deal with anything negative, regarding purchases, I do not have that hurdle as my Wife shops and hunts all over looking for what I may like and will buy things for me. I actually try to keep it reasonable with her as far as prices go, but if I see something she has bid on (eBay) and I let her know to drop the hammer on it, she will outbid godzilla if need be. Lately, I have been looking into the custom made hat makers. That is a hard choice as each one makes such great looking hats. I think I am going to order from black sheep first.

"..... outbid godzilla ..." Now, that was funny. Your wife sounds like she is a true jewel.

 

[PabloElFlamenco]

The Lounge has (about) 18509 members, not all into hats. How large would be the impact of that, in a population of, say, 250 million?

Does any one really think that, by singling out the (relatively few) really "nice" hats on eBay, I would be the one person buying one of the few really "nice" hats available on the vintage market; that my purchase (or merely the bidding) would be, in any way, statistically significant? And therefore participating in pushing up prices? I always bid via eSnipe, put a price on the pictures I see, and go to sleep. I personally don't think it foolish to bid, say, $60 or even upto $120 for what I perceive to be a very, very nice hat (I've been known to be wrong, though!), when ...locally... any modern Borsalino goes for 250 Euros.

I don't know... I often think eBay is a bit like a lottery, like throwing darts into those balloons at the fair. What I know for a fact, however, is that the US eBAy =does have= some very nice hats on offer, there is still a huge pool of good hats out there. This is not the case in Europe (check it out on UK, France eBay...almost useless). That's why it was a miracle finding my most beautiful hat, the Stetson 100, ...on English eBay. I guess no one knew about it, there...

 

[davidraphael]

This is not the case in Europe (check it out on UK, France eBay...almost useless)

Tell me about it! You search for fedoras in Europe and you get plastic Justin Timberlake style trilbys for 3 bucks. In fact 'fedora' often seems to be a term applied to any kind of hat - even caps!


Plus, in Europe, vintage seems to mean anything second hand. I found one site in the UK that claimed to be a specialist in vintage clothing and accessories; and by vintage it meant "1980s and 90s, with some great kitsch 70s party wear!".
Germany is the same. I went to a 'vintage' clothing store and found that they really meant 'retro' - there wasn't an item of clothing more than 6 months old - Elvis T-shirts and Warhol prints made to look worn; modern kipper ties with faux kitsch designs.

You can forget ebay Europe for good hats. They come up only very rarely.
Ebay US is sooooo much better.

 

[LoveMyHats2]

"..... outbid godzilla ..." Now, that was funny. Your wife sounds like she is a true jewel.

She is, I am so very lucky to have such a wonderful woman in my life.

 

[LoveMyHats2]

Tell me about it! You search for fedoras in Europe and you get plastic Justin Timberlake style trilbys for 3 bucks. In fact 'fedora' often seems to be a term applied to any kind of hat - even caps!


Plus, in Europe, vintage seems to mean anything second hand. I found one site in the UK that claimed to be a specialist in vintage clothing and accessories; and by vintage it meant "1980s and 90s, with some great kitsch 70s party wear!".
Germany is the same. I went to a 'vintage' clothing store and found that they really meant 'retro' - there wasn't an item of clothing more than 6 months old - Elvis T-shirts and Warhol prints made to look worn; modern kipper ties with faux kitsch designs.

You can forget ebay Europe for good hats. They come up only very rarely.
Ebay US is sooooo much better.

I would not have ever guessed that Europe would not have a great number of wonderful hats floating around?!?

 

[PabloElFlamenco]

She is, I am so very lucky to have such a wonderful woman in my life.

Lucky you (lucky me, too!)
Gooooood morning, Michigan....

 

[fmw]

I make my own ebb. I just put in my maximum bid which is normally a very good price and let it ride. I lose almost all the auctions I enter but when I win one, it is always a bargain. I have enough hats that I don't need to get excited about some particular hat on Ebay. If I lose, I shrug my shoulders and move on.

 

[Sam Craig]

This past week I was doing some restoration work to my first Stetson western, which I bought new in 1974. It's a great looking, even after this time and a lot of wear, black, 4-inch brim western. I have NOT reduced it to a fedora, in part thanks to my black Akubra Squatter filling the need, but also because of my emotional attachment to this early purchase.

I was already buying old hats back then. I just wasn't as serious about it as I should have been.

Over the years .... living through the Urban Cowboy nonsense with the western hat market ... I have noticed that there certainly is an ebb and flow and it is influenced ... as are so many things in our culture, by the availability of expendible income by younger consumers.

A guy gets a decent job fresh out of college, he wants one or two hats to wear to the bar on the weekend ... he sees a picture of Johnny Depp ... one thing leads to another and you have 20 guys bidding for that STetson Whippet on the bay.
Then your local flea market maven sees the prices going up ... or worse yet the local thrift store manager who gets dollar signs for eyes ... and before you know it, you can't touch a decent old hat for a reasonable price any more.
None of these people have to understand pricing.
The young turks just want something that is going to turn heads. They can afford the high auctions.
The store owners know that a handful of hats aren't going to take up much room, they can afford to wait for someone who will pay the price.
And the hat collector gets caught in the middle.

Anyway, it's a theory.

Sam

 

[danofarlington]

I would not have ever guessed that Europe would not have a great number of wonderful hats floating around?!?

I would have thought that also.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

The Lounge has (about) 18509 members, ...

True, b-u-u-u-t ... the "Hats" section of the Lounge can be viewed by anyone, not just members ... and it's possible that tens of thousands of nonmembers view it all the time. (We'll never know how many, of course, because statistics can't be gathered about nonmembers. Or can they?)