Quite a Bomber Jacket Dilemma

[Dumpster Diver]

Hey guys, This is typical first world problems:

My Father Has a friend with a vintage Triumph sports car. He is looking for a Bomber Jacket. But like so many others out there, it wouldnt phase him to wear an Original Jacket. There is so much wrong in that last sentence I dont know where to begin. To me, Wearing an Original Jacket is sheer blasphemy, its like killing a unicorn or playing Jimi Hendrixs Guitars...Those things are SACRED! Considering what is available in terms of quality reproductions there is no need for wearing an original. My whole day was a write off discussing this with my old man. He doesnt get the Sentimental value an original Jacket holds to me, we Are different in that respect and nothing can change that. Some people Just dont *get it!*

You all know how passionate I am about my Jackets, Today my Dad wanted me to Sell my Willis and Gieger B-3 to his friend and make myself a handsome profit. The real issue is that I cant get across to my old man that It took years of searching to finally get one in my price range in a sense that He doesnt realize I will be trading UP with this Jacket once it goes. So While to him it looks like I made money, he doesnt understand the next Thing I MUST have is an Eastman, and the guy Im passing on my good deal to is a car salesman, and even HE cant afford a real eastman, Look at me Im a ******* DISHWASHER!!! (now you will all say what I said that he should be wearing an IRVIN with a triumph)

I told my dad to show him the Jacket so he can see the quality, my dad says he will Just want it immediately at that point, you know the people who dont care about the fine details of the Jacket...you know what I mean. He wants one for the spring, so that too, otherwise I would have searched *for* him and got him a really nice Irvin or whatever at a decent price.

As for Parting with my W&G that I bought back in June and honestly only got to wear a handful of times this winter...What a maddening tease.

If it goes out my door, next time I do this deal, Im doing it right... and as you put it *Pull that Trigger* and bag myself the biggest buck in the forrest: the Mixed batch Eastman. (Or as I call it *the white buffalo*)

I will either have to fork over the Dough, or Sell all the Jackets I ever got a real deal on at miniscule profit. Im about ready to do a Donald duck, Today has Just been a total Write-off trying to Mull it over and decide. I dont want to be the intermediary so my dad can score some points with his Chum hooking him up with a Jacket..you know.

The difference in value is monetary vs. Sentimental. You know Im no businessman when It comes to Bomber Jackets. My folks are insisting its good to sell it and make money on it, what they dont understand is that I will ultimately LOSE a LOT OF MONEY! why...because I HAVE TO HAVE AN EASTMAN once my W&G B-3 is gone! yeah, I bought that Jacket at $400, and sell it for $600 say, and then its gone...that money is staying right there, Except now Im putting it towards like a $2300 Dollar Jacket, so There! in my mind I am now OUT of pocket.
My folks dont seem to understand this dilemma. Im Angry about it, You know how pathetic I feel right now, But I really got Such a good deal on that last Jacket, and it was a keeper.

Im not sad to part with it, Im Just sad my folks dont realize how much its actually going to be costing me in the long run to replace it with something Im happy with. It means I will have to Sell a few more Things too now, which again is TIME AND MONEY in itself!

You can probly tell Im a bit loopy about it, my head is spinning slightly.

Its Just the circumstances, I mean theres a lot more to it than that going on persoanlly making it that much more of an interference with my real life goals currently. Wasnt how I wanted to write-off my entire day. I resolved to bring this up here and ask for perspective or maybe at least an open Ear.

all the study I put into it and my passion aside..

There is no such thing as a good deal, I have only managed to break even if I am LUCKY when it comes to Things I have. Vintage cars are the same way in a sense that what you save buying used, you put back into the investment in terms of time and effort.

I wanted an Eastman for half my life now, and I am going to get one even if its the last thing I do. But by god Im angry, I want it more than this guy deserves my good deal which Im reluctantly passing on to find my greener grass. Im ALWAYS losing out even when people are trying to prove a point about business is business.

Im not a business man. Im an Artist.
since Im so passionate about Jackets, everyone says I should be making them, but Of course the money I saved this summer is not enough startup yet if I was so inclined. Plus the dedication and time and study into sewing and finding materials takes years. I mean, It would be a dream come true if I went and set up shop here and produce my own Bomber Jackets, but that is in the realm of delusional at this stage...I have lost a lot of money investing into printing and making art already, Im not sure this will be any different once I log 10,000 hours into my industrial sewing machine.

What choice do I have, my Dad wants to help his friend get a good Jacket for a fair price at the end of the day I am the guy who can make that happen for him, and even though he will never understand how I feel about Those Jackets.. The feel of it, the Cut, the weight and smell of it, that old magic for me in that perfect Jacket. Its in my blood. Its like cigarettes are for some people, its that one little thing in my life I get that gives me a bit of Joy.

Im going to really miss that W&G Jacket, I barely got a whole season out of it, it was an AMAZING deal, I didnt need it, I Just couldnt let it go at that price. I keep telling myself ok, its ok, they have your best interest in mind, I Just wish they could see what its going to cost ultimately in the end to replace.

words cant describe my anguish. You guys understand what its like to want the Eastman that bad, Im going to EARN IT! if its the last thing I do, Im going to get one fair and square.

Watch me!

 

[ProteinNerd]

Just tell him it's not for sale at this point in time.

Your getting really upset over something that simple, you don't WANT to sell it, so don't.

 

[ProteinNerd]

Scratch that. Tell him to replace the jacket will cost you $2300 so that's what you are selling this one for. If he wants it, that's what it will cost but because he is your dads friend, he can have it for $2000.

Why should you be without a jacket you love or out of pocket to make someone else happy?

This will only be a good deal for him, you are getting screwed.

Mate, don't do it, you'll regret it for years.

 

[Carlos840]

It's YOUR jacket, it's not your parent's to sell.

If he wants it, he can have it for a price YOU find is worth it, which in this case would be $2300.

 

[Dumpster Diver]

Trust me, the conversation went well beyond that. It Is mine, and I could burn it at the end of the day for all its worth. Let the Guy score his own freakin jacket right. I clearly raised that point.

Yes. I will regret it for years selling it, I feel like Im going through the reverse seven stages already, my dad Just thinks he is being really helpful.

Hell, Ive done worse though. Talk about the time when I was a kid at a Hamfest and some guy said HEY KID! here Take this radio someone left behind. It was a little red bakelite Tube radio, not even a few minutes later some guy was sweating bullets for it, and pestered me and could barely contain himself when he laid his eyes on it, until I let it go for about 40 bucks, thinking ok, not bad....turns out it was totally rare and worth about $500. I still hate that guy for taking advantage of a little kid. Anyway I caught hell for that, now I Just kick ass and take names.

Im stressed more about other things, the Jacket business was a poorly timed subject of the day.
Like I said, me and the old man are totally apples and oranges. How many times in my life have I painstakingly tried to tell him something he will never understand even if he thinks he is right and I end up having to say: Dad, I hate to say atotaso, but atotaso!!! a Friggin-atotaso!!!

Here is the funny thing you guys and my parents will not really want to hear:

I dont care if I make five bucks or five hundred off this thing (That seems to translate poorly to people) it was a pure indulgence purchase, money isnt the point to me, despite the fact I would make plenty of profit selling it. which sounds crazy to everyone. I dont even know its original retail value let alone in used condition. It baffles people when I try to explain that. I will simply move on and get over it even though it wont be something I am going to be able to replace for a long time.

*you lost today kid, but that doesnt mean you have to like it*

Its Something I love and if other people share in that, Im happy to give till it hurts. But You are right and I should be asking more money for it, It Just doesnt feel right to me though.

The old man wont be happy until He realizes Its not something I can easily replace at ANY price.

Albeit:

Im good at scoring Jackets, and All it means to me in the end is some Gumption and Gung-ho networking until I find a used Eastman for a bit cheaper I guess, Im Just going to really have to work my butt off as always. But ultimately I want the mixed batch Type B-3, If its worth doing, its worth doing right. Money be Damned, I only get so mainy grains in the hourglass to enjoy.

As for the personal matters, I am Just under a lot of pressure and stress from a lot of other things simultaneously, and this Jacket Business is Just frosting on that cake.

Its prettymuch sold as far as Im concerned at this point.

 

[IXL]

The thing is as I understand it, "You don't have to lose today, kid." You don't have to sell the jacket....so...simply...don't. Or, as has been suggested, price it at $2300.00, which I assume will freak out your father and is an amount his pal won't pay. So what.
The fact that these people don't value the jacket as you do doesn't stand for anything other than that these people won't spend any more on what is essentially a "prop" for an old car. They appear to have established limits; so should you.
For all you know, dad's pal might sell your beloved jacket, once he receives it from you, to some guy sitting at the next stool in the pub, for a two dollar profit. Then where will you be in this whole business.

Good luck with it.

 

[Carlos840]

I don't understand why you are putting all that pressure on yourself, and why you speak like it is already sold.

If you don't want to sell it, don't sell it, your dad can help his mate find another jacket.
The only reason you said you would sell it is if you could buy a $2300 Eastman with the money, so your choices are don't sell it, or sell it for $2300.

It's a very simple and straightforward situation!

 

[bn1966]

Im with the others on this DD...don't sell if you don't want to regardless of who wants it & for what. It's your jacket not a pawn in someone else's friendship.

 

[Dumpster Diver]

I have slept over it, Got up and Realized that I simply wont allow someone with a British Triumph to be wearing an American B-3. That is incorrect and I am not going to be responsible for that Kind of False fashion. What I am *willing* to do is scramble some channels for an IRVIN Jacket, maybe putting up a *Want* Ad here might get a couple hits...better than taking a hit in my wallet. I bet I could get him something Totally Decent if I Try. Couldnt Hurt to ask around and Check the Old E-pay in the meantime. Again...Buying myself the W&G B-3 Jacket was my way of stopping myself from buying the Eastman.

 

[bn1966]

Sounds like a plan

 

[Dumpster Diver]

I have placed a WANT* Ad in the classifieds section for an IRVIN (Size large)

 

[Pdxgeo]

Good call. Do not sell it. That is until after you find your Eastman on Ebay at a very reasonable price!

 

[Dumpster Diver]

Thats the plan. BTW, I wouldnt want the .50 Cal ELC B-3.

That seems like such a marketing Gimmick. (albeit an Awesome one)

 

[ProteinNerd]

Good call. Do not sell it. That is until after you find your Eastman on Ebay at a very reasonable price!

This

 

[kampkatz]

Since it appears that your Dad values your taste in jackets you should not have much trouble in convincing him that an Irvin is the ONLY right choice for that particular sports car. Good luck!

 

[Dr H]

DD I have a good quality (not matchless quality) Irvin repro in the size you're after.
PM sent.

 

[Dumpster Diver]

PM sent. *wow* That was Quick!

 

[nick123]

I say we start a gofund me for DD. If everyone pitches in a dollar (or whoever feels inclined to, no judgement) we could contribute and get that Eastman. I know there are probably other forum members equally deserving of it, but I say we do it for DD. It would be a nice accolade for the Lounge community. And it would keep the W&G jacket in a good home. Come on, it's like Lent.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Really..??

 

[Dumpster Diver]

Thats too kind of a thought Nick. I would not feel right doing that though, and couldnt accept a wooden nickle from anyone here toward such a purchase. You guys know I can do it on my own! Thats all the support I need. Very much appreciate the kind replies and thoughts here boys.

Sincerely!