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Should I clean hat before I sell it or leave that to the seller?

chadbang

New in Town
Messages
7
Location
calif
I found a beautiful Tardan (mexico) brown fur felt fedora yesterday. Dammit, to small for me! But it was such a beautiful vintage fedora for $10 I had to buy it. I wear a hat every day (Goorins) but I haven't clean one yet. I've been reading here for day and I bought all the material for a napthta hat cleaning. I was going to do this today, but before I indulge, my question is: Would you guys leave the hat cleaning up to the buyer or do it yourself if you plan to sell it?
 

Mr.Astor

Banned
Messages
246
Location
New Jersey
Chadbang,if you advertise it properly that you are buying a used hat! I would not try to clean the hat. if something goes wrong in process of cleaning a hat with no previous experience it's on you. Sell it and hope you don't lose money. Far more experienced people on this forum that KNOW, what they are selling have stiffed novice's! I have experienced it and I know what I am looking for. Examples the sweat is a little loose! It is completely undone! A little stain! It's trash! Be honest in your dealing and it will reflect on you!
Don't accept responsibility, sell it on,in the condition you received it. Just my opinion
 

chadbang

New in Town
Messages
7
Location
calif
Good advice, Mr. Astor. Let me give it the newspaper/plastic bag treatment to see if that wicks away the musty odor before i attempt to clean it.
 

ebonysw45

One of the Regulars
Messages
104
Location
Australia
The flip side of the argument is that if you want to learn to clean hats you have to start somewhere and you are unlikely to get a starter hat at a cheaper price. If it were me I would start with something fairly common even if it cost more as I would hate to ruin a rarity. It would then become a practice hat. It's how I started in cleaning/repairing watch movements. I started with a common cheap Russian movement.

If you have no real interest in cleaning hats and only want to sell them on if you find them then I would sell them in as found condition. By all means give them a brush and an air and describe them as best as possible.
 

chadbang

New in Town
Messages
7
Location
calif
Oh if this beauty only fit! I would like to learn how to clean hats to apply to my other (ten) hats. My $120 Goorin Brothers has picked up a little too much sweat and I cleaned it a bit with soap and water and had to fight to get it back into shape. Luckily I won. That is why the napthta option interests me. I did buy a can of Coleman's camping fuel yesterday because I anticipate using it more than once. (The stuff does smell just like zippo lighter fluid). This would be a nice hat to practice on for the prices I paid for it and it could definitely use a cleaning. So I may indulge. I don't know if Tardan is a rarity or not (I don't see many on ebay), but its very sturdy and I think would be a good candidate for practice. I was just curious what people here thought, sort of in the same way that antique furniture people know: Don't clean up that antique!
 

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