So trivial, yet it really ticks you off.

[Dm101]

Bought a hat too big because I didn't want to take a chance on it being to small...

Modded it for fit and now it's too high and tight...

*smack forehead*

I can't seem to win...

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[GHT]

Bought a hat too big because I didn't want to take a chance on it being to small...

Modded it for fit and now it's too high and tight...

*smack forehead* I can't seem to win...

That brought back a long forgotten reminisce. As a young teenage schoolboy I joined the ATC, it means the Air Training Corps, in other words an RAF cadet. The beret that I had to wear with the uniform wouldn't curl to one side and the fit was on the larger size. Someone gave me a tip, roll up the beret, bind it whilst rolled with rubber bands, place in a bucket of water. What I didn't know was to remove it from the water after 30 minutes. It certainly curled correctly, after it had dried out, but it was a struggle to get it on.

Mother to the rescue, she found a bigger beret, unpicket the band. Then she unpicked the band on the shrunk beret, put a snip in it at the back, sewed around the snip to prevent it ripping any further, then she sewed the larger band on. Result.

I haven't got a clue what you can do though, although if you repost in the ask a question get an answer thread you might get a better response.

 

[Dm101]

That brought back a long forgotten reminisce. As a young teenage schoolboy I joined the ATC, it means the Air Training Corps, in other words an RAF cadet. The beret that I had to wear with the uniform wouldn't curl to one side and the fit was on the larger size. Someone gave me a tip, roll up the beret, bind it whilst rolled with rubber bands, place in a bucket of water. What I didn't know was to remove it from the water after 30 minutes. It certainly curled correctly, after it had dried out, but it was a struggle to get it on.

Mother to the rescue, she found a bigger beret, unpicket the band. Then she unpicked the band on the shrunk beret, put a snip in it at the back, sewed around the snip to prevent it ripping any further, then she sewed the larger band on. Result.

I haven't got a clue what you can do though, although if you repost in the ask a question get an answer thread you might get a better response.

Meh...I'm about done with modding this hat once I drill ventilation holes in it. I'll just waste this 60 dollar hat learning and then I think I'll just order one that's the right size and then shellac it so it doesn't stretch after I set it up.

I haven't gotten much advice here besides "have a custom hat made" but they're probably right. [emoji53]
At this point I'm already in for the amount of a custom fit hat. Unfortunately, there's no Hatters in my area. The one guy that could is retired...





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[Dm101]

UGH!!!

There's this jerk that has bid on every...FRIGGIN STETSON HAT on ebay for the last three weeks.
Driving up the cost of all the hats by placing bids against every damn person that bids.
I've been watching this sonofa***** and they've moved on to bidding on other sites with the same username and on these other sites where they've won the auction after racing the price up to double what the item should be worth...the items have been relisted after about a week or so.

So this jackhole isn't even buying the damn hats...they're just jacking up the price so no one else can afford them, then bailing out on buying the hats. Then they're relisted at the price the jackhole left off at because the auction sites think that's what it's worth.

Everyone loses because no one is gonna buy a ratty motheaten oil stained worn-thin stetson for $200 dollars....and the jackhole isn't going to buy it either.

This is so damn frustrating!!!
How do they not do something about jerks like this fool?!??!?!!?


EDIT: Jackhole in question has the same username across multiple sites with varying numerical endcaps. The ones I've seen go from "j****1" through "j****12" so far.

 

[Fading Fast]

UGH!!!

There's this jerk that has bid on every...FRIGGIN STETSON HAT on ebay for the last three weeks.
Driving up the cost of all the hats by placing bids against every damn person that bids.
I've been watching this sonofa***** and they've moved on to bidding on other sites with the same username and on these other sites where they've won the auction after racing the price up to double what the item should be worth...the items have been relisted after about a week or so.

So this jackhole isn't even buying the damn hats...they're just jacking up the price so no one else can afford them, then bailing out on buying the hats. Then they're relisted at the price the jackhole left off at because the auction sites think that's what it's worth.

Everyone loses because no one is gonna buy a ratty motheaten oil stained worn-thin stetson for $200 dollars....and the jackhole isn't going to buy it either.

This is so damn frustrating!!!
How do they not do something about jerks like this fool?!??!?!!?


EDIT: Jackhole in question has the same username across multiple sites with varying numerical endcaps. The ones I've seen go from "j****1" through "j****12" so far.

Sadly, shills have been around as long as there have been auctions.

I am a bit confused - is he buying the hats anywhere - at Ebay or on one of the other sites? The reason I ask is that, if he is, then a commission is being taken which makes his gambit (even if he's buying his own hats to jack their prices up or if he is in cahoots with a friend) expensive if it doesn't work. That's one of the safeguards that Ebay uses to police this activity.

They also have software to spot shill-type behavior, but it is harder to spot if the hats don't actually sell to the shill. That said, they can still spot the behavior, sometimes, even if there are no sales.

 

[Dm101]

Sadly, shills have been around as long as there have been auctions.

I am a bit confused - is he buying the hats anywhere - at Ebay or on one of the other sites? The reason I ask is that, if he is, then a commission is being taken which makes his gambit (even if he's buying his own hats to jack their prices up or if he is in cahoots with a friend) expensive if it doesn't work. That's one of the safeguards that Ebay uses to police this activity.

They also have software to spot shill-type behavior, but it is harder to spot if the hats don't actually sell to the shill. That said, they can still spot the behavior, sometimes, even if there are no sales.

Well, they must not be watching.
Because I've seen this jerk win bids on about 12 different items over the past 3 weeks spanning 3 different auction sites with various usernames all based on that formula posted up above. The items, every single last one, were relisted a few days later across all 3 sites.
In my experience that means that the winner didn't pay up.
Now....how they can let this continue on and on I don't understand.
Unless this feeb works in hand with the sites to get a higher end-price on the item being auctioned?

It all seems mega-shady and I'm really reconsidering even bothering with auction sites.
If they're not on the up-and-up...I dont' wanna deal with any of em.

 

[Dm101]

Argh...I think I'm just fed up of everything online again.
Tired of online gaming.
Tired of online social media.
Tired of online auctions.
Tired of online people (present company excluded...the people on this site have been fabulous!)
Tired of it all.

But spring is coming...I can leave all this indoor crap behind and spend my time in the woods again in peace and solitude.
I'll just save up and buy a custom fit hat for my dress hat like I've been advised to...and keep my current hat as my knock-around/everyday hat.

I'm about done with dealing with internet jackhole worthless people and their online chicanery.

 

[Fading Fast]

Well, they must not be watching.
Because I've seen this jerk win bids on about 12 different items over the past 3 weeks spanning 3 different auction sites with various usernames all based on that formula posted up above. The items, every single last one, were relisted a few days later across all 3 sites.
In my experience that means that the winner didn't pay up.
Now....how they can let this continue on and on I don't understand.
Unless this feeb works in hand with the sites to get a higher end-price on the item being auctioned?

It all seems mega-shady and I'm really reconsidering even bothering with auction sites.
If they're not on the up-and-up...I dont' wanna deal with any of em.

I hear ya and share your frustration. Have any of the sales gone through at Ebay?

 

[Dm101]

I hear ya and share your frustration. Have any of the sales gone through at Ebay?

Not a one.
The 4 that I've been outbid on over on Ebay have all been relisted after approximately 4 days of being taken down. AND they were relisted at the end-bid price!!!
So I stood ZERO chance of ever winning those items...thanks to that butthead bidder.
:angry:

 

[Artifex]

I'm about done with dealing with internet jackhole worthless people and their online chicanery.

Is the internet really worse than the general population of the 'real' world?

I say the problem is that we humans, being overdeveloped monkeys with a tribal instinct, are strongly drawn to what we perceive as "popular" culture. We want to be part of something that everyone else seems secure and happy with. Sadly, popular culture is grossly polluted by corporate interests. Companies big enough to think independently of their staff expend vast resources on worming their desires into our perception of normality.

The result is that it takes a brave individual to stop, realise that the deliberately engineered "social" norm is to their detriment, and to do something else.

Extremely-low-cost ballpoint pens are a good example. They aren't comfortable, durable, elegant, fun or meritorious in any substantial way*. They aren't cheap to use (in the long run), and they cause unwarranted volumes of waste. Why do so many people use the things, then? It is because, I argue, we have a strong inclination to make subconscious decisions based on our perception of norms.

When those apparent norms are deliberately corrupted by short-sighted greed, we all end up making a plethora of minor destructive decisions without ever thinking about them. Not merely purchasing decisions, but also behavioural ones. After all, there is plenty of profit in firing up fear and antagonism,

Happily, fora like this provide a much healthier set of norms to subscribe to. Long may it continue!

* "What about convenience?", I hear you ask. Well, how many people do you know who own a drawer full of minimum-cost and promotional biros, none of which seem to work on demand? Is that convenient?

 

[Fading Fast]

Not a one.
The 4 that I've been outbid on over on Ebay have all been relisted after approximately 4 days of being taken down. AND they were relisted at the end-bid price!!!
So I stood ZERO chance of ever winning those items...thanks to that butthead bidder.
:angry:

Since no sales went through at Ebay, no commission was charged - hence, sounds like classic shilling.

At the end of the day, it's a very short-term strategy that won't produce a lot of wins for the effort as it doesn't sound as if they are selling any hats (other than, maybe, a one-off sale at a less-prominent auction site) at the inflated prices.

My guess, if you just hang back, eventually, it will stop and the market will return to its clearing-price level, but in the interim, it is frustrating as heck.

 

[Dm101]

Since no sales went through at Ebay, no commission was charged - hence, sounds like classic shilling.

At the end of the day, it's a very short-term strategy that won't produce a lot of wins for the effort as it doesn't sound as if they are selling any hats (other than, maybe, a one-off sale at a less-prominent auction site) at the inflated prices.

My guess, if you just hang back, eventually, it will stop and the market will return to its clearing-price level, but in the interim, it is frustrating as heck.

Yeah, I'll hang back...so far back I'm gone.
They just lost out on a potentially spendthrifty customer that was foolhardy and ignorant about hats enough to buy multiple hats in order to find the perfect one.

 

[Dm101]

Is the internet really worse than the general population of the 'real' world?

I say the problem is that we humans, being overdeveloped monkeys with a tribal instinct, are strongly drawn to what we perceive as "popular" culture. We want to be part of something that everyone else seems secure and happy with. Sadly, popular culture is grossly polluted by corporate interests. Companies big enough to think independently of their staff expend vast resources on worming their desires into our perception of normality.

The result is that it takes a brave individual to stop, realise that the deliberately engineered "social" norm is to their detriment, and to do something else.

Extremely-low-cost ballpoint pens are a good example. They aren't comfortable, durable, elegant, fun or meritorious in any substantial way*. They aren't cheap to use (in the long run), and they cause unwarranted volumes of waste. Why do so many people use the things, then? It is because, I argue, we have a strong inclination to make subconscious decisions based on our perception of norms.

When those apparent norms are deliberately corrupted by short-sighted greed, we all end up making a plethora of minor destructive decisions without ever thinking about them. Not merely purchasing decisions, but also behavioural ones. After all, there is plenty of profit in firing up fear and antagonism,

Happily, fora like this provide a much healthier set of norms to subscribe to. Long may it continue!

* "What about convenience?", I hear you ask. Well, how many people do you know who own a drawer full of minimum-cost and promotional biros, none of which seem to work on demand? Is that convenient?

Amen to that!
I also have great issue with popular culture...but I won't rant and rave about that here.
Not the way I feel it in my soul at least...hehe.
I'm typically a grasroots person that likes to keep things simple. Not cheap...just like things simple...heh.
Learning that a quality hat costs soooo much in my time here has really challenged my day-to-day operations and caused the wife to raise an eyebrow.
But I totally agree with you on quality over quantity.
Speaking of pens, I have a silver fountain pen that is my daily companion. Given to me by a representative from the Lockheed Martin company for my assistance in helping them with a severe IT problem during a vaccine storage meeting at my former employer.
Now, I know this pen costs at least $80 dollars after looking it up online years back. It's been with me since 2005 and the refills cost very little to replace. I always get compliments on it when I use it and I love using it. It's soo comfortable, heavy and even functions as a proper pike if needed in an emergency.
This one pen has outlasted all of the cheap pens that I've been given over the years and the ones I've seen the wife use as well. The disposable ones are just that....disposable.
I don't want too many disposable things in my life.
I, too, prefer quality.

[emoji106]

 

[Zombie_61]

I've never been a big fan of evilBay, but it's become a real cess pool ever since Meg Whitman left. Every policy change they've made since seems to be designed to give more power to buyers and leave sellers with little or no recourse regarding dishonest bidders like the Jackhole mentioned. He could indeed be a shill, but if he is their plan doesn't seem to be working.

By the way Dm, I gave your posts a "like" not because I enjoy hearing about misfortune, but out of sympathy for the frustration you're feeling; been there, done that.

 

[Dm101]

I've never been a big fan of evilBay, but it's become a real cess pool ever since Meg Whitman left. Every policy change they've made since seems to be designed to give more power to buyers and leave sellers with little or no recourse regarding dishonest bidders like the Jackhole mentioned. He could indeed be a shill, but if he is their plan doesn't seem to be working.

By the way Dm, I gave your posts a "like" not because I enjoy hearing about misfortune, but out of sympathy for the frustration you're feeling; been there, done that.

Thank you so much. It's the internet, but it feels just a little better knowing that you all understand my frustration.
It's a shame...I remember how awesome eBay was back in the early 2000s.
It's a pale shade of what it once was...

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[LizzieMaine]

The Internet is indeed a wretched hive of scum and villainy. But boy does it make money.

 

[tonyb]

As to ballpoint pens ...

I got an antique Hills Bros. Coffee can stuffed full of the things (a few Sharpies and other markers are in there as well, but it’s predominantly ballpoint pens), almost all of which are souvenirs of my stays at hotels and motels over the years. I almost always pocket the pens in the guest room and I've been known to help myself to a couple from the unattended maids’ carts out in the corridors.

I have better pens: a Waterman, a Mont Blanc, some gold-plated thing whose brand I couldn’t tell you. Haven’t used any of them in years.

I have a couple-three double-edge safety razors around here somewhere as well. Haven’t used those in years, either. I usually get the disposable twin blade jobs, the ones on the bottom shelf at the supermarket. They’re so inexpensive that I pay little attention to just what they cost. I get a week or more out of each one before I toss it and grab a fresh one from the pack of eight or ten or however many there are.

 

[LizzieMaine]

When I'm dictator, the first ones to be lined up against the wall will be the gum-chewers who spit their repulsive cuds into public bubblers. I bend down to take a drink and I end up retching at the sight of it. USE THE GARBAGE CANS YOU DISGUSTING SCHMUCKS.

 

[GHT]

When I'm dictator, the first ones to be lined up against the wall will be the gum-chewers who spit their repulsive cuds into public bubblers. I bend down to take a drink and I end up retching at the sight of it. USE THE GARBAGE CANS YOU DISGUSTING SCHMUCKS.

I thought that you had tackled that problem 80 years ago.

 

[3fingers]

When I'm dictator, the first ones to be lined up against the wall will be the gum-chewers who spit their repulsive cuds into public bubblers. I bend down to take a drink and I end up retching at the sight of it. USE THE GARBAGE CANS YOU DISGUSTING SCHMUCKS.

I have always wondered what makes people think that this and similar public behavior is acceptable. Not only because others are using the same bubbler and find it disgusting but because somebody else has to clean up after them.
Thoughtlessness and entitlement are not new.