The ones that got away

[leaette]

i'm not a hat buyer so i'm really amazed at that price. while the hat is fabulous...why is the price at $800?!?!
I thought hats on ebay were selling for $100 or less?

 

[imoldfashioned]

i'm not a hat buyer so i'm really amazed at that price. while the hat is fabulous...why is the price at $800?!?!
I thought hats on ebay were selling for $100 or less?

I've seen really nice late 30's-early 40's hats go for $250-$300 on ebay. This one is listed at a dealer's website for $745. It's from a name maker, it's near mint, it's gorgeous--but I still think the price is insane (especially since I don't believe the box is included). That seller's prices are generally high overall though so it doesn't surprise me.

 

[leaette]

i can't even imagine spending that much on a whole outfit let alone a single hat.
i wonder if this guy has lots of business.

 

[Vintage Betty]

i can't even imagine spending that much on a whole outfit let alone a single hat.
i wonder if this guy has lots of business.

I happened to look at that website before I looked on this thread. I've collected hats for about 27 years now, and yes, those hat prices are astronomical. However, if the dealer has the right buyers, they can charge those prices.

I think most normal websites would charge $250-$450 for the hats shown. But if she has clients who are willing to pay those prices....[huh]. And for discussion sake, I recognized one or two of the hats she bought from ebay, checked her bids and she marked them up 4-6 times the price she purchased them for.

Sounds like a good business person, but not someone I am likely to afford purchasing from anytime soon.

Vintage Betty

 

[Vintage Betty]

i'm not a hat buyer so i'm really amazed at that price. while the hat is fabulous...why is the price at $800?!?!
I thought hats on ebay were selling for $100 or less?

Naming a price of $100 or less usually limits the buyer to luck or to to certain types of hats. The hats shown on the last page are mint, with all millinery intact and wearable. The hats shown on the previous page will typically not sell for under $100 unless it's by an uneducated or kind seller.

Most of the <$100 hats purchased by buyers here in the Lounge are 1950's cocktail hats. Typically, any hats that are 1920's cloches and earlier hats in good or better condition will sell beyond that price. I'm talking the good cloches, the embroidered ones or multi-tiered fur felt hand-crafted ones in good or better condition. You can still find good hats for less than $100, don't get me wrong, but if you are looking to purchase some serious antique hats, you either have to find a seller who is willing to part with them at that price, or take some problems with the hat itself.

As with any hobby, you start with purchasing whatever you can find (just check the hat thread for that discussion). Eventually, you start buying up, and than you want the specialty items which this woman is offering.

It's very fun for me to give hats away. I like giving hats to beginning collectors, it helps them get started. However, after two decades of collecting hats, I am on the other end of the hobby, and am much too picky to typically be satisfied with the standard hats anymore. Maybe it's being snobby or maybe it's just exposure to hundreds and hundreds of hats.

What are your thoughts on her pricing of hats shown on the previous page?

 

[KittyT]

Lost these to another Lounger

Really loved these, but they were too narrow anyway.

 

[Mojito]

As with any hobby, you start with purchasing whatever you can find (just check the hat thread for that discussion). Eventually, you start buying up, and than you want the specialty items which this woman is offering.

Absolutely true, Vintage Betty. I watch a lot of the cloches and capelines that come up on eBay, and the prices can be stratospheric. And then...you just luck out from time to time (usually when, as you say, it's a less than perfect piece that just needs a little work). It's hard enough for me as it is, as I have a large head (I'm always a bit embarrassed to say it - it's tantamount to a confession I'm literally big-headed!). I've still lucked out, but it's taken a long time - my first find was a horsehair capeline trimmed with velvet flowers, which was so much better when it arrived than I expected - it needed some steaming and reshaping of the poke-style brim, but when that was done it was lovely. It had also been badly photographed, which helped. One of the other best purchases was, again, badly photographed and not fully described - I was amazed when it arrived to realise it wasn't crushed on top, it was actually a crease-crowned cloche in excellent condition, silk lining near perfectly intact.

But I've lost out on an awful lot of lovely hats because the seller knew they were valuable, photographed them well, and the collectors were willing to pay large sums.

 

[artful dodgette]

Thanks! It seems we are all missing out to fellow loungers lately lol Well, if for whatever reason it doesn't fit then it will be going back up on the bay and I will be sure to let you know.

I was watching this too!!! ha ha ha! i loved it! i was influenced by the beach scene in sweeny todd!

 

[artful dodgette]

Here are the latest things I lost out on.

I really really wanted the pink dress, I had the perfect shoes to go with it.

AWWW! i know, i was bidding on it too, but it just went crazy!

 

[SarahLouise]

I was watching this too!!! ha ha ha! i loved it! i was influenced by the beach scene in sweeny todd!

It does remind me of Mrs Lovett's costume in that scene come to think of it! Oh how I adored that film. Now I just need Johnny Depp by my side in his costume! It arrived the other day and is lovely, absolutely reeks of smoke though.

 

[lyburnum]

Some recent loses:

I am an absolute sucker for a pretty dress. But pretty dresses tend to go for a pretty penny, so I can only afford the occassional one. There are too many gorgeous dresses out there!

And some beautiful tops that went way over my budget:

 

[SarahLouise]

And some beautiful tops that went way over my budget:

That was me again! It was only £13 which I thought was a great price. All of those dresses are very pretty too.

 

[Sunny]

I've got a tale of woe.

Last spring I started sort of looking for some overshoes. I wear heels just about every day 'cause of work, and since I'm often out at night going to school, there are times when overshoes would be awesome. So I kept a watch out, bid a few times, was outbid, but that's okay. I was learning the market, and there will always be more.

Fall came around and I started looking more seriously. I have now been outbid at least twice by the SAME buyer on virtually the same overshoes. See:

In the past 90 days, this buyer has bought 11 pairs of vintage galoshes, all sizes and years. 4 pair have been size 9's. 2 pair have gone for over $80, 4 more for over $100, and yet another for $255! The 1940s ones that I want have been the cheapest, my next-highest bids being from $26-$38. See, I tried to learn, and raised my maximum. But I can't buck someone with an unlimited budget and an insatiable desire for virtually ALL vintage overshoes on ebay!

If this person is going to be pouncing on every single pair of ladies' 1940s galoshes in my size, I might as well give up here and now. I'm never going to be able to get them!

And if that's not enough, there's ANOTHER rubber-collecting buyer that I've also lost to at least once. His maximums aren't as astronomical ($66 is the highest I've seen), and he'll go for any sizes and styles. But he's had more auctions in the last 90 days than I'm going to bother going through.

So rubber collecting is a big deal. But these things are not THAT rare, people! You don't need to grab them like there's no tomorrow! All I want is one pair in my size, to actually keep my feet dry! Between them, these two buyers are owning the ebay market.

*cries*

 

[Vintage Betty]

They might be a professional buying for business. What size are you? I can keep an eye out.

Vintage Betty

 

[Sunny]

They might be a professional buying for business. What size are you? I can keep an eye out.

Vintage Betty

I hadn't thought of that. If so, it's not on ebay. I'm a size 9, so this is doubly frustrating. Vintage 9's are out there, but they're uncommon enough to intensify the disappointment when I consistently lose them. Thanks so much for looking!

 

[Miss 1929]

Who knew there was an overshoe fetish?

 

[lyburnum]

Went for £40. It was that jumper or the dress I bought, and the dress won my heart in the end. The jumper is a stunner though.

 

[exquisitebones]

I am SO bummed. I want a pair of Navy pants SO bad.
and there is a pair on ebay, ACTUALLY in MY SIZE (unheard of !)

and I cant buy them cos I am 8 months pregannt, and totally broke.
they are FANTASTIC!
I am so depressed

 

[KittyT]

This one was sold by a friend of mine. It went for $280. Absolutely exquisite.

 

[kamikat]

Both pair of DG were going at once. They didn't go very high, but it's the lean part of the pay cycle, so my max bid was pretty low. I think I'm gonna set aside some money so I can bid higher in case I find more.