the problem with buying a vintage hat online

[Johnny J]

Yours is probably more accurate cause of its shape. I almost bought the one from alibaba, but I didn't need it after all. At least I know where to get one.

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

Making hats and quality hats costs money lots of things needed to do it right.

 

[danofarlington]

One way to look at the problem is from the point of view of the seller. Just how much rigamarole would you want to go through just to put an old hat up for sale on E Bay? I've never sold anything on that forum, but I'm a minimalist. Has a marked size? I know the color and the material? Shoot a few photos? Hey, post it up. sold. I wouldn't want to jump through more hoops than that. Apart from noting moth wear, stains, or any other obvious flaw, it's "buyer beware." We're not talking retail prices here. You don't get all kinds of extra attention to an item at a yard sale, it's just "as is." And EBay is just a big yard sale so far as I'm concerned.

 

[Walt]

Of course any time an item you are going to wear is bought without trying on beforehand there is always a risk it won't fit. This is even true if you buy a new hat online from a hat dealer. Having accurate measurements from the seller usually mitigates the risk enough to make it worth the chance. Sometimes it does require interrogation of the seller to get the correct info.

As for expectations of sellers personally I disdain sellers on ebay who are selling stuff for a living not doing due diligence with respect to providing detailed pictures, accurate descriptions of condition, visible size tag info and head opening measurements. I am speaking of sellers who sell lots of stuff and obviously frequent yard sales & thrift stores and not the guy who sells very little and therefore may truly just be clearing out their closet. A savvy and motivated seller knows they increase their chances of making a sizable profit by putting work into it.

A lazy or clueless seller doesn't do as well. On the plus side because of such sellers the buyer can pay a lot less then they otherwise would have to for something.

As long as you don't pay too much or end up with something you can't sell or return in my experience the risk is acceptable. Unless you are in a big city where you can find vintage hats in your size easily then your only option is buy online.

If you stick it out I bet you will have mostly positive experiences.

 

[Walt]

Non-wool hats can shrink so getting measurements and not just relying on the size tag is a good idea. Hats can be purposely resized so also may not match a factory tag.

Cheers!

 

[Walt]

I guess I've been lucky as in the majority of cases with vintage hats actual sizing has matched marked sizing reasonably close....rarely more than one size off and never two or more sizes off tagged size.

 

[LoveMyHats2]

One way to look at the problem is from the point of view of the seller. Just how much rigamarole would you want to go through just to put an old hat up for sale on E Bay? I've never sold anything on that forum, but I'm a minimalist. Has a marked size? I know the color and the material? Shoot a few photos? Hey, post it up. sold. I wouldn't want to jump through more hoops than that. Apart from noting moth wear, stains, or any other obvious flaw, it's "buyer beware." We're not talking retail prices here. You don't get all kinds of extra attention to an item at a yard sale, it's just "as is." And EBay is just a big yard sale so far as I'm concerned.

You are correct as many sellers are like a "bag of hammers" and do not know what you mean if you ask them how wide the brim of the hat is..???? But in most cases (at least from what takes place for my end of things) my Wife will ask a ton of questions but she will start by giving the seller a hello and wonderful looking hat comment....review past feedback and sort of ask things in such a way that the seller can see some sincere and honest reason for asking if they can do some measuring...she will even explain how and what to measure and send them to a website that gives the seller some size information in case they would ever sell another hat in the future, you know, a hat so many inches in diameter is this size or that size of hat....it helps more than not. Plus it allows the seller to "add" that information on a listing...the real size. If you explain to the less informed sellers of a hat that size information will help others bid on a hat, you are doing everyone a favor. Now true you may have more competition on bidding against others, but I think it is always helpful to kindly share with others such information. We recently won hat on eBay and the seller knew ZERO about hats, they did add the proper size, a day or so before the end of the auction....no other bidders however, so we got the hat for chump change......a near new condition vintage Western Miller hat, 3x Beaver sort of a wide brim OR style hat, in silver belly thin ribbon, in super clean wonderful condition, for $9.99 plus shipping, a total of only $20.85 cents for a fine hat shipped to the front door.

 

[JTopenroad]

Thats part of the hobby. Even if you dont keep a hat, every time you handle a vinatge you get a little bit more of your education in them.

I have found this to be very true. I have purchased many vintage hats on ebay. Some fit some did not but I have had the joy of hands on experience and developed my own sense of judgement as to what I like. You can often clean up and reshape the hat and relist it on ebay. I have made my money back and sometimes a profit with better descriptions and better pictures. If I find an excellent hat I have no problems with having the hat resized and adding a new sweatband.