Tips on finding wider brimmed fedoras on Ebay?

[TommySalieri]

Hey, fellas.

I've been hittin' EBay hard for the last couple of weeks in an effort to build up the new wardrobe. I've spotted numerous fedoras from Stetson and Dobbs but I am unable to find wider brimmed hats - like the Biltmore I am wearing in my picture. Personally, I favor those over the "stingy" brimmed variety.

Anyway, how can I come across more wider brimmed hats on EBay? What brand should I search for?

Thanks.

 

[Solid Citizen]

Wider Brim 1940's Style Hats

Tommy,

Try: Stetson Whippet, Playboy, Stratoliner &/or Open Road.

IMO: Throw some money $$$ at a Stetson Open Road that
fits you, then rebash it into a suto Stratoliner which will
probably cost less than a Stratoliner in the long run!

SC

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Depends on yer head size.

There are at least 5 wide brimmed hats ending every day on eBay in size 7 or 6 7/8 (to be stretched to 7). So, whenever i need one, i can just drop by ebay.

What do you consider "wide" brimmed? Do you mean anything that's not stingy? Wide, to me, would mean 3" or above ... 2-2 1/2 i'd think was standard brim.

bk

 

[Snrbfshn]

It's all about size and search terms...

There are more smaller and fewer larger wide-brimmed hats. But your chances of snaring one are greatly increased by throwing a very wide net. I watch many auctions outside my size to learn both common and uncommon search keys. I use almost 200 search terms in birddogging fedoras. Many of my best finds came from searching lesser-used key words.
Here's an example:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8414456735&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

This hat was a steal, easily worth three to four times what was paid. It's not my size, but I almost bought it to resell. Based on the poorly-chosen item headline, I knew many hatmen would not find it. The chances of a bidding war were slim and I felt it would go for close to the minimum, which it did, with a single bid (to one of our members, BTW).

 

[TommySalieri]

Sorry! I should have been more specific. :eusa_doh:

Well, my head size is an average 7 1/8, so I'm one of the lucky ones.
Your description, Baron, looks right on target. Something along the lines of 2-2 1/2 looks about right.

Solid,
I performed a search on Stetson and I found two excellent hats. Unfortunately, I think I may be stocking up on too many of one kind. Let's hope I'll come across one of a different color other than grey. lol Thanks for the advice.

Snrb,
Thanks for letting me in on your secret. I think that I will be having the most success using your methods. I'll give it a shot and post the results later.

Once again, thank you, gentleman.

 

[RBH]

Tommy,

Try: Stetson Whippet, Playboy, Stratoliner &/or Open Road.

IMO: Throw some money $$$ at a Stetson Open Road that
fits you, then rebash it into a suto Stratoliner which will
probably cost less than a Stratoliner in the long run!

SC

Have you noticed what the O R's and Stratoliner's are going for lately?
Art has two of my O R's and is shaping one into the Stratoliner style. I really look forward to seeing his work.

 

[Solid Citizen]

Stratoliner Prices

RBH,

Saw a gray Stetson Stratoliner go for $158.00 on Ebay the other day!

The Stetson value eek: ) book lists Strats around $150.00 & I paid
$20.00 for one from a vintage dealer almost 2 years ago.

I would have no, problem buying an Open Road for suto Strat conversion.
Bottom line its the "look" your looking for!

SC

 

[Uncle Vern]

Years ago, Resistol used to make very nice dress-weight western hats. I have a 50's Resistol "Fort Worth," model, in silverbelly. with a 3-inch brim, nice thin brim and fairly soft crown--great little hat. With a bit of re-blocking, these hats could become instant fedoras. I see them on eBay for $20.00 to $30.00. There are a lot of great old dress-weight Resistols floating around on eBay. I have another with a 3.4-inch brim and a 5-inch crown that's superb. I'll try to post photos of it tonight.

 

[Uncle Vern]

 

[jml90]

RBH,

Saw a gray Stetson Stratoliner go for $158.00 on Ebay the other day!

The Stetson value eek: ) book lists Strats around $150.00 & I paid
$20.00 for one from a vintage dealer almost 2 years ago.

I would have no, problem buying an Open Road for suto Strat conversion.
Bottom line its the "look" your looking for!

SC

I saw onetoday with 4 days left going for $165 they aren't even sure what the size is

 

[TommySalieri]

Yeah, that's too much. You're better off buying an Open Road. Or better yet, just buying a custom-made hat, instead.

 

[Citizen Ed]

I saw onetoday with 4 days left going for $165 they aren't even sure what the size is

I had thought of putting a bid down on it when the price was still around 50 bucks. Next day I find it's up to $165. Tad pricey for me.

 

[Solid Citizen]

Desparate Dudes OR Stratospheric Feeding Frenzy

Just checked out the "Current Bid" (lol ) on that gray Strat @ $165.00. Way too high for just one vintage hat for me at least!

Bet the 7 1/2 size is whats drawing them in, as larger size Strats are
much harder to find.

SC

PS Bottom Line: Nice hat o ) BUt Too much ( )

 

[jml90]

Just checked out the "Current Bid" (lol ) on that gray Strat @ $165.00. Way too high for just one vintage hat for me at least!

Bet the 7 1/2 size is whats drawing them in, as larger size Strats are
much harder to find.

SC

PS Bottom Line: Nice hat o ) BUt Too much ( )

Still not large enough for me