Americans are better capitalists,...

[Kreissaege]

than Brits, Irish etc, to put it that way
Why?
Because I spent hours on the web trying to find british (=EU) sources for tweed caps (with ear flaps).
Only found Hanna and Baxter, what is recommended here on TFL anyway.
A company like Jonathan Richards, for example, whose products were shown here and whose cap with ear flaps I probably would order, DOES NOT EXIST ON THE WEB. They wont even answer email.
I can get the whole range from the US, though.
Seems that individual american shops like Bencraft etc invest time in building a platform on the web to do business, while european shops seem to be content with the local customers they have or are so rich that they dont need to do so.
Whenever I do a search via google, all that pops up is US-based.
Strikes me as odd, having to order an irish-made cap from the US instead from a more local entrepeneur.
The spain Beret I am currently waiting for I had to order from New Zealand, this source couldnt be farther away.
Maybe we here over the pond should start and enter the 21st century, sometime in the future...

 

[Lefty]

We might be good with hats, but current events are proving that we haven't perfected the system yet.

 

[rrog]

Well then maybe some smart, capitalistic entrepreneur can figure out a way to get you the stuff you want without the overpriced shipping charges and get us (the US) the stuff we want without the overpriced shipping charges (i.e. about $30 US for an Akubra). Then the only unhappy people would be the shippers!

rrog

than Brits, Irish etc, to put it that way
Why?
Because I spent hours on the web trying to find british (=EU) sources for tweed caps (with ear flaps).
Only found Hanna and Baxter, what is recommended here on TFL anyway.
A company like Jonathan Richards, for example, whose products were shown here and whose cap with ear flaps I probably would order, DOES NOT EXIST ON THE WEB. They wont even answer email.
I can get the whole range from the US, though.
Seems that individual american shops like Bencraft etc invest time in building a platform on the web to do business, while european shops seem to be content with the local customers they have or are so rich that they dont need to do so.
Whenever I do a search via google, all that pops up is US-based.
Strikes me as odd, having to order an irish-made cap from the US instead from a more local entrepeneur.
The spain Beret I am currently waiting for I had to order from New Zealand, this source couldnt be farther away.
Maybe we here over the pond should start and enter the 21st century, sometime in the future...

 

[Aerol]

Have you tried:

http://www.bates-hats.co.uk/index.html

and

http://www.lockhatters.co.uk/

Both are in London.

 

[Duper]

Hi Kreissaege, I was looking around for a Canadian retailer for Jonathan Richards myself just this past winter. I had an e-mail response to my inquiry from a Terry Kennedy at info@jonathanrichards.ie.

I believe Terry is one of the top execs at Jonathan Richards.

Good luck in your hunt!

 

[dhermann1]

I've done pretty well with British vendors on the web, both retail and Ebay. I got a great Inverness rain cape from www.misterantony.com , an umbrella from http://www.foxumbrellas.co.uk, and a couple others. I guess it depends on the individual company. Haven't dealt with companies in Europe, tho.

 

[Fletch]

We're good mass marketers. We're a big economy, so we always have to focus on the main chance. This is why we get 2,000 suppliers of popularly priced ballcaps and maybe 2 of felt fedoras.

Nobody, anywhere, is a good niche marketer. Not to more than one niche anyway. You can cater to a niche, but you'll close the doors to others if you do. And if your niche dries up, you have to start from zero. That's not a plan that would get you a bank loan, let alone venture capital.

I've always believed that people who really make things well will resist marketing them well. There's a basic contradiction at work. Good craft has to be an honest process. Good marketing can't afford to be honest.

 

[billyspew]

than Brits, Irish etc, to put it that way
Why?
Because I spent hours on the web trying to find british (=EU) sources for tweed caps (with ear flaps).
Only found Hanna and Baxter, what is recommended here on TFL anyway.
A company like Jonathan Richards, for example, whose products were shown here and whose cap with ear flaps I probably would order, DOES NOT EXIST ON THE WEB. They wont even answer email.
I can get the whole range from the US, though.
Seems that individual american shops like Bencraft etc invest time in building a platform on the web to do business, while european shops seem to be content with the local customers they have or are so rich that they dont need to do so.
Whenever I do a search via google, all that pops up is US-based.
Strikes me as odd, having to order an irish-made cap from the US instead from a more local entrepeneur.
The spain Beret I am currently waiting for I had to order from New Zealand, this source couldnt be farther away.
Maybe we here over the pond should start and enter the 21st century, sometime in the future...

Bookster...

 

[gtdean48]

... Good marketing can't afford to be honest.

I like that a lot!

 

[Tone]

Well, it's a theory, at least...

So, I search for 'tweed caps' on Google and I find a place like www.murphyofireland.com among the first options.

"We ship our International orders from rural Ireland at very favourable rates, based on the weight of the items ordered. In our experience, first class mail has a comparable cost but takes longer and does not afford us ability to track your packages. If you would prefer us to use first class mail please let us know and we will adjust your shipping charge to that actual amount.

Our shipping charges cover transportation of your order from Ireland to you, as well as any and all taxes, customs, duties or fees. For our EU customers please note that while the products have a shorter distance to travel, we incur VAT on these items. Also, some of our UK orders are sent via Royal Mail."

Granted, they too, do not appear to have the earflap caps, but they do seem to be among the first options when searching for tweed caps. Out of Ireland.

Very dishonest marketing tactics, perhaps?

Okay, could be a fluke from some clever marketing or something...so just to be safe, I specify "Tweed caps with earflaps" then...

www.euroguns.co.uk comes up. Are they UK based?

 

[galopede]

I can reccommend Murphy of Ireland from the post above. Never bought a hat from them but I have bought a few of their excellent Gleneske Grandad shirts. They were excellent at answering emails and they were very good at getting the cheapest shipping to the UK.

They are near the border with Northern Ireland and they nip over the border to the British post offices in the north with UK orders so it isn't international shipping!

This was a few years ago so YMMV of course.

Also you can buy Hanna caps direct from them in Donegal

Hanna Hats

Gareth

 

[Kreissaege]

Have you tried:

http://www.bates-hats.co.uk/index.html

Both are in London.

BINGO!!!
Thank you!

 

[Kreissaege]

Okay, could be a fluke from some clever marketing or something...so just to be safe, I specify "Tweed caps with earflaps" then...

www.euroguns.co.uk comes up. Are they UK based?

DITO!!!:eusa_clap

Somehow, sometimes, to google in a foreign language is so difficult

So b****r Jonathan Richards, I finally found what I am looking for!

Thank you all for the kind help!

 

[Graemsay]

One trick is to use the local Google site (it's http://www.google.co.uk in the UK), as their algorithm favours local searches.

 

[John in Covina]

There is a response by sellers to selling things that has to come a long way and the example is oranges in NYC. NY and the surrounding area don't grow oranges , they have to come from far away, so the price with those shipping costs tend to be higher. Because the seller has to charge more he then has to be sure he gets the best possible oranges or they won't sell at the price he needs to charge. Consistantly oranges in NYC are better than those here in California.

Since a seller halfway around the globe can't select better hats from the maker he must then consider best possible service to provide an incentive to buy from him. Web presence is one approach of better service, and product awareness which leads to the idea of mass marketing as noted above. Many business are putting items up for sale on the web that weren't considered before. Chevrolet has brand new cars on Ebay now, a concept that was truly unthinkable a year ago.

A lot of businesses are looking for web product placement so we are seeing places like Amazon carrying items that are far outside the scope of books, dvds and cds. I know of several automotive accessory places that are setting up to sell to consumers thru Amazon.

In this day and age, it is becoming more and more important for all types of items and companies to have a web presence and when it is not there it seems that the lack presence is a presciption to vex the consumer that is searching. A good manufacturer may not deal directly with you on a lot of levels but to have information up as to the items produced and a section to direct you to dealers is a good start or as a minimum for a decent web presence.

 

[Fletch]

Well, it's a theory, at least...

But not a particularly helpful or to-the-point one. I shoot from the hip on topics like this, and tend to generalize and pontificate.

If I weren't such a cynic about getting good stuff easiy, I might actually have suggested some of the strategies others had. As it is, I didn't even think of them.

 

[Edward]

Americans, better capitalists? You say that like it's a good thing to which to aspire. fftopic: , I know! lol

Anyhoo, before I cause a riot....

It seems to me that perhaps the hat market here in Europe is so limited, that most of the sources of really high end stuff simply don't consider the web to be a big part of their marketing strategy. For those who pay out the money for a Locks fedora, I should have thought the exclusivity of the brand is a big part of the deal. A company which thrives on that sort of business model has no incentive to up its game in wider marketing. I remember a markeitng consultant telling me years back that Gucci had really hurt themselves by sticking the name on everything, thereby losing the exclusivity of the brand.

 

[John in Covina]

That's the balance a high end producer can try to do, exclusive and word of mouth only. That model is usually workable by old established brands that have a following. Word of mouth can get a small company going but doesn't always sustain it thru hard times if it is a non-essential item. Capitalism tends to do things in budget and on time, where as government run stuff is over budget and routinely late. Here in the US, one of the legal Brothels in Nevada ran afoul of the Feds on income tax. The Federal government took it over and it went out of business. All they sold was booze and broads but the government could not even run that right.

 

[LaMedicine]

The Federal government took it over and it went out of business. All they sold was booze and broads but the government could not even run that right.

lol lol lol Not trying to get political, but ain't that how governments run stuff in every single country in the world lol lol lol

 

[Kreissaege]

One trick is to use the local Google site (it's http://www.google.co.uk in the UK), as their algorithm favours local searches.

Thats very helpful, thank you!

EDWARD:
A "better capitalist" only when the ability of attracting customers is concerned.
The one thing that surprised me most and got me p****d so much is, that I cant buy locally ( continent-wise, at least) what is produced locally. After all, the web is here to stay and a good way to reach and acquire new customers.
on a side note.
I work in a small store where we sell outdoor and mountaineering equipment. Our website, which is part of a larger network of similar stores around germany, also features an online store who contains all the stuff we also have in our print catalogue.
http://shop.kleinefluchtenoutdoor.de/
Up to three years ago, this online presence was more of a nuisance. It only did cost money.
When considering what to do, it was closing it or investing working time in it.
We did the latter.
One of my colleagues spents part of his time behind the counter - when there are no customers needing services -
in updating the web-site, putting special offers in, etc.
Right from the first week of doing this orders came in. Nowadays there are days, when the orders from the
web are higher than what we sell over the counter.
Its a lot of work, but surely has gotten an important pillar of business.