Smashed Hats and Nightmares!

[mayserwegener]

What a great story, Jeff! Thanks for the belly-laughs!

+1

 

[hatophile]

That is a great beach hat, Jeff!

 

[Joshbru3]

I have usually had great luck with sellers packing hats in a proper way. I occasionally get a big hat in small box, but thats nothing a little steam can't fix. The WORST smashed hat I have ever received was unfortunately a straw one. It was a early 1900's Balibuntal boater in a very large 7 5/8.

Here's the auction pictures of the hat that I thought I was going to receive........

Here's what I actually received! Thanks to the the fact that the seller didn't double box this one, a very old boater that managed to survive several world wars could not survive the United State Postal service.

 

[splintercellsz]

I do hope you took up some claims, Josh. I want to buy a boater, but fear that happening to them... eugh. I found some at a local thrift shop, but they were too small for my head (7-71/4) and the 1/4 was smaller than the sticker claimed, but I may get them to resell on the bay (not knowing anything about dating boaters would be a gamble), but at least I could purchase them with the knowledge of nowt having to worry about a shipping company bringing them to me!

I think the worst story I have as of yet was my younger brother coming over, seeing my hat, and sitting on it... thankfully felt can reshape super easily, but lets just say he has learned to treat my hats with respect.

 

[Joshbru3]

I do hope you took up some claims, Josh. I want to buy a boater, but fear that happening to them... eugh. I found some at a local thrift shop, but they were too small for my head (7-71/4) and the 1/4 was smaller than the sticker claimed, but I may get them to resell on the bay (not knowing anything about dating boaters would be a gamble), but at least I could purchase them with the knowledge of nowt having to worry about a shipping company bringing them to me!

I think the worst story I have as of yet was my younger brother coming over, seeing my hat, and sitting on it... thankfully felt can reshape super easily, but lets just say he has learned to treat my hats with respect.

I most definitely got a full refund, but it wasn't really about the money. I was most upset because a beautiful work of art was destroyed because of negligence.

Don't be scared to buy a boater from ebay. As long as you contact the seller and ask them to double box the boater and label it as FRAGILE, it should arrive in one piece.

 

[splintercellsz]

I may have to do that, but from what I saw, I'd really have to try it on to make sure it fit, as I did find one in a 7 1/4, and it sat on the very top of my head, like it was made for a small 7, or even in the 6 category!

Agreed on that being a work of art that once was...

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Good tales guys.

My tale is one another of a seller making a bad packaging decison. I had purchased a Whippet from a seller in Australia. I knew that it was one of the Akubra made Stetson Whippets. It has somewhat the loook of a trilbey and if you look carefully it has a faint Whippet-esque quality. Anywhoo, it arrived and could not be delivered by the USPS. It required a signature and the postage was short. I went over in the morning, paid the postage due and picked up my hat package. Honestly I was taken in shock as it was sent in a flat brown envelope. I took the squished, flat felt hat out and was terribly dissapointed. I contacted the seller with a pic and the seller corrected my consternation telling me that she saved me lots of money by sending it for a "low cost." Some folks are hopeless and I put this seller in that catagory and did not honor a reply correting her.

Lots of steam, spending time on a block and really working the leather band the hat came back. Turns out it is a darn durable Akubra made Stetson Whippet!

Home and after slight reworking.

Some initial steaming.

Recovered and pic with other Whippets.

Looking forward to more Hat adventures, Eric -

 

[Alive'n'Amplified]

If I buy a boater, I will definitely ask for a double box. Thanks for sharing, Josh.

Great stories, everyone! :thumb:

Eric, that hat in the middle is fabulous!!

 

[Alive'n'Amplified]

I'm bumping this thread after an AWFUL nightmare I had last night!! I dreamed that my wife had [accidentally] head butted me. Not sure whether I deserved it or not, but she ended up cracking my teeth. :cry: Perhaps it was because I got three new hats over the past week. [huh]

I happened to be wearing my '30s Cavanagh, my favorite hat, at the time and ended up grabbing it off my head in a fit of rage and throwing it across the room. It hit some furniture or the fireplace or something, and when I went to pick it up a few minutes later it was split in two!! :eeek:

Thankfully, when I woke up and walked in my office the hat was resting quietly, and in one piece, on my hat rack.

 

[Pinhead]

If Johnny wears it, it's cool.

(You could probably buy a reproduction of this hat for the GNP of a small country, now.)

 

[ManofKent]

Wish I spotted this thread this morning. I collected an ebayed german hat from the Post Office this morning that had been packed in a carrier bag, then wrapped in a bin-liner. Needless to say it needs a little re-shaping. It's currently drenched in lighter fuel to loosen the unmentioned muck, and lightly stretched over an upside down plastic flowerpot which is a reasonable approximation of my head. I supose I should be glad the seller had double, rather than single bagged it...

 

[wyiauta]

Love the ostrich hat band, where can I get one like it?

 

[Squadala]

That is a BEAUTIFUL sweat band.

 

[DesertDan]

My daughter was moving some things into the house a few years ago and locked the dogs in my bedroom so they wouldn't get out of the house. However when she put them in she shut the door very quickly and unbeknownst to her blew my new panama hat off of the hook by the door.
[huh]
There is enough of it left that I still wear it to do yardwork or other dirty, sweaty chores.

 

[WideBrimm]

A smashed hat? Gee, that's usually referred to as a "Beater"! Shucks, almost any hat is better than no hat!