I usually build my own hats using the best Winchester felt. It is just a hobby for me so everything is hand sewn on a hat I build. And no brim iron to give a nice sharp break. Anyway I recently stripped the sweat and liner from a slightly used hat of mine to send off, have it reblocked (wasn't really needed), brim ironed, a new sweat machine sewn in and a new liner. 2 ply ribbon worth about $1.00 sewn on as well. Their ribbon is also sewn on by hand. I even included my wooden hat block which the hat was originally shaped to so they could use it. Got the invoice today. $108. total plus $35.00 shipping. What do you think on the prices? Good or bad or typical of the effort involved?
Sounds pretty average. You can find hat shops who do it for a bit less, and lots that charge a lot more. My last new sweatband and shipping (no other work done) was $67. Art Fawcett used to charge $100 for a new sweatband, light cleaning, re-blocked and flanged, new liner, and new ribbon/bow. Shipping was about $19 to me. It was a great deal. My next refurbishment project is going here: https://standardhatworks.com/hat-services I bought a few blocks, flanges, and simple tools not to make hats but to save some money on basic hat work.
Thanks for the reply DH! Their sweat which is narrow and rather ho-hum would have been another $35. Making their sweat, sew in, $81. alone. Takes me about 15 min to sew one in by hand.
I did a web search about a month ago to survey the market pricing for hat refurbishment. Pricing is all over the map. The price you received is certainly in line or at least not out of line with market average. His reblock is lower than average but his sewing of the sweat is much higher. There are some hat shops that charge a lot more and some a bit less. The $35 for shipping is high unless it was a huge brimmed western.
Yeah, but their repair/refurbishment pricing seems to be fair. I have two of their custom hats (fedora and a lords hat) that I got secondhand. Both are nice hats but nothing special. They focus on westerns these days. $30 to replace a sweatband (includes the sweat and sewing it in). $30 to bind a brim...Mikael at Hufvud is charging me $100 extra for a bound brim. $35 to re-block I also like that you can make an appointment and have all the work done to your specifications as you wait!
A lot depends on the quality of the work, and they have to make a living too. If you are happy, go back, if not, move on. Seems within ballpark though.
My dedicated hat box, my hat and the block cost $20 to ship via priority mail through the post office counter.. They used my same box to ship it back. For $35. That $20 price hasn't changed.
Yes, that 'while you wait' is a great feature although I am not sure I would want the client watch me abuse his hat!
Damn, you have more agile fingers than I. It takes me about 20 minutes to baste the sweat in and then 45-60 mins for the final sew.
Yes....a charge anyway. I am always amazed when a merchant will charge an extra $20 to make a buck and drive a long term repeat customer away. Not the money mind you but the feeling you've been taken advantage of. Knowing exactly how long that takes their seamstress, $48 to sew in a sweat gives me that feeling, as does $30 to sew on a $1.00 worth of hat band ribbon. Best to just consider the $143. a lesson in trickle down economics I suspect.
