So you want to sell a hat!  Very Cool.  As an semi-experienced hat dealer here on eBay, I'm going to give you six small, but important tips to hopefully help you make your sale a more profitable one.  First, let me put how I started into a nutshell so that you know a bit about how I got started.

A friend of my husband had a very lucrative swapmeet/flea market business where he sold hats and small leather goods.  When he was died, he left my family about 3000 hats, wallets, gun belts, etc.  We started selling out at a local swapmeet, but we live in a rural town and while it was good for a while, it was still a touch and go business at best because of the ever blowing wind here in NW Arizona.  It's hard to sell hats in 30 mile an hour wind!!!  My hubby was after me month after month to try selling on eBay, but it just seemed like a very confusing electronic swapmeet to me.  Last Christmas, a friend of mine sent me an eBay gift certificate.  I learned how to navigate eBay very quickly!  Our sons needed extra money for education and I figured if I could shop eBay, I could sell eBay.  And here I am!!!

The reason I thought this guide might help someone is that periodically I look at other sellers hats so I can compare my prices, both for the auction and for postage costs.  I recently came upon a gentleman who was selling a brand new, never worn Bailey hat.  His listing was okay and the hat would probably sell, but I knew he would only get a fraction of what he could get with better info and better photos.  I think he took offense, but he did end up doing what I suggested and got exactly what I predicted he would get.  Without the tips I gave him, he might have gotten $5 or $10 instead of the $75 he got!  So, what were the tips?

PHOTOGRAPHS...

Photographs of hats are absolutely the biggest selling feature.  Your hat should be free of dust, hair, dirt, lint, etc.  The gentleman had a beautiful hat, but it had been set aside without a box or bag for sometime.  It was dusty and had what looked like pet hair on it.  Tip Number One:  Clean the hat before you photograph it because it will show up in the photos.  He took the hat and had it professionally cleaned, but that isn't always necessary.  Buy a baby brush (yes, the kind you would use on a newborn).  It is soft but sturdy enough to 'scrub' with if you need to.  Once you've loosened any particles, use masking tape to remove the particles from the hat.  The more you try to pick it off with your fingers, the more likely you are to damage the hat.  This is especially true about beaver and fur blend hats.  Clean both inside and out!!!  Now you are ready to photograph the hat.  Tip Number Two:  Whatever the color of the hat, try to find a contrasting SOLID COLORED piece of material to photograph it against.  You do not need a styrofoam head or other apparatus unless you are going to be selling lots of hats.  Then it is a good investment to save you time.  You can set the hat down on any flat surface and photograph it from the top, which gives a good overall view.  If using a hat stand, tilt the hat slightly forward and take a 3/4 shot for best customer viewing.  Turn the hat over and photograph the inside.  Include as much of the sweatguard as possible, but you really want to show the inside crown area.  Because I'm an established dealer, I don't do this with my less inexpensive (but still quality) hats, but always with the high end, big ticket hats like Bailey. 

THE LISTING...

Building a good, solid listing is another key to solid sales.  Your listing should include a full description of the hat and it's condition.  Tip Number Four:  Your listing should include the both of the following measurements:  Brim (from the base of the hat where it meets the crown to the edge of the brim), and Crown (from the base of the hat where it meets the brim straight up-be sure to include front, side, and back measurements).  These are important facts to hat buyers.  Tip Number Five:  The size of the hat should be listed, as well as the inches and centimeters.  For example:  You're selling a hat in US size 7 1/8.  You will also want to include that this size fits heads measuring 22 3/4 inches or 58 cm's.  By listing all three size measurements, you should completely eliminate any chance of a return because it doesn't fit!  I haven't had one returned yet!!!   Tip Number Six:  Your listing should include the weight of the hat before packaging AND the shipping weight.  Most sellers don't include both, but they should.  It's hard for the buyer to understand why the 5 oz hat they bought cost $10 to ship, but if you give them an explanation of the weight, you will get very few complaints.  I have never had anyone complain about postage because I give them the weights right up front. 

MAILING...

This has nothing to do with the listing, but is just some extra information.  When mailing a hat, be sure not to scrimp on the box.  You want a sturdy, crush-resistant box that hasn't been used before.  You can have a great listing, provide all the necessary information above, and still ruin your sale by cheaping out on the box.  No matter how nice your hat, if it arrives crushed or banged up, your buyer is gonna have a fit.  Use new boxes!!!

OK.  There you have it.  Six tips to help you get more money for your hat.  It doesn't matter if you are selling a new hat, or a used one, whether your selling one hat or a hundred hats, these six tips should help you on your way to a more profitable hat sale!

Thank You for taking the time to read this guide.  I sincerely hope it has been helpful.