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Post by Marc on Sept 13, 2007 10:55:33 GMT -5
Dear all, as most of you know, Steve and I started making Indy Fedoras for fellow fans as a hobby and to satisfy our own picky needs. Steve gave up his cabinettshop and was looking forward to doing 1-2 hats a week and I started working on my carreer at my daily job, in order to being able to afford making hats as a hobby as well  None of us would have though of the succes we experienced over the last years in their wildest dreams and we can only thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your continues support. And while we can’t appreciate this very support enough, this „hobby“ has become a real job for both of us. Steve is working up to 18 hours a day, trying to catch up on orders (with very little succes on that one) and so am I (with 5-6 hours on the hats and the rest on my daily job during the week and every second weekend – while I renovate the house on the other weekends). Our turnaround times have gone up CONSIDERABLE lately and I doubt that it’ll become any better, once Indy IV hits the theatres. So Steve and I sat down and thought about this „hobby“, that had become a second job, with the exception of the earnings. Since we both wanted to do this as a fan run business in our spare time when we started, we sat the prices accordingly. With Steve raising his prices to 450$ per hat, once Indy IV hits the theatres, he’ll be able to either finally make a little profit and still offer his hats for a bargain price compared to what other hatters charge for such a hat and / or cut down on his delivery times. Since my turnaround times have gone up to eight months as well, no matter how hard I work and it doesn’t seem to become any better (rather the opposite) I’m going the same route as Steve and raise my prices from the 22nd. of May next year. That way, I’ll either cut down my turnaround times, or I could make the dream come true and actually make a living from making hats (which would cut down the turnaround times as well). So from the 22nd. of May next year, I’ll be charging 475 Euro – which is round about 650$ incl. shipping. If you take a look at other hatters, you’ll see that this is still a more than fair price, for a hat that you’ll have a hard time finding elsewhere IMHO. I’m telling you this eight months before, to give you a fair chance to get an AB-Dlx. for the current price if desired and with less than 50 Euro a month you’d still be able to get the money together before the price will be changed. Thanks again, Marc |
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Post by GCR on Sept 13, 2007 15:15:20 GMT -5
Well Marc, I'd say that increase seems more than fair, considering the price increase on Steve's hats and the undoubted spike in sales you'll both see once Indy 4 comes out. $650 is still a bargain as far as I'm concerned. Considering the quality, craftsmanship, screen-accuracy and longevity of Marc's hats. I can attest to the fact that these hats are easily worth twice that new price. Still, folks, if you can swing 50 Euros a month for the next few months, I'd jump on one of these before the prices rise just the same! The are DEFINITELY worth it!  -GCR |
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Post by pitfallharry on Sept 13, 2007 17:22:41 GMT -5
Marc, I know this is something both you and Steve have tried to avoid for a while now and all of us totally understand. You've got to do what's best for you and your business. I don't think $650 is a bad price at all for a custom made high quality hat like yours. I'm willing to bet even that price increase won't slow people down from ordering your hat's. So if I go an order your hat anytime before May 22nd of 08 I'll still get it at the current price, correct? |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2007 18:14:48 GMT -5
Marc,
You need to get those Gray rawbodies. That will add another 3 or 4 months to your wait times ;D
I will now shut up.
Cheers,
John
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Post by Ragingblues on Sept 13, 2007 20:17:13 GMT -5
Well, it was inevitable that this day would come. The day when you sold us all out for a little more fame and fortune! ;D ;D  ;D ;D Yeah... okay! Maybe not... I can certainly understand you wanting to keep wait times at a more reasonable length and actually making a little profit for you hard work is always a good thing. Fortunately for me, I already have one of your fantastic hats. But, I do encourage anyone thinking about pulling the trigger to do so now before the deadline. The movie will undoubtedly bring new interest in this hobby and the clothes Indy wears. If you didn't change things now, you might never have the chance to do so. There's a reason so many owners of an Adventurebilt Deluxe rave about it as being the best.  Ken |
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Post by Stefana Jones on Sept 13, 2007 23:00:36 GMT -5
:  I must add a comment but I hope you won't misunderstand my statement since you all seem to be so appreciative of these hats (wich I'm sure that are great hats) And I don't mean to be disrespectful for the craftmanship of the makers, or the interest of someone willing to buy an AB...BUT as for myself I would never pay that amount of money (before or after the price increase) for a piece of clothing, even if it is the greatest hat ever made...I mean we are talking about $650 for a felt hat...not a used car, or home appliances!? My dog (wich is a living breathing animal) didn't cost that much. If I would buy a hat at that price I would be worried to dirty it or damage it, and would keep it in a glass box like a museum piece. Well, it's just my opinion and I'm just saying that for me $650 for a single hat would not be money well spent. ( But I could get 8 Akubra Feds for that price ;D ) |
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Post by Marc on Sept 14, 2007 8:00:18 GMT -5
Correct Harry. If paid for (or started paying) before May 22nd of 08. In case needed, I can offer a lay-away-plan with up to three payments (don't want to employee a bean counter, so I'll have to whatch that myself) over a period of three months.
Which would probably be at the beginning of next year. So there'll be the possibility to get these for the current price as well.
Fully understandable and luckily there's a niche for everyone. It has never been my goal to offer the most affordable hat, but only the absolute best Indy Fedora money could buy. Mainly to satisfy my own picky needs, but it seems like I was able to put that quest to an end for other fans as well. Some would rather have 2-3 other hats for less, while other know that the hat wouldn't get damaged, pretty much no matter what you throw at it. "One hat for all occasions" so to speak. To some, that's worth more than 20 other hats, to some not. I have gone many many miles in order to archieve this goal and it has cost me PLENTY, both time and money wise. To finally making a little out of it for myself (except than a hat) doesn't seem unfair to me IMHO and as I said, there's plenty of time before the price increase yet.
Regards,
Marc
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Post by Ragingblues on Sept 14, 2007 8:59:07 GMT -5
I whole heartedly agree about the grey hat bodies being added. I think you will sell a ton of hats if they are anything like the one you made for John. Ken |
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Post by Havana on Sept 14, 2007 10:09:34 GMT -5
Such is life and the way of business. You guys have built such a solid reputation for yourselves that you're becoming victims of your own success. That's not a bad situation to be in. Even with the wait period, people are still lining up for your great products. I wish you luck in the future and commend you for giving such advance notice on your very reasonable price increase.
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Post by COWBOY on Sept 15, 2007 16:39:12 GMT -5
Marc....Some day I will purchase from you no matter what the price is. I will however, wait until you are able to turn orders around in less than 12 months ;D ;D ;D (can anyone say Indy V???) I have heard nothing but great reviews of your product. I will never purchase one from Steve however, because his customer service stinks......and I mean it.... I am willing to pay just about any price for a product of value so long as the customer service is right there with the price. Best of luck to you on your new Adventure and may you and all the other Hatters revive the multitude of men who secretly long to wear an adventure hat, yet even an Indy Hat.... Regards. COWBOY
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Post by Marc on Sept 16, 2007 2:37:42 GMT -5
I've never been THAT far behind. Round about 7 months seems realistic. Ummm....  huh? Did you order one from him? - Honestly, I've never heard anything bad about Steve's customer service except him being very very busy (as mentioned above). - Just curious. Regards, Marc |
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Post by COWBOY on Sept 17, 2007 21:57:38 GMT -5
I've never been THAT far behind. Round about 7 months seems realistic. Ummm.... huh? Did you order one from him? - Honestly, I've never heard anything bad about Steve's customer service except him being very very busy (as mentioned above). - Just curious. Regards, Marc Marc, I never could complete the order because the lady answering his phone would never give him the message AND both times acted like it was a bother that I was calling. He also never answered my e-mail. I order a lot of stuff on-line, but for certain instances (like ordering a long lead time special custom hat) I want to talk to a live person....Again, this is my experience with Steve and not you. |
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Post by Marc on Sept 18, 2007 8:19:43 GMT -5
PM me with your phone number and let me know when to call you on my dime, or - if desired - call me up at 011 49 4264 37 00 84 (best before 9pm my time ). Regards, Marc |
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Post by bendingoak on Nov 11, 2007 23:01:11 GMT -5
Fully understandable and luckily there's a niche for everyone. It has never been my goal to offer the most affordable hat, but only the absolute best Indy Fedora money could buy. Mainly to satisfy my own picky needs, but it seems like I was able to put that quest to an end for other fans as well. Some would rather have 2-3 other hats for less, while other know that the hat wouldn't get damaged, pretty much no matter what you throw at it. "One hat for all occasions" so to speak. To some, that's worth more than 20 other hats, to some not. I have gone many many miles in order to archieve this goal and it has cost me PLENTY, both time and money wise. To finally making a little out of it for myself (except than a hat) doesn't seem unfair to me IMHO and as I said, there's plenty of time before the price increase yet. Regards, Marc [/quote] Thats my opinion as well Marc. I would rather pay $650 dollars ( US) for one top of the line hat than 6 hats that just didn't do it for me. By the way I have paid for lesser quality hats that look like junk now and if I took those same dollars I could have another one of yours or Steve's ( or both). I think it's a lot smarter to wait and save a few more dollars and get a high end hat like your or Steve's than pay for a few low to mid range hats.  to both of you and for making the best dang hats period. |
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Post by chewielouie on Feb 28, 2008 21:43:57 GMT -5
Ok, now I am confused. Is there a difference between the AB-Dlx and the other AB hats? When you click on the link you have two web sites to choose from. The Adventurebilt has the whole Indy thing and the ordering info is in U.S. dollars. Then I noticed the AB-Dlx link order page is in Euros. Can someone please elaborate?
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Post by GCR on Feb 28, 2008 22:37:53 GMT -5
Ok, now I am confused. Is there a difference between the AB-Dlx and the other AB hats? When you click on the link you have two web sites to choose from. The Adventurebilt has the whole Indy thing and the ordering info is in U.S. dollars. Then I noticed the AB-Dlx link order page is in Euros. Can someone please elaborate? One is regular and one is Deluxe... Okay, okay...I'll elaborate as I own both versions. The AB is made by Steve Delk here in the United States. Steve makes them using the best material he can find in the US (with the exception of the ribbon, which is a vintage ribbon that is the exact same type used on the original Raiders fedoras and comes from outside the US. The AB Deluxe also uses this same ribbon). 100% Beaver felt, high quality leather sweatbands (I forget what type of leather, exactly), the vintage ribbon and a nice white satin liner. It's blocked on one of Steve's own custom Raiders blocks (there are a couple versions, one is the older version and one is the "revised" version, which was also used for the Crystal Skull hats, if I recall correctly) and custom made to your specifications. They can be styled upon request to match your favorite Indy fedora (or left open crowned so you can style it yourself.) The AB DELUXE is custom made by Marc Kitter in Germany. Marc uses 100% Beaver felt that he has made in Portugal, and the felt is created with a certain amount of water repellant mixed in at the factory, in order to aid it's ability to hold up in the elements (something both of my ABD's have done magnificently ). Marc uses the same vintage ribbon (he was actually the one to track down the source for it), high quality satin liners and Kangaroo-hide sweatbands (one of the toughest leathers available and very resistant to shrinkage). The hats can be blocked on Marc's custom Raiders style block (slightly different than either of Steve's blocks) or the Crystal Skull style block. They are custom made by hand to your specifications and can be styled upon request to match your favorite Indy fedora (or left open crowned so you can style it yourself.) I have one of the Beaver AB Regulars and 2 of the Beaver AB deluxes and both hats are great choices, though I favor the Deluxe, myself. I prefer Marc's blockshape and felt over Steve's. Not that there's anything wrong with Steve's blockshape, or felt, mind you. Both are great! I just like Marc's better, plus I really like the fact that Marc went above and beyond and delivered an excellent product, matching every one of my specs to the letter. And he did it in the EXACT timeframe he quoted me (something I had not experienced with other custom hatmakers up to that point). Plus, I think his slightly wider blockshape works better for my fuller face. Both versions are made by hand with quality in mind. The motto "made to measure and built to last" isn't just a brand slogan. The price difference between the two reflects the higher quality materials used in the Deluxe, but it also accounts for the current weakness of the US dollar vs. the Euro, AND the various EU taxes that Marc has to pay to run his business.  I've heard it said that if Marc were actually living here in the US, rather than Germany, the price of one of his hats would not be much different than the price of the regular AB from Steve (just to give you an idea of what those pesky taxes and the damn exchange rate can do  ) Anyways, the two are very similar (as they obviously should be, as they are made to replicate the same hat) but when one considers the details of the hats, the blocks and the various materials used, you can see that they are indeed very different hats. Here's a little visual aid: AB DELUXE on the left, Standard AB on the right. Hope this helps. -GCR |
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Post by Connecticut Jones on Mar 29, 2008 15:14:50 GMT -5
Right, marc.. quick question.. just to reconfirm this,your price is increasing on may 22nd to 475 Euro. That is THE Increase right?.. like you aren`t expecting to have another increase before the end of the summer?
CJ
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Post by New Yorker Jones on Aug 7, 2008 10:29:53 GMT -5
I see the web site still says 400 & 450 EURO depending on the brim. Did the price go up?
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