Which would be more economical?

[JGalanos]

From a current ebay listing:

Q: Hi there, I am very interested in this item--can you please tell me if the coat is made of male skins or female skins? Also, are you the original owner--how old is the coat? If you are the original owner, do you know what size it is--ie. what size suit jacket the coat fits over? Thanks for the information. I don't know how you can part with it...I sure hope you have an even better full-length mink to ward off the chill this coming winter Aug-08-09

A: thanks, It is female skins since it is very soft. I purchased the coat last spring, and living in Houston I have worn it out of town 3-4 times. When I purchased I worn a jacket size 46-48. I lost a lot of weight and cannot wear the jacket. I plan to purchase another in my new size.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/Canadian-Black-Mink-Jacket-with-leather-stripes_W0QQitemZ330350495821QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_CSA_MC_Outerwear?hash=item4cea6c884d&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

 

Curious ... Assuming you liked the jacket and it was a ~1 year old quality garment, wouldn't it be more economical to have the jacket re-sized versus selling it and buying a new one? (I'm operating under the assumption that the asking price is overly optimistic.)

[Worker 11811]

1) The seller knows something about fur.

When questioned, "Are they male or female skins?" He replied, "They are female because they are very soft."

This doesn't make him an expert but he's certainly not a rube.

 

2) $1,800 is overly optimistic for a mink jacket.

A full length coat could be had for the price of this jacket. However, this is a "Best Offer" listing.

Rather than auctioning it off, risking a 'no sale' or selling at too low a price, he's opted to take offers and decide based on what he gets.

 

He's trying to trade up for his next coat. He wants to take the money he gets for this one and buy himself a new one.

 

Offer $900. If he takes it, okay. If he doesn't, no loss.

[JGalanos]

Worker,

 

Thanks for the advice ... But I was really questioning whether, assuming he was going to buy a similar jacket in a smaller size, it might be more economical to have a furrier re-size the jacket he owns versus selling it (potentially at a sizable loss) and buying a new one. I was thinking the jacket could be re-sized for perhaps ~$500 (?), but could be out in left field. As a bonus, there could potentially be sufficient material left over to make a matching belt or hat.

[Worker 11811]

He could be bullshitting you. He might just want a new coat. Size might just be an excuse.

He also might not realize that the coat can even be resized.

[AKcoyote]

It is also possible that he does not want to pay what it would cost to have the coat resized. That is a very labor intensive task and would be almost as expensive as buying a new coat.

[JGalanos]

It is also possible that he does not want to pay what it would cost to have the coat resized. That is a very labor intensive task and would be almost as expensive as buying a new coat.

 

Interesting. That's what I was wondering. I thought perhaps it could be as simple as removing 2 - 4 of the (let out) strips and sewing it back together.

 

I was in a furrier a couple seasons ago and someone brought in a mink jacket that had dry rot in the upper back and shoulder areas and was too big as well and the estimate for the repair (including replacement matched skins) and "downsizing" was under $1000. Thus my curiosity/question in this instance.