Published Wish Lists - Double-Edged Sword?

[sugarcels]

Do you think that putting a wish list in your gallery does more harm than good? Do you worry that somebody will see what you want and deliberately "jack up" the price of a cel? Or, deliberately bid against you during an auction?

I'm starting to wonder if I should take my list down. I've never heard from anybody about any of the cels, and I'm starting to worry that having one means people might try to take advantage of me.

Thoughts?

[Keropi]

Sometimes it helps and sometimes it hurts.

There have been three or four people that have acquired things simply because they thought I would be interested in trading for them. But I don't like trading, so it wasn't any help to them at all. I tried to avoid going after the popular shows except the ones that might have been game related. I don't think my listing unpopular wishlist anime items was ever helpful to me really.

[Nene]

I took mine down some years back because I did find that people would ask over-the-top prices for things I especially wanted. That kind of attitude spread to a certain dealer who I don't buy from anymore, actually.

[teggacat]

I've had a few people contact me to offer a cel similar to one on my wishlist before they went public with it for sale, as far as someone jacking up a price because it was on my wishlist, well, I still have the final say before plunking down silly money [it's called "NO are you nuts?!?"], overall I think it's been more helpful than not, most of the cels on my wishlist I really don't ever expect to come across anyhow, and if I did they would be what I call "silly money" and not realistic, I just don't think cel collecting is quite as cut-throat as it used to be. just my 2 yen

[ReiTheJelly]

...I just don't think cel collecting is quite as cut-throat as it used to be.

This. In the past few years, I have noticed a significant decrease in this sort of behavior, at least for the majority of series. With the downturn in the economy, people can't be certain when jacking up the price that they won't accidentally win...and be stuck with a huge bill for a cel they didn't actually want.

And what Teggacat mentioned is absolutely true: if someone offers you a wishlist cel at an unrealistic price, all you have to do is say "no!" I recently turned down a set of 4 rare cels offered to me by a private collector because he was asking above current market value for them. If he'd offered me the same set of cels 3 years ago, I would have purchased them in a heartbeat. But times, they are a-changin'...



In terms of a wishlist, I keep mine up because I like looking through it! I don't really worry about people purposely buying the same cels I enjoy, because that has already happened. Not due to my wishlist, but due to the fact that people saw certain cels in my gallery and really liked them. Now I've got additionally competition for future auctions. If anything, having an online gallery has done me in. *laughs*

[zerospace]

I must agree with Rei, here. Times definitely have changed, and jacking up the price of a cel just because it's on someone's published wishlist seems to be a rarity. I have yet to have my posted wishlist come back and bite me in some fashion. It hasn't exactly helped, either, except to help me keep track of what I've found and haven't found.

With folks not having the kind of money they once did, combined with the overall decrease in cel prices, acquiring items that someone else wants is not a sure way to make some quick $$ the way it may have once been. I have turned down many cels in the past few years because the sellers want what they originally paid for them, not today's prices. And, let's face it, if I can wait til something pops up on Mandarake or YJ or even eBay and get it for less, I probably will. I don't mind waiting until something comes up for auction or the seller realizes he/she isn't going to get pre-recession prices.

I'm definitely of the opinion that cel collecting isn't as cutthroat as it once was, either, which likely was something that helped spawn this sort of behavior. That isn't to say that I haven't seen things pop up in galleries that made me go "WTF?" (as in, what is that person doing with that?), but that certainly seems to happen so much less nowadays. *shrugs* If you're one of those people who can't stand to see something you desperately wanted end up in the hands of someone who likely only bought it to piss you off or get you to trade for it (or buy it off them outright), then maybe not posting a wishlist is smart. If you don't care & enjoy laughing at people who do such things, then it could be a source of amusement. *snort*

So in a nutshell, I'm of the opinion that published wishlists aren't necessarily shopping lists for your competitors, but if they end up being such and you can deal with it, go for it. Otherwise, yeah, not posting it is probably a good idea. My personal feeling is if someone wants to do that to me, go right ahead. I'll probably laugh at them and never buy anything from them... EVER. But I'm like that. I won't take money from people I don't like just for the sake of it, and I won't give them mine, either.

Just my 2 yen, though YMMV.

[D123]

It’s sad but I’m not surprised with what has been said especially with the buying to make you jealous / pissed off yeah I can and will laugh at them but it’s just insane to do that

Like teggacat and zerospace I don’t expect to find most of my cel wishlists and if I did I don’t expect them to be cheap so really the wishlist for me is to keep track of what I really want and have found. It hasn’t done much good or any bad so far but I haven’t felt the need to take mine down at least so far it really depends on how you feel but for the most part I'm for them

[cutiebunny]

Back in 2005, when I first put a gallery up, I would have said that having a wishlist was a risky thing. There was a rivalry amongst Sailor Moon collectors, and if these people knew what you were gunning for, they'd jack the prices up. And it happened, continuously, until about 2007 when twin_angels' supply dried up and no longer would you find 2-3 auctions of nice set-ups on YJ every week.

But then I came to the realization that, simply by having a public gallery, you're already telling people what you're after. Within a few days of opening mine up, I received a few "Oh, so that's where that one went" and "I wondered who outbidded me on that cel" e-mails through RS. And I remember thinking, "Hello, nice to meet you too..."

I've never had anyone email me and offer me any items that they saw off my wishlist. Granted, I own a couple of the items on my wishlist already, but, some of the items on my wishlist, like the shikishi, aren't specific. But, I have been alerted to items that I've featured as avatars on Beta.

I don't know if anyone has purposely increased the price of an item that I was after simply because I was after it. It's not like anyone is going to send you an e-mail telling you that they did that. But I think that that initial environment has greatly influenced what I show online. If and when I do decide to display an item from a series or episode that I collect, I try to be vague about it, or I try to hide it amongst other items so as to not draw too much attention to it. Otherwise, I just try to be as vague about it as possible.

Like others have said, I don't think that the bidding environment is as cutthroat as it once was. While I think that a large part of it has to deal with the exchange rate and the economy, I also think that it's because several collectors who engaged in this practice are no longer around. I can think of two off the top of my head that used to frustrate me when I first started that don't collect anymore. Good riddance to bad blood. I'd rather work with other collectors to help them obtain things that they want rather than limit both of our abilities to buy new art through bidwars.

[sugarcels]

Thank you for the comments, everybody ^__^ I take a lot of breaks from cel collecting when I get frustrated, and these are simply complaints I have seen in the past

[Sui Kune]

I admit, when I first saw this topic go up, I thought, "wow, would people really do that?" It made me think and begin to worry. But seeing the replies, I'm relieved to see that cel collecting isn't as scary and cutthroat as it apparently was before. It makes me really glad I waited to get into collecting when I did, because I honestly don't think I'd be able to handle such a cutthroat environment. Which is kinda rich considering I just happen to collect one of the most sought-after characters of Sailormoon.

But, I am used to collecting popular things in general (I've gotten into some pretty intense bidwars in the past for certain rare Pokemon toys), and yet even then I've never had anyone purposely buy something on my toy wishlists and jack the price up. It has happened, but not specifically towards me. Between that, still flying under the newbie radar, and the items on my wishlist being very sought in general, I'm not worried. I'd actually be more shocked than anything if someone came specifically to me with a top-tier wishlist cel.

[Drac of the Sharp Smiles]

I have turned down many cels in the past few years because the sellers want what they originally paid for them, not today's prices.

This is something that I think is the reason some people are getting disappointed with responses to their sales. Unfortunately for us, cels and sketches have no stable monetary value. I've also been disappointed recently when I make offers and get "I paid more for it!".... I sympathize but, unfortunately, the only part that really plays in the sale of a cel is to determine if you want to sell it NOW, or try to wait for the market to go back up later. It has to be something absolutely drop-down amazing to defy market prices.

Personally, I keep a couple things on my wishlist that I really REALLY don't expect to ever see. And if I did, I would probably pay more than the "going price" for them. But I took off the list a lot of the "lower", more likely wishlist items because there were two cases when people DID buy cels from my wishlist (in both cases bidding against me), then immediately offered them to me for twice what they paid. Needless to say, I wanted the cels, but I told both people to hit the road because maybe it would make them think twice before doing that again. Of course most people haven't even seen my gallery much less my wishlist page, so... LOL

Many Sharp Smiles,
--Drac

[Gonzai]

Nobody collects what I do except one person. My wishlist is the same
as hers, and I already understand how it all works. I get my artwork
basically from one source, if they happen to be able to find any. If
they were to find my 3 items on my wishlist, I would never see them,
unless I was at the other collector's house visiting. I already understand
that she gets what she wants, cause she can afford to pay outrageous
prices, so I never stand a chance. But that doesn't keep me from still
dreaming that someday I could get it. I just understand the reality is all.

[zerospace]

I have turned down many cels in the past few years because the sellers want what they originally paid for them, not today's prices.

This is something that I think is the reason some people are getting disappointed with responses to their sales. Unfortunately for us, cels and sketches have no stable monetary value. I've also been disappointed recently when I make offers and get "I paid more for it!".... I sympathize but, unfortunately, the only part that really plays in the sale of a cel is to determine if you want to sell it NOW, or try to wait for the market to go back up later. It has to be something absolutely drop-down amazing to defy market prices.

Being a seller myself, this has been fun *insert sarcasm* for me, just like I'm sure everyone else who has tried to sell in this awful environment has discovered. It took some time to digest, but my husband and I have realized that most of the stuff we want to sell just won't fetch what it once did, and we're going to lose money on it. It sucks, yes, but we've decided that in many cases, we want it out of the house more than we want tons of money for it. There are cels we'd rather keep than sell for insane losses, and I understand when sellers want to do the same with their stuff, too -- it's never a fight for me, I can just be rather stubborn when haggling over a price.

I'm glad to see that most folks wouldn't stoop to snagging other people's wishlist items just to make them jealous or to try and sell at a jacked up price (or even still that ppl won't jack up the price of a cel on auction just because its on someone's wishlist!). Perhaps the fact that most collectors don't have as much cash as they once did has been a good thing... perhaps. (Of course, tell this to all of us whose collections have lost a ton of value in the process )

[graymouser]

I have always been happy with my wishlist. Although it has been at least 6 years, I have gotten cels because of it. I can think of 8 cels right off the bat. I never paid a lot of attention as to whether someone was jacking up the prices or not. Ultimately, I decide how much I am willing to spend. I did have someone that I had gotten into a bidding war with sell me the cel later on. Still, quite some time had passed in between. At the time of the bidding war, we did not know anything about each other. As has been stated before, anyone can see what I like to collect by looking at my gallery. Adding a wishlist probably doesn't change too much. If people are going to be jerks, my having a wishlist is unlikely to change their actions; they will still behave like jerks.

I have also noticed a lot of sellers expecting to get old pre-recession prices for their artwork. I can sympathize with how they feel, but they are going to find a lot fewer buyers. Depending on the cel/show, I may elect to pay the higher price, or I may choose to be patient and wait for a better deal somewhere else.