Hello!

trinitycubed · Post by **trinitycubed** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 8:56 pm

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this board and new to cel collecting! I've watched many animes in my past and didn't really know anything about cel collecting back then. Starting a collection in 2009 is a very hard and expensive thing to do when all of the cels that you want were sold years ago

That's why I'm hoping that by joining this community I can expand my collection and have a beautiful gallery as so many of you already do!

Now this brings me to the purpose of this first post. I've got wishes for cels from animes that are now hard to come by now an days. Below is a list of animes that I'm currently looking to find cels from.

Escaflowne
Fushigi Yuugi - TV series
Inuyasha
Sailormoon
Any nice CLAMP cels and sketches

Those are my top animes that I'm searching for right now. Any help would be very much appreciated!

ginga123 · Post by **ginga123** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 10:56 pm

hello and welcome.

i hope we get to read and see more of you.

with patience, determination, and a little direction-- i know your gallery will grow.

you may want to check out Mandarake's Everyday Auctions and Big Web Auction (which just started- btw.) Rinkya and SMJ is another good way to look for artwork on your wish list. if you're still curious, feel free to check out my link list at my gallery-- there's a few places on there that everyone loves and enjoys to visit and buy a few things.

good luck to you,
ginga

Cordelia · Post by **Cordelia** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 3:52 am

Welcome to beta.

Besides what ginga mentioned, you can also check out the For Sale section here. Collectors trim down their collection from time to time.

You can also go to this Rubberslug resource link:
http://www.rubberslug.com/resource/links.aspx

Happy hunting!

kathpatty · Post by **kathpatty** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 4:56 am

Also this is a great resource

http://mise.x25.se/pub/keeptrack/

good luck !!and welcome.....
It is a buyers market right now, but the expensive cels will always be on the high end

ReiTheJelly · Post by **ReiTheJelly** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 8:48 am

Welcome to Anime-Beta! This hobby is all about patience. Eventually, many of the scenes you want cels from will come to the market.

cutiebunny · Post by **cutiebunny** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 10:15 am

There is still a lot of production artwork out there, and a lot of it is still reasonably priced. Whether its an animation studio liquidating their vault to pay off bills or a collector downsizing their collection, there is always new stuff out there.

So, no need to give up hope yet. Sometimes, you might have to wait a few years to find the exact item you're looking for, but when you receive it, it's well worth the wait.

BTW, do you have a gallery yet?

Belldandy16 · Post by **Belldandy16** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 12:34 pm

Welcome! glad youre here!

Good luck on aquireing your dream cels!

Post by **sensei** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 2:04 pm

trinitycubed wrote: Starting a collection in 2009 is a very hard and expensive thing to do when all of the cels that you want were sold years ago

That's why I'm hoping that by joining this community I can expand my collection and have a beautiful gallery as so many of you already do

Hello back, trinitycubed.

I have three pieces of advice.

First, get yourself a good Deputy Service (I use Shopping Mall Japan, but Rinkya and Celga are good alternatives) and start yourself a "trap line" on Yahoo Japan for the series you like. Here are some search URLs to get you going:

Cardcaptor Sakura:
http://list5.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/20 ... 0jp&mode=1

Magic Knight Rayearth
http://list5.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/20 ... 0jp&mode=1

Escaflowne:
http://search5.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/sea ... 0jp&mode=1

Your DS will give you options to search for others and save the searches.

Second, stick around Beta. Like my cat Oliver, we don't bite (hard), and if you admire a collector's gallery, keep a sharp eye out for a gallery sale or offers period. While a really low-ball offer may be laughed at, if you have a sense of what cels of the same sort are going for and you make a lowish but reasonable offer, you can find yourself adding to your collection without having to pay exorbitantly.

Third, set yourself a budget, stick to it, and use your money wisely. I've been collecting nearly nine years now and have slowed down a little lately, not for want of things to bid on, but just out of realization that I pretty much have the collection I wanted from the outset. Other people will have better cels than you (or me), but there are lots still out there to snag. A beautiful collection is built a couple cels or sketches at a time, and if you start by acquiring taste, then your collection will always be as beautiful as others, just (for the moment) smaller.

Just stick to a budget. Never sacrifice a wishlist you have for a wishlist you want. And so on. You'll learn, as we all have and still do.

And (as I should have said before) Welcome to Beta!

Captain Haddock · Post by **Captain Haddock** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 5:32 pm

Hello and welcome aboard!

All of the above Betarians (is that a new word?) have given sage advice. The only thing I can add is that it really pays to save and spend on the things you really love as opposed to just the things you kind of like. It took me a while to realise this, but trust me it is worth it!

syan · Post by **syan** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 6:14 pm

Welcome to Beta!

You can also join JACML, which is a mailing list people often use to sell.
http://www.usagis-house.net/jacml/

Are there any particular characters you are looking for?

trinitycubed · Post by **trinitycubed** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 8:19 pm

Wow, thanks for all the advice and warm welcomes! I've actually been visiting this site in the past as a guest and have actually purchased several of my pieces from members here! It's so shocking how many of the members here are actually the Ebay sellers I purchase from as well. It seems like you guys are everywhere

I tried to look at a few of the Japanese auction sites and it's just seems so complicated. I thought about using deputy service as well, but everything is so complex. It's like one big obstacle. I will research further though, and hopefully I will dip my toe into the waters soon!

As for my online gallery, I have a few pieces right now. But not enough to be put together into a gallery. Hopefully through the help that I've received here, I can pull together a mini gallery.

As for characters, I must admit that I'm a sucker for main characters, although from time to time I do fall for a minor character. I must get better at budgeting my pieces. I try to buy only pieces that I can't stop thinking about and usually they're pretty expensive. However, since these pieces are hard to come by, my attention to waiting for these pieces have been waning a bit. So instead of saving for a big purchase, I've been SO tempted to buy other pieces that I like. Does this happen to all of you guys?

Thank you all for being so welcoming!

P.S. Thanks for all the PMs as well, they are all very much appreciated!

Ryouko · Post by **Ryouko** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 9:47 pm

Hey there, welcome to Beta. :)

I'm not sure what your looking for FY-wise, but I same pieces up for sale on my site. The link is in my sig. :)

Belldandy16 · Post by **Belldandy16** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 10:48 pm

trinitycubed wrote: So instead of saving for a big purchase, I've been SO tempted to buy other pieces that I like. Does this happen to all of you guys?

oh man, thats exactly the trap that i fell into! i could never buy my dream pieces so i bought all the little pieces that i could afford... then i got to thinking "wait this is stupid, im spending my money anyways, why not just wait and get up enough to buy my dream pieces?".

just wait and save up, believe me you wont regret it!

Keropi · Post by **Keropi** » Sat Jul 11, 2009 7:44 am

trinitycubed wrote:However, since these pieces are hard to come by, my attention to waiting for these pieces have been waning a bit. So instead of saving for a big purchase, I've been SO tempted to buy other pieces that I like. Does this happen to all of you guys?

Yeah...it's an easy trap to fall into - especially when you're first getting started at collecting. It's difficult to control yourself.

Post by **sensei** » Sat Jul 11, 2009 8:07 am

I don't think there's anything wrong with starting a collection with nice, affordable middle-end items, getting some experience, and then bracing yourself for a few important high-end items. What I've done in the past is hold off during some months (Lent is a good time) and then have some capital to splurge for some good but pricy things.

Half the time these have come on the bounce from other collectors trimming their largesse, and, in my opinion, the prices I've paid have not been inflationary. Keep in mind that, with unique artworks, price is a factor of how much someone wants to own it. There is, as many people have noticed, no intrinsic factor (such as potential oil and gas drilling rights) that drives the price of cels/sketches.

The important thing is to stick (more or less) to budget. I hate to see people get into a "binge and spew" cycle, where they purchase good material, but in the process get so deeply into credit card debt that when a financial crisis comes they have to sacrifice their collections.

I say "hate," but of course a collector who sticks to budget can score some fantastic bargains at such times.

Anime-Beta TNG

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