Collecting of title satisfaction point?

[SME]

I started collecting a new series not too long ago, my first CG series ever, but I'm really starting to get fed up of losing every auction to the same bidder everytime. It seems no matter how high I bid this person always wins. It's really starting to frustrate me because others like myself who highly enjoy the series can't seem to compete with this other person. I've searched high and low at places for these sketches and the dealers are basically dried out except for low-end shots. I guess I'll just have to increase my biddings even higher than before, which is what I not expected to do for CG shots. They are starting to cost around as much as some of my Sailor Moon cels.

I've slowed down a bit with collecting but I've not stopped. I'm just extremely picky now and I'm almost done with Ah! My Goddess. There are only a few cels left that I'm searching for, and that would be a series that I would be done collecting. I couldn't say when I'd stop collecting Sailor Moon...I guess just whenever I feel that my collection is to a point where I can stop.

[sensei]

I started collecting a new series not too long ago, my first CG series ever, but I'm really starting to get fed up of losing every auction to the same bidder everytime. It seems no matter how high I bid this person always wins. It's really starting to frustrate me because others like myself who highly enjoy the series can't seem to compete with this other person. .

I can certainly feel your pain here. There are several CGI series that I collect, and some in which I get competition. Some I've been blocked out of like you; others I'm probably a spoiler for other Betarians. But no matter how much a like a series, I've never been a "gotta win 'em all" person. Let's face it, some are really nice, some are images that resonate with me, but even for shows I like, some are ... well ... just OK images so far as I'm concerned. Why give money and space to a just OK item when I could be saving for the next OMG!!!! item from the series I love? That's not collecting, that's hoarding and hogging so far as I'm concerned.

Sensei stirs uneasily like Smaug on top of his CGI display books.

While I wouldn't want to make this a blanket offer, I've always been willing to stand on the sidelines and cheer on a friend who's going for an item I'd otherwise bid the max for, and I'm fortunate in having friends who have, on a few but memorable occasions (thank you Rallihir!!!) been willing to do the same for items that would otherwise shine in their galleries.

Just my 500 yen. Sorry if I stepped on someone's tail.

[Keropi]

If I wanted to collect a lot of sketch sets from the same series, I wouldn't be using the same name to bid all the time. That could only generate ill will on the part of the other bidders who might lose to you on a regular basis.

That's another downside to having your own YJ I.D.

I admit that one of the reasons I stop collecting from a series is to allow others to have free reign on it. It kind of feels like a karma thing. Well...maybe it doesn't apply to real life, but it still feels good to allow other collectors win sometimes.

Now if no one bid at all in the last several minutes or if the bidding is less than half or a third of what I would have put in that might be a different story. I mean...the other bidder has to put in a little effort at least.

But I'm usually much more likely to let an YJ deputy bidding name win (non-reseller I mean) than a regular YJ bidding name when I see them.

Squashers (TM) are very frustrating to deal with, but with them you often have to:

1. Greatly overpay for your items. But then you might end up regretting your decision everytime your look at those items. You'll end up seeing dollar signs instead of artwork when you peruse them.

2. Bidding as high as you want for each item you want...and lose very single one of those auctions. At least you TRIED to win instead of just giving up as soon as you saw their bidder name.

3. Wait until more items from the show come out...and hope the Squasher (TM) isn't around to bid on it. Then again you might wait YEARS and never see them stop bidding high or missing a single a good auction (like me).

4. Hope you find another source to get stuff from it. And possibly wait years while the other person finds more sources than you and finds them faster than you (as what happened to me).

5. Hope the Squasher (TM) sells some of their own material. And wait years for them to do so (like I did).

6. Give in and find other shows to enjoy collecting from instead (like I did).

Life is too short to be annoyed for years over Squashers (TM).

[buma]

I don't know if I feel the same way SME. I know the feeling of constantly looking for cels from specific shows that I regularly loose to the same bidders to. It's part of collecting, really. Are you willing to pay 'that' much for 'that' cel / sketch / whatever ? its a balancing act that we all have to play each time we place a bid. I know that there are times when the bid for an item goes really high, and I know I wouldn't / couldn't have paid that much for it... so it goes.

Most of the time, the folks I bid against have MUCH deeper pockets than I do, so if I know they are bidding on an item (which I usually ask them if they are), I don't bid on. Why drive up the costs for them if I know I can't outbid them? I just try to make friends with them and most of the time, when they have to clear out their collections for that 'big purchase' who do you think gets asked if there is something that I might want???

but sometimes, you just win one with a minimum bid - I've had several of those happen for some nice cels too. It's just all a part of collecting: sometimes you win, sometimes you loose. Sometimes, you always loose, but still...

as to the question at hand - am I ever satisfied with a particular collection - No, I don't think so. Unless someone had EVERY cel of a series, there usually is a cel that will come on the market that you have to add to your collection. I constantly search for the same cel categories and am constantly surprised at the cels that pop out of the woodworks at times.

what keeps my interests going? I don't know - I think it's partly the 'hunt' of it, maybe its the surprises I get when I do find something. But really, I just like adding nicer and nicer 'pretties' to my collection.

Lower quality pieces causing me to loose interest? Well, no, even in the lower quality pieces, there are always the gems of the bunch. Good animators all started out as in-betweeners so there are some nicer ones out there. That, and it makes all the higher quality ones that much more interesting when they do pop up!

[iwakuralain16]

Have you ever became satisfied with the cels/sketches you'd gotten from one of your favorite series and so you decided to move onto other shows?
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Not yet... I have too many on my list to move onto another series... i collect a couple of series but AnC is my main one.


Or do you keep trying to obtain more artwork from you favorite series regardless?
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Oh yeah! I am a big Yuu Watase fan so my money goes there. Mostly AnC i dabble in FY sometimes. not much though... Its tough to find good quality sometimes when it comes to FY. Lately there has not been alot of good quality with AnC but i have found a couple of wishlists


Do you continue to have much interest in collecting from your favorite series even after many years have past? What keeps your interest going?
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Only one year has passed.. im so obsessed as ever. O_O


Is the lower supply of quality artwork for sale from your favorite series causing you to lose any interest in collecting from them?
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naw. just waiting... patience pays off so i have found out recenlty. now I Just need to have the money to buy the damn cels... LOL

[cutiebunny]

Have you ever became satisfied with the cels/sketches you'd gotten from one of your favorite series and so you decided to move onto other shows?

I've recently put a halt on collecting Sailormoon cels, but I feel that that's more of a market imposed stop rather than one I willingly did. I haven't seen any really primo cels on the market for a good 8 months, which probably explains why all the cels I have recently updated with came prior to the cel drought...stuff I purchased in September and October of last year.

Or do you keep trying to obtain more artwork from you favorite series regardless?

I wouldn't mind collecting more from Sailormoon, but, it would only be something I've really wanted. In the past, I've stuck with this notion and it seems to have worked for me. I'm really satisfied with what I have.

Do you continue to have much interest in collecting from your favorite series even after many years have past? What keeps your interest going?

Yes, I've been a Sailormoon fan since I was 13, so, I'd say I have some staying power. It's still my favorite anime. I love how the story is weaved and how the characters mature with the anime. Usagi's personality is entirely different in episode 200 than it was in episode 1 - there's quite a lot of growth on her part, and that's partily due to the situations in which she's been through.

Is the lower supply of quality artwork for sale from your favorite series causing you to lose any interest in collecting from them?

In terms of purchasing, yes. If the items I want were for sale, I'd try to purchase them. But, seeing how the supply of quality cels from this anime seem to have all but disappeared, I've been venturing out to other animes that I hadn't really focused on in the past.

Lately, I've become rather addicted to the 'all cels' search on YJ. I scan the pages and see if anything really grabs me. If it does and the price is somewhat reasonable, I'll bid on it.

[Strictly-Dragonball]

Great question! For me collecting DB is satisfying enough and I would hope to remain solely in that market for as long as possible. I have been tempted to obtain a quality cel from Trigun as I think that anime is great also. Anime has so many different genres so it's only natural people will be interested in many different types if they like anime in general. However, for me DB is such a classic anime and it really introduced me to anime from the beginning and for that reason is the only show 'worthy' enough of me taking the time (and money ) to search for artwork from it and be willing to spend big bucks. Also that is really the core of what keeps me motivated to buy cels, I only want quality cels that I like and have some sentimental value to me regardless of the price tag so the satisfaction of finally owning something I have wanted for so long is what keeps me going strong and ensures I never loose interest in what I'm looking for. Even when I am much older and hopefully still have my cels I can look back and be pleased I managed to acquire something that reminds me of my childhood and literally a piece from my favorite show when I am younger. That will always keep them valuable to me and more often then not they will retain at least some collectible value which makes me even more happy to own something I know is desirable to many people ensuring I can appreciate them for many years to come.