How far would you go for a wishlist cel?

[Cordelia]

Hi

Let's say you see a great cel that you'd always wanted to have in someone's gallery or on sale for a large amt of $$ (I'm sure this happens many times). How much are you willing to (over)pay for it? ...knowing that except for a small group of collectors who pay crazy prices for it, you won't ever be able to recoup the price in a resale?

Happened to me not long ago... I offered an amt that was the highest I ever offered and the seller told me that the current offer was 2.5 times It's not a Miyazaki cel which is hot universally and prices are going steadily upwards. Only a small group seeks the cel and unfortunately, they happen to be very rich as well...

Please don't be mistaken, this isn't a bitter rant. Just some musings....coz I gathered the buyer must really really like the cel...like till death do us part... and I congratulate him/her that he/she has found such a cel.

Anyway in a dilemma now (again)....saw something I really like and comes with a real hefty price tag...

[RoboFlonne]

That's just hard to answer!

It really depends on how much I want it...

If I really want it, and wasn't as broke as I am now... I'm sure $3000?

I have to find a way to make money faster!

Anyone have any ideas?











My money printer broke! And the ink doesn't dry right!

[otakusin]

Hummm... well ionno, depends on the cel and the season for me (<---work). I know I tend to offer more than what cels are worth most of the time but I have never regretted any cel purchase. I never think of resale value because I never plan to do so. When I offer or purchase the only two things that come into my head are what it is worth to me and if I can pay for it without any financial worries or my husband wanting to kill me, lol.

I thought this topic would be easier to comment on but it really isn't, lol. Anywho the short and simple answer for me is... ionno depends!!

[aernath]

the only two things that come into my head are what it is worth to me and if I can pay for it without any financial worries or my husband wanting to kill me, lol.

So true here too!
Right now though, until I get a job, that amount is pretty darned small.






...of course you realize, I was thinking about this as I looked through your gallery tonight (after reading your first hello post) and saw that Ranma cel and those fabulous FY cels you've got.
*sigh*
At least I know where to go to oggle them.

[EternityOfPain]

Interesting topic, I guess it really depends how much of a "wishlist" the certain cel/sketch is. I will assume it would be a sketch simply because there is no cel series I am currently actively collecting.

For example sake I will assume its something I have been looking for a long time. I might consider selling my less "wishlist" sketches/cels and perhaps tap my emergency funds in my bank.

However, regardless what it is I will not go in debt for it. One must have control in this type of hobby or you can get yourself in a endless hole of debt..

[ZombieBunny]

Plain and simple I would sell my Husband

[Cloud]

I think I'm falling asleep.

[RoboFlonne]

Why do robots need to sleep?

[Cloud]

Sith-Krillin programmed me to say specific things in specific contexts.

[kittens]

It depends.... If it is like nice Kenshin cels from Seisouhen then I would go for a couple K.....

[Cloud]

On what?

[Keropi]

Let's say you see a great cel that you'd always wanted to have in someone's gallery or on sale for a large amt of $$ (I'm sure this happens many times). How much are you willing to (over)pay for it? ...knowing that except for a small group of collectors who pay crazy prices for it, you won't ever be able to recoup the price in a resale?

Hmm...I'm not sure. This is kind of a hard question for me to answer these days. Let me explain my thought process.

I've had a pretty good run at conrolling my spending the past several months. I'm reaching the end of my fourth production artwork collecting phase so it's become easy for me to say no to stuff I'm initially tempted at getting.

Phase 1 (1997-1998): Collected from any anime that I liked. I spent too much on random stuff from anime I didn't like as much so...

Phase 2 (1999-2001): Collected from mostly my favorite anime at the time (i.e. Maison Ikkoku/Video Girl Ai). Then I became satisfied with what I had from those so I switched to...

Phase 3 (2002-2004): Collected mainly from anime that were adapted from ren'ai or bishoujo games. But the supply for that dropped so then it became...

Phase 4 (2005-now): I expanded my collecting to a few non-gaming related anime as well.

For the last several years I've never thought of cels/sketches in terms of dollar amounts. For me there's only "I can get it" or "I can't get it". Prices that are too high push the item into the later category. I'm pretty negative about being able to win/get anything so my top wishlist items always feel out of reach. If I win something I'm happy. If I lose out (can't get it) I'm rarely surprised. I only have anime titles and characters listed on my wantlist. I don't ever expect to find any "scenes" I'm looking for.

My last REAL wishlist items that I SEEN were probably those Senti background cels from years back. I tried for those and failed (just like nearly everyone else). But if I seen those cels again I wouldn't bid half as high as I did back then. I might not bid at all. At some point I learned (I'm not sure when) that I'm never going to have a problem finding SOMETHING that I like. Now I don't feel the need to go on a spending binge for any ONE particular item.

If I can't get it. I can't get it. The hobby is still fun and enjoyable.

[sensei]

For me there's only "I can get it" or "I can't get it".

I agree wholeheartedly. I used to have a wishlist posted on RS, but finally axed it because a certain collector was using it to post blocking bids on things I was interested in so that I'd trade him something he coveted. And anyhow about a year and a half ago I changed my approach to collecting radically, so that it was market-based rather than wishlist-based.

Simply put, I do a lot more cruising and I buy the best stuff out there that is within my budget, regardless of series. That means when there's stunning Tree of Palme stuff available, I'm buying that. (And one look at an original bg from this movie will make you forget your old lust for a Miyazaki production bg.) Or when there's a gorgeous CCS pan cel going up, I'm buying that.

But even when I was more focused on series I liked, I was still very cautious about going over my self-defined limit for a single lot. When I bought my hyper-wishlist, I actually had a little envelope with cash in it under my keyboard, and when the bidding got up over twice my normal limit, I actually got out the envelope and counted the money to be sure I had it. I had it, and I got it.

But like Keropi, if I don't have it, I can't get it, and so I make a bag of microwave popcorn and eat it (bag and all) while cheering for someone I know will put it up in their gallery and bring it along to the next Slugfest.

[crackpot27]

You know I'm not quite sure. It all depends on how much I want the item and my financial situation at the time. I couldn't really say until it happened At the moment I can think of only one item I would pay far more that it's worth to get my hands on...but since as of yet I've seen nothing remotely like it...I couldn't really say

[Baylor]

Sensei, I think that's one of the most horrible things I've heard in regards to using someone's wishlist. I don't why, but people continue to amaze me in their horribleness.

I'm also one of the I either can get it or can't get it. I've seen absolutely perfect wishlist cels go by because I couldn't get myself to pay what was asked. Hopefully I'll be able to stave off my impulsiveness so that I can be like sensei and buy the best of what is out there in my budget and not focus purely on quantity. And then hey, maybe then I'll be able to say "I can get it" more often then "I can't."