Giving dibs to others?

[wELCOME cONSUMER]

The best thing you can do is decide in all honesty if you really want an item and bid your absolute max. That way, if you do lose, you won't have any regrets.
I feel asking for dibs on something would cause resentment or ill-will.

I take that point on board but I can't operate like that. I never have a maximum bid in mind, I put in a ball-park figure and hop for the best, monitoring the auction till its close.
If I'm outbid, it's time to stump up some more cash- I guess the competition instinct kicks in to an extent, but I'm always learning about what artwork is worth, so I go with the flow.

I didn't necessarily mean bidding and then abandoning the auction. I watch
till the very last second myself, especially when I'm ultra serious about the
item. (Did I just say "ultra serious?!" haha). I simply meant, if you
really want the item, then go for it. Bid as much as you're capable of and
willing to pay but not a cent more. Don't put yourself into debt if you're
honestly not able to afford the item. You're never 100% guaranteed to
win in any auction. My point was, if you can't live without it, act accordingly.

To me, keeping an eye out for other people's interests is not the same
as giving dibs. I've pointed out auctions of interest to friends in the past
and typically I have zero interest in the item. I certainly don't mind doing
that for others and there are folks who regularly contact me about things
I might like. That's a wonderful courtesy that I appreciate as much as they
do. But giving flat out dibs is another issue entirely. If I -really- want the
item, and can afford it, then I'm bidding. I'd expect no less from anyone else.

[cutiebunny]

In regards to my relatively short collecting existence, one thing I have noticed is that, when an ubber nice, primo A++ cel comes up on auction, certain collectors believe that, if it's in their wishlist or they make light of the fact that they're in the running for that item, then, whoever bids against them is a vile person.

(Note - This is not directed to anyone or any item in particular. It's just an observation that I've noticed over my collecting days, so, please do not take offense.)

One thing that collectors need to take into account is that, unless you're going after such a relatively-unknown series, there are chances that someone will like the same sequence/scene/character that you do. Personally, I am honored when I have competition because it means that there are other people out there who not only love the same anime I do, but also cherish that particular sequence/scene/character as much as I do. While this may jack up the price and drastically limit myself to the amount of cels that I'll ever be able to own, the fact that I own something that means so much to myself and to others is important. And, thanks to the widespread use of the internet and places like Rubberslug where even a HTML/Java dolt like myself can display these pieces, I'll have the oppertunity to share that item with others who appreciate that item instead of locking it away in my cel books.

I've read several comments regarding contacting collectors and asking them for 'dibs'. This works well as long as you know the type of person that you're dealing with and what their collection consists of. But, there are some people who, either because it's their same wishlist item or they have a 'must have' disposition, will use that information against you. In my experience, I never discuss what items I am bidding on and I generally don't like to talk about items that I've recently won/purchased. I buy my cels because I like them, not because of the recognition that my collection may afford me.

[Caroline]

i pretty much agree with everyone. i must say though... i don't really believe in "dibs". i believe in having friends in the community. and often, if i know someone is going after a cel that i want, i'll talk to them about it first. sometimes i will step aside. but i usually don't bid on a cel unless i *must* have it. i just don't have as much money as i used to for cels.

[redwolf]

I haven't specifically given or been given dibs, but I do sometimes back off when I see names I know or even just a generic deputy service. I use a generic deputy myself and hardly ever bid on eBay, so it would be hard for anyone to give dibs to me just based on bidder name. I definitely wouldn't mind receiving a polite message that someone else really wanted an item...I'd either tell them I wasn't bidding, back off, or respond that I really wanted it too. If we were agreeable and trusted each other enough, maybe we could even work something out (next paragraph).

I think I'm pretty open to things like splitting auctions, though I haven't yet been in an agreement to split before an auction's end. Since some of my bids are on sketch sets from a variety of cuts, I do sometimes put the ones I'm not as interested in up for sale or auction. It gives others an opportunity to own from the series while making some of my money back and keeping my collection "sleek"--mostly full of the items I truly like.

I don't bid that much, but most of my competition is composed of bidders I only might know through their bids on other auctions. So the question of "dibs" doesn't really come up much; it's more "Do I really want this item enough to try to beat them?"

[kizu]

I don't know anyone yet in the community to give dibs to. I guess I'm not really good at networking, making friends, etc. etc. However I do know a person who's a fan of same series and character that I love. In a way I'm lucky she's always given me first pick, for instance in doujinshi and now cels. I did give her dibs on a cel that we are both eyeing for the moment. But unless I know the person or if the person has done me a huge favor before then that's when I give dibs. Mostly with other people I don't know very well, collecting is fair game, the one who wants it the most (whether it be money or strategy) gets it in an auction and maybe I'll whine to myself if I really liked it, but in the end they wanted it more. I just hope that they take good care of it afterwards... So another consideration when I chose to step aside is, if I know this other person will/can appreciate it the same or maybe more than I would.

[sugarcels]

I'm still a "new" collector so I don't really know anyone in the community. So, I don't have any kind of "system" worked out. I have, though, on a few occasions been contacted by some very kind people who pointed out where I could get one or two of my wishlist cels, or stores where I could find certain characters. I am very grateful for that I have in turn sometimes directed someone to auctions if I know they love a certain show and/or I'm not interested in that certain cel but know they probably would be. This is just random, and I'm not doing it because I feel like I have to, or only certain people.

Very few of the series I collect would be considered a "lion's cage," I think. There are a few names I recognize when I find auctions, so I can predict what I'm in for, especially if I know them to be big spenders. There are mostly Japanese bidders. With deputy services (some obvious, some not) I'm not sure what will happen, or even if I know the person bidding, so I couldn't give dibs even if I wanted to. I very rarely bid on Ebay for cels, these days.

Other shows I could monitor and bid on and NEVER EVER (or rarely) get bid against, even if I think that cel is awesome and should be going for higher than it is.

I have also recently learned I should keep my mouth shut about auctions I have my eye on. Odds are good the price will skyrocket as a result

I do admit I have gotten angry or frustrated in the past about wishlist cels. I can be VERY territorial about certain shows, like any cel I find for that show is automatically my right xD I know, I can be such a jerk, ne?

[Not Sir Phobos]

To me, keeping an eye out for other people's interests is not the same
as giving dibs. I've pointed out auctions of interest to friends in the past
and typically I have zero interest in the item. I certainly don't mind doing
that for others and there are folks who regularly contact me about things
I might like. That's a wonderful courtesy that I appreciate as much as they
do. But giving flat out dibs is another issue entirely. If I -really- want the
item, and can afford it, then I'm bidding. I'd expect no less from anyone else.

I'm pretty much the same. Dibs CANNOT be asked for, dibs should only be given. However if you want to break deals with other people so they stay off the cel you want then that's different. I give dibs to people as is couteous, but asking someone for dibs is as rude as inviting yourself to someone's party.