Cels Forum

Well, I don't live in Japan. In fact, I never went
there yet (but will in two months :). So I don't know
exactly how it is there (Hitoshi, help !) but I will try
to give a few answers.

There isn't realy an official market. Some companies sell
cels to shops or to the public during "events" or give
some away but other companies don't. There is a lot
of underground market also. In fact, for cels from the
same company and anime, you will probably have both
sources...

Now, even if a producing company is selling cels, they
generaly do it only in Japan. That's why to get new cels,
most shops get them from people who go to Japan and pick
them there... We are perhaps one of the only dealer who
actualy work with a company in Japan that can provide us
cels on a regular basis. But that's not the usual activity
of that company and they don't have cels themselve : they
just go and buy them for us. (Which mean that we have
to buy very large amount or they spent to much time and
it isn't interesting for them).

To get more cels without paying too much, you will either
have to go to Japan yourself (but naturaly the price of
the trip will make the cels pretty expensive) or bulk
order them from Japan if you have that's possibility. But
even if you can find a company to do that, that won't be
interesting if you don't plan to resell them because you
will have to order for large amount and probably you
won't have any choice on what they are sending you and
you won't be able to see the cels before you receive
them...

In USA, you are already luckier than us in europa : there
is often the possibility to buy a few cels in anime 
conventions... :)

Cheers,
Yann Stettler