Hey buddy, go read what Drac posted earlier. She 
quite elegantly expresses what I believe. Take it 
or leave, it. 

http://www.animanga.com/db/celsbook/cmd=thread&aid
=2969744020124535&template=message.html&indice=406
28000&var=tstart=1&var=tnb=30

As for not knowing the people I'm chastising, 
I've seen quite a few like them in my time -- 
comics, cards, action figures. I'm sure they're 
nice people, ship on time, polite too -- it's 
their motives and the end results that I don't 
like. Check out my earlier rant, and read it 
carefully this time, especially my reasons 
against speculation. Okay so you pony up to the 
trough when it's good, but what about the long 
term. Also read the part where I talk about the 
difference between holding a bunch of auctions 
and retail -- this explains why I'm more for 
dealers than speculators as well. :P 

Keep this in mind -- when you immediately turn 
things around,from Yahoo to Ebay, are the 
increases in price you get justified in someway? 
Are there fewer cels on the market, the most in 
collections? Or is there a perceived shortage, 
where the majority are bought by speculators with 
the intent to sell. The only way increases are 
real and not artifical, are when the majority of 
pieces are in collection, and not for sale, end 
of sentance. This is one of the reasons there is 
chaos in the modern art market. Pieces are going 
for record amounts, but there's no justification 
for the prices. The artists can continue to work 
and put out more art. It's one of the reasons 
galleries are worried about a backlash against 
artists.  

As for buying simply to support you hobby -- just 
imagine the chaos if the Sailor Moon collectors 
decided to buy and auction off Dragonball Z cels; 
the Dragonball collectors bought Gundam Wing 
cels; the Gundam Wing collectors bought Utena 
cels. . . etc. It would be a vicious circle. I'd 
rather help then exploit a fellow collector.   

I suppose speculators see me as being whiney, but 
to me, they're greedy. Fair trade off? I don't go 
after people, but I am against the mind-set. And 
so what if I argue against it. Do whatever you 
like. Just like to point out that there are 
easier and more lucrative ways of making money, 
if that's all you're interested in. For example, 
a high school boy bought penny stock, and then 
chatted it up on message boards under different 
alias, saying that the companies were hot and 
going to rise. People invested, he sold when it 
was on the top, and made a profit. They 
eventually caught him and he forced to give some 
of the money back, but I believe he was able to 
keep $200 000 of it. His parents seem proud about 
him too. 

The Miracleman comic's just one of the comics I 
have that's worth a bit of money. I've got quite 
a few others that I could make a killing on. And 
a 1667% profit's nothing to laugh at. My God, I 
could support my collection with it, but that's 
not why I collect things.