Sigh...I suppose I can't resist adding my $0.02 on 
this topic.

I'm not going to get into any moral questions, but 
I can certainly explain why I don't _like_ the 
practice of quickly buying up cels from online 
dealers to throw them on eBay.  Dealers are people 
who make cels available to me that I otherwise 
could not buy.  These people are doing me a 
service.  Their markup is a markup over a price I 
could not have bought the cel for.  They are useful 
middlemen.

People who habitually buy cels I already had access 
to so they can resell them are _not_ providing a 
useful service, they are providing unwanted 
competition.  Their markup is a markup over a price 
I _could_ have bought the cel for.  They are 
parasitic middlemen.

Now, obviously who is providing a useful service 
and who is not depends entirely on each collector's 
particular situation.  The more connections a fan 
has, the more people fall into the parasitic 
category.  I would think for any vaguely clueful 
internet-connected fan the people buying from the 
normal online dealers and reselling would count, 
though.

(I don't really understand the whole Yahoo Japan 
flap.  For people who don't have access to it, the 
resellers are providing a service.  For people who 
do have access...if you want the cel, for heaven's 
sake, go bid on it!  It's an _auction_, after all.)

--Atiya

Now to go post something happier, like in the cute 
animal thread.  :-)