Principle is everything, never be ashamed of it.

And no, it is not about the money. I may be new 
with anime cels, but I haven't been living in 
hole all my life.

Do what you feel is right, but at the same time 
don't let the actions of a few imbeciles or 
opportunists make you completely jaded -- there 
are still a lot of good people out there.

If you need the money, don't be afraid of Ebay -- 
It seems to me that since Ebay is where the cel 
is likely to be sold for maximum market value, 
then the person buying it on Ebay is probably NOT 
going to be an investor looking for a quick turn-
over (where will they sell it for more, after 
all?), but rather someone who really likes the 
cel... so much so that they are willing to pay 
top dollar for it.

True, this can block out people who might love 
the cel even more, but not have the money to 
compete, but perhaps it is a half-way solution to 
keep you from being hurt. The other thing you 
could do if you feel swayed by a person swearing 
this is their dream cel is to set a high price, 
but tell them you will hold it for them for a 
long time, give them months to raise the money. 
If it truly is one of their dream cels, they WILL 
take the time and likely be very gratefull that 
you would hold it  aside for them. If at the end 
of the period you are convinced they are truly 
genuine (which if they wait that long there 
probably is a good chance they are) and you wish 
to be kind, you could always at the last minute 
offer it for a more reasonable price.

Don't know if any of this helps, but I wanted to 
throw out some ideas -- I hate seeing nice people 
become jaded by the idiots we all have to deal 
with.

Tim 

PS -- what's the URL on your Gallery? As a Tenchi 
fan, I'd love to see the cels.