I don't know how many on this form are in the 
American >30 years group, but Anime has been 
around for a long time and even at 35, I grew up 
watching it. (I can sympathize with many who are 
in college. I didn't buy anything just because I 
couldn't afford it then. No radio, no TV, no 
computer and definately no art.)

An older fan base with a larger disposable income 
will drive the prices up somewhat, but some of 
those prices are a bit scarey to me as well. I 
also do not think its due to dealers either.  If 
they want to make a reasonable profit they need 
to "buy low and sell high" or at least sell a 
little higher than what they paid. If a dealer 
pays a high price for an item he/she may not be 
able to resell it at a profit at all. He/she 
would have to sit on it for a while and hope the 
prices continue to climb and not crash (due to 
high prices driving people away). Speculation is 
very risky and no one stays in business for long 
if they do that too often.

I agree with what was said earlier. That the real 
cause is most likely people getting caught up in 
the competion and using their credit cards 
inappropriately. 

My apologies to the poster above for straying off 
your main point. I guess I just need to add my 
own two cents.