It's kind of like having a listing that 
says "Playstation 2-- Original Box!" and when you 
buy it, all you get is... that's right!... a 
playstation box. -_- I'm sure we've all heard 
those stories.

Working on the assumption that the cel is not 
production, technically, the seller is doing 
nothing wrong. He's selling a cel... someone buys 
it... he ships it... the buyer receives a cel... 
but nowhere does he give a guarantee that the cel 
is genuine, or was actually used in production. 
We've all read the threads/seen the auctions in 
the past, where some sellers will try and sell 
non-production cels to uneducated bidders, and 
cover themselves with a disclaimer along the 
lines of, "Unless you receive this cel directly 
from the studio, there is no way to guarantee 
that it was used in production..." etc.

The seller, in this case, is doing nothing to 
dispel the impression that his cel in genuine, as 
can be seen by the price. ;o)

The best way to defend yourself is to be educated 
about what you collect. Know what you're buying. 
The series which I mainly concentrate upon are 
neither popular enough, or high-end enough, for 
me to have to personally worry about fakes. ^_^ 
If I see a cel with odd colors, I can safely 
assume that their scanner is acting up. But for 
people who collect certain series-- it seems to 
happen a lot with AMG and DBZ-- an extra level of 
precaution is needed.

Ultimately, it's the bidder's responsibility to 
look after themselves... because no one else 
will. If you have an unscrupulous seller, they're 
not going to 'fess up until they have your 
money... and even then, maybe not. It's unlikely 
that Ebay will step in and intervene. The best 
way to protect yourself is to spot the danger 
signs.

One of the nice things about the board is that we 
have a vast human resource who can help share 
their knowledge. People will give a heads-up if 
they see something that doesn't look right. 
Others will do a screencap and point out the 
differences between the production cel and 
whatever's on Ebay. Other times, people will 
inform the board if there are dishonest buyers 
who are running scams by faking Paypal, etc. 
Occasionally, toes will get stepped on, and 
people will make personal attacks... but that's 
why ethical discussions, such as lost-and-found 
wallets, resellers, and suchlike are such hot 
topics. 

Trust is a big factor, when you deal with a hobby 
like cel collecting. Significant quantities of 
money pass hands, and there's nothing you can do 
but trust the person you're doing business with 
to come through with their end of the bargain, 
whether on a personal level or via Ebay. However, 
by being picky about who you choose to do 
business with, you can protect yourself. :o)

-Cres