All these messages have clearly illustrated why I 
personally HATE "make an offer" "sales" (and I put 
that in quote because it's NOT a sale, it's a 
silent auction with an ever-moving reserve), and 
why I very rarely make offers, even when I'm fairly 
sure it will be accepted.

Let me be blunt: as a buyer, I don't care what you 
bought the cel for. It really doesn't have any 
effect on what the cel is worth to me. Sometimes 
it's worth a lot more than you paid; often times, 
it's worth less. I know it's hard to accept that 
the cel market has dropped, and cels equivalent to 
yours can now be had for a fraction of what you 
paid - but that's the nature of the collectibles 
market, and there's absolutely no guarantee you'll 
ever get out what you put in. (Which is why I 
recommend never paying more for a cel than what 
it's worth to you.)

Yes, I've received offers that might be considered 
"insulting", but I've never answered them in anger 
- I've just politely refused them. Then again, I've 
never asked for offers - these came out of the 
blue, asking if I would sell. And I know that takes 
some courage to write down a number and email it 
off.

If people really want to let their cels go, I'd 
rather they either put a price on it (yes, I know 
it's difficult to price cels), or auction them in 
the open marketplace. I don't like the "make an 
offer" fishing expeditions.