Mokman

It is perhaps true that people paying high prices for cels are doing so from an uninformed position, but no one is forcing them to spend that money. They think the product is worth the amount being paid. The fact that they are unaware that they could have gotten it elsewhere for a lower price, like directly from YJ instead of from the Ebay reseller, is a different issue. That is an entirely other base economic discussion I remember having in a college philosophy class. The bottom line in my opinion is that they are willing to pay the price they did. Are the Ebay resellers taking advantage, in a manner of speaking, of this ignorance? Perhaps. Does that make me think as low of them as others here do? I don't think so.

To make myself more clear, I totally get the displeasure people have over the fact that the activity of scalpers generally increases the price of cels that all of us have to pay. I get it. I really do. But it is not something I personally feel as strongly about as others seem to. As I said in my prior post, I don't have a right to any of these cels nor to any particular price on them. I'll pay what I am willing to pay, and if someone else is willing to pay more, more power to them! I don't "need" to have that cel.

I guess the point I am trying to make is that I don't personally find what urbantreasurehunter and others are doing to be unethical. To use zard's analogy, artificially raising the price purely for profit on something arguable essential for life like medications I would entertain as being unethical (but that is for another discussion). Doing so on a pure luxury item like animation cels that no needs to have, I have a hard time raising to the level of unethical. When reading this forum I am struck by how negatively other feel towards it, not because their opinion is wrong, just because it is so different from mine. So if any of you care to respond, why do you feel the so called scalping is so terribly wrong as to call it unethical?

I've generally been quiet about this but I feel compelled to say something here. I have been amazed by the tone this thread has taken recently with all the negativity towards resellers, and buyers who pay more than what "we" think the value of a cel is. We are all engaged in a free market luxury hobby here. None of us are entitled to any cel or to get it at any particular price. The community controls the market by what sellers ask for cels and what buyers are willing to pay. That a seller asks more for a cel than "we" think it is worth, or that we know for a fact they themselves paid much less for it, doesn't make them a bad person (ie these so called dreaded price gougers). Heaven help us that someone is engaging in the economic mantra of buy low, sell high! That someone is willing to pay more for a cel than "we" would doesn't make them stupid. People are free to sell their own goods and spend their own money however they themselves see fit. If they do so in a manner different from how "we" would, so be it. That the actions of these individuals is, in general, driving up the price of cels is unfortunate for those not willing to pay so much, but in my opinion nothing to be so negative about.

It would indeed seem there is some new active blood in the community, and that they have money and are willing to spend it. Personally I don't have any problem with that. The market is no longer what we knew it to be. A group of people are willing to spend more so that makes the market what it is now.

Some one else looking to take advantage of the recent trend in the market. Something about these has never looked right to me. I am not sure what it is. https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F292727680459

The good old days are gone it would seem. We can only hope the pendulum swings back the other way at some point.

Correct, I don't believe the seller has any idea what is going on behind the scenes at Rinkya. In essence the two Rinkya bidders are fighting for the right to own the current high bid on YJ from the Rinkya account.

Pages from the Robotech Style Guide? I'm not sure. I don't know it that well but first impression that is what they look like to me. Definitely something Robotech related since there are both Macross and Mospeada designs there.

54,000 yen is more than I'd pay for that one, but isn't an outrageous price all things considered. That two Rinkya bidders were fighting with each other up to 109,000 yen doesn't mean much in my opinion. The cel still sold for only 54,000 yen. I don't remember the Rinkya terms of service but I think the high bidder pays them fees based on the high bid, not the actual sale price. But I could be wrong.

I missed the end of it. What did it go for?

Yes they come with a certificate from Anime World Star. It states that they were released on 7/22/2000, at a price of 30,000 JPY for the set, and are limited to 100 sets. They are indeed reproductions of game footage that was not originally created with cels. Mine are #71 and #75 (I didn't buy them at the same time/from the same source). Of interest, I took the back off one and discovered they are hand painted cels on copy backgrounds, not printed cels as some limited editions are.

I agree. Quality artwork there but I like the classic style better.

Well the background matches from the screencap so it is likely the correct cut. Perhaps the same animation is used in another scene we haven't found yet that is a few frames longer.

Which episode is your screencap from? Never mind, I see it in the image.

That is an interesting one. My recollection is that there should be a collar on the uniform when the face shield is off. If the background is correct that shows it is from an episode on Earth, so that would be the second half of the series I would think, after Force of Arms.

Have you all seen this listing on Mandarake? Any ideas what the hanken was used for? http://ekizo.mandarake.co.jp/auction/item/itemInfoEn.html?index=540859

The image is still so there should only be one cel. I am not so sure it is a 4 on the cel. Some Japanese character perhaps? Either way someone seems to have paid money for it.

I take that back, I did find it. It is in an extended sequence in Macross that is not in the corresponding Robotech episode. It is very hard to tell but it seems to me to be a fake. There appears to be some very slight differences in the line work, particularly in the details in her eyes, the black shadow under her chin, and the dark lines above her right forearm. Not to mention the color is very far off (though I don't put a whole lot of weight into that).

I too think there is a chance it is fake. It just looks to clean and crisp for me. I doesn't seem to have the right age to it. I tried looking for a screen cap to compare it to but couldn't find it. The only time I could find where she wears that outfit is in episode #7 but that particular shot doesn't seem to be in it.

The game finally came in. I have to say it looks very cool. Smaller than I expected (box is only about 8.5" x 6") but the components are great and the artwork is really cool. The box is actually a slip case and all the components are in a plastic tray inside. Other than the pieces being separated and the game boards having a good warp from being folded up in the box for 30+ years the game looks untouched. The box itself has the sort of shelf wear you would expect for its age. However, as advertised in the auction, the game does not appear to have any rules. Hopefully the text on the boards and game pieces tells you all you need to know to play. I'll have to see. Other than what I see on Boardgame Geek, does anyone know anything about this game?

I just bought this Bandai Party Joy game off Ebay but it does not seem to have any instructions. Does anyone by chance have the instructions, or know where I might find them? Thanks.

Our boy Urban is at it again. A couple of new YF-19 cels on ebay for high starting bids. This guy is becoming a black hole collector with the number of cels he has that he won't let go for a reasonable market price. And yes, I have noticed those cels on YJ with the ridiculous starting bids reposted several times.

I would totally buy cels from that if I found any.

Lol, that was me. I have been having a conversation with him most of the afternoon. He has been very open minded and agreeable with the opinion that these are fan cels and was only concerned with getting it right. That is why he changed the listings. I didn't put any pressure on him to do so, just stated the case for the cel's true identity. He agreed. Seemed like a stand up guy. He also mentioned he was not the one to get them off YJ and seemingly will loose money at the prices they are now listed for on ebay. He felt a little down on himself for making the mistake, but as I said, seemed to be a stand up guy about it.