ddiltie, what is confusing you so? I think everyone is in agreement that when an auction ends, the high bidder is the winner.
Just because I don't shop somewhere, it doesn't preclude me from talking about it. And no dealers can be trusted when it comes to money. Like I said, I was ripped off and deceived on several occasions by a long-time dealer. I'll be talking about it in detail (names, dates etc..) when y'all know me better.
Who cares what domain name one has - you think I'll pay ten times the price for a poster because their domain name is 'better'? What a load of nonsense. Of course I can resent dealers asking ridiculous amounts of money for tat - and that's just what they sell. Most dealers keep the good stuff, and in great condition, for themselves and sell the lesser titles or heavily restored examples of better ones, to their customers. That was a lightbulb moment for me: I looked around at dealers' sites and realised what a load of rubbish they had stocked in their stores. Very few online dealers sell the special stuff and when they do, it either flies out the door (when unsuspecting newbies or impatient, rich people bite the bullet) or sits there forever because of the silly prices.
Of course, there is a lot of tat sold at auctions but most of it sells at bargain basement and if you have patience, the good stuff will land in your lap. You never get a bargain from a dealer. You always overpay and the condition is usually not what you'd prefer. So tell me, what is the benefit of buying from a dealer?
Who's begrudging genuine bidders? My only problem is with shills; either the consignor or friends of the consignor, playing games. Sometimes dealers not involved will bump up the price out of resentment that you're not purchasing from them and providing them an income. All three are despicable although I laugh at those dealers: they normally place conservative bids and the money goes to somebody else, so they don't really benefit. And shills have to be careful: some bidders have the sixth sense and will push shills past the point of no return - what a delicious moment that can be!
All in all, this is a non-dealers market. Collectors have become too shrewd. No one is buying from dealers. Their online stores are just for show, borne out of some kind of half-passed pride. Their stock doesn't sell. On ebay it does, but the majority of posters sold there are fakes or reissues misrepresented or items priced even more outrageously than on dealers' websites.
