Last week, a poster showed up on Bruce's site that I really, really wanted.
I don't have much to spend on paper these days, so I rolled my spare change, sold a few posters and put my money down.
I bid more than I have ever spent on a single poster before, but I wanted this one badly.
I thought I was going to win (wishful thinking), but I was outbid by a well-known dealer.
Yes, I was pretty fucking disappointed. I had never seen this particular style/size for sale and it had slipped out of my grasp.
Oh, well. That is the way of the world. Win some, lose some.
A few days later, I decided to look on Ebay to see if a similar poster had 'miraculously' appeared.
Well, what do you know? There it was, posted for sale at nearly double the price by the same dealer who outbid me.
Salt in the wound? Sure.
Pissed? Of course I am. But, like I said, 'that is the way of the world. You win some, you lose some.'
Two days later, another poster (from a different film) that I wanted but had never seen for sale before, appeared on Ebay.
It was being offered by a seller whom I had dealt with before. A good guy.
I put up a decent bid, went to work, and was sniped by someone at the last minute.
Pissed? Of course I am. But, like I said, 'that is the way of the world. You win some, you lose some.'
But now, I was pretty discouraged. I had lost two special posters in just a few days.
So, I sent an email to the Ebay seller of the second poster, the one that was sniped out of my grasp.
I asked him if he had another or knew someone who did.
He sent me an email. No, he didn't have another, but he knew someone who did and he sent me a link to a reputable dealer's site.
There was the poster, in better condition than the one I lost and considerably cheaper than the sniper's winning bid.
The sale is complete and the poster is en route.
While this post might sound like 'sour grapes,' it really isn't meant that way.
Dealers have every right to purchase their wares and mark them up as they see fit.
If it is their business, it is their business.
I'm not about to publicly out the dealer who outbid me and then flipped the poster. I hope it sits in his inventory without a nibble.
But, when the other poster arrives, I will publicly thank the dealer -- and the seller who directed me to him -- for helping me acquire a gem.
Is there a moral to my rambling?
Probably a few.
But I can tell you what I have gotten out of it -- some dealers suck and other dealers shine.
So, shun the former and patronize the latter.
