Americans and eBay

[jvainio@urova.fi]

Commenting on DON's message:

> free to kiddies. When I started getting on eBay, I saw that right after
> such conventions, people were putting those brand new Egmont weeklies onto
> eBay for $5-10 each (!!!), not to mention taking the free toys out of the
> bags and selling those on eBay separately for a similar amount.

As an art collector I've been following the "original comic art" category on 
eBay ever since it started in 1998. The most dire example I've seen of 
immediately cashing in on items received for free happened two or three years 
ago at the time of the San Diego Comic-Con. On Sunday that weekend - still 
during the con, that is - someone put up a "Convention sketch by Dave McKean". 
He said he had obtained the drawing from mr. McKean the day before and noted 
that it had required some persuasion on his part since McKean at first appeared 
"reluctant" to do a drawing for him. Gee, I wonder why. :-(
It's too bad that this kind of behavior has caused many artists to stop doing 
drawings for fans altogether, because it also means that the "true" collectors 
who really love and appreciate the work of the artists are denied getting them.
Though I must, parenthetically, ad that some artists who I know don't draw for 
American fans anymore have been kind enough to make an exception for an exotic 
Finn... ;-) 
Upon hearing this a fellow American collector declared that he now has to get a 
mail box in Iceland. So perhaps even that chance will soon be gone?

---Jyrki Vainio

P.S. If you're interested, some highlights from my collection can be viewed at 
the internet gallery of an original comic art collector's mailing list at: 
http://www.ComicArt-L.org/comicart/lowry.asp?userid=1127