ANother thing, how many dealers have DIRECT 
connections to studios such as: AIC, TOMEI, 
GAINEX, PIONEER, KITTY or GHILBI to obtain cels 
for sale? Few if any do. I know of at least one 
dealer in the U.S. and most of you ought to be 
able to also tell if you recalled AX 2000, since 
he had exclusive licensed artprints and 
lithographs by Studio Pierrot, who had the AX 
guest of honor in the U.S.. And yet dealers do 
end up obtaining cels how do you think they do 
it? They go to their sources usually IN Japan who 
happen to be stores or dealers themselves AND 
then the dealers in the U.S. bring back the cels 
for resale to us in the U.S.. But how do you 
think the dealers and sellers in Japan obtain 
their inventory? Its not as if they can walk up 
to Ghilbi or any other studio any offer to buy 
some cels, there is ALOT of under the table (ie 
stolen) cels that are transferred.

No anime cels were intended by the company that 
owns the licensing for resale nor redistribution 
OUTSIDE OF JAPAN that is why it is illegal. 
Studios don't bother to hunt people down on an 
individual basis b/c they own 1-500 cels b/c its 
not worth the companies time. Do any of you 
really think AIC would both to hunt down 
collectors of BGC OVAs? Its not worth the effort 
or the monies to bring the matter to court. And 
quite frankly companies such as Gainax in the 80s 
actually have opened up their doors to deep-
pocketed collectors ie Allen Hastings and sold 
cels directly to individuals such as him. But do 
any us have millions invested in their company or 
do we work with an overseas animation studio on a 
large account? No we don't.

Thus the point is people many of you just do not 
realize how under the table or cut-throat the 
anime cel collecting and resale market truly is. 
Cels made in Japan were meant to stay WITHIN the 
boarders of Japan, that is another reason why if 
and when anime studios do have public sales they
do not open up their cels to people outside of 
Japan NOR will they sell it to you if you are 
someone who might take it out of the country.
And yes they DO ask, especially if you don't seem 
like a native ie your Japanese is broken or you 
don't even look Japanese. Did you know that? Ask 
some of the older dealers who've existed prior to 
1989 who actually have direct contacts with the 
studios in Japan and they will verify this 
information. 

Believe me or don't your choice but my source for 
this information is a dealer who DID have direct 
contacts with anime studios and the heads of 
various companies. All the information I've 
shared is from his over 15 years of experience. 
Think about it, the anime cel resale market and 
the industry itself  is far from sparkling clean, 
its just many if not most people don't know what 
goes on behind the scenes before the cels you buy 
get to you.