You want to start your collection.  "Where I start?"  "How do I start" are the questions most frequently asked.  It's not that difficult, you don't have to travel to Hollywood or New York, or go to trade shows.  You can do it right from the comfort of your own home!  Here are a few tips to get you started ~

1 ~ Pick one celebrity to start with.  It can be a movie star, TV star or personality, radio host, musician or sports figure.  However, so as not to overwhelm yourself, start with just one.  Trust me, it will lead into others that are related to your choice.  Here's a brief explanation of how I started...  I started with Maureen McCormick as Marcia Brady.  I just collected the character of Marcia... see just one thing.  It grew into collecting photos of Maureen McCormick as she got older, then any recordings she'd cut (with ot without the Brady Bunch), then into any movies she appeared in after her Brady years, then finally it exploded into the Brady Bunch.

As you can see my collections snowballed and grew.  I even collected a tattoo of her, on myself!  So again, you can see your collection will grow, but in your own way.  No two person's collections are the same and there are many formats of collecting.

2 ~ Know your seller!  You've decided on the celebrity you want, Great!  You put their name into a general ebay search and up pops many items for bid.  Check each out thoroughly, and I mean thoroughly!  Read all the descriptions carefully.  Look for words like Certificate of Authenticity (autographs), proof photo, one of a kind, never been seen before, original, and the like.  Then check out your seller carefully.  Click on "Meet the Seller" and read ALL their feedback comments.  I know it may be time consuming, but this is a big investment you're making.  If you have any questions about a certain feedback, the item in general, the description... don't be shy!  Send the seller an ebay message!  This is the only way to clear up questions before you bid.  One cardinal rule to remember... if in doubt, don't bid!  There will always be more.  Don't forget about the seller's shipping method and technique.  Pictures should be shipped in a sturdy envelope with cardboard inside to make it harder to bend.  I've had some real nice decent sellers ship pics in their own plastic sleeves in the envelope!  These sellers are the top of the line sellers, and ones you should have on your favorites list!  Also remember, be wary of sellers that don't use PayPal.  Ebay provides a direct link to PayPal so we can pay our sellers.  PayPal has a rule that states, if an item is thirty days over due to you, then you can have PayPal withdraw the funds from the seller if they can't come up with a valid reason your shipment is late.  Sellers are human too, and are prone to maladies which can delay a shipping date.  Everytime I've run into this problem with ebay sellers, I've always received an email or ebay message apologizing for the lateness of the shipment and a promise of a ship date.  Again, this is a top notch seller that takes the time to communicate.

Keep track of your bids and purchases.  I made folders in my PC for "Wanted" items, "Bidding" items, then "Won and Received" items.  You see a listing of your celebrity and are thinking of bidding on it, put it in your watch list.  Save a copy of the pic into your "Wanted" items folder. Name the file with the celebrity's name and the ebay item number.  When you finally decide to bid on the item, move the pic to your "Bidding" items folder.  Leave it there until you win and receive it, then move it to your "Won and Received" folder.  This gives you a history in your PC of wanted celebrity items.  It's not necessary to go to this extent, but some may find it useful.

3 ~ Make use of the internet.  There is a whole wide world and wealth of information out there on the web.  Make use of it!  Pick your favorite search engine and type in your celebrity's name.  Read all the results.  Become familiar with what is out there to be had on your celebrity.  I have found a few movies the mention Maureen McCormick is an actress in the film, but have come to find out she wasn't in the film at all.  Sometimes celebrities will support a certain film or event, and therefore become attached to that film or event and listed in the description.  This is for those that aren't that familiar with search results... when you search on your celebrity's name, there are two words, their first and last names.  Results will pick up on the entire name, just the first name or just the last name.  Example ~ I can search on Maureen McCormick.  The results will yield her entire name, which naturally is herself.   Next will be just the name Maureen, which could be associated with Maureen Stapleton, Maureen O'Hara, etc.  Same goes for the last name of McCormick.  My search even yielded a result for McCormick spices!  That's why it's so important to read, read, read your results.  Oh, and please take notes.  Make yourself a folder in your PC with the name of your celebrity, this is a different folder than the ones mentioned above.  Put search results in there so you can have a reference.  Wikipedia is an excellent online encyclopedia for everything and everyone.

Now that you have the tools to start, have fun collecting!  Read my first guide on how to protect your investment and how to spot false or reproduced autographs.  Most of all... protect your investments with acid-free plastic covers and in the case of framed pictures, UV glass and proper matting with acid-free materials.  In addition, if you find a certain seller offers items you like, make them a favorite seller.  Also save ebay searches and click the check box telling ebay to send your searches to your regular email.

Happy collecting!