Shane,
I can't think of many examples of working pros offering up real world, audience tested materials at any price. I agree that most of the stuff on the market are untested, unfinished pipe dreams - which is why it is a rare gift when someone who has actually performed a piece for years decides to release it.
As for sales techiques such as 'only 100 left' I am not aware Paul is playing that game. In this case, I know he is sincere about the protections he has put into place. They are not marketing ruses - in this case. They are a sincere effort to control the use of and preserve the value of his work and other magician's investment.
Sure, magic pitchmen bombard us with this nonsense, but I would hope an informed readership would know the reputations of the people making the claim and know not to fall for it. Likewise, informed people should know that when a magician of experience is releasing something from his or her personal repertoire, that it has real value.
What I find most interesting is the magic community's response to those rare occasions when an artist releases an item from the working repertoire and choose to put a value on it commisserate with its value in the performance marketplace - the magic community expresses outrage, disgust, and disappointment. Rather than be thrilled that someone has chosen to share something of real value from their working repertoire - something many would be thrilled to present to their own audiences - they throw fits because they don't want to pay the price, they complain that something is overpriced, or that it's somehow wrong for an artist to be able to have some say, some control over how the product of their creativity and work is used.
Unreal.
Fair enough I see what your saying.