No offence formula but a while back you posted up about going onto Penn and Teller: Fool Us as you had something that would change the world of magic for everyone
I think most people understood that he was joking.
No offence formula but a while back you posted up about going onto Penn and Teller: Fool Us as you had something that would change the world of magic for everyone
an appearing cane for example, costs about 45p to produce but costs around £20 to buy yet it is a prop hundreds of magicians buy. Take any other living item, an iphone, costs around £5 to produce materials but they can be sold for upwards of £200.
Magic is dead.
J.
Maybe so, but that has no connection to "limited" cards and ways magic companies market cards/products.Magic is dead.
J.
Just as a quick note, from someone who makes 50% of their living marketing magic, (the other 50% is made up of performing said material) what you're paying for when you buy magic isn't the gimmick or the DVD. You're buying the secret and/or the routine.
To give an example, ebooks cost nothing to produce, minus the time/opp cost. Yet people will still throw a lot of money at them. Paul V was selling his HCE ebook for $1,000. People paid it because it was a VERY well thought out routine.
Manufacturing cost is irrelevant when buying magic.
DC
You have been side tracked from the topic at hand. The comments about rrp and profit margins aren't what this thread is about. This thread is about how we shouldn't let companies pull the wool over our eyes anymore. iphones may only be £5 in raw materials but an iphone as a finished unit costs approximately £120 to manufacture, not £5. The difference here, which makes that argument irrelevant is that iphones cost so much money because you're paying for the services the phone provides. Cards and magic tricks provide no services and have no running costs once purchased.Not intending to start any fights, but when people get upset about mark ups then how can they expect companies to make a profit? Take an appearing cane for example, costs about 45p to produce but costs around £20 to buy yet it is a prop hundreds of magicians buy. Take any other living item, an iphone, costs around £5 to produce materials but they can be sold for upwards of £200. The consumer world is the same for both magic and general consumption items.
I am very sorry if you don't get my humor. It must suck, for you.No offence formula but a while back you posted up about going onto Penn and Teller: Fool Us as you had something that would change the world of magic for everyone (http://forums.theory11.com/showthread.php?34910-Fool-Us-still-taking-auditions). How many times have we heard this and it hasn't been true? Pretty much 99% of the time.
Ok so I've made it pretty clear in previous posts that I kinda think it is ridiculous about how many new decks are coming out. It used to be that only companies like E, T11, BBM would release a deck of cards, however now everyone and their mother has a new deck out. I know that a lot of the members here are card collectors and will not agree with me at all about this, however as someone who solely purchases cards to use them, I figured I'd post my thoughts on the subject.
For me the one thing that bothers me the most is that when a deck comes out it's instantly rare. It seems that the majority of cards are made nowadays for collectors, which honestly isn't that big of a demographic compared to people who are just magicians. It's really quite frustrating for me that when I see a really cool deck that I'd like to get my hands on so I can use them, that they're sold out within the first 15 minutes. This is extra annoying to me, if I was only able to get one deck, especially if I really like the deck. I know that card collecting is very popular, but I think that all of the custom deck makers are forgetting the main reason as to why people started making custom cards in the first place... so people could perform with them.
For example I know a ton of people who are selling the first edition crown decks on ebay for a lot of money, when I purchased my crown decks, I got them so I could perform with them. Even though they are 1st edition/rare I use them for casual performances, gigs, or practicing because I like they way they look, handle, and feel. I also know that if I were to ever get my hands on some Smoke and Mirrors, I would use them too, not let them sit on my shelf and do nothing.
The other thing that kind of confuses me is I hear a lot of collectors complain when a deck is printed with a one way back. I can understand why a magician would not want a one way deck, but I don't see why a collector who only plans on displaying a deck would be bothered by that. I guess this isn't really something that bothers me, but more intrigues me more.
Now I don't want people to think I'm bashing collecting, I'm not at all. In addition to being a huge magic geek I'm also a really big Star Wars fan, and I have my fair share of collectibles. I know at this point you're prob thinking to yourself "But Josh, keeping Star Wars figures on Display and not using them is the same as keeping a deck on display and not using them." The difference is when I was younger I did play with those Star Wars figures, I got into Star Wars originally because I loved the movies and wanted to play with the figures. As I got older I played with them less and less but I still collected them because it reminded me of my childhood. I could be wrong but I doubt that most card collectors got into card collecting immediately. My belief is that most card collectors started out as magicians using these custom decks and liked them a lot that they decided to own another deck to display.
I don't want it to come off like I hate card collectors and I think that no one should collect cards just to own, far from it! I just wish that when companies create a custom deck that they make enough for everyone to be happy. The main issue I have is not the fact that people collect cards, but that there aren't enough cards for performers like myself to use and for collectors to own.
Ok I'll end my rant here. I really hope that this didn't offend any card collectors. I really would like to hear your thoughts. I just figured that I would post my thoughts here as it may strike up an interesting debate.