talkmagic.co.uk

i see a lot of people recommending various books/dvd's etc when helping people out with problems they post up, i presume that because they are recommending them, they have brought a copy, themselves? if this is the case, why cant the add where they brought it from, and roughly how much it costs? i think it would increase the value of their information, as opposed to saying, read 'this' book.

my 3p

TheGurkha wrote:i see a lot of people recommending various books/dvd's etc when helping people out with problems they post up, i presume that because they are recommending them, they have brought a copy, themselves? if this is the case, why cant the add where they brought it from, and roughly how much it costs? i think it would increase the value of their information, as opposed to saying, read 'this' book.

my 3p

Because, I am speculating here that there is a percentage of people who are reviewing pirated copies of e-books and DVDs.

On Friday I was speaking to an esteemed TM member, who pointed me in the direction of a bit-torrent website to obtain TV episodes. However, I noticed at least four Ellusionist videos—all of which were recent. Further inspection and simple searching for 'magic' revealed ebooks, videos and more... mostly current.

seige wrote:Because, I am speculating here that there is a percentage of people who are reviewing pirated copies of e-books and DVDs.

Not always true, I don't always put where I got any books from because I don't always think about it. Most of the books I buy are special orders from WHSmiths.

... note the word 'percentage'...

The other aspect is that various sources sell at differing prices so any figures quoted will need to be checked anyway. When books are mentioned, I usually put the title into Google and see what's on offer - Amazon are very often offering the best prices. WH Smith, as mentioned above, offer reasonable deals and such places as Borders and Waterstones can sometimes be good sources although I find they tend to offer at full price whereas other sources discount the prices quite a bit. As an example, if anyone still wants to buy David Blaine's Mysterious Stranger book, it's on sale at many places at £14.95 but you can get it far cheaper elsewhere by searching around.

Any of the on-line magic suppliers are worth checking for books as are Magic Books by Post (Google for the details!) who seem to stock almost every book on magic ever printed!

yes well erm that kinda puts me 50 / 50 in both camps, i often recomend a book mark wilsons complete course in magic which iv'e had for around ten years off and on.

then i recomend from my uncles extensive erm lending libary.

I only buy magic books from online retailers. Books costing around £30-£60 are often ten or so pounds cheaper when bought online. If you're buying several books, the difference adds up to a considerable amount.

Another thought - such books may have been received as gifts so the source won't always be known (other than 'With love from Aunty Mary and Uncle Fred')

i don't always give a link, but i see it as more me encouraging people to search for the item, rather than a straight forward "here you are...dont you trouble yourself looking eh..."

it doesnt take more than a minute to google something does it...come on now...

Yeah personally if I'm recommended something I'd rather look for it myself to see the best deals etc.

Also it can be hard to source items for people as we all live in different parts of the world due to shipping etc

i always look myself, but if iv already searched for something, and found the best price, ill tell someone 'thats where i got it from, and thats the best iv seen it'

I think it is a great idea. You can't always remember, but what harm can it do to try? Other people may have bought it somewhere cheaper and if they are going to make a post on that thread, why not put that down? It helps create a comprehensive list over time of suppliers and if they are cheapr normally or not.

Could "supplier if known" be added to the top of the review template?
Also, I know this is from another thread, where the idea was felt that it could cause problems, but what about having something about the supplier? Such as:

Supplier if known.
Speed of delivery. Slow, average, speedy

]The Effect[/b]



Cost



Difficulty
(1=easy to do, 2=No sleights, but not so easy, 3=Some sleights used,
4=Advanced sleights used, 5=Suitable for experienced magicians only)



Review



Overall

The speed of delivey with the cost are what you need to know about a supplier. Slow, average or quick shouldn't run into problems with upsetting suppliers or risking legal action.

I'd agree with Seige and noted that he did say percentage. There will always be pirated copies about in some shape or form.

When reviewing an item, I've always provided a link to where I've purchased the said item from, even if there are other sites selling it cheaper but I leave this to those who are interested to search wider if they want to save a few pounds. If it promotes a shop that people can visit then all the better in my opinion.