talkmagic.co.uk

ok, so i have has an idea of opening a magic market stall, it would be selling things that dont have a copyright to them per se. is there anything i would need to know? anythings i would neeed to take onboard before starting this mini venture?

the basic things i am thinking of selling are:

TT's
Svengali decks
IT effects
Invisible decks etc etc,

Hopefully you get an idea of the things i would be wanting to sell.
also any other ideas on things that would sell would be appreciated. the idea is that i would be doing demo's of all the things that are for sale and people would then obviously be interested in buying and learning them. i would be aiming for the layman who is new to magic and wants to do the trick they have just seen.

does anyone have any thoughts on this?

I'd have a read of this thread.

apart from that thread - its probably best not to ask on here - go speak to a bank and get some advice from from the business end...

no offence to anyone here, but apart from common sense replies - you just need a business plan and all that stuff i'd imagine...

from your post though, it sounds like you've just had this idea, and not really thought much through...

Well, this is an idea I have also had, ‘Make money at car boots’
My ideas were as follows
Set up a working table, demo some cool effects then sell the DVD of the effect or DVD with gimmick .
£5 each
Cant go wrong (unless your rubbish at selling)

I am probably the one on this forum who can help you more than anyone else. However I am not going to for two reasons. One is that you have been most impertinent to me in the past and two, even if you haven't I hope you starve anyway.

I don't like people selling magic in public places. I deem that it affects my business even if they are thousands of miles away.

You will have to use your charm my boy if you wish to get information out of me. Alas charm is something you do not appear to have in abundant quantity.

mark lewis wrote:I am probably the one on this forum who can help you more than anyone else. However I am not going to for two reasons. One is that you have been most impertinent to me in the past and two, even if you haven't I hope you starve anyway.

I don't like people selling magic in public places. I deem that it affects my business even if they are thousands of miles away.

You will have to use your charm my boy if you wish to get information out of me. Alas charm is something you do not appear to have in abundant quantity.

...

Anyway...

You'd have to take advice on the business end of it, as has been said, and you'd need to prepare extensive, airtight demos of anything and everything you were thinking of selling. I mean you'd have to know this stuff inside out, back to front.

Other than that it would just be the usual issues facing small businesses in an economic downturn.

I'm (partly) with Mark on this one.

mark lewis wrote:I don't like people selling magic in public places ...

I feel that secrets, like magic tricks, should not be shoved at people in mall stands, church bazaars and other public places. They should be sold in places where people that truly have interest in learning about magic should make effort to visit on their own initiative.

With a stand like that, when somebody decides to buy a tick, you have to show how it is done. About 10 or 15 kids will watch the demonstration but only 1 will buy it. All the others then know how it's done...

I fear that Gunnarkr has misunderstood me. I do not disapprove of magic being sold in public places because I am worried about exposing. I disapprove of magic being sold in public anywhere in the world because I want to be the only one doing it. I get highly irritated if I hear of someone selling svengali decks on a Bangladeshi flea market.

However he need not worry about exposure when I work. I would be heartbroken if I actually thought that anyone could do the trick. The very idea of any of my customers getting value for money quite appalls me. I don't think I would be able to sleep at night if I thought people were getting fun out of what they purchased. To that end I always make sure that my instructions are quite incomprehensible.

And no. You don't explain how to do the trick once they buy it. Merely snarl at them and say "read the instructions" in a very abrupt and rude voice. You will never see them again. I am not too big on repeat customers. Once I take someone's money I never want to see them ever again.

mark lewis wrote:I fear that Gunnarkr has misunderstood me. I do not disapprove of magic being sold in public places because I am worried about exposing. I disapprove of magic being sold in public anywhere in the world because I want to be the only one doing it. I get highly irritated if I hear of someone selling svengali decks on a Bangladeshi flea market.

However he need not worry about exposure when I work. I would be heartbroken if I actually thought that anyone could do the trick. The very idea of any of my customers getting value for money quite appalls me. I don't think I would be able to sleep at night if I thought people were getting fun out of what they purchased. To that end I always make sure that my instructions are quite incomprehensible.

And no. You don't explain how to do the trick once they buy it. Merely snarl at them and say "read the instructions" in a very abrupt and rude voice. You will never see them again. I am not too big on repeat customers. Once I take someone's money I never want to see them ever again.

I don't like you. ( in a very abrupt and rude voice.)
greetings from belgium

Belgians never buy anything anyway so it doesn't matter if you don't like me. I agree with the Dutch about the Belgians. A very odd people indeed.

While Mr. Lewis works himself into a little tizzy, I would recommend picking up Get Nyman if you're interested in flogging sven decks - he put his old svengali demo from Marvin's magic on it, and it's the best I've ever seen.

Hmm.. I don't know that I agree that it's the best ever.. it's impressive, but it seems too fast, and too confusing to me. I only watched it the one time, I must confess. Perhaps it deserves a second look.

Would YOU buy a deck from someone who dazzled you with a deck of cards, and didn't explain how it worked?

I've just looked at it again - and the one he does is suited to a one on one performance. At no time is the deck ever held by the spectator.
Perhaps he has another routine that suits crowds. Keep in mind, he was working in a toy shop... where people go to spend money on "toys"

Talking of Mark Lewis, which I'm sure he'll appreciate, he does a nice routine in one of his publications. Again, it looks to me like a routine, rather than a pitch. If that's how it looks, then that's what he wanted, as I happen to have been informed that he's by FAR the cleverest of them ALL.

As I recall, his routine was derived from Ron McMillan, who could have been taught by Joe Stuthard. It matters not, because I'm sure any inaccuracies will be corrected by Mr. Lewis as and when he deems fit to do so.

Welcome to TM etc... What a robust first post

Why, thank you for your kind and considerate comments. I hope to be able to contribute further, time allowing.
I've been dropping into the TM forum occasionally, and only today decided to join.
It's not my nature to allow myself to be involved in petty squabbles. I'll just state my opinions and leave it at that.

Thanks

I have never seen the so called Andy Nyman routine but it cannot possibly be in the same league as mine unless it IS my routine. I suspect it might be since I trained Marvin Berglas's demonstrators in Hamleys at one point.

Anyway it is dead easy to take money in Hamleys. You don't have to be particularly good. I remember selling 15 packs in one demonstration in there.

Ron Macmillan didn't really have a routine. He just used to make it up as he went along. In fact every time he demonstrated it was a different routine every time.

I don't know if there was a Joe Stuthard influence in his routine but there was certainly a business connection at one point through Harry Baron. I saw Joe Stuthard work the cards and it was a completely different routine from Ron Macmillan. Mind you some of the moves that Ron used were described in a little book that Joe wrote on the svengali deck so perhaps there was indeed an influence. I have no idea.

Anyway the best svengali routine of all time can be seen at www.marklewisentertainment.com

When you get there go to the trade show page. Near the bottom of the page you can click on to a video clip and see it in all its glory. I am afraid this Nyman personage whoever he is won't even come close to it.