talkmagic.co.uk

I think that to a certain extent this post should be reheaded "Whis is EVERYTHING so expensive". You can easilly take out the "In Magic".

And because everything from a loaf of bread to a gallon of petrol has been sky rocketing in price it is hardly surprising that magic is as well. Take all of the above mentioned factors of often small production runs and a lot of development work and just add in inflation and you have just about the whole answer.

What amazes me is when people moan about how expensive something like a first class stamp is. You're buying the services of a massive global machine that can get a postcard from one end of the country to the other overnight. And renting time on that giant machine will cost you just 60p a go.

Reminds me of Louis C.K. and his ruminations on cellphones and flying...

And also (and mostly) because people are willing to pay that sort of money.

Did you know you can buy the complete Tarbell for just USD 40 on Lybrary.com ?

For the rest, you get charged "hobby price", the same as you would if you were into model airplanes or whatever else. From what I heard, the markup for RC planes and accessories
is rarely less than 100%.

So what, as long as you're happy with your purchases and can still put food on the table... If it's tight at month-end after buying all the latest gimmicks, quit smoking

My opinion anyway.

DenmarkKilo wrote:Reminds me of Louis C.K. and his ruminations on cellphones and flying...

Indeed. We live in Heaven, yet no one's happy. The most amazing thing about a smartphone is not that it gives you telepathy, clairaudience, etc. but the price. £13.50/month is NOTHING for what you actually get.

Tomo wrote:

DenmarkKilo wrote:Reminds me of Louis C.K. and his ruminations on cellphones and flying...

Indeed. We live in Heaven, yet no one's happy. The most amazing thing about a smartphone is not that it gives you telepathy, clairaudience, etc. but the price. £13.50/month is NOTHING for what you actually get.

Jon,
You and I might pay that per month but a lot of those iPhone owners are paying £40 or more!
T.

Ted wrote:

Tomo wrote:

DenmarkKilo wrote:Reminds me of Louis C.K. and his ruminations on cellphones and flying...

Indeed. We live in Heaven, yet no one's happy. The most amazing thing about a smartphone is not that it gives you telepathy, clairaudience, etc. but the price. £13.50/month is NOTHING for what you actually get.

Jon,
You and I might pay that per month but a lot of those iPhone owners are paying £40 or more!
T.

I hate to say so, but even £40/month is peanuts for what a smartphone actually is!

Ted wrote:

Tomo wrote:

DenmarkKilo wrote:Reminds me of Louis C.K. and his ruminations on cellphones and flying...

Indeed. We live in Heaven, yet no one's happy. The most amazing thing about a smartphone is not that it gives you telepathy, clairaudience, etc. but the price. £13.50/month is NOTHING for what you actually get.

Jon,
You and I might pay that per month but a lot of those iPhone owners are paying £40 or more!
T.

£26 a month all in for me

Tough I have seen people spending over £60 a month, plus buying the phone at several £££££!

As someone that has worked the painful side of the telecommunications industry, I've seen people with regular bills close to a grand. And they're fine with it...

DenmarkKilo wrote:As someone that has worked the painful side of the telecommunications industry, I've seen people with regular bills close to a grand. And they're fine with it...

And ignorant. . .

There is no genuine reason why a person "needs" such technology. . . not the average individual. In fact, most people use them to play games and avoid direct interaction by TALKING TO others. Fact is, people all dream of being James Bond and having gadgets, such as the iPhones, etc. is part of that delusion.

Yes, I understand the logic of a PDA and how that's part of the phone. I also understand how fast you can loose everything when that tech fails or is stolen. I understand just how much loss of privacy one has when it comes to such toys and how it makes it ever easier for "big brother" (more so Marketing types than government it would seem) can track up and our every thought. So no, there really is no sound justification for 90% of us to have such gadgets; they are simply an ego trip -- a very expensive toy (and do note that I said this wasn't so for a small percentage of folks).

The Magic World has always had a thing for big sticker prices for some of the reasons noted; the "specialty shop" factor ranking high on the excuse board. Then we have the "new" proprietary claims that have come into vogue; that unique selfishness that magic didn't have just a generation ago though much of it was started, at least on the ethics and legal side of things, in address to a certain Mr. Harbin and issues around the Zig Zag . . . but who gets to claim innovation and who doesn't frequently pertains to who has the greater clout within said society, Mr. Harbin having few qualms when it came to "borrowing" from others and forgetting to extend credit but that was perfectly fine, he was a "somebody" according to some. . . and I say this only as historic comparison to things not to create an argument... history is always told through the eyes of the "triumphant" and rarely weighed through the eyes of its victims.

Fact is, the whole issue around "Intellectual Property" is one of the biggest reasons magic has become so expensive. I've explained one reason for this (theft) but the other reason centers on something magic from before the mid-1970s had that it no longer knows -- a free market. That is to say, nearly all magic shops and especially the big clearing houses like Thayer/Owen, Abbotts, Tannens, etc. built the same list of effects and won patrons based on quality & price. We no longer have that air of competition in that effect developers as well as merchants, are all out to take every penny that's available and put it into their pocket. While I begrudge no one for making money for their contributions to our craft, there was a time in which we contributed out of our love for the art and not the cash or ego-gratification. I've actually had noted builders chew me out when I was trying to develop low cost large scaled magic for the everyday enthusiast because "they don't deserve it" . . . keep magic expensive and a rich man's game being the adopted philosophy by builders (especially in the States).

When I was a teen I was wanting to buy a Thin Model Sawing; the Abbott cabinet was $950.00 bucks while the top of the line versions from John Gaughan and Owens started at over $2,000.00 which was outrageous in those times. BUT, what I didn't know then was the difference in quality, deceptive design, etc. I didn't recognize what was then the economic Volkswagen (think "cheap" & practical, not what you see today) vs. Rolls Royce difference. We no longer have that advantage UNLESS we buy illegal copies of effects from non-U.S. or "approved" builders. Anyone can get a Janet Box out of Mexico for less than $10k vs. the $20K+ standard price. . . the cheaper one has loads of problems mechanically, but for the aspiring up-start that doesn't matter; what matters is being able to compete on the commercial level but because of lost competitive structure within the industry, this is no longer plausible . . . realistically obtainable . . . for the kid coming up out of the ghetto, as it were. Adding insult to injury are the performance rights addendum's to a purchase that require one to pay even more to use an effect or gimmick you've already paid thousands of dollars for, before you can use it on TV or even certain markets.

Yes, we pay the price and until the day more of us are setting out foot down and saying "no way" the merchants will continue to charge optimum rates for the things they know we will clamor over and dream about. Too, there are times when it is better to just bite the bullet and pay that full price vs. juggling the headaches in trying to make our own or have it made for us in that there is simply too much that goes into the development of solid magic devices and experience in this niche, is vital. . . usually worth every red cent being asked. . . BUT, I emphasize, this is justified in the case of EXPERIENCED magic technicians not someone new to the game with limited exposure to the hands-on side of prop making; there is a very big difference in what you will get from the one vs. the latter.