talkmagic.co.uk

Personally, I'm pleased to see the one for Hawkin's Bazaar. It's a a smashing place with lots of silly things to buy. It's possibly the only place you can get highly dangerous pop-pop boats!

Mianon wrote:it would be a great idea to get rid of the google ads, very unproffesional especially seen as they advertise your competitors what good is that?

i dont see google ads on penguin magic or on ellusionists just ads for there own products

Errr... thanks for that... Your opinions are always—how you say—treasured?

Whilst the ads are still making me £15 a day, I will leave them where they are, thank you very much. Pays for server costs.

How many sheets of flash paper do you get in the pads?

When I'm looking for a specific item, I usually look through quite a few sites to try and find the best deal

Bearing this in mind, it makes it soooooo much easier if you have a search function available.

If I'm looking for a specific gimmicked coin, for example, if there's no search function available on the site, I usually don't bother looking, 'cos there's nothing more frustrating than searching through pages of coin tricks and accessories.

I'm sure we've all been there

there is nothing wrong with having paid adverts. I think the site looks great and i don't think the adverts would put people off at all.

Okay seige heres my tuppence worth. Stuff I want from an online magic store:

1. A useful search function that actually works. [Not a comment on the quality of your search function by the way, just a rant.]
2. Never ever show me a search result page with 0 results. Show me something, anything!!! Even if its only the top selling items.
3. Video of effects in action.
4. Video of effects in books.
5. Contents Page for Books and DVDs (if possible).
6. Emails when you received the order and when its shipped.
7. If there is a problem with stock or anything else, then simply tell me.
   I don't mind when people make mistakes (we're all human after all), but
   it does p*ss me off when they try and cover them up and I end up not knowing what the situation is.
8. Don't ever ask me what colour back I want on my double facers. Penguin if anyones interested
9. Amazon/iTunes like personalization. A mix of this and customer CUPS should make for a compelling business model.
10. One click shopping.
11. Not ripping the blurb for an effect from the standard marketing materials. You care more about the product than that don't you?
12. Not selling c*** (not the best). Sorry that should be number one.
13. Free bonus, no thank you. I have an issue with the term Free! Someone is actually paying here, and it is likely to be me at some point.
14. No overstocking.. I don't want the choice of 100 types of chop cup. I just want one that works. Maybe two if theres a choice of wood or aluminium.
15. Actually stocking the classic texts, rather than just the latest and greatest.
16. Wish list. Yes allow me to put together a list of stuff I want to buy in the future. Even allow me to pull it into my own website.
17. My account could also have a limit on it, so that I can set it at £50 a month and can spend up to that limit without being pestered. Your now a CUPS managment site too.
18. A top ten list for the site and for each discipline. Mentalism, cards, coin, etc.
19. If you do an also recommends based on the product being viewed, make it relevant.
20. Reviews, with aggregate review marking system and display it at top not hidden at the bottom.
21. Categorise by magician, especially for books!!!
22. Buy for me list, so that friends and family can buy stuff for me off of my list for my birthday or christmas. See wishlist above.
23. Show me the Inc VAT and Postage as soon as possible.
24. Show me the latest stuff by all means, but can you also do it by category. Same for top selling above.
25. Give me an affiliate route for my website.
26. Allow me to save my shopping basket between sessions.
27. Product ratings should be for anyone who owns a product, not necessarily just those who buy it.
28. Essential sections (Like iTunes), so you get Mentalism Essentials from the basics thru intermediate to professional. Actually, now I think about it this is probably the most useful thing I've suggested.
29. Staff and premium member picks. Trusted recommendations. Again iTunes iMix type stuff. Theres nothing like customer employment to get those hits moving.
30. RSS feeds for latest products, also by category
31. A printed catalogue would be useful, for those offline reading moments. Your brand, my toilet.

Take what you like and ignore the rest. Non of these are original, its simply the things I find useful from my own online shopping experience.

They're fantastic points! Can I add, in the case of CUPS management, a link to an explanation of the condition.

They are all spectacular points jamez

Um, tell me to shut up if I'm being silly, but on the right hand side of the homepage you have an advert for Get Fluxed: Special Edition, with the price of £18 with a line through it and then the price £16 below it in bright red, however it looks like the original price was £10, suggesting you've upped the price! Maybe worth just changing it? Hope thats helpful?...

Im getting annoyed by this now so, Card Colledge 1-5 for under £100 in the UK so P&P doesnt mean it ends up costing loads more.

Pitto wrote:Im getting annoyed by this now so, Card Colledge 1-5 for under £100 in the UK so P&P doesnt mean it ends up costing loads more.

Do you mean, you'd like to BUY card college 1-5 for under 100?

If so...

Yeah thats what i am saying in the USA it works out for less than £100.

Sorry i keep thinking of things.

If tricks in books/DVDs require a move or a sleight that is not explained then it is good to have that knowledge before you part with your money. For example for Rev Coin Magic by Sankey palming is required but it is not taught.

All effects which are my own home-grown come with a complete explanation of sleights!

Also, I am currently writing a system whereby I can show infobytes about effects on the shop... such as (extract from my Omen ad on the site...)

Performance skills? A few sleights are needed, but are taught in the manuscript in detail. Most of the effect is pure theatrics.
Ideal performance situation? A very close-up and personal situation is best, and needs to be performed at a table. There are no specific angle problems with this effect
Don't buy if... you aren't a confident performer, and you shy away from basic card sleights.

I intend also to personally vet all products and give them a rating system, based on the 'performance skills?', 'ideal performance situation' and 'don't buy if...' areas.

From years of having bought magic on the strength of manufacturers descriptions, and being sorely disappointed when you need 'x' to complete the effect, I think this system is only fair.

Also, where effects wont' be given away by a certain sleight being mentioned, I will try and rate effects by the sleights needed.

I hope this will help!

That sounds really good.