talkmagic.co.uk

by **dat8962** » Dec 7th, '09, 13:08

Times are hard for everyone - unless you're an investment banker and the Magic commnunity is no exception. I was visiting Mike's web site at http://www.mikedanatasmagicstudio.co.uk and noticed the following statement.

FREE MAGIC WITH EVERY ORDER - PLUS VERY LOW POSTAGE COSTS!

Hello everyone, it is with a very heavy heart, that I have to announce the END of FREE POSTAGE.
Please don't be too sad though because we have something even BETTER lined up for you!!! Please Read On:

As you know for the last seven years we have paid the postage for you, on any size order.

We've had so many problems of late with Royal Mail, that we can no longer afford to do the FREE POSTAGE (items go missing ALL THE TIME) & our customers expect us to replace the items & pay the postage a second time, which we simply can ill afford to do.)

Only last week, an item went missing (a box of Mouth Coils) priced at £9.00 (I paid £1.62 to post them!) I was threatened in an email by the purchaser "I want my money back or a replacement within 24 hours, you've had my money, I want my purchase!"
I can do without all that for a £9.00 item! (Incidentally it turns out that the person hadn't lived at the address he gave me for OVER A YEAR!!!) I had a massive row with someone who phoned on his behalf, I got very stressed out, & ended up telling them where to go! I will NEVER again allow myself to get into that type of situation...... EVER!

The Postage costs now being calculated at check out on this site are VERY VERY LOW, & I will not be making any extra from it, it will just assist me in sending items a different way, because I am turning into a wreck, regarding the items that strangely "Get Lost" etc................

The postage on (say) a £55.00 item will come out at £2.75 which is a mere FRACTION of what it will actually cost to send! If you were to order only a pack of Bicycle Cards (at £3.00) then it would cost you £3.60 (the shipping rate on a small order will be higher!)To send a pack of cards actually costs me over a £1 to send in the U.K. & even more overseas, when you factor in Commisions to Paypal/Credit cards, padded envelopes, cellotape, labels etc etc, I think (hope!) you get the point!The postage costs are calculated so that a bigger order pays very little!

The "Postage Contribution" goes TOWARDS the cost. Having that small contribution will allow me to send the item "Signed For" (in the U.K) which gives me piece of mind (also the customer) that the item can be tracked. On bigger orders, I'll still send by Special Delivery or even Courier, at no additional charge to you.

Regarding Overseas Orders, the shipping will be the same calculated rate as per on this website, viewable at CHECKOUT (same rate as the U.K) UNLESS stated otherwise in the product description(some heavy items will display an EXTRA charge on top of the rate calculated at checkout, but this only applies to overseas orders).

I've been so nervous of late regarding virtually everything I send by Royal mail, that I've been paying the extra for "Signed for" ON TOP of the actual Postage! (sometimes I've even paid for Special Delivery or Courier out of my own pocket, which is even more expensive!) The Post Office in the U.K (at the moment) seem to be on an Unofficial Go Slow & generally "Messing things up" on purpose. First Class signed for, for instance, has taken FOUR DAYS & sometimes longer to reach there destinations!

On big orders I will still use next day courier service in the U.K.
At no additional cost to you, the customer.

I will continue to despatch items the best possible way for you, & use the "Postage Contribution" in a way that benefits YOU the customer, my customers really do come first, but I guess if you deal with me, you already know that!

In the past, when something had gone missing in the post, the customer would often come back to me & say "Of course you can track it can't you?" & I've replied "Well of course it could have been tracked, if YOU had paid extra for that service!" (but mostly people didn't want to pay, because "The Postage was FREE!") & so of course it's MY FAULT when things go missing! so I've had to take these steps. which I sincerely regret doing, but it really will benefit us all!

To compensate you the customer for the small contribution towards the postage, every customer will now get a FREE MAGIC GIFT valued at much MORE than the postage contribution paid!!!!

YES! EVERY CUSTOMER will get FREE MAGIC, valued at MUCH MORE than the postage cost!!!

So with every order comes a nice surprise as well, now that's Magic!

The FREE gift won't be rubbish either! we are very very overstocked here, we have 1000's of items!

I can afford to decrease the stock levels to make more room for incoming items!

Incidentally the Postage Structure is as follows:

Order 0.01 - £9.99 worth of goods pay 30% Postage (eg order a pack of cards at £3.00 postage = 60p

Order £10.00 - £24.99 worth of goods pay 15% postage

Order £25.00 -£74.99 worth of goods pay 10% postage

Order £75.00 - £149.99 worth of goods pay 5% postage

Order £150 - Upwards & pay only 2% Postage !!! (eg order £150.00 worth of items & pay £3.00 for NEXT DAY delivery! (Courier OR Special Delivery depending on the weight of the order)

The bigger the order the LESS the postage!

I sincerely thank you for your continued custom & support of the services that I offer.

All good wishes

Mike Danata

It's no secret that ike is a good friend of mine and I plug his studio at every opportunity that I can but on this occasion there is something more to consider.

Mike's is one of the very few bricks and mortar shops left and he has served the South Coast, as well as further afield for many years now. If ever there was a time for us to make use of these shops then the time is upon us. If we don't use their services then they will quickly disappear.

If you're making some magical purchases this Christmas then please seriously consider supporting a bricks and mortar shop.

by **Replicant** » Dec 7th, '09, 14:19

I don't think Mike should have to justify his new postage costs; any reasonable person should expect to have to pay postage and packing on mail order items. Unless you have the turnover of companies like Amazon or Play, it just doesn't make financial sense to offer free postage these days (I can think of only one magic dealer that is the exception to this). To be honest, I'm surprised Mike has been able to offer free postage for as long as he has.

Some people do take the p***. Fancy calling up a shop to complain about a missing parcel when you don't even live at the address any more. Idiots.

by **danata** » Dec 7th, '09, 15:21

Hi! This is Mike Danata.

Only the other day someone phoned me to say that they hadn't received their order, I thought "Oh God here we go again, something else that has gone missing!" so I said "Can you just remind me what the item was, & also give me your name" He mentioned the item, & I knew INSTANTLY (remember I stock over 15000 items!!) that not only did I "Not have it in stock" but also that I had NEVER stocked or sold that particular item!!!!!

When I told him that, he just replied "Oh! in that case, it eliminates you, it must have been someone else that I ordered it from!!!!!"

All good wishes!

Mike

P.S. the reason I liked to do the Free Postage, was because Supreme did it when I was a kid, & I really appreciated it!!!

Last week I sent a book out priced at £35 (This is before I factored in a "Contribution" to the postage cost, so I was still paying the postage then) & the postage came to over £8.00!!!!

Now, the same book at £35.00 WITH factored in postage would cost the customer an extra £1.75 (so I still pay the bulk!!) PLUS the customer will get a FREE GIFT with their order with a value of MUCH MORE than what they paid towards the postage!

Last year I sent a Harbin Table to Singapore (Table cost the customer £98.00) Postage to Singapore cost me OVER £40.00!!!!!) I LOST a substantial amount!!!!! Don't forget I had to import the item from America, pay shipping on it, import duty, & VAT!!!!! Then from the £98.00 the customer paid, you have to take out commision payable to the bank & credit card company/Paypal Packing materials etc etc. I was working for nothing!

The hope was that people would order more than one item, so even if I lost TOTALLY the profit on SOME items, I'd make on something & have a very HAPPY Customer! that would come back again & again.

Now the concern is that they won't come back!!!

We'll have to wait & see..........................

All good wishes

Mike

by **Ant** » Dec 7th, '09, 15:54

It is sad to see small businesses struggle, the consumer ends up being the one that pays in the long run.

I am originally from Bletchley, a small town which has been consumed by Milton Keynes. People would always say to me how great it must be to live somewhere with so much shopping choice and I would always explain to them, yes, if all you want to buy is mass produced chain store merchandise.

People only really notice the importance of a shop, especially a small one they infrequently use, when it stops trading.

Hopefully you'll continue and thrive Mike but the power really is with the consumers.

by **Mandrake** » Dec 7th, '09, 16:18

With the continued and orchestrated demise of the Royal Mail, this is going to be an ongoing problem - the big boys like DHL, TNT and so on won't pay nicely once they've taken over the majority of mail handling, OK there nay be a bit of trade off, one firm against another, but in the end just watch those prices soar.

Can you all hear that noise? It's the sound of yet another nail being hammered into the coffin of the traditional UK way of life. (And just wait until you see the adverts for Kraft Creme Eggs, Kraft Milk Tray - 'Nuts, whole hazel nuts, Kraft will take 'em and cover them in....not Cadbury's chocolate') :cry:

by **Grimshaw** » Dec 7th, '09, 17:41

If i wore a hat, i'd be tipping it to you Mr Danata.

Honesty these days.......it's a rare commodity.

by **TimLeStrange** » Dec 7th, '09, 23:38

When ordering any kind of magic or item of the internet to be delivered to your home in my opinion you should pay postage as it is only fair.

TLS

by **Mr Grumpy** » Dec 8th, '09, 00:55

I always pay for Recorded. Of course, it varies depending on price, but let's say you're buying goods worth £30. Normal first class post might cost you a couple of quid, and Recorded might cost you a couple of quid more. Is it worth the hassel of NOT paying Recorded just to save yourself the difference of a few pounds? I think people often look at the total amount rather than the DIFFERENCE in the two amounts, ie the difference between Recorded mail and First class. It's just far too common for First Class items to go missing, or to take two weeks to arrive.

The really annoying thing, however, is when you pay for Recorded and the postman leaves the item outside in the rain behind a potted plant! That's just moronic.

by **Craig Browning** » Dec 8th, '09, 16:05

A friend of mine (Michael Paul) attempted to start a Brick & Mortar shop here in Massachusetts a couple of years back. Though a tremendous effort was put forth along with a huge chunk of cash, the shop just couldn't function effectively, nor compete with the on line dealers that seem to be more than a dime a dozen now days... just about everyone (it would seem) has their own storefront.

The loss of the physical Magic dealer is far greater than most will ever get to know when it comes to today's new generation of enthusiast and yet, old timers do know; the advantage of private coaching and lessons, the referrals for shows, regular customer "deals", act protection and so much more! The one important loss being how those old salts behind the counter put the magic student in his place, oft times handing you this or that book and insisting that you learn it and actually come back for a kind of "test" before they would ALLOW YOU to buy this or that prop. The Magic Shop was a kind of school that encouraged discipline (sorry, I know that's a dirty word these days :oops:

) and focus -- a kind of "Mission Statement" if you would, that defined the kind of performer you were going to be.

But now we have other issues when it comes to the virtual world of magic retail, including the hustles such as Mike describes above... the "I didn't get" routine, which is a deliberate bluff; a ruse being used by certain folk in order to get something for nothing... after all, the rules only apply to fools, right?

Pardon my rant, but I find this sort of thing... the over-all scenario... to be quite sad and something we are ALL responsible for. Especially as legendary magic merchants like Abbotts and Tannens now fall to the whey-side, barely able to hold on, let alone extend to our world what they have been known for over the past four or five generations

by **Lady of Mystery** » Dec 8th, '09, 17:12

I think the internet is having this sort of effect on lots of small specialist shops. I was in a lovely little music shop that I've used for years the other day and he told me that he's closing down because a lack of business.

In the past we had to go to these little,few and far between shops, now it's so much easier to just go onto Google.

by **Ted** » Dec 8th, '09, 17:24

It's not all bad, though. It's so much easier to find stuff using the internet and of course there are forums, which are so useful.

by **dat8962** » Dec 8th, '09, 17:36

If I may say, a marvelous post by Craig and this describes Mikes Studio to a tee.

The first time that I entered the Studio it was like going to an audition. Mike wanted to know about my level of skill, the sort of things I had already bought etc. and then the fu began. It was sort of like going to Hogwarts. Every visit was a lesson whether you saw something being demo'd or whether you stood for a hour or ore listening to the more experienced magicians chat.

Mike has been responsible for the development of a good number of magicians in Bournemouth and the surrounding area including myself. I would not have progressed anywhere near as much without being able to visit the Studio. Even if you make a day out at the sea side from your visit.

Once you've been to a bricks and mortar shop then most will be hooked. I encourage everyone to visit their local, even if it takes some effort on the travel front.

by **sheprendo** » Dec 9th, '09, 20:44

I have also visited Mike's shop and it's a true Aladdin's cave. He has 1,000's of items and is eager and enthusiastic to offer advice, support and demonstrate the tricks. As a lady Magician he has given me invaluable advice and support and he always checks your skill level. I don't live close to his shop but visit when I am in the area and am always delighted with my purchases. So I would say like Dat8962 support your local bricks and mortar shop.

by **danata** » Dec 9th, '09, 21:01

Thank you very much for all your support & kind comments, it's much appreciated.

Going back to the "Demise Of The Royal Mail" there is a programme on (I think!) BBC 1 on Monday at 8.30 with a working title of something like "Can Deliver Won't Deliver" this should be interesting.................

All good wishes & once again many thanks!

Mike Danata

by **danata** » Dec 11th, '09, 09:01

Short Tour of my Magic Studio!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrfqlRGOHds

All good wishes

Mike

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