Now you see it, now you don’t.
A guide to purchasing Magic on Ebay
 

Whether you are a magic hobbyist, a beginner, or a seasoned performer, Ebay  is a great placed to get your new and used magic prop’s and supplies. Thousands of people are selling everything from Beginners Kits, to full-scale illusions. All you have to do is go out there and bid! Of course you have to be careful though there is such thing as being a smart buyer, so let’s get started!

 Rating yourself:

 First you need to decide what level you are at in magic. For instance, are you a beginner having just started, or an intermediate magician having been into the art for a while but not necessarily an expert, or are you advanced where you have a great knowledge or misdirection, sleight of hand and are basically and expert at it. Knowing your level will help you to decide on the correct effects to purchase and use in your act. So In saying that if you are a beginner I wouldn’t recommend trying to make the stature of liberty disappear just yet.

 Style of Magic:

 The next thing you need to determine is your style. Do you perform large stage illusions, close-up magic with small items, comedy related, clown magic, performing on the street, or a combination of all of them? This is a good thing to know because if you are a street magician, you sure can’t walk up to someone and visually levitate about 10 feet in the air like you can on stage. Determine your style and then purchase effects that correspond with it. This way your act is consistent and makes it easier to follow and your entertainment value increases.

 Shock Quality:

 Does this particular effect or prop help you to amaze your audience, or does it just look like a trick and have no “shock value” at all? This is a very important attribute to think about. One good way to find out is to find and watch a demo video of the effect being performed. A good place to do that is magicvideodepot.com, which consists of just magic videos. Search for the trick name and see if someone has performed it. This way you can see it done and show it to a couple folks and ask them what they think.

 Cost:

 One of the biggest attributes of a product to check is, cost. When browsing the thousands of items for sale on Ebay , there are a few things to consider about cost. One is the general overall cost. Tally up all the charges you would have to pay like bid, shipping and handling, and insurance. Then go around to a few magic websites and find the product and compare the prices. If it’s cheaper on the site don’t purchase it off Ebay  as they are overcharging you.

Next, a little in-depth info on shipping and handling. Many sellers take advantage of the term, “Shipping and Handling.” For instance they will get you hooked on an extremely low Buy It Now  but then they charge a fortune on shipping and handling. This is why you have to take in account the total price to make an informed decision.

Another thing to check is the insurance. As with anything you purchase over the Internet it is good to get insurance with it. The Post Office sends millions of packages all the time and it would be easy for one to get lost or damaged. Be sure and check the insurance costs with the ones listed at your local Post Office or on the web to make sure that they are valid.   

Another thing is payment methods. The most used payment method for Ebay  is Pay Pal . Some sellers require this method while others will take a check or money order. Pay Pal is faster but requires a bank account, but it is very secure. The last thing to check is returns. Do they offer returns if you aren’t satisfied. Some sellers will refund your price or make amends if you ship the product back to them but not a lot of them as when you purchase a magic trick the secret is revealed and that can’t be returned.

  Reviews:

 When you are considering buying an effect, be sure to find a review or two on it from a magician that has purchased and used the effect. You can do this on most magic chat rooms or forums by simply asking nicely. This gives you an inside scoop on whether this is the product for you or not.

 Advertising:

 As a side note one thing to watch out for is flashy advertising. Don’t be taken in by the bright color an loud talk on the package, look up a review as said above and determine of the “shock value” is high enough and this trick is for you.

 Seller Value:

 As with any purchase on Ebay , always check up on the seller to make sure he’s a “good egg.” Feedback ratings are a big step in this direction. Under a sellers username you cane check out his positive, neutral, and negative feedbacks from his purchasers and people he has purchased from. This gives you a good idea of what he’s like from other consumers who have made a transaction with him.    

Also check out his other items and see if he’s in the magic business at all or if he’s just selling this one item, just to be careful.

Another thing to check for is if he has a shop website or storefront. If so check out those websites as well. If he has a storefront you are probably getting better quality.

 Conclusion:

 Well that about raps ups this review. I hope it has made you more “street smart” by way of purchasing magic and help you in your future purchases.

 Mark Crabtree