A magic dealer may hand pick a small range of magic tricks. This called a curated range.
The magic dealer advertises that they only choose magic tricks that get great feedback and are of a high standard.
Advantages of picking a magic dealers with a curated magic shop:
The benefit of curated magic dealers is that you are only presented with items the magic dealer feels that you will like. Your expectation for quality of the products is higher.
Trust – You develop trust in the magic dealer and respect the magic dealers opinion of the magic tricks that you should learn.
Easier selection – Less choice makes choosing which item to buy much easier. If you are in the market for a change bag, being presented with 45 different versions can be time consuming and stressful. Curated magic shops narrow down the choice for you.
Disadvantages of picking a magic dealer with a curated magic shop:
1) The selection of the shop will be targeted to one style of magician, so may exclude excellent magic tricks, simply because they don’t fit the customer persona that the magic dealer is targeting.
2) The range can suffer from commercial bias: When choosing magic tricks to promote some magic dealers may not choose items simply because of their quality. Often other reasons play just as much a part in the magic dealers range:
- Own Products – Promoting their own magic tricks above other products
- Profit Margins – The magic dealers may choose items that have a higher profit margin even though the magic tricks may not be of the best quality.
- Exclusivity deals – A deal may be made to give the magic dealer an exclusive on a magic trick in return for high profile on the website.
- Relationships with the magic trick creators – A magic dealer may promote a friends magic range, regardless of the quality of the magic tricks.
- Stocking costs – Smaller items that are cheaper to post may get preference over large items that have a greater storage and postage cost.
- Product turnover speeds – Magic dealers may highlight products due to their popularity. Unusual and slow selling items will tend to be dropped from the range. A focus on the latest exciting new release can often develop as the dealer struggles to bring in sufficient turnover from a small range.
As the range is often limited to a specific theme of magic, You can experience a ‘search bubble’. A search bubble happens when you are presented with a range of magic tricks on a particular theme and return repeatedly to that magic dealer. Over time, you they are only presented with choices that confirm and reinforce that theme, so your exposure to magic becomes more and more limited.
Higher prices – A smaller range means that the magic dealer will have fewer products making up the majority of their turnover. The magic dealers don’t benefit as much from economy of scale. This can cause prices to be higher or additional customer support services to minimal.Using a curated magic dealer can be an excellent choice providing that you trust the magic dealer and are sure that their opinions on good magic, match your own. Being aware of the commercial bias in the selection offered by curated magic dealers is important, to ensure that you choose the best magic tricks to invest your time and energy learning.
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