David writes:

I've noticed that magic shops in the US seem to be cheaper than magic shops in the UK, Why is that? Shouldn't it just be a simple currency exchange to set the prices? Are UK magic shops ripping us off?

Hi David, That's a great question and catches many magicians by surprise when they order magic tricks form magic shops in the US. Are US Magic shops cheaper than UK magic shops? It depends.. Lets take a look at the real cost of importing magic tricks into the UK:

The main difference in price is caused by tax. Good, established magic shops are required by law to charge VAT. The US magic shops don't show VAT with their prices because they don't collect it. V.A.T gets added tot he price of the order when the items arrive into the UK. You get a letter from UPS or FedEx charging you VAT, Import Duty, and a ridiculously high processing fee on top. You have to pay the fees if you want them to deliver your package a few days later.

If you buy magic tricks from a US magic shop, you will be paying in US Dollars on a debit or credit card. Your bank will charge a fee for processing the exchange of currency, sometimes as much as 3% as a bank charge. UK shops have already taken care of all the importing and currency exchange for you.

Another issue is aftercare, there's a lot of value in having customer care, local telephone support, returns/exchanges, and shipping from within your own country. You probably don't need that for just a deck of cards, but for higher ticket price items or electrical items, it's worth using (and supporting) your own countries magic community, economy, and magic shop businesses.

Importing magic tricks into the UK can sometimes be a good deal. If it's a rare item, on special offer in a US magic shop, or if it's not an item that quality or aftercare would be an issue of importance. However, the way of displaying prices in the US is different to the UK and it's important to understand that additional charges and delays can be added to he order which could wipe out the cost saving.

New £1 Coin – Good or Bad for Magicians Coin Magic?

by Dominic Reyes 2 Comments

The Royal Mint is introducing the new £1 coin. Magicians are concerned that their special magic coins are about to become useless.

Magicians that perform coin magic have always had mixed feelings about the UK £1 coin. It's a little too small and thick to be good for palming, which makes it's use in coin magic limited. However, it's a great coin to gaff, and magicians have been using it to make special magicians coins for many years. Coin gaffs like coin unique, cig thru coin, and cap and coin monte, use the properties of the £1 coin to their advantage. Those special magic coins can be quite expensive, so many magicians are concerned that their special magic coins are about to become unusable.

Why is the new UK £1 coin being released?

The Royal Mint is introducing the new £1 coin because it has estimated that 3% of the current coins in production are fakes. That would mean there are over 45 million fake £1 coins in circulation! If you have ever owned a coin unique and spent it in error, you'll have added to that figure!

The old coin is very easy to copy. The new £1 coin is being marketed as 'the most secure coin in the world'.

The new £1 coin.

The new £1 coin is based on the old threepenny bit, a 12-sided coin in circulation between 1937 and 1971. A competition will take place to choose the image to put on the "tails" side of the coin.

"In honour of our Queen, the coin will take the shape of one of the first coins she appeared on – the threepenny bit. A more resilient pound for a more resilient economy." – Chancellor George Osborne

The new UK £1 coin will be about the same size as the old £1 coin.

Like the UK £2 coin, it will have two colours and will include mechanisms to allow it can be checked using high-speed automatic detection. The Queen's head will be on the heads side of the coin, the tails side will have a design chosen at a later date.

The coin is due to be released in 2017

The New £1 coin and magicians.

There are a few points that are important to magicians. Firstly the size. It's going to be the same size as the original £1 coin, which is not so good news for magic. The small size made it hard to palm and manipulate, so a larger coin would have made it far more useful.

Secondly, it's going to be bi-metal. That's a nightmare for gaffing the coin. The UK £2 coin has a similar issue, which resulted in many poor gaffed coins that would fall apart with use. Creating shells is much harder with a bi-metal coin as the insert needs to be supported.

On the plus side, the edging of the coin should make it easier to grip for coin manipulation. It may be a better coin to palm, and it's size would make it suitable for spellbound routines with a UK 20p coin.

Shoud magicians worry about their existing gimmicked £1 coins?

Not yet. It will take many years for the old coins to be phased out of circulation. Even then, the old coins can still be used with a story about the 'REAL' reason that the coins were changed, leading into your coin magic tricks. When the new coins are released, there will be a race to manufacturer the first gimmicked versions of the coins. Whilst the transition takes place, using the old coin will give magicians some fantastic presentation ideas to breath new life into their coin magic.

Using PayPal to Pay for Magic Tricks – Magic Shop Questions

by Dominic Reyes Leave a Comment

We often get asked if magicians can pay for magic shop items using PayPal.

That's a simple one to answer: Yes

The Merchant of Magic has been accepting Paypal for many years. It's one of the most popular forms of payment that magicians use.

At the checkout you can select several different ways to pay for your magic tricks order. The magic shop accepts credit of debit cards, payment by Amazon checkout, or you can pay with Paypal. The shop also accepts payment via instant bank transfer, which proves very popular for many of our international magicians.

Instant download videos and ebooks are processed using their own checkout process which is intergrated into paypal, so that's the default method of payment to instantly access streaming magic videos and downloadable magic.

Advantages of using Paypal to order magic tricks.

PayPal is one of the largest online payment companies worldwide. If you are a magician who has never used Paypal, you may be wondering why so many magicians use it as their main method of payment for magic tricks:

Credit card safety: When you join PayPal and create an account, you enter your credit card and bank account details into the Paypal system. Once that is done, you never again have to give your credit card details online. PayPal allows magicians keep their credit card information private, so they don't have to worry about a hacker capturing your account information.

Flexibility: It doesn't matter how careful you may be, bank balances can do up and down dramatically as you juggle everyday expenses. Paypal removes the embarrassment and hassle of trying to order magic tricks and magic tuition online only to have your credit card declined. You can set up multiple bank accounts, debit cards, and credit cards to feed into your PayPal account, that way your magic shop purchases always go through the first time. PayPal will then look for funds from your accounts or cards based on the preference you make.

The iPhone App: The PayPal iPhone app makes it easy to order magic tricks wherever you are. PayPal will ask you to authorise purchases with a PIN for added security. Smartphone ordering is very popular and it's an easy way to browse the magic shop from your phone and avoid having to enter in your card details on a tiny keyboard.

Cost: Using PayPal to pay for magic tricks is free of charge. There are no annual membership fees, no processing fees, no service charges. Magicians using PayPal get all the best advantages of the service and do not have to pay any extra.

Accounting: You can login to Paypal anywhere and check your order, print a reciept and review your past payments. It's a great way to set up a magic tricks fund to budget for items or simply keep track of how much you are investing in magic.