I'm sure this topic has been brought up before, but looking through some recent postings on the forum, I was reminded of this again, thus this thread.

First, what is CUPS? Those on Talkmagic would be able to tell you that it stands for Compulsive Uunnecessary Purchase Syndrome, or Compulsive Uncontrollable Purchasing Syndrome. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about here.

Those of us who have been into magic for some time would no doubt have a drawer (some a cupboard or basement cellar) full of magic items that have not seen the light of day since they first bought them.

Other than making us all broke, I think this is a bigger problem for people starting out in magic. The glamour of a visiting a shop, the sheer thrill of going through an online catalogue makes every item seem truly magical and soon you find that you have dozens of items, DVDs, gaffs, tricks THAT YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO USE.

A variant of Sturgeon's Law states that 90% of everything is crud. And this is probably more true about the magic stuff we buy when we first start out than anything else.

Of course some say this is a necessary step in the learning process, and one can only become proficient when they first have exposure to as much magic as possible. Yea, this would be true if everything a newbie buys is actually learned, mastered, and used.

But let's admit it, that doesn't happen often, and the problem remains. Some online shops would feature some expensive item as the next "must-get", dump in some video of a bunch of people reacting crazily to the product, and some newbie somewhere who doesn't know better (through no fault of their own) get sucked in by the marketing, purchases the item, gets burned, and is turned off.

The plus side may be that this newbie then becomes aware of the pitfalls of falling (no pun intended) for marketing and advertising and becomes more careful with his next purchase. But even so, that's money gone down the drain when it could be spent on something better; something that can actually help and teach the newbie about the craft of magic.

I know and have succumbed to the temptation of wanting to get every single new DVD and trick out there, and more than once I have been burned bad. I think most of us learn the lesson the hard way too, and it's only after wasting a couple of thousand dollars on things we can't and probably never will use do we know that what's most important is to learn the damn basics.

Yet this still goes on! Look around at how many new people who are in magic just seem to want the next Criss Angel DVD or want only to buy the such-and-such levitation, or the such-and-such "Card through 15 inches of Steel and Concrete" trick. Then look at how guys like Shade literally kill laypeople and magicians alike with nothing but his hands, his cards, and years of patient practice. His sleights and his structuring aren't in any of the Daniel Garcia (apologies to Garcia fans) DVDs. They're in books that have been in print for decades: books that most newbies don't know about and usually avoid even when they do.

For instance, I think the reviews sub-forum has so much more potential to be a guide for people who are new into magic. Rather than just be a place for people to ask about something they are interested in, it can be a place to gather a list of things that are appropriate for newbies, a place that guides through the reviews what is good and what is not.

I've rambled quite a bit and I'm not entirely certain what the point of this post may be. But perhaps if everyone who has experience in magic can make a post about their thoughts on this subject, whether they agree or object, maybe some newbie some day will come across this thread again, and hold off spending hard-earned money on things he doesn't really need, and instead focus on the things that will help him in the long run.

---Maddy

P.S. I know I'm generalising a lot here and not all newbies are as clueless or as implusive as I've painted them to be. I'm not hoping to achieve anything monumental with this, just expressing my thoughts. The bad guy in me wants new people to spend half their life savings buying big-sized illusions they'll never use just because they're "cool", and because that's what happened to me and I want them to have a taste of it as well. Yet the good guy in me wants to do something to prevent magic from steadily becoming just a bunch of tricks and DVDs, expensive gimmicks that "do" the magic for you (the real purpose of which is for you to concentrate on the presentation, but that rarely happens).

I think it's fair to compare good magic to good writing. There are books out there that are literally written according to a template given by the publisher (those Mills and Boon romances for example). They may sell well, make a lot of money, even become popular. But the ones that we revere, the ones that we remember, treasure, hail as great writing, and pass down from generation to generation are born of passion, honesty, dedication, meticulous hard work, and originality. These are the stuff that we say "touch" us, "educate" us", and make us "think".

Shouldn't our magic be this way too?

Wow, that was a long one from Maddened... He's so capable of writing all this. If there ever was a MBA for magic and needed a thesis, I think he would come up with one.

Anyway, I think people learn through experience. Once they bought enough "useless" stuff, they would start to re-examine their buying habits or magic philosophies.

Just last month, I was clearing my stuff when I realized I have so many unutilized Dvds and gimmicks. I came up with my "Top 10 Trick List" and made a commitment that I would not buy another new dvd or tricks until I mastered (really master both the techniques and presentation) those top 10 effects. I would rather be an expert of 10 tricks than a Jack of 100.

Another thing we can help is to invite more people to our forum and "educate" them by reading Maddened's threads. Hehe...

Haha... Thanks...

But you raised a good point that I forgot to mention, so I shall make this one extra big (and ugly):

NEVER BUY STUFF JUST FOR THE SECRET!

I think what you're doing is great man. Taking 10 best effects of yours and mastering them before moving on.

Most of us, I suppose, forget sometimes that the majority of magic being sold is ultimately aimed at the performing magician, not exactly the hobbist who occasionally bug the gf/bf/wife/husband/brother/sister/bum-around-the-corner with his "latest" trick.

Some rules on buying magic. I took these from a thread in Magic Cafe. For the full thread (which include lots of other great advice, click here.

And now:

***********
Rule 1: Ask yourself honestly wheather the trick, not matter how spectacular it sounds, is really for you. The best way to describe this is picking a video from a video store. As you go about your selection and scan the titles to see what you like, there is an element of judging a book by its cover, but you can still get a good indication what things are about. In the video scenario you’re a action man, so the pink cover with the goofy girl and guy on the front will not be to your liking. Get the drift?

Rule 2: To the best of your knowledge and ingenuity, try to work out how the trick works. The chances are you’ll be right, or at least very close. If so, do you really want or even need to buy this trick? This is asked because many things on the market can be made yourself and also helps in some questions you might have in rule four.

Rule 3: Make sure the price is not to low. This may sound odd since everybody now days is looking for a bargain, but there is no such thing as a free lunch. That is not to say there is no good quality magic out there that’s at a reasonable price, but as you go down in price and starts to become a more of a hit and miss affair in terms of working the good from the bad.

Quality is an easy thing to gauge since you can see the workmanship or the quality of production and see if it looks like it will hold up to repeat performances. Some packing of the effects sold in shops do completely enclose the props that accompany the effect, there for making viewing of them difficult. In this case its simply asking the shop attendant if he would oblige to take them out for inspection. Most shops keep one effect aside for demos, so this should not become a great problem.

Rule 4: If ordering by phone (or internet), ask the dealer any questions you may have about the trick and don’t be afraid to sound ignorant. After all, it is your money. Ask him frankly about the quality of the product. Make sure you’re clear about the construction materials and size. Forget about the ad, make sure you learn about the conditions under which the trick can be performed. Surrounded? Half-surrounded? For just one person?

***********

Maddened's addition: Use the Reviews sub-forum wisely by asking for a review of something you like to get (unless there is one already). Think about and ask relevant questions, and not things like, "Hey guys! What do you think of XXXX?? Good or not??" because the correct answer to such a vague question like that is, "Depends."

But of course, don't ask for the secret behind it... ;)

I am a newbie and i still succumb to what Maddened calls C.U.P.S.. Many stuff that i bought on impulse are still lying on my shelf in my 'magic' boxes collecting dust. Though they were not the really expensive ones, they do build up to quite an amount.

But i think its a phase that most if not all newbies go through. Its only after that, then one learns ones' lesson. I've started curbing my 'anyhow' spend habits and going back to real basics like Royal Road to Card Magic.

I think its the new generation like us who start learning magic via one trick then another and another. Instead of basics. And this is perhaps part of the reason for this CUPS.

A.

Yea Adeline, but the thing is this phase is totally avoidable! With proper instruction, advice, and guidance I believe that a newbie can save herself the money, become proficient, then spend the money on stuff she'll actually use.

I think another contributing factor may be that the newbie wants to be "on par" with the experts as quickly as possible, so that when everyone is going, "Oh yea, that was the Olram subtlety with the Erdnase twist and the Ortiz addition to that Tamariz effect inspired by Vernon." the newbie can feel "proud" to be able to understand what's going on.

And yep, I still succumb to CUPS now and then, so it's not like I'm a saint or anything. Heh... Still have to avoid looking at Murphy's catalogue. I think I may need to cut my debit card in half. Bah.

No doubt, I still suffer from C.U.P.S. Nothing to be really ashamed of. Although the damage isn't comparable to the more severe cases, I do take a conscious effort to make sure my money is well-spent. Or rather, my money is not wasted like water.

I know the gist of marketing and yet I fall for it all the time. <_<

(Slaps himself for some of the unused tricks in the arsenal that will never be used in a LOONG time.)

Yes, I believe everyone did fall into such a situation when we all started out in magic.

But besides tricks which I buy TO perform, I do not mind purchasing books, DVDs, and select effects to learn more about magic. Afterall, I am doing magic not for the money but because I love it.

True, you would hardly need these knowledge if you are a professional magician (just for the money), and it will be a drain of your profits from the trade, but if you look at magic as your hobby, then these simply become the cost of doing what you like.

But the safest way to avoid that "bad purchase" feeling is to opt for books, perhaps DVDs, or tricks which are reviewed to be good (mainly the idea behind it).

Sounds like me and my PK ring :D