Why We Can't Publish Every Review

Some people have asked why we don’t have a lot of 1-star reviews on the website.

Something just crossed my desk - and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to show you why.

A customer just left us this review on ‘Any Thought of Card to Pocket’…

 

⭐ "Misleading Title and Dishonest Pitch
This is so overpriced, $35 for <one gimmick> card. Your concept is not new and you use the word "any" when in fact it is not any card. And you flat-out lie on the questions about can the 9 cards be turned over to show that the card truly has vanished."

 

So why isn’t his review on the product page?

Well, because it’s totally inaccurate.

Ellusionist curates reviews and will post them if they are:

• From Verified Buyers 
• Who don't expose the method 
• & are above all else... accurate. 

Good or bad, as long as it’s all of those things. We have a responsibility to post it.

But the reason you don’t see a lot of bad reviews is because some customers just aren’t correct. Often someone who’s leaving a bad review is misinformed - and it’s our job to educate.

I took the time to email him back and said…

“Hey <name redacted for privacy>.

This is Geraint, the co-creator of Any Thought of Card to Pocket.

I appreciate your purchase and that you left a review. But I wanted to email you personally.

I just wanted to correct some inaccuracies in your statement and maybe educate you on the difference between method and effect when selling magic.

Firstly, it's not just $35 for <one gimmicked card>. We give 2 hours of teaching and multiple variations, plus 8 gimmicked cards in total. $35 is nothing if you use that trick 1 time at a gig, it's paid for itself. If you're a magician - it's a tax deductible expense that you'll know for life. If you're a hobbyist, it's a trick you can perform forever. Do it 10x, it's $3.50 a performance. Do it 100x and it's $0.35 per performance.

Do you really value the work that's gone into this at less than that? Do you really value the secrets and effect at less than $35? A dominos pizza delivery for 2 is around that. One meal. We're talking about people's blood, sweat and tears here. Expert production value.

The shoots for these things costs thousands to film and edit. $35 is a steal. And I'm happy for you to disagree. But I think magic is being devalued overall. As evidenced by your comment. $35 for a miracle is a small price to pay mate. Think about it.

Also, regarding your claim of 'lies' - we did not lie. Those cards can be turned over and spread to show that it's gone from the cards they were holding. Read all the questions & our answers again. We've been very careful to explain that the card can be shown to have disappeared - but the cards can't be examined.

The last thing I want to mention is this. Magicians, if they're ever upset about a purchase or unhappy with magic companies because of things like 'ANY' thought of card to pocket.

Their response is "Well it isn't technically ANY"

But yes, it isn't real magic either. There is a method.

That's the misinterpretation of buying an EFFECT vs buying a method. The effect to the spectator is 'ANY' - and they truly can have any of those 10 cards if they want / if you're willing to set-up all outs.

But I don't do it that way. My preference is to restrict.

Assuming the title of 'ANY' is a lie, is to assume the title is referencing the method only. The EFFECT for your audience is what magic companies sell - and we have absolutely been transparent about what that effect is / what limitations the method creates in that effect.

If we were referencing ANY - and the method was truly any. Then it would just be thought of card to pocket - and you wouldn't need to count 10. Right?

Of course you can see I'm passionate about this. Nobody likes being called a liar - especially when they've worked so hard on creating something valuable for people.

But I don't want you to think I'm angry with you. I'm not angry with you.

The opposite. I appreciate the fact that you bought it, it really means a lot that you spent your hard-earned money on this.

But I often think a personal touch/adding context that you may not be aware of/offering a different perspective can help to alleviate some of your initial concerns.

Let me know what you think and I'll have my team forward your response directly to me.

I'm very busy - but it upsets me to think you don't see value in your purchase - and if I have to clear my schedule to help you see the value in it, it's worth it for the both of us.

Thank you <name redacted for privacy>. I mean that.

- Geraint “

I wanted to share this as an example as to why some negative reviews aren’t published on Ellusionist.com

Posting inaccuracies often negatively affects artists and takes money from their pockets.

As it dissuades future buyers with information that is false.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but that opinion should be accurate & well-informed. Not just within magic.

If you have any other questions about how the magic industry works, comment them below. I’ll be more than happy to answer them.