I was hired to do a Bar Mitzvah and the client asked that I hand out 60 magic tricks for the kids to take home. She requested that the quality not be junk, but it need not be professional quality. Anyone know where I can buy assorted tricks in bulk?? Thanks!!

Hi Marc:

What type of budget are you working with?

Ron

You could try this, http://www.birthdayexpress.com/bexpress/......E9AXDDKB

-SAM-

Make an order from a wholesale company. I do this sometimes and get my stuff from DR robbins. A minimum order of $200 must be placed (so you could get you some discounted props as well). BUt you can order things like Ball and Vase, or Cups and Balls, etc by the bulk for not too much at all.

When I conduct a magic workshop, I instruct the kids on how to perform about half a dozen tricks, and I give them the supplies to bring home. In designing the workshops, however, I had a dilemma. What types of tricks should I teach? I didn't want to get into mass exposure of commercial effects, and I also didn't want to eat up my profit margins with expensive supplies.

So, I decided to teach only those tricks that were commonly available in beginners-type magic books, located in the public library. I also focused on tricks whose props could be purchased or made from supplies out of the local dollar store.

To people who don't have any previous experience with magic, these types of tricks are far from being "junk". They empower the kids to create their own magic and, even if the props should rip or break, they can be easily replaced.

The real difficulty for you is the massive number of tricks you are being asked to supply. That's going to kill your profit margin. Why not go back to the client and convince him that 6 or 7 really good effects that the kids can actually performe are much better than 60 effects that they'll simply throw in the back of their closet? Just a thought.

Kent

Oriental Trading Company. Check out their website (do a google search.) I'd suggest the coin slides (plastic coin drawer), as they can do a lot of magic -- the coin can vanish, the coin can appear, the coin can change into another coin. With two of them, the coin can transfer from one to the other. Great item, easy to work and understand, and the kids love them. Also, OTC has no minimum order.

Marc, make sure that the customer is paying you extra for the magic tricks you will be handing out. If you can get the tricks for 50 cents each, then sell them for at least $2 each (Four times mark up is pretty standard).

There are lots of places to buy the resources (Smilemakers, Oriental Trading, Robbins, Loftus, etc... even your local dollar store, if you have a relationship with the owner, he can bring some in for you!)

There is also one killer resource / link only available through The Dean's List Forum advanced membership, where you can get a kit of 12 tricks for as low as about $2.50 each, from a certain online supplier. I've not seen that link anywhere else. And one of the members there compiled an instructional booklet for those 12 tricks, and shared the master copy for free with any member there who wants a copy.

Kent, if you are teaching a magic class, you can easily sell a magic kit for a full $10 (I know some who sell theirs for $20), which you assembled for about $2.50-$3.00. Have the investment in the kit be a required part of registering for the magic class. Then, no problems with profit margin. (Possible contents -- several tricks, a wand, and an instructional booklet)

Also, Kent, I don't think that Marc was talking about EACH child taking home 60 different tricks. If you re-read his post, he was talking about giving out one trick each to 60 different children. The way you worded your post, it made it sound like you understood otherwise.

- Donald

P.S. Marc, this KidAbra forum thread might also be of interest to you: KidAbra forum thread titled... Small magic sets.

There are also lots of threads already about this subject here on the Café. Some in the Little Darlings area, and some in the Tricky Business area. The search function should help you locate them.

Thanks Donald, I did misread the original post.

Kent

At a Barmitzva the "kids" arn't kids anymore. Give them packet tricks, some of the ones magicians like, such as color monte or twisted sisters. Of course this can get expensive.

Swiss Kid...they may not be considered kids anymore (even though they are 13 if I remember corectly)

They are not magicians. Not many would probably put forth enough effort to practice the effects you mentioned unless they too had a passion in magic and not everyone does. Purchasing enough of those effects would defeat the purpose of the show because of the expense unless the client covered the cost of the tricks...

I think it is better to give out cheaper simple, beginner magic for that many young people myself...or you could just type up a list of instructions on how to do several simple card and coin tricks and give them out.

Ken Scott does that but he does it with a page that can be rolled up to look like a magic wand. Great Idea Ken!

Do not even think about twisted sisters or colour monte. quite possibly 2 of the most used packet tricks for working magi.

Hi Guys & Gals,

When I teach magic classes for kids, I give the kids copies of simple magic tricks on a sheet (double sided) of paper I have made up with about 10 tricks they can do with house-hold items.

For example, showing 11 pencils and telling them you can make nine for the 11 pencils. You take the pencils and write nine. It always gets a good laugh. Note, when you make the magic tricks up on your sheets also show the drawings. If you can't do that yourself, you can purchase a clip art program made up by Ed Harris who has it already made up for you to print out.

Good Luck

You could make your own sets of pro nightmare. I take that back, that might giveaway too big of a secret. I know a magician who gives away Two Card Monte sets.

I know that even in kids magic sets there is secrets of magic that fill the box. but please not twisted sisters or other packet tricks like that

I have found a good supplier of small magic tricks from Di Fatta in Italy. They are very reasonably priced and are of good quality. They also do professional supplies too which can be useful. I have had a batch of silks from them and they are of high quality. Some of them are Chu's Magic tricks. Which may be another place to look as they are based in Hong Kong.
the websites are:
http://www.difatta.net

http://www.chusmagic.com/