When looking for a magic dealer

It used to be the yellow pages were key to finding a dealer.

Internet Arrived...

Google became key in finding a dealer. Brick and Mortars became sparser & sparser.

Different Experience. No face to face. No neighborhood reputation. No explanations or demonstrations.

Still...

Internet is fast, convenient & visual.

But...

Google doesn't sort dealers by reputation, customer service & feedback.

Anyway, just a thought.

What next?

Click here to view attached image.

Just the world we live in these day. We either ride the wave or sink.

I've always found it very hard to find magic props via laymens' search engines. For example, if you're looking for a Vanishing Bird Cage, you don't want to read about the history of it, see youtube videos of it, etc. You want to know what versions are available, and what dealers are carrying it and for what price! Laymens' search engines are very poor at providing that kind of insight into the magic products marketplace. A determined shopper could always make a list of dealers' sites and search them one by one, but that takes hours.

So... I created this huge search engine for Magic Supplies: http://www.LotaBowl.com

If you get a chance to check it out, let me know what you think about it. It updates itself with current prices and new products once per week, so it's very relevant info.

My best,
Jim

Your search engine is incomplete, and only lists a few dealers. No offense, but with limited info. you can not find the best price on a certain item.
If you want to compare prices quickly, type the product into the Google bar and click on "shopping". You will instantly find the best price.

Thanks for your comments, doormouse.

To say that Google is a wonderful search engine would be the understatement of all time. And the Lota Bowl project is not meant to replace it.

However, I've found that the major consumer search engines just do not "understand" magic or magic terms. So, when you search for certain magic props, the results you get from the major consumer search engines will be littered with irrelevant things that are not related to magic.

For example, I just searched these terms on Google and clicked on "shopping", and got all sorts of non-magic things mixed in with the results:

Topit
Chinese Sticks
Invisible Deck
Egg Bag

Compare those Google searches with what you see when searching those items on http://www.LotaBowl.com. My goal in this project is to have a pure search engine for magic supplies, and I sincerely hope it will benefit our community.

I'm adding new dealers to the LotaBowl.com search engine every week, so be sure to check back periodically to see how the search is broadening.

If you have any specific dealers you would like to see in the Lota Bowl project, please PM me as it will help me prioritize.

Thanks again.

-Jim

Jimvines,
Spring flowers is probably the best example you could have people search.
I love it already.
But may I make a functionally suggestion?
Add an items per page option.
At every opportunity I get, I'm clicking display 100 items per page or all if it is included.
If I can save clicks I'm happy to sacrifice load time.

BTW: Bookmarked and at the top of the list.

Hi, Vater.

Thanks for your message! Sorry I'm just now seeing your message.

Your idea for an "items per page" option is great! I'm putting that in the production queue, and it should be live on the site within a couple weeks. Thanks so much for the idea, and if you can think of anything else that would improve your Lota Bowl experience, by all means let me know.

My best,
Jim