I agree with Danny 100%.

I agree. It becomes obvious after a while. One day so and so has the greatest so so. The end all be all. The one I'm going to put into my act immediately. Nothing compares. Next week a new so and so has a newer better end all be all that goes directly into my act. A lot of these guys must have big acts.

So, after a while we must learn the tricks of the insider's marketing trade and play along accordingly.

One cliche that I enjoy from creators is "....FINALLY after performing this and fine tuning it for TEN YEARS so and so is releasing this routine. Yes ladies and gents its been held close to his vest but now it can be yours. Preorders only for the next 6 weeks. "

It's funny because the creator often is only 15 years old!

It's not that there is too much magic, it's more about there being too much untested junk being sold and endorsed by those who have an advid interrest in scratching each other's back. Some of the stuff is created on Monday and marketed by the following Friday. Endorsed by someone who then creates something on Tuesday and marketed on saturday with an endorsement by the creator he previously endorsed.

Hey, that's weird! How did my post get posted again without me doing it?

Do you use a tablet iPad etc phone?

Not to mention all the magic that only works on Youtube or video, that couldn't work in the real world.

Interesting thread - and one that makes me wonder why this part of the Café is called "Latest and Greatest" rather than "New Stuff". There's plenty of "latest" products in here, but they very rarely turn out to be the "greatest"...

I like new stuff as much as anyone.

A few years ago, I pretty much had something on order every week, I bought a LOT of stuff.
I accumulated more stuff than I can ever use in a lifetime.

I am now going back and digging though my piles of material,
and relearning some of the things that I have forgotten how to do.

There is no way I can become proficient at everything I have now.
I do see a few more magic books in my future however.

The best place to go for old "new" stuff, is Abbott's annual flea market and auction, held every spring.

I can't begin to list the good junk I've bought there. 

I used to buy just about everything that came out. Money didn't matter. Eventually I started to realize that most of those who were creating magic had no clue about business, marketing, and consumer rights. They were selling magic like those guys in the past who sold snake oil. They are still around, using false advertising, crooked endorsements, fake reviews, and the ones who do it the most are some of the people you hear most from.

Some of them are not even paying their taxes. It's true. It's a crooked business, but once in a while something good comes a long.

Yup. Every once in a while.

I've always felt one of the most important traits in a successful magician is discipline. Discipline in practice and discipline to focus on what's most important in your development. It's hard to be successful if you're trying to learn new effects every day. As others have said it's far better to learn a few thing a well and stick with them than learn the new flavor of the week. I seldom add new effects to my repetoir but am constantly looking for improvements. The question I always ask when considering purchasing or learning a new effect is: is this an effect I will actually use? Is it practical and does it fit the venues I mostly perform in. It's often difficult to muster the discipline but it pays off royally in your performances and your pocketbook.
Steve

I don't buy anything that I know I won't use, I have no "junk drawer" because I always research very well before buying anything. I don't buy magic very often I buy a few things or a few big orders a year. Most of it I have not had time to get through, but I like the fact that it is there waiting for me to learn. Plus I am not talking about all the "bad material" out there but the great material and material overall which is all that I buy. I never buy the "latest and greatest" each week or each month, or even each year.

I tend to buy time tested material and classic books and DVD sets and I also am a collector. But every once in awhile I see a great effect on the WPR that I love and know I could use so then I get it after researching it if anything is out about it at all. Very rarely am I not pleased with anything that I buy, and if so well then I sell it. Sometimes you can also take a bad trick and make it a lot better or workable in a routine, as I have done for many years. Some effects have a lot of potential but are just not that good out of the box, or have not been refined as much as the creator claimed. One man's trash is another man's treasure. I also think that line they use "held back for 10 years" is total BS. But regardless I will make the decision based on my own experience whether or not I can use the effect once I get it.

Very admirable qualities to possess.

Sometimes I buy something out of curosity, if I see a bad review I'll get something that has a so-and-so review to see if I can make the needed changes to it. Otherwise I purchase something that fits into the context I do my magic. I really don't regret buying a thing because now I have quite a large knowledge base about what kinds of methods will and won't work in certain situations which helps me figure out what to purchase to add to my act.