If a magic dealer wanted to post offer reviews/ratings for the items that they sell, what would you say is the best type of review you would look for.

For example:

1. A review written by the dealer staff based on their experience with the effect.

2. An automatic voting system where visitors to the website click on some form of rating system (x out of 5 stars for example).

3. A written review by visitors to the website listed under the item.

4. A difficulty and/or rating from the dealer staff.

All of the above? Some of the above? Any other ideas on how dealers could better 'review' effects, books, DVD's to give their customers a better idea of what they ordering?

I think all of the above. Having a review from the staff is good, but unbiased reviews from customers or visitors who own the items are also good. I would also suggest posting demo videos of products when it is possible, as sometimes just by reading about the effects do not give the whole picture,but I understand that it is not possible to have demo videos for all products.

My only concern with reviews from customers or visitors is the value they bring to the person trying to make a decision on whether to buy an item or not.

There are a lot of effects out there that are good, but they would only appeal to a certain niche of magicians, and sometimes people who order magic (usually beginners) order something that they don't understand so they give it a bad review, or something as simple as "Sucks, don't buy!" which doesn't do anybody any good because it doesn't explain why they think it sucks.

Also, here on the Café, I have found numerous posts of people who say that NFW is the worst trick they ever bought and others saying NFW is one of the top 10 tricks they ever bought. Each person having their own personal reasons for their opinion.

Hmmmm, maybe allowing people to post reviews would be good as long as the reviews include a reasonable explanation of why they like/dislike an effect, how long they played with it, whether they tested it on an audience etc.

All of the above. Plus when rating the difficulty level of a book or DVD each effect in it should be rated for difficulty, not just an overall rating of it.

IMHO this can help someone decide if there are enough easy/inter./hard effects that are at the magicians skill level.

Reviews should be written by the dealer staff based on their experience with the effect.

I agree that reviews from customers should be posted or available. That way we can communicate with one another. Though many shop owners are good guys there are some you cannot trust.

I think they need to post more than one or two reviews. Staff reviews are a good idea (if they are honest), and of course your peer's reviews would be the best (both negative and positive).

I think that Amazon.com has found that the posting of a review by the manufacturer is good (be it for a book, a tool, of something else), but it is put better into perspective when one can read multiple reviews (good and bad) by people who actually have used the item. That way, the end consumer can take many different perspectives into account when making up one's mind. I have found this to be extremely helpful in the 'non-magic' world of purchases, and would love to find such a comprehensive 'review' system for effects as well, especially at the 'point of sale'.

Any review by people whose job it is to move the product is immediately suspect, and in my book void. The conflict of interest seems pretty obvious to me.

First thing you need to know about a reviewer is his track record with your tastes and needs. If you don't know that, you are reading little more than gossip.

The Internet has made instant reviewers of experience-less hobbyists, people who had no real voice in the print market. Since there is an every growing market of inexperienced hobbyists (thanks in great part to this Internet) perhaps this is not a bad thing. But there really should be some key system to alert the reader to the experience and preference of the reviewer.

Until that is resolved a lot of mistakes will be made in the process of learning which reviewers are in line with you.

Cheers,

Tom

You hit the nail on the head, Tom.

I think that the web dealers that have a rating system or text review block for comments for each product should be commended. This allows a customer to get some relatively unbiased feedback from other customers about the product. There may still be some "coloring" of the opinions due to the background and perspective of the reviewer, but that is what voting is all about. If a customer can read the reasoning behind someone's pro or con review in a text box, it is then relatively easy to know whether or not the evaluation is relevent to one's own needs.

Have we beat this subject to death yet?

Personnally, I don't like reviews that are directly on the merchant's site. I prefer to get honnest feedback from magicians who have actually used the item. That feedback can be obtained from the local magic club, reviews in magasines such as MUM, Magic, or other E-based magazines or bulletin boards. Knowing who the review commes from is also important. Not all magicians would use my props the same way I use them, or have the same style, therefore they may not like what I like...

All of the above as well - as a consumer, I want the dealer review because he is the supposed expert. However, he is also trying to make a sale, so I want customer reviews as well.

I think a dealers review is a good starting point but some kind of Q. and A. to follow is essential [as often happens here ] . I rarely want to perform an effect just as described in the sales blurb , but want to know how I can use it in a variety of ways . If that can be done without giving away anything then Im buying!!