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The Magic Cafe Forum Index :: Step right up! :: Svengali Pitch — Can it be done in 2023? (0 Likes) Printer Friendly Version

Good to here.
juggernaut187
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Back in college, I used to pitch Svengali decks at flea markets and street fairs for extra cash. I used to be able to get decks for .60-.88 cents wholesale, and vendor fees were pretty cheap. This was back in 2010-2012 era. I thought about getting back into it, but I don’t see how it could be profitable in today’s environment.

1. Vendor fees are outrageous and ever place I looked at now requires 1-2 millions dollars in insurance!
2. Wholesale prices on the decks are to the point where I’d have to charge $15-$20 per deck to just break even after vendor application, insurance, booth fees, travel and gas costs.
3. With social media these days, are most people just gonna watch the pitch then Google how to do it then buy the deck online?

I’m just curious if anyone out there is still successfully pitching decks in 2023 and if they could maybe share their experiences and advice—or are the days of the Svengali Pitchman truly a thing of the past?
Daniel Ulzen
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I cannot speak from my own sales experience. A few years ago I bought a nice Svengali deck for about 0,60 Euro/deck, now it costs 1,15 Euro/deck. On the other hand, in the thread "Good UK source for Svengalis?" you posted an Ebay offer for maybe about 0,70 Euro/deck, that sounds very good. Maybe you should sell 3 decks for 10 euro.
juggernaut187
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Thanks. I’m in the states. Although, ironically, it would be cheaper for me to buy from that eBay seller and ship them to me than to buy them wholesale here in the states.