Caution RIP OFFS of Porper's items

[Pete Biro]

After examining "several" Chinese Rip-Offs it is noted that the counterfeit instruction sheets are on paper that is about a quarter-of-an-inch SMALLER then the legit U.S. ones... It's difficult to see any difference in the printing, but I finally noticed the size discrepancy.

Products copied that we have seen: Ghostly Linking Finger Rings, Just a Key, Just-IN-Case, Card Clip, Koran Prediction billet knife and Strong Box.

Arrrggggg.... no wonder sales have slowed on these.

[M.Lee]

This Pissess me off to no end !!!!! and sadly the Magic community ( ?)
are unable to do a dam thing about it .... WHY ???? NOT GUYS ???

Even my pal Walter Blaney is having his lovely ladder suspension knocked off by the chinese !!..
and Im having a hard time believing that nothing can be done to protect these items . Common guys ..Copperfield for one ..David, Buddy.. you have the means to do somthing about this... as does the SAM, and the IBM.. I believe there is power in Numbers .
This has to Stop !!

Yours Frusterated

Michael Lee
NYC

[Richard Kaufman]

Losander has been having the same problem with his floating table, and even MakMagic and D.Robbins are carrying the Chinese copies and supplying them to magic shops.

[M.Lee]

What happened to AMERICAN MADE...America ???????????


Michael Lee

[Richard Kaufman]

Don't write silly things like that.

It doesn't matter where the items are made as long as they are authentic, endorsed by the originater, and made to certain specifications. Losander's father makes most of his tables by hand in Germany.

[Jonathan Townsend]

One approach that folks in the manufacturing aspect of this industry might want to explore has served well in other contexts and is called "compartmentalization".

[Gordon Meyer]

What would you propose be done, Mr Lee? We can shake our fists at the wind all we want, but when the rich and powerful Computer, Entertainment, and Fashion industries can't stop international pirates, there's really nothing a small-time magic manufacturer can do. Other than hope karma really exists, I mean.

[M.Lee]

Mr. Meyer....please call me Michael

Yes !! I believe karma really exists, and that Every dog/thief has his/her day...
just seems to take L o n g e r than many have patience for .

Simply put magic organizations and or inventors/creators have to put there foot down !
and...
somhow ? be able to " Blacklist " (for lack of a better word.).. those using knockoff props Illusions , stage & or in close-up. ....

.Once guys out there are exposed to this Law and how hardcore those of us can be in enforcing it I believe many out there would take notice and hopefully help enforce it !
There IS power in numbers , but someone and or a recogniesd organization has to make the first move .

Being patient yet frusterated !
Michael Lee

[Jonathan Townsend]

Unfortunately M.Lee we're in a market where success is measured in quarterly returns and new product/branding gets churned out every year and old fashioned physical product branding has shifted almost entirely to a utilitarian perspective.

To offer some context, consider that the aviation industry is wary of items which don't have a clear provenance from designer through raw materials through manufacture. Magic, as a smaller market with fewer suppliers and even smaller venues for product placement and almost no urgent safety issues regarding its products is up against a tougher problem - what with folks needing their advertising dollars on one side and other folks demanding access to the latest tricks they hear about on the other side.

[mehtas]

The world should've seen this coming giving too much manifacturing to china becouse of cheap labour.

Talking of magic props, I think there will come a saturation point where all the knock off merchants in china will have 10,000s of magic items and won't know the place to unload.

[SquareCircle]

Talking of magic props, I think there will come a saturation point where all the knock off merchants in china will have 10,000s of magic items and won't know the place to unload.

eBay.

Searched for a PK effect called Ultracinese on eBay for a friend.
Struck out.
Found dozens of "Ultrachinese" ones but no real McCoys.

Welcome to the globalist New World Order ;)

[mehtas]

Even with ebay the saturation point will come.

[Jonathan Townsend]

What do you mean by saturation?
When the price (supply) drops to around the cost of production+postage to the customer (demand) ?
Surely every thoughtful gift giver and every clever child would want (demand) to play with the great inventions of magic rendered as affordable products offered by X (supply) - which IMHO makes the practical matter one of branding/marketing rather than of our tiny niche in the market for 'clever product' being able to support/sustain its current stucture when faced with the increased supply.
Supply side econiomics anyone?
IMHO the demand side of the equation (curiosity/mystery/allure of 'secret') seems in place.

[M.Lee]

Creativity = Good .. Theft = well just look at yourself in the mirror.

Karma just takes time



Michael Lee

[SquareCircle]

IMHO the demand side of the equation (curiosity/mystery/allure of 'secret') seems in place.

With knock offs, Chinese or otherwise, the supply curve is elastic.

The demand curve for all magic, limited by relatively small numbers of potential buyers in this niche market, tends to be inelastic and as such results in marginal incremental sales at disintegrated prices.

No good, with the possible erroneous perception of some misplaced "entry level social" good, is served by the glut of cheaply priced stolen intellectual property.

In re. Your comment on Keynesian recommendation of governmental policies that facilitate the multiple expansion of M1 and M2: One only need read a newspaper on any given day to see the now disastrous outcome of such manipulation of "The Invisible Hand."

[JJWagon]

The Chinese will never be able to "copy", manufacture cheaper and then flood the market with the type of magic made by David Williamson, Juan Tamariz, Darwin Ortiz and the like...

JJ

[Jonathan Townsend]

The Chinese will never be able to "copy", manufacture cheaper and then flood the market with the type of magic made by David Williamson, Juan Tamariz, Darwin Ortiz and the like...

JJ

Seeing as the Chinese invented paper, paper money and have a very long history of technology and innovation of their own it would seem odd to presume that of their billions of citizens there would be none to contribute to magic as have Ortiz, Tamariz and Williamson. Similarly of the growing number of industrious product producers that some might choose to leverage the lower cost of some raw materials and labor to offer copied items at lower prices simply by way of the law of large numbers in action.

[Gary Kosnitzky]

I think they teach the children in China to make Cigarette Up the Noses in arts and crafts class.
I used to get angry at the sellers. Then I realized that it is the buyers I should be angry with. Then I saw what dreck they were getting for their $8 and was pleased to see that justice was being served.

[erdnasephile]

IMHO, Mr. Kosnitzky hits the nail on the head.

The real issue rests with the unethical buyers.

No buyers = No profit = No more knock-offs

However, expecting magicians to act ethically in this respect is but tilting at windmills, I'm afraid. :(

[Jonathan Townsend]

e*, in a free market the idea is to get the best product for the lowest price with an eye on utility.
If magic product is sold as "secrets" (and perhaps the props offered are less than suitable for ones professional work, if any) - what then to say to those who would seek the data at the lowest possible price without regard for other factors?

BTW, how many here have read that Cervantes story?

[DrDanny]

BTW, how many here have read that Cervantes story?

I certainly have. And I've long suspected that Sancho was a broad-tosser.

[Jonathan Townsend]

Broad-tosser? I was thinking of enabler but if the guy was a conman who set up the delusions as part of his schemes... maybe the woman for hire was hired by him too?

Getting back around to offerings - have you heard about the Chinese version of the film from last year?

[Ray Banks]

BTW, how many here have read that Cervantes story?

I have and saw the musical a time or two

[Smurf]

Getting back around to offerings - have you heard about the Chinese version of the film from last year?

They sell them at a discount in comparison to the originals, but they don't bother actually creating or filming their imitation. They just film the Hollywood movie as it is shown in a theater, transfer it to a DVD and then disperse them. When my nephew had some of those copies I refused to watch them.

[Jonathan Townsend]

http://escapefromhollywood.com/ah-gans- ... d-posters/

here's the article and link for the trailer - in 3D no less.

[SquareCircle]

http://escapefromhollywood.com/ah-gans-3d-chinese-adaptation-of-don-quixote-gets-trailer-and-posters/

here's the article and link for the trailer - in 3D no less.

Theme song, "The Impossible Moo Goo Gai Pan."

[Jonathan Townsend]

They make a 3d film and interpretation of the classic story - a cultural accommodation. At some point the Marco Polo stories will start making sense. Give them some paper and they will write their own ...

Has anyone gotten a handle on what we really should be calling "the Chinese sticks" ? Whose item and what's the background?

[erdnasephile]

Talking of magic props, I think there will come a saturation point where all the knock off merchants in china will have 10,000s of magic items and won't know the place to unload.

eBay.

Searched for a PK effect called Ultracinese on eBay for a friend.
Struck out.
Found dozens of "Ultrachinese" ones but no real McCoys.

Welcome to the globalist New World Order ;)

You might tell your friend: Here's a real one from a reliable seller that just listed: http://cgi.ebay.com/ULTRACINESE-Netmagi ... 415b10fd9e