How to Evaluate Magic Tricks on MagicTricks.com Before Buying

Updated

MagicTricks.com lets you judge a trick before spending money by watching its online video demo, then checking the trick's stated age range, difficulty, and intended performance setting. The shop describes itself as offering 1000+ easy tricks for kids and adults, with demos for talent shows, dance, and plays, and as a top-rated magic shop since 1971. That combination — a demo plus suitability details — is what you should use to decide, rather than the trick's name or photo alone.

Start with the video demo

The demo is the single most useful evaluation tool on the site, because a magic trick's value depends on how it looks to an audience, not on how it looks in a product photo.

When you watch, check three things:

  • The effect itself. Can you tell what the audience is supposed to see? If the demo is confusing to you as a viewer, it will likely be confusing to your audience too.
  • The method's visibility. Demos usually show the performance, not the secret. Ask whether the trick depends on angles, lighting, or close-up distance — if the demo only works because the camera is in one fixed spot, your real performance conditions matter more.
  • Whether it fits your skill level. A trick that looks effortless in a demo may require sleight of hand you don't have yet.

Match the trick to the performer and the audience

The shop's own description separates tricks for kids from tricks for adults, and lists performance contexts such as talent shows, dance, and plays. Use those labels as filters:

What to check Why it matters
Stated age range Determines whether the trick is appropriate for the performer, not just the audience
Difficulty level A "self-working" trick and a sleight-based trick demand very different practice time
Intended setting Stage, close-up, and walk-around tricks fail in each other's conditions
Audience type A trick that amazes adults may bore young children, and vice versa

If you are buying for a child, prioritize tricks labeled for kids and check that the child can reset the trick alone between performances. If you are buying for a talent show or stage context, favor tricks designed for that setting rather than close-up tricks you would have to adapt.

Weigh the shop's track record as a signal

The site states it has been a top-rated magic shop since 1971 and offers demos for over 1000 tricks. Longevity and a large demo library are useful signals that the shop is established and that you can preview most purchases — but they are not evidence about any individual trick's quality. Treat them as reasons to trust the browsing experience, and still evaluate each trick on its own demo and description.

A practical pre-purchase checklist

Before you buy any trick on the site, confirm:

  1. You have watched the full demo and can describe the effect in one sentence.
  2. The stated age range and difficulty match the person who will perform it.
  3. The intended setting (stage, close-up, or casual) matches where you will actually perform.
  4. You know what the trick requires in terms of setup, reset time, and any props you must supply.
  5. You have compared at least one alternative trick in the same category, so you are choosing rather than settling.

Common pitfalls

  • Buying from the photo. A striking product image says nothing about the effect's clarity or the method's difficulty.
  • Ignoring the reset. Tricks that take minutes to reset are poor choices for walk-around or repeated performances.
  • Assuming "easy" means "no practice." Easy tricks still need rehearsal to look natural.
  • Skipping the setting check. A trick built for a stage will not read in a living room, and a close-up trick will vanish on a stage.

If a trick's demo, age range, difficulty, and setting all line up with your situation, it is a reasonable buy. If any one of them doesn't fit, keep browsing — the site's large demo library means you usually have an alternative to compare against.