Best Kept Secrets

PB Magic Wands Alternative Finish!

Aaron Smith — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 02:45:07 +0000

The Bronze Perfect Balance Magic Wands are still out of stock; however, you may now choose an alternative finish on the Brass and Stainless Steel Perfect Balance Magic Wands!

The default polish is high-gloss, buffed continuously for a mirror-like shine. If you prefer, when ordering your Perfect Balance Magic Wand Brass or Stainless Steel, mention “Matte Finish” in the order comments box during the checkout process, and we’ll finish your wand with spun matte finish!

This information isn’t mentioned on the product page, as it’s exclusive to Best Kept Secrets readers! Click the link to learn more about or to purchase a Perfect Balance Magic Wand!

The Best Kept Secrets FREE Print Supplement!

Aaron Smith — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:56:53 +0000

The Best Kept Secrets print supplement is back and now shipping FREE with all orders!

Print supplements range in size from one to six pages, covering a lot of material you can’t find anywhere else PLUS exclusive special offers and new product announcements!

The January issue begins with an article on prolonging the life of your playing cards, including a way to preserve those expensive [and sometimes hard to find] gimmicked decks we all have lying around.

In another article, we discuss true one-handed double lifts and turnovers. Included is a link to a video showing an example of a true one-handed double turnover performed by yours truly! The article ends with an added convincer by Brother Hamman.

Taught in the tricks section is an old gem that takes less than a minute to learn, meaning you can also teach it to others in about that same time. It’s a great giveaway trick for your restaurant gig, whether you’re eating or performing there!

After you’ve read the January issue, come back to the blog and post your comments and questions!

The Magic Depot 2009-2010 Gift Guide!

Aaron Smith — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:46:49 +0000

Magic Sets for Young Beginners!
The magic sets below feature items selected by magicians and approved by parents. You’ll provide hours of fun and a lifetime of magic!

Attention Magicians! Performing is only one way to share the gift of magic. The sets above include items packaged individually to maximize your gift/merchandise budget!

Magic Sets for Seasoned Pros!
The magic sets discussed above are actually a good buy for kids and new magicians, but if you’re looking for something a little more professional, check out the Extreme Magic Set!

Pros Only Extreme Magic Collection!

Individual Tricks for Young Beginners!
Great stocking stuffers! These items pack flat and play big. This is also a great list of items if your child already has a magic set.

Magic Tricks for Ages 12-18!
These items are still very basic and easy to do, but are a bit more grown up for older kids!

Buy a Gift for Yourself with Holiday Cash!
Reward yourself with some awesome new magic!

TIP! Maximize your holiday budget with Our Gifts to You!

The Most Popular Gifts this Year!
The most popular items sent as gifts by our customers!

Popular Items for Women!
The right gift for everyone on your list!

Buy a Gift for a Full-Time Magician!
Get the perfect gift for your pro at The Magic Depot! Below is a list of items that professional magicians buy from us throughout the year.

Gift Certificates PLUS Bonus Coupon!
Our gift certificates are available in a number of convenient denominations. This year, a purchase of a gift certificate includes a money saving coupon for the recipient. More bang for your buck at The Magic Depot! Read more about our Gift Certificates…

Blood Curdling STAT Bleeding Needles First-Aid!

Aaron Smith — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 05:29:04 +0000

Imagine blood curdling magic, on the go, anywhere, anytime STAT! It’s the portable, pocket-size Needle Thru Arm!

Select a member of the audience, put two gauze squares over their eyes, and wrap their head with a bandage, blindfold style…

Remove a five-inch needle from a sterilization packet, and to show how sharp it is, stick it through your own lip! Stab a second needle right through the skin below your eye! The audience sinks back in their chair, horrified. Amazed. Walk forward and let everyone see the shiny silver spikes impaling your face!

Take another needle from its wrapper and stick it through the spectator’s left forearm. Halfway through, blood pours out! The blindfolded spectator has no clue what’s happening to them. You do the same thing to their right arm. Blood dripping from the wound down to their fingertips. The audience is in total shock!

Pull the needles from your face and the spectator’s arms. Wipe the wounds clean and remove the blindfold. They inspect their skin where just a moment ago spikes lay prone. They see nothing. No evidence of the trauma. Send them back to their seat unaware of the events. The rest of the audience sit jaws dropped and eyes peeled.

It’s not just Needle Thru Arm. It’s the portable, pocket-size STAT Bleeding Needles First-Aid Kit!

• Stage, street, or in a living room!
• Packs flat and knocks ‘em dead!
• Perform for one person, or a hundred!
• Total penetration all in one killer kit!
• Portable, pocket-size Needle Thru Arm!

The STAT Bleeding Needles First-Aid Kit makes it possible to perform “needle thru arm” routines on yourself or your spectator in any venue, stage or closeup. It’s perfect for Halloween, but great anytime of year! For some audiences, go over the top blood and gore, or use the included comedy bits to keep it fun for audiences of all ages and backgrounds!

Buy, Sell, Trade at The Magic Depot!

Aaron Smith — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:53:14 +0000

In a recent Depot Deals newsletter, I asked if anyone was interested in a swap meet here at the Best Kept Secrets blog… a place to get together with other Depot customers and sell our stuff.

The response was overwhelming! There were hundreds of my fellow magicians very excited about the idea of a blog swap meet. So here it is, the place to buy, sell, or trade used magic!

Simply add a comment to this post with the items you want to buy, have to sell, or would like to trade. List the price and some information about yourself… we want to get to know you in addition to reading your ad, so be sure to give us a good bio.

I suggest that you do not include your email address as is. We have spam spiders hitting this web site constantly. Instead, provide your phone number in the ad or list your email address with broken annotation, YOURADDRESS !!!!! yahoo.com with the !!!!! being the @ sign.

If we get a lot of people posting, I’ll create a separate section on the web site with more features. Should you have any questions, comments, or ideas, please don’t hesitate to contact me!

Click here to Buy, Sell, or Trade used magic!

Magician’s Real Job Solution Revealed!

Aaron Smith — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 01:30:21 +0000

Recently, I announced a “magic-related side project” that would allow magicians to make money while focusing on their magic. Something to pay the bills between gigs.

I promised this side project would seem far out in left field (crazy), completely ridiculous at first glance, and amazingly profitable.

Ladies and gentlemen, the magic-related side project is… homing pigeons. Specifically, the dove release business.

Carrier pigeons? Yes!

Are you nuts? No!

Why homing pigeons? Because they are symbolic and you can make money merely showing them to people!

Dove releases are popular at weddings, funerals, graduations, baptisms, proms, photo sessions, and sporting events. The handler simply arrives at the event with the amount of doves requested and releases them at a specific time in the ceremony.

The doves fly back to their coup up to 50 miles away on average. They’re gathered and the handler takes them to the next event. These birds do this naturally, so training is quite simple. Records have doves returning from up to 800 miles away!

Dove release handlers normally release between 1 and 25 birds. A single dove release goes for $100-200. Larger releases will land $250 to $500 or more in your pocket! You can easily fit 2-3 releases in your schedule each week.

Alternatively, some event coordinators don’t want the doves released, but just displayed in a decorative cage. Displays average $50 per dove plus expenses!

Magicians are in a good position to dominate the dove release business and propel to the top of the bookings thanks to some things I’ve been putting in motion over the last year.

Crazy? Booking these gigs are easier than booking magic gigs during the off season. Plus, performing this service won’t interfere with your studies and should provide enough extra cash to take care of business!

More info: White Release Doves (Homing Pigeons)

Your thoughts?

Summer 2009 Pick the Trick Winner!

Aaron Smith — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 02:52:55 +0000

The newest 25 items on the web site, all 10 bestsellers, and any item rated 5 stars was entered into a drawing. One of them is this year’s Pick the Trick official prize. Everyone that purchased the chosen item between June 15th and the 19th gets it FREE!

The Summer 2009 Pick the Trick official prize is CSI: The Case of the Half Died Hanky. That’s $74.95, FREE at The Magic Depot! Everyone that purchased it during the prize period has a store credit for the full purchase price. Thank you very much for playing Pick the Trick 2009!

NYOP Status Update!

Aaron Smith — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:13:13 +0000

If you participated in the Name Your Own Price experiment performed through the Depot Deals newsletter and haven’t received your results yet, please bear with me!

Over 300 folks helped me out with this by submitting their requests and I answer each one with custom results. I can do about 100 a week, so yours may be delayed until I get caught up.

After I’m finished with the first 300, I’ll be able to stay up to speed on new submissions. This is really a great opportunity for both magicians and magic shops. We should dedicate ourselves to learning as much from each other as possible!

Thank you to everyone that took part in the experiment, I really appreciate getting to work one on one with you!

Magician’s Solution to “Real Job” Problem!

Aaron Smith — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 15:47:53 +0000

It wasn’t that long ago magicians whispered in the ears of kings! It was because our magic was deep, symbolic, and based on the noble desires of hope and wonder.

That’s been lost. And I think I know why… “real jobs.” Magicians can’t totally dedicate themselves to the art with the constant burden of rent, car payment, new equipment, etc.

The answer, ladies and gentlemen, is MORE MONEY!

Last year, I got the idea that what magicians really need is a side “project.” Not a job, but a project. Like a workout program for the wallet!

A project that takes about 30 minutes a day throughout the week, and rewards you with an extra $100-$1000, depending on the size of your operation.

At first, it was just a thought, but then it started resting heavy on my mind.

Think about it… what if magicians could totally dedicate themselves to the art, quit their main job, and generate their income from a magic-related side “project?”

There would be an explosion of creative talent and a new surge of energy within the magic industry!

Then it hit me like a ton of bricks! The solution!

Now, before we continue, I know some people are already in a career with little interest in change. However, professional magicians can hone their craft by careful gig selection and amateurs can support themselves immersed in magic, thanks to this solution!

The answer to our problem is a $500 product, that once purchased creates an opportunity for you to offer a service that requires little more than a showing up!

You don’t have to perform a routine, put on a show, or do any magic at all… Simply, arrive, display the product to a group of people, collect a check from the host, and leave.

You’re not selling or giving away anything, yet you don’t take anything with you when you leave (except the package that held the product). The product re-supplies itself with little effort from you, and increases in value yearly.

Click here to read Part Two!

New PK Kit Set for Release!

Aaron Smith — Mon, 11 May 2009 15:04:11 +0000

There’s a new PK Kit coming soon, and I think it’s going to be big news! Some of the tricks are unheard of with regular ‘ole PK Rings.

I’ve only seen a few of the included tricks at this point, but they’re amazing! For instance, there’s a time stopping routine, where you don’t actually touch the watch or the spectator. In fact, with a small amount of setup, you can perform it over the phone!

My favorite routine, however, is the PK Coin in Bottle. The difference here is you borrow the coin and the bottle, but you’re standing about 10 feet away while the coin visually vanishes from your hand and appears in the bottle!

These are just tricks, of course. Your powers come from a clever combination of gimmicks. You’ll be arguing that with other magicians though, as they’ll have no idea how you’re controlling things with your mind with relative ease!

It looks like retail is going to be around $100. A bargain for any one of the included routines! This new kit literally adds reach to your current PK routines. Think mind over matter, FROM ACROSS THE ROOM!