Disappointment in today's magic industry...

[Fin]

Originally Posted by Mark

Biggest problem is that nor Dan and Dave nor T11 are actual clothing designers. If Gucci would start making paper playing cards, those decks better be under $7 each or else they can't be taken serious. How in the right mind could magic/card companies think of putting such high prices for (non-magical) clothing?!

Have you been to a Gucci store recently? Of course they would be taken seriously, since anyone entering their shop is already expecting a certain kind of price tag on their items. In fact if Gucci honestly started making decks of cards it would make no sense at all to be selling them at a "standard" price. "When you buy Gucci cards you are not just buying glorified paper, you are buying decades of design experience and excellence... now applied to card manufacturing and design!".

I think we should be more realistic about T11 and D&D. They weren't started for us. They were started to make money, like ALL OTHER COMPANIES. We all know that its common practice among "designer" companies to produce stuff they supposedly do not specialise in, and charge a bomb for it. Dan and Dave's and Theory11's approach is no different to many other companies. So who decides if they are "designer" labels or not? THEY DO! They choose the "image" they want for their company and base their pricing approach on that. NOT solely on the actual quality of their products. If we don't like it we don't buy it and they go out of business, period.

For example: If you went to the right Ferrari factory or perhaps their HQ, you would probably find a "souvenir shop" (also see FreddieW's recent visit to STEAM HQ). That would undoubtedly house many products, such as hoodies, watches, pens, doorstops, teddies, maybe even Ferrari-made after-dinner-mints!!! These are not products Ferrari claims to be amazing at making, but they will still cost above what you would expect for the same product bought on the high street because you are in the FERRARI souvenir shop. They can charge what they like based on what their own opinion of their brand is. So if T11, or whoever, think they are "specialists" in magic products, and they charge a bomb for a normal hoody just because it has "T11" printed on it then they are only following the same business model as countless other companies which charge "above what I'd like to pay" for their products. This is not a big deal and its not at all new. They would have gone out of business long ago if everyone thought they were a rip-off.

I think we should just put this down to DIFFERENT BUSINESS MODELS. People have different ideas of how they want to run their company. And afterall, it is theirs, they can run it however they like, and we can vote with our feet. The question is... is it working for them? Clearly the answer is yes. Some people do appreciate what they offer, or they would not still be in business. So are they just being selfish, or are they actually being good businessmen?

The bottom line: Dan & Dave, Theory 11, and others, have just had the business brains to realise that the magic industry had room for "designer labels" and they have started companies to fill those gaps. Those who don't like it shop elsewhere; those who do like it are keeping them in business.