part of me really wants to try magic. Has anyone here used them to arrange services/purchases/etc... when money was not unlimited? How good are they at figuring out what I'm willing to pay for stuff and working within those bounds?

I'm not a total cheapskate (obviously, im considering using this crazy service), but I'm also fairly concerned about getting the best deal/value I can for things.

Howdy. I used them and write up my thoughts with screenshots: https://humanizing.tech/beta-testing-magics-assistant-servic...

I've only purchased through basic Magic, which applies a markup to your purchase instead of a flat rate.

They were good at matching user preferences on simple stuff (get me a pizza), and had a healthy reluctance to go outside your stated preferences ("what with?" "surprise me" "are you sure, any specifics?"). The markup was substantial on a small purchase, but that's irrelevant for the hourly service. On the other hand, "get me a plane ticket from X to Y on Z day" quickly snowballed into enough expense and difficulty that my friend abandoned it and booked himself.

magic basic? I haven't seen any mention of that on their site anywhere.

Regarding markup, their FAQ even says the following:

> There is no markup on the purchases you make through Magic. You are charged the exact cost of the items plus the credit card processing fee. We find you the best deals that we can on every purchase, and we negotiate strongly with vendors. Often you will save more money using Magic than if you had done things yourself.

When they first came through HN, there was an option for a one-off request conducted by text with a feee attached to it. It may even have been the only option, I'm not sure. I don't see it listed anymore.

I get the sense that they wanted to be a contract personal assistant and did the one-off thing to expose people to the service. Certainly it was a bit awkward since it required spending a bunch of time getting them set up with your info.