Occult services (Russian market)

Main article: Russian economy

2024: Demand for magic attributes up 34%

Demand for magic attributes grew by 34% in 2024. Online analysts came to this conclusion on the eve of Sorcerer's Day ATOL by conducting a study of impersonal data sales. On average, esoteric recruitment was purchased for 9.4 thousand rubles, which is 10% more expensive than in 2023. The company announced this on January 30, 2025.

The most expensive magical attribute in the sample was the shaman tambourine, the median price of which was 4.1 thousand rubles. It is noteworthy that the demand for this esoteric tool has grown almost 2 times (+ 95%), and the average purchase cost is 25%

The most popular attribute for psychics in 2024 was the set of runes - its share of sales in the category was 32%. The average sale price of this magic tool in 2024 increased by 11% - to 761 rubles, and the number of purchases increased by 11%.

The median price for tarot cards was 711 rubles. per deck, which is 7% more expensive than in 2023. At the same time, the demand for them remained at the level of the previous year.

How have prices for other esoteric attributes changed?

Glass ball. Demand for it increased by 146%, and the cost amounted to 641 rubles, which is 10% lower than in the previous year.

Biolocation frames. Demand for this attribute increased by 93%. The average cost was 867 rubles, which is 10% lower than in 2023.

Wormwood. There is an increase in demand by 68%. The average price remained at 2023 and amounted to 494 rubles.

Voodoo doll. Interest in voodoo dolls increased by 66%. The average price for this product reached 867 rubles, which is 16% higher compared to 2023.

Aspen cola. This attribute has become more popular - demand has grown by 51%. The average purchase price amounted to 323 rubles, which is 1% more expensive compared to 2023.

Pendulum for biolocation. Demand increased by 21%, and the median price was 441 rubles, which is 4% lower than in 2023.

Black candles. Unlike other goods, demand for them decreased by 18%. The average price was 370 rubles, which is 8% cheaper compared to 2023.

The study was conducted on the basis of impersonal sales data ATOL Online at 5.3 million checks for 2023-24.

2023: Occult market turnover nears RUB 2 trillion

The occult services market size in Russia is approaching 2 trillion rubles per year. For comparison: over the year, Russians buy food for 2.1 trillion rubles, calculated. And Rosstat the amount of all checks in canteens, cafes restaurants countries and is 2.35 trillion rubles per year. Thus, the occult market has become almost as important as our daily bread, and at the same time it is also growing at 20% per year.

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Фото: Freepik

The zone is gray, there are no exact statistics and numbers anywhere, warns Plekhanov PRUE Anna Tsvetkova, associate professor of the marketing department. But how successful things are with magicians and fortune tellers can be judged even by indirect signs: the audience of courses for masters of communication with otherworldly forces has grown 19 times over the year, only for beautiful certificates and certificates novice mediums lay out 900 billion rubles a year. financial Literacy courses and all kinds of lectures "How to become a billionaire in 100 days" and then bring less income, reported on December 26, 2023. "Arguments and Facts"

According to lawyer Ilya Rusyaev, managing partner of Ilyumzhinov, Rusyaev and Partners, fortune tellers occupy a leading position in the occult services market - their share is about 60-70% of the total market volume. Another 15-20% falls on a variety of rituals - removal of damage, fistula, lapels, etc. The rest of the niche is filled by other occult-magical practices such as cursing, communicating with spirits, treating with energy effects and the like, the expert said.

The most typical client is a lady between the ages of 25 and 55, who has a secondary or higher education, an average level of wealth. Two-thirds of the money magicians receive from people who turn to their services at the strength of a couple of times in a lifetime. As a rule, this is a person in a state of despair, grief or stress. For him, this is more of an impulsive act. The rest turn to certain types of magic quite regularly, for them it becomes a kind of replacement for religion.

In the capital, about 1.5 thousand people are actively engaged in fortune telling and occult services - so many proposals are posted on message boards, Anna Tsvetkova said. Everyone has different prices, reaching 40 thousand rubles per session. In the province, the same services are cheaper.

"A gullible client often falls into the hands of a psychologist experienced in everyday life, where a whole arsenal of funds goes to work with the victim, including promises of a bright future and ending with intimidation by the danger of fatal events that await in case of non-compliance with any instructions and termination of regular visits," continues Tsvetkova. - And the "specialist" may require a lot of sessions. And if a one-time visit does not cost too much, you will have to give very impressive money for a series of such visits. "

For all the dubious services of magicians, fortune tellers and witches, they can work on completely legal grounds, says lawyer Yuri Kapshtyk. You just need to issue a status self-employed or individual entrepreneur pay. taxes Magic and divination are not prohibited in Russia, although there is no normative act that would regulate this area. They tried to pass such a law several times, but something prevented. From the official point of view, their activities are "the provision of other personal services," there is such a line in the All-Russian classifier of types of economic activities.

The legal scheme will require a contract with the client. It must contain a record that the result is not guaranteed, lawyers warn, since it depends on many factors, and the effectiveness of such methods is not scientifically confirmed and is exclusively entertaining or auxiliary in nature.^[1]

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