The future of tarot market

[rylla]

Now when everything's cost it is going up don't you think that selling/buying PDF files of tarot deck is going to be more popular and more attractive to buyers? (I see collectors shouting: no, no, no! 🙂). For example for me is much cheaper to by PDF and have it printed where I live that buying a deck. I just bought the Crimson tarot for almost $100. The shipping cost was $65, with custom charges and other fees it ads up to almost $100. For me this is way too much! I bout the Samiramy tarot for $35 in PDF, another similar deck  The Old memories Tarot

is selling for $65 + shipping (I did not check it but it would not be just a few bucks! for sure). Well I guess it depends where you live and how much printing + cardstock costs! 

Personally I wish more and more artist would sell their decks on PDF format too. We would have more options.

[AJ-ish/Sharyn]

paying that  much is a personal choice, in the want category rather than need. Generally speaking decks are cheap and any standard deck will work for readings. 

That said I can't see myself paying for a pdf in order to print it out myself, but I do very much appreciate pdf books or LWBS as I have a vision problem and I can up the font size to comfortable to read. 100% behind having that option, although up to recently if a book was available I always got the set rather than just the deck. It is a collector/resale thing for me, because I'm always liable to sell decks on at some point, and when I do I want to make it worth my while. 

People buy decks for lots of different reasons I guess, and the market will follow the money. 

[euripides]

'Print on demand' is still expensive where I live but yeah, the postage on decks is ridiculous.  I don't know that there'd be a huge market for ut, but I think printable pdfs could be a good option for creators. I dovwish publishers would make OOP decks available this way. I want a Well Worn Path.

[stephanelli]

Personally, I wouldn't want a PDF of the deck to print out for myself.  Its an inconvenience thing for me, it means I have to organise a print on demand for it.

I understand why some decks cost a lot but I'm very selective about what decks I buy and where I buy it from.  I'm keen on buying from 'local' artists and shops where possible.  For me, that's the local esoteric shop, artists/authors in the same country as myself.  I don't deny that there are awesome decks from outside my country, but one has to limit oneself somehow!

But, I'm not in it for collecting, I'm in it for useful reading decks.

[Guest]

I also wouldn't like pdf files.  Mainly because I have no printer and the hassle of getting it printed.

 

I think it depends where you live too, if you're near a city it's easy to pick up standard cards.  It may be tricker to get different decks though.

 

 

[Little Fang]

Selling PDF forms of decks can be a risk for the artist/creator of said deck.  Who will protect them when somebody buys a PDF then decides to get it printed nicely and sell it themselves for a profit somewhere?

 

[MuninnMissinHuginn]

Yes, the print media has met the problems of the music industry. Because even if a deck is sold only as a printed copies, scanning and reproducing are always a possibility.  

[Flaxen]

I’ve bought decks in the past with only ebook or pdf guidebooks. It was useful to be able to read via my phone but I much prefer a physical copy and I’d be reluctant to do so again.
I seem to retain information so much better when using physical books than looking on a screen and this is an important factor if I’m trying to make an actual study of the deck. 

[Eric13]

This is all just me, however:

I can't see myself buying a PDF to print out cards. Also, I know most readers like to have multiple decks for various reasons, maybe this current problem the entire world is going through will help folks understand that a deck is a deck. It's the reader. Simple Marseille decks, simple RWS decks will afford the same readings. And, there's an endless amount of all kinds of used decks online on the usual places. All this "hocus-pocus" with decks being touched from someone else is just that.

Again, this is just me.  

[DanielJUK]

Personally I like real cards, I am not going to buy something that I have to print myself in any form. If you talk to anyone under about 30 they do not have a printer in their homes and have no intention of getting one, they do everything digitally on devices.

 

I suspect we could see many more decks as mobile phone apps. You can control them being pirated and far cheaper than having to produce something to sell globally.

The last ten years has seen a big change to print on demand and so anyone can now publish a deck if they want to! You don't have to take it to a big publishing house. But for certain countries it's really expensive, I don't know why they don't do printing in that country, more local hubs. So will be interesting how that evolves.

[AlbaTross]

I second the notion that there will probably be more of a transition to digital apps and whatnot.  In fact, from what I've heard, that's already a thing.  I for one don't have a printer, and getting Tarot-quality card stock printed through a retailer that offers such a service would probably cost me almost, if not as much as just buying a physical deck, would be a real hassle, and probably wouldn't be nearly as good in terms of quality.  I will stick to physical decks, but I can see there being more and more of an app crowd going forward.  I will always be a physical deck type, but I can see digital decks picking up in popularity, especially with the younger crowd.  Some people may even try out an app as their introduction to Tarot and invest in a deck later.  

[Guest]

Personally, I'd rather just order the deck. By the time I got a PDF, found somewhere to print it, decided how to print it (card type etc) and then actually paid for it to be printed, anything decent here would probably cost more than just buying the deck. In terms of apps etc, I'm "old school". I still have physical books and have never had kindle etc. For me, there is something about holding something, turning pages, shuffling, the feel of it in my hands etc. 

[Eric13]

I remember when "they" said vinyl was dead. Then CD's were dead. And now CD's are selling once again. Maybe disco will return. Tarot cards will remain. They've been around for centuries. And thats a long time!