dust Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 I hope this is the right place to post this. I want to avoid using Amazon but I need some recommendations for good alternatives for Tarot, preferrably in the EU (because of customs). Where do you get your mass market decks? I want to buy a couple of new ones but I'm having a hard time finding them elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric13 Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 I would imagine theres still chain book stores in Europe. I have 3 Barnes and Noble where I live and they all have a huge varied selection of tarot decks including some dusty covered oop decks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dust Posted October 21, 2019 Author Share Posted October 21, 2019 The book chains near me don't typically have much in the way of Tarot (if at all) and when they allow you to make custom orders it tends to cost extra. :( LoS seem to have an online store that displays price in Euros, does anyone know where they ship from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flaxen Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 There is also Alida Store, Koppenhol and Tarot Bulgaria. I’ve used all of these in the past - very reliable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rupicapra Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 LittleRedTarot in the UK - if you are in continental Europe then you got a few more days before the madness starts (or maybe not - who knows, it's all messed up), so hurry! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saturn Celeste Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 I've gotten tarot decks from here, I think they are in the UK? https://www.bookdepository.com/search?searchTerm=tarot&search=Find+book Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dust Posted October 21, 2019 Author Share Posted October 21, 2019 Thanks, everyone! 2 hours ago, Flaxen said: There is also Alida Store, Koppenhol and Tarot Bulgaria. I’ve used all of these in the past - very reliable. I had no idea Alida Store still existed and didn't even remember its name. I didn't know the other two, I'll go look them up now! :) 34 minutes ago, Rupicapra said: LittleRedTarot in the UK - if you are in continental Europe then you got a few more days before the madness starts (or maybe not - who knows, it's all messed up), so hurry! I love LittleRedTarot's selection! I've been eyeing the Anima Mundi on their shop for a while. Sadly, I'll have to order it later, hopefully any fees won't be too bad. 13 minutes ago, Saturn Celeste said: I've gotten tarot decks from here, I think they are in the UK? https://www.bookdepository.com/search?searchTerm=tarot&search=Find+book Thank you, but Book Depository is owned by Amazon :( They bought it some years ago. But I've found wordery.com, which is similar (they also offer free worldwide shipping, I think) and it has a similar selection of books. I'm not really sure how it compares for Tarot, but some of the better-known decks are on there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saturn Celeste Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 Just now, dust said: Thank you, but Book Depository is owned by Amazon 😞 Oh I'm sorry! I had no idea. I learned something today. 😊 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rupicapra Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 House of Formlab - Netherlands I think. Nice selection but not cheap. holisticshop.co.uk, again in the UK but delivers internationally, has more of a mass produced deck selection, nice selection tho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dust Posted October 21, 2019 Author Share Posted October 21, 2019 @Saturn Celeste no problem! I had no idea either until recently. @Rupicapra, thanks, I'll check them out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregory Posted October 22, 2019 Share Posted October 22, 2019 (edited) I don't know where you are, but the top place I'd run with in the UK is Watkins in London. If you can ever go there you'll be bowled over. Watkinsbooks.com You can always email them to find what you want. And you can buy lo scarabeo decks direct from lo scarabeo! Edited October 22, 2019 by gregory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annabelle Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 I've purchased from Tarot Garden and Alida Store many, many times in the past and have always been happy with their service and shipping. So many of the online shops that I used to frequent have gone out of business, sadly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 9, 2019 Share Posted November 9, 2019 tarotbg.eu and collectarot.com both have lovely selections! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raggydoll Posted November 10, 2019 Share Posted November 10, 2019 This one is in Portugal and she has a nice selection of indie decks and a few vintage/oop ones from time to time. I’ve bought from her in the past, she is really sweet and the shipping is affordable. When/if Britain leaves eu then this shop will be at the top of my go to list. She also takes requests on new decks for her to stock. https://www.ouassimagik.com/boutique?lang=en Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregory Posted November 10, 2019 Share Posted November 10, 2019 16 hours ago, mrpants said: tarotbg.eu and collectarot.com both have lovely selections! Another vote for both these - especially tarotbg, as that has no customs nasties. For the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mesha Posted November 10, 2019 Share Posted November 10, 2019 On 10/21/2019 at 1:02 PM, Saturn Celeste said: I've gotten tarot decks from here, I think they are in the UK? https://www.bookdepository.com/search?searchTerm=tarot&search=Find+book I’d recommend them too. I’ve ordered from them many times since sometimes they are cheaper then Amazon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raggydoll Posted November 10, 2019 Share Posted November 10, 2019 Just now, gregory said: Another vote for both these - especially tarotbg, as that has no customs nasties. For the moment. I thought tarot bg was perfect until I received a deck that was damaged in shipping.. which ended up being a very expensive nightmare for me. They would not send me a new one and I could not get the whole sum back - plus I had to pay for the return shipping costs! (I was also offered to keep it and get a symbolic gift card as compensation, but the sum was way too low for me to accept it and I didn’t want to make another purchase from them after that experience). The whole thing violated EU buyer rights but I gave up trying to argue my rights. Have not purchased from them since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielJUK Posted November 10, 2019 Share Posted November 10, 2019 (edited) it's so hard to avoid Amazon now for online orders because they own Book Depository as above but also AbeBooks which was great for finding cheap and also rare decks grrr I'm with Gregory, support if you can the little single historic esoteric bookshops in the UK, they will appreciate it. Unfortunately you will pay more than Amazon and plus postage, but I do try to do it! If you are outside London or can't pop in they have mail order / online shops now.... Watkins Books, Atlantis Bookshop and Mysteries seem to not have online shops currently which is annoying. I have bought decks from Watkins in the past online but not in the last year. They have a wide selection, you could try to email or phone and do a traditional mail order with them, their site for contact details here. Atlantis also does a mail order service but not online. Treadwell's Books does have an online shop, I have bought decks from them in the past. This is the tarot area of the shop here Edited November 10, 2019 by DanielJUK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielJUK Posted November 19, 2019 Share Posted November 19, 2019 I found out this week about an excellent book selling site called Hive which is based in the UK. Their site is here I haven't used them yet and have no link to them but I love their ethics! They are based in Britain and pay full tax and have been going since 2011. Their thing is they use a network of small independent book shops to help / save them. I searched the site and there are a lot of tarot related books and decks and it operates the same way as Amazon, you can get music, books, DVDs, gifts etc. If you order in the UK, you can send a cut of the order cost to a local independent. The idea of the site is to help save the tiny independent bookshops! You can also get delivery for free in the UK (or send it to your local independent bookshop to collect). Outside the UK, they do international delivery to the EU for £5.99 non tracked or £9.99 tracked. I think for me this is a great alternative to Amazon but I have not tried them out yet, I am planning to use them a lot this Christmas 🙂 They do have a lot of tarot stuff yay! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flaxen Posted November 19, 2019 Share Posted November 19, 2019 @DanielJUK, that looks like a really useful site! I’m starting my Christmas shopping in the next week or so and it’s good to have some alternatives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dust Posted July 6, 2020 Author Share Posted July 6, 2020 I just returned to find this thread had grown! There were multiple sites I hadn't heard about so I'll check them out. I should not that I'm not based in the UK, it seems like some people got this impression for some reason. ;) Another one I'd recommend is Better World Books. One of my friends recommended it to me and my experience has been good. They work with some independent/used bookstores, I believe, and they run a program where books get donated to charity. Their prices are very reasonable and they've got a fair amount of mass-produced decks from what I've seen, plus shipping is free, which is good like if you're always broke (like me). Wordery is supposed to be good too but right now they don't seem to have many things in stock, probably because of the pandemic. I agree with the advice to support local shops, but it's important to keep in mind that this isn't feasible or desirable for everyone. There are many legitimate reasons why people may be unable to go to physical shops: physical disabilities, social anxiety, being followed around because of racism, etc.. Not everyone has good local shops, either, or even local shops at all. Sometimes travelling to nearby larger cities helps a lot but that's not always possible for people and no guarantee that you'll find what you're looking for. Of course, for indie decks buying online is almost always the way to go. I never see indie decks in physical shops and I very much prefer buying straight from the creators or shops they officially work with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts