Getting into the Tarot Deck Selling Game
So, yeah, I ended up trying to sell some tarot decks. Wasn’t exactly planned. I just looked at my shelf one day and thought, man, that’s a lot of cardboard rectangles staring back at me. Some I hadn’t touched in ages. And, you know, bills pile up. Seemed like a straightforward idea at the time – clear some space, make a little cash.
First thing was pulling them all out. Spread ’em across the floor. Felt a bit weird, like I was betraying old friends. Had to decide which ones could go. That took longer than I thought. You get attached, even to the ones you don’t use much. Picked out about ten decks finally. Some popular ones, a couple of indie things I’d backed ages ago.
Then came the photos. Ugh. Trying to get good lighting, make them look appealing but also honest about the condition. My phone camera isn’t exactly pro-level. Spent a whole afternoon arranging cards, trying different angles. Mostly they just looked like… used cards.
Decided to list them online. Seemed easiest. Put them up on one of those big marketplace sites. You know the ones. Writing the descriptions was another chore. Condition: ‘lightly used’, ‘like new’, ‘box has shelf wear’. Trying to sound professional but not like a corporation. Then you see the fees they take. A chunk right off the top before you even ship.
And the waiting begins.
- Got a few lowball offers almost immediately. Like, seriously? Half price? No thanks.
- Got weird questions. “Does this deck really work?” What am I supposed to say to that? It’s cardstock, pal.
- One person asked for like, twenty extra photos of specific cards. Took the photos, sent them. Never heard back. Waste of time.
Eventually sold a couple. Okay, cool. Now shipping. Finding the right size box is annoying. Bubble wrap. Printing labels. Then the trip to the post office, standing in line. The shipping cost eats up another chunk, especially for tracked mail, which everyone wants.
After selling maybe three decks over two months, I kind of just gave up. Packed the rest back onto the shelf. It was just too much hassle for too little return. Felt like I was running a tiny, failing mail-order business out of my living room.
It wasn’t some big spiritual journey or anything. Just a practical attempt to declutter and earn a bit. Turns out, selling stuff online, even niche things like tarot decks, is a grind. People expect Amazon speed and bargain bin prices. It’s a whole thing. Now they just sit there again, maybe waiting for the next time I get the bright idea to try selling.
