Two months. TO MONTHS. I waited for these rare indie decks from Etsy for two months. Finally get them and… missing cards. Multiple majors and court cards have just gone. The seller had amazing reviews, gorgeous photos, the works. Now I’m stuck with incomplete decks that I specifically bought for shadow work (where you kind of need all 78 cards to properly guide someone through their journey).
These are limited editions that I can’t just reorder. Part of me wants to fight for a refund but I love these decks. The art speaks to me. But working with incomplete decks feels energetically wrong. Do I risk asking for replacements and maybe getting another botched set? Accept the loss? Try to track down just the missing cards somehow? Anyone else gotten burned ordering etsy tarot cards?
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So I ordered some cards and the seller shorted me. Instead of using the official channels, I figured I’d just message them directly on social media. Seemed like it would be faster and more personal, right? Nope.
They denied everything and blocked me completely. No paper trail, no evidence, totally screwed. It’s like when you try to take a shortcut and end up lost; sometimes, the regular path is there for good reason. These days I keep everything on the platform where it belongs.
At least then you have proof if something goes wrong. Trust me, it’s worth the extra steps.
Hold up, cards go missing from indie decks! These sellers are hand-counting and packing hundreds of orders, often late at night after working all day. Your missing cards are probably sitting right there in their workspace. Send them photos of what’s missing.
My friend sells oracle decks and this exact thing happened, she found three missing cards wedged under her cutting mat weeks later.
I was looking for a deck with good reversal symbols last month and ran into this exact problem. The first few pages of results were all these supposedly ‘handmade’ decks, but they’re actually just mass-produced prints from overseas.
No wonder so many show up with misprints on the reversed cards.
I get most of my decks from Llewellyn’s site or Amazon (only when Amazon is the seller though).
For Etsy, I stick to buying from the actual deck creators, support the artists and haven’t had any issues yet. I had one sketchy Etsy purchase that never arrived and couldn’t be refunded, so I’m now more cautious
Wasn’t tarot stuff but still annoying.
My tip: on Etsy, double-check you’re buying from the creator. The tarot community is pretty good about helping if something goes wrong with their decks. As for first editions vs reprints? Never bothered me, I just want to use the cards.
Try messaging the artist directly - they usually keep extras of their prints. Also check Facebook groups or Reddit. Lots of collectors there who might have duplicates they’d trade or sell.
Ugh that sucks. Missing cards would drive me crazy.
From browsing Etsy, I’ve found the people who actually design their own decks tend to be more reliable than the resellers. But who knows, maybe I’ve just been lucky.
Message the seller first, they might just send you the missing cards. If they ignore you or say no, then get Etsy involved. You paid for a complete deck and that’s what you should get. You can’t do proper readings without all the cards since they all work together.
Hope you get this sorted out soon! Missing Major Arcana or court cards would be the worst.
Indie deck creators are usually selling everywhere, Etsy, craft fairs, consignment shops. It gets messy and they don’t always know what condition their stock is in.
Consignment is especially bad because they literally give their decks to someone else to sell. They might not check on them for months, and by then cards could be missing or damaged. My advice? Message before buying. Ask them to confirm they have the full deck physically with them.
The good ones will count cards for you no problem. But if they say it’s somewhere else or they need to check, that’s when you find a different seller.
Got burned once trying to find legit handmade decks. Turns out a lot of sellers just grab factory-made stuff and call it artisan. Now I reverse image search everything. Takes two seconds and you’d be surprised how many ‘limited edition’ decks are all over Alibaba.
Incomplete decks can be surprisingly useful for learning.
Once, a seller messed up my order and sent photos of all the cards before reshipping. We ended up having a great conversation about the card designs and meanings. With some cards missing, I had to rethink why certain ones were so vital for me. It turned out I was relying too much on some of the major cards. While waiting for the replacements, I used the gaps for clients to add their own meanings, which made for some of the most meaningful readings I’ve ever had.
But definitely make sure to get that partial refund for the trouble.
Ever thought about how incomplete decks could steer you somewhere new? Those missing cards might inspire some cool new insights.
If they’ve made over 50 sales, try asking for a video call to check out the missing cards. If they say no, just file a case with Etsy. You’ve got a 100-day window for problems with handmade stuff.
The cost of indie decks definitely puts them out of reach for a lot of beginners. You see all these beautiful, unique decks online but then the price hits and you’re like. nope. Still, I get why they cost what they do. Small print runs aren’t cheap.
You should definitely contact them about getting those missing cards or a refund. It’s difficult to do proper readings without a full deck.
Had something similar happen to me - ordered a pendulum and the seller just disappeared. Total silence for weeks.
Finally messaged them saying I’d rather not leave a bad review, and boom - they replied super fast and sorted it out. If they don’t respond, Etsy support is your next option. Though honestly their help can be hit or miss. If you paid through PayP,al though, you’re covered.
They’re pretty solid about refunds when you don’t get what you ordered. Hopefully, you’ll have your complete deck soon - nobody should be stuck doing readings with missing cards.
Oh no, that’s so frustrating! Yeah, those marketplace sites can be really hit or miss for tarot decks.
Lots of resellers are buying bulk from wholesale sites, and the quality shows. Cards that won’t shuffle properly really mess with your readings. You should definitely message the seller about the missing cards and guidebook. Document everything with photos just in case. They should make this right. When you’re ready to buy again, check out independent booksellers like Abe Books or Biblio.
They often have unique decks from smaller publishers around the world. Getting a deck from a good source just feels different, you know? Whatever deck you end up with, give it a good cleanse and take a minute to center yourself before your first reading. Makes all the difference.
Good luck getting this resolved! Your perfect deck is out there waiting for you.
Etsy’s tarot section is a mess now.
Used to be all handmade stuff, but now it’s flooded with factory decks from people with no real interest in the Tarot. Finding genuine artist decks is like searching for a needle in a haystack. The algorithm pushes all the mass-produced ones to the top and buries the actual creators.
No wonder quality control is slipping even for established sellers. The best bet is to message the artist directly on Instagram or wherever. They usually have extra copies stashed away, or they’ll know someone selling theirs.
In 2024, I want to get to know deck creators better before big buys. I’ve been testing the waters by picking up a cheap item first, like an art print, just to check their shipping. If you’ve got incomplete decks, why not use them for single-card meditation? The gaps from missing cards can lead to some interesting, intuitive connections.
There are local tarot fairs where many Etsy sellers set up booths. It’s a great chance to see the decks before you buy, so you don’t end up with anything missing or different from what you thought. You might want to look into whether there’s something like that near you.
I’m a big supporter of independent tarot artists on Etsy!
My grandma used to say ‘quality over quantity’, and that’s so true when looking for authentic deck creators. I only buy from artists who self-publish their own work. You can usually tell they’re legit because they’ll have maybe 3-5 decks max in their shop, and their artistic style is consistent throughout.
The real creators really put their heart into each deck instead of pumping out dozens of different styles. There’s this one artist I love who has just two decks, and you can immediately spot their beautiful watercolor technique in both.