Any hints on trading and selling tarot decks and books?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 24 Apr 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Rusty Neon	24 Apr 2004
I have many tarot decks (and tarot books) I'd like to trade or sell. My tarot deck offering thread on the Tarot Trading board has only resulted in my buying more tarot decks (from others). Without fire-sale prices and without using ebay (which I don't have energy for), how does one off-load decks and books? It seems that shipping costs can often add up, especially for books. I guess trades would be more mutually beneficial than selling as there is less of a financial discount to each side. But no "match" between my wish list and the wish list of others seems to happen. Doing intermediate trades (i.e., taking the deck they offer, then trying to sell or trade that deck later) doesn't seem feasible when all shipping costs are taken into consideration. Any hints? Thanks for any replies!

HudsonGray	24 Apr 2004
Does Canada have a 'book rate' or 'media rate' in it's shipping options? We do in the US and it's the least amount of money out of all the options via the post office. Technically it has to have a book in it to count for media--BUT the LWB has multiple pages & can technically qualify a deck as a 'book' with extras (I got this info from our post office, they say pamphlets count and anything with numbered pages). Shipping costs can run things up fast. Check to see what they have available for international shipping--those cardboard envelopes here can hold 2 decks & ship anywhere in the world via 'global priority' for $5 dollars ($3 to Canada I think). Maybe Canada offers this option too. However, for more than a 5 pound package, I've found that UPS is cheaper. Depends on the weight you're looking at for books though. Is there anyplace local you can sell? Any tarot group that meets & you can bring a basketfull down to rummage off? Used bookstores only pay 10% of the cover price so that's not much of an option.

Cerulean	24 Apr 2004
or abebooks.com or amazon.com so that people who search for such titles might be able to buy it. I've read that someone from a tarotgroup called Comparativetarot at yahoo.com had offered decks there, but what he couldn't sell, he posted on ebay with minimum prices before bidding and then got rid of his unwanted decks and books that way. He also was attending a tarot conference and posted the exchange a month or two before, so he could give the tarots to people there for a check. I went on a mini-trip thirty miles away from my local area and a new used bookstore was setting up, with a sister store that was near me. They said that as the stock from each store and trade-in value was local to each store, they didn't have any tarot decks or books and they had a near empty case. So I gathered what I had and exchanged them there for some Renaissance and Greek/Roman translations. Since then I do periodic giveaways to art students or those in local classes if we do exchanges of art material. If you know of art/graphic/sci-fi/writing students or take tarot classes or know of any new age/good local used bookstores, that might assist... Magusbooks in Minnesota takes used decks, but I only go there once a year on family trips...there may be Canadian bookshops within ten or thirty miles from you or the next time you take a trip... Good luck! Mari H.

Marion	24 Apr 2004
Hi Rusty, eBay may be your only answer if Trading here doesn't work. There is an ebay.ca. I do not think we have anything like a 'media' rate as in the States.

Ruby7	24 Apr 2004
Rusty, I discovered recently that the small independent book store beside the Bytowne Cinema on Rideau Street, Ottawa, has the occasional tarot deck, which means that the owner must buy them sometimes. Ruby7

Emily	25 Apr 2004
There is a used bookshop in my local town. I'm lucky because I know that he'll take decks off my hands. If you are near a used bookshop, most would buy decks off you.

The Any hints on trading and selling tarot decks and books? thread was originally posted on 24 Apr 2004 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.