why do decks go out of print?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 06 Apr 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

EminemsAngelBaby	06 Apr 2004
This may be a totally assanine question but I 'm curious so I'm going to ask it anyway. Why do some decks go out of print? Obviously decks that are very old, rare, etc. are out of print but what about those that are pretty comtemporary? And, when they do go out of print is it common to have them reissued later? I was surprised to learn earlier today that the Buckland Romani is out of print. It seems to be a pretty popular deck, is this common? Just curious:).

Rusty Neon	06 Apr 2004
Here's my guess, and it's just a guess: Decks printed by the larger publishers are printed in reasonably large quantities because of economies of scale. They then sell the deck over time. If the print run sells out relatively quickly, they will do a new print run. However, if the print run sells out relatively slowly, they won't reprint the deck once the old stock runs out ... preferring instead to give a chance to a new deck idea that they think has a better chance of really succeeding. A promising new deck idea with a newcomer artist/creator might be more attractive to the publisher than reprinting an existing deck by the now more-established artist/creator, especially if the deal with the newcomer is more profitable for the publisher (i.e., lower royalties payable to the artist/creator) than the deal that they would be able to sign with the more-established artist/creator. Just my two cents worth. I'm looking forward to views from others!

baba-prague	06 Apr 2004
I think Rusty has just about summed it up. It's a commercial decision - publishing is a business like any other. If a deck does well, it will be reprinted. If it doesn't, it won't be. Just like books really. Ironically, this means that the decks that end up as rare and sought after are often the very ones that did NOT do well for the publisher - and so were quickly allowed to go out of print. With small self-published decks of course it's different. I guess they go out of print because the artist never intended to reprint - (perhaps they choose not to, or prefer to go on to something else). or because it is too costly to do do.

Le_Corsair	06 Apr 2004
Because people don't buy them. :D Bob :THERM

Le_Corsair	06 Apr 2004
Quote: Originally posted by baba-prague or because it is too costly to do do. Or because their decks ARE do do. :D Bob :THERM

northsea	06 Apr 2004
It's a pity when a classic deck like the Knapp-Hall goes OOP. Sometimes, it seems like the Dark Ages.

crystal cove	07 Apr 2004
Quote: Originally posted by baba-prague Ironically, this means that the decks that end up as rare and sought after are often the very ones that did NOT do well for the publisher - and so were quickly allowed to go out of print. Makes one wonder, doesn't it? :D

crystal cove	07 Apr 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Le_Corsair Or because their decks ARE do do. :D Bob :THERM And here we all are spending lots of money on ebay! :D:D:D

EminemsAngelBaby	08 Apr 2004
Hey, I guess from the publishing point of view it makes sense. It just seems so weird to me. That they can come in for a printing or two and be gone. I just ordered the Buckland Romani which is now out of print, and although it wasn't hard to find it still scared me into buying it right away because I know for sure it's one of the decks that speaks deeply to me. It would be really painful to connect with the deck and then not be able to get it. Especially since it's not that old. I first saw the deck at my local bookstore a month ago or so. They have 10 to 12 cards from each deck displayed in panels so you can go through all the decks and check out the cards up close and in person. It's really nice:0. When I stumbled across the BR it jumped up and slapped me right away, and I was never able to shake it! I looked at the deck a couple of times at the bookstore but the last time I looked for it the panel was missing. I thought maybe they just needed to reorder but when I posted here on AT I learned the truth. Thats when I ordered right away.

The why do decks go out of print? thread was originally posted on 06 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.