Guess the Bestseller - PRIZE!

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 07 Jul 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Jeannette	07 Jul 2003
Hi, Gang! I'm going to be updating the Tarot Garden website homepage very soon (i.e., in the next couple o' days), but as I was getting everything ready, a fun little thought occurred to me... This time around, I'll be posting a brief "best seller" list, listing our top three selling titles for June, and a list of our top five selling decks of all time. And I got to thinking, "I wonder if anyone would have guessed these particular decks would top the list?" So, I'd like to find out. What do you think the all-time best selling title has been at the Tarot Garden? I'll give you some hints: 1) No, it is not the Rider-Waite or Thoth decks. These may be the best-selling decks of all time, but for that very reason, they're not the sort of things our customers come looking to us for. These decks are sold in every bookstore, every metaphysical shop, every garage sale, in practically every civilized country. In fact, we hadn't sold one "standard" RWS deck ever until last month, when I finally sold a couple of cheap, used copies we'd picked up in some miscellaneous batches to a customer who was needing some inexpensive decks to pull apart for a personal project. 2) Keep in mind that we're based in the U.S., but we do sell to customers worldwide. So something that seems common to a customer in Europe or Asia might seem exotic to a customer in the U.S. or Canada, and vice-versa. 3) The number of copies sold for any particular title is somewhat dependent upon our ability to obtain that title. There are some items that we'd sell a lot more of if we could get them, but we can't get nearly enough of them to meet the demand (this pertains mostly to out-of-print decks, but also to some in-print decks that are difficult to import to the U.S.). 4) Information on the deck is, of course, somewhere in our online database, in case you think you know what the item might be but can't remember enough of the details. But there isn't any sales ranking info in our database, so you won't be able to confirm the accuracy your guess by checking our site information (yet). The first person to correctly guess the #1 all-time selling Tarot Garden title wins... a free copy of that item! (If you already have the item, or if you simply can't stand the thought of owning it, we'll provide you with a list of alternate titles from which you can select your prize.) Please note: we'll pick up the shipping cost, too -- but if you're outside of the U.S., we're going to send it the very slow (and much cheaper) "economy/surface" mail route. Rules: Only one guess allowed per entrant within each 4-hour period (we'll check the timestamp of each post -- this keeps any one person from "stuffing the ballot box"). Only guesses posted directly to this thread allowed please (i.e., no PMs or direct emails to Tarot Garden for this one). The first correct guess posted to this thread wins. We won't disqualify a guess for incorrect spelling, but the name must be accurate. Please include at least one (if more than one) of the creator names, just so we can be absolutely sure that you've pegged the right item. In the unlikely event that there's any ambiguity about the results, the judges' decision (that would be Lori and me) is final. I'll respond to posts requesting reasonable clarifications of the above, but... no more hints. (Sorry.) If no one has guessed the correct item by Wednesday morning (U.S. CDT time), I may declare the contest null-and-void, as I have to get the site update posted relatively soon. But something tells me that you guys are sharp enough to figure this one out pretty quickly. Good luck! -- Jeannette http://www.tarotgarden.com

jmd	07 Jul 2003
Marseilles Deck (Grimaud) worth a try! :) (edited after checking database, but had to re-edit to original as Jeannette replied as I altered my entry :()

Jeannette	07 Jul 2003
Definitely worth a try, JMD. Sorry that it's not the one. Thanks for your guess, and try again in a few hours, if you like. -- Jeannette http://www.tarotgarden.com

wavebreaker	07 Jul 2003
The Robin Wood deck maybe?

Mimers	07 Jul 2003
Tarot of the Old Path?

Marion	07 Jul 2003
Art Nouveau (Castelli)

Gerbear	07 Jul 2003
Osho Zen?

Jeannette	07 Jul 2003
tarotlady, Mimers, Marion, Gerbear: Great tries all, but no hit so far. By my clock, y'all can give it another shot, if you like. Reminder note: I still recommend including (at least one of) the creator name(s), just to be safe, like Marion did. Or including the publisher, as JMD has, would help with any necessary clarifications, too. -- Jeannette http://www.tarotgarden.com

Rusty Neon	07 Jul 2003
Rock N Roll Tarot?

Gerbear	07 Jul 2003
How about the Universal-Waite by Waite. Smith and Hanson-Roberts?

Jeannette	07 Jul 2003
Oooo, Rusty Neon... that's not the one, but it's an excellent guess. Since it's actually not the correct answer, I guess I won't be giving anything away by mentioning that the Rock-and-Roll deck actually came in 5th on the all-time list. In fact, it probably would have hit the #1 spot easily if it hadn't been a limited edition. As the demand for the Rock-and-Roll deck continued to increase, the supply continued to decrease until Chris was almost sold out and we couldn't order it any more. But as a bit of side-trivia, the Rock-and-Roll tarot is by far the #1 title requested through our search service. [btw, i assume you mean the "rock-and-roll tarot" by chris paradis, and not the "i-tarock-i" by filippo & galloni. we've had requests for the filippo & galloni deck under the name "rock-and-roll tarot," which is another example of why i'm strongly suggesting that everyone include a/the creator name with their answers. i'd hate to see someone lose credit for nailing the winning answer over an ambiguity like that.] -- Jeannette http://www.tarotgarden.com

Rusty Neon	07 Jul 2003
Oops ... I forgot to include the creator name - Paradis - for the Rock 'n Roll Tarot.

Jeannette	07 Jul 2003
And another good guess by Gerbear, but 'fraid that's not it. I know I said I wouldn't give any more hints, I suppose it's not really another hint to suggest that people reread hint #1 from my original post. A little reading-between-the-lines there might reveal more information to help steer you brave guessers in the right direction. -- Jeannette http://www.tarotgarden.com

jmd	07 Jul 2003
(... four hours have lapsed...) I'll try again... how about the Aquarian?

Bryher	07 Jul 2003
Goddess Tarot ? (by Kris Waldherr I think)

Jeannette	07 Jul 2003
jmd: Thanks for another good try, but that's not the one. Bryher: It's not the Waldherr "Goddess" tarot either, although that's certainly one of USG's top titles, and we have sold a few. Wait a few hours and try again. :) -- Jeannette http://www.tarotgarden.com

Le_Corsair	07 Jul 2003
Edward Gorey's Fantod? Bob :THERM :OL :CL :WL :SL

Jeannette	07 Jul 2003
Le_Corsair: A reasonable possibility, but not the one. The Fantod is hard to get, therefore it's hard to sell. Interestingly, we haven't had all that many requests for it. I guess tarot enthusiasts don't consider it to be enough of a "real" tarot to want it, and Gorey fans probably don't think of looking to sites like ours to find it. -- Jeannette http://www.tarotgarden.com

wavebreaker	07 Jul 2003
The World Spirit Tarot by Jessica Godino and Lauren O'Leary?

Mimers	07 Jul 2003
New Palladini?

Chronata	07 Jul 2003
A shot in the dark....The Hanson Roberts deck? Just seems like everyone's got one....

Jeannette	07 Jul 2003
tarotlady, Mimers, Chronata: Sorry, team -- no hits yet. Keep trying! And yes, Chronata -- it does seem like everyone has a Hanson-Roberts. Everyone go back and reread hint #1 from my original post again. :) -- Jeannette http://www.tarotgarden.com

lunalafey	07 Jul 2003
.....just because...... Celtic Dragon; d.j conway & lisa hunt?

baba-prague	07 Jul 2003
hmm, I'm not sure that this is based on any logic either, but how about The Shining Tribe? That might seem exotic in Europe (though on the other hand it was first published in the UK - ah well, like I say, no logic!)

Jeannette	07 Jul 2003
lunalafey: There's definitely some logic in your guess. The "Celtic Dragon" is a lovely deck, which always bodes well for sales. And also dragons in general are very popular. But once again, that's not the #1 Tarot Garden seller. I'd encourage everyone who's made a guess to think about it for a couple of hours and then try again. And if you haven't tried submitting a guess yet... g'wan, give it a shot! What have you got to lose? :D -- Jeannette http://www.tarotgarden.com

Silverlotus	07 Jul 2003
Cosmic Tribe? Edited to add creators' names: Stevee Postman, Eric Ganther

Jeannette	07 Jul 2003
baba-prague: The "Shining Tribe" certainly seems like a reasonable possibility. However, interestingly enough, although we stock this title, we've never managed to sell one yet. You'd think that with Rachael Pollack's marvelous, learned hand behind it, the "Shining Tribe" would be in demand, at least among tarot enthusiasts "in the know." But the most common comment we hear about it is: "I don't like the artwork." Which is too bad, because the deck has a lot to offer (although there's nothing inherently wrong with following the dictates of one's own tastes, either). Or maybe most of Rachael's fans had already bought the deck in its earlier incarnation as the "Shining Woman" tarot. Who knows? There's only so much logic one can apply to questions like these. So keep trying, everyone! -- Jeannette http://www.tarotgarden.com

Jeannette	07 Jul 2003
Silverlotus: You've puncheed in with another very reasonable guess. However, the problem with the "Cosmic Tribe" deck is that thus far, we haven't been able to stock that title. That changed a couple of weeks ago, and our first batch of the "Cosmic Tribe" decks should be on their way to us even as I type this. But if we don't stock it, we can't sell it, so it can't hit our own personal "best seller" list. Thanks to everyone for including those creator names -- and keep the guesses coming! -- Jeannette http://www.tarotgarden.com

Hedera	07 Jul 2003
How about the Ananda, by Ananda Kurt Pilz?

tabbycat	07 Jul 2003
The Faeries' Oracle, Brian Froud - just a wild guess! Jilly

Rusty Neon	07 Jul 2003
How about the Margerete Petersen Tarot deck (78 cards)?

Jeannette	07 Jul 2003
Hey, Hedera! You guys are getting better... the Ananda is #4 on the list. Great guess! If someone else doesn't cinch it in the next few hours, I hope you'll try again! -- Jeannette http://www.tarotgarden.com

Jeannette	07 Jul 2003
tabbycat: Froud's "Faeries' Oracle" isn't a wild guess. That's obviously quite a popular one, but unfortunately, we haven't picked that one up yet. So our total sales to date for that title is zero. But it's one I'm interested in seeing us carry, so if anyone connected with the artist and/or publisher is reading this, please contact me with information on your current distributor(s)! :D -- Jeannette http://www.tarotgarden.com

Jeannette	07 Jul 2003
Rusty Neon: You haven't hit it yet, but your guesses are impressively close. First you hit #5 on the list with Chris Paradis' "Rock and Roll" deck. Now, with the Petersen, you've pegged the #2 slot. You're obviously thinking along the right lines. Give it a few more hours' of cogitation, and maybe you'll hit the #1 title with your next try. -- Jeannette http://www.tarotgarden.com

Gerbear	07 Jul 2003
Adrian by Adrian B. Koehli ?

wavebreaker	07 Jul 2003
The Victoria Regina Tarot by Sarah Ovenall and Georg Patterson?

scorpio	07 Jul 2003
Pagan 2000 by robin payne, rosemarie lewsey?

Hedera	07 Jul 2003
Hope it's not too soon to try again, but I'm off to bed in a minute. :) I think I've got it, only I can't make up my mind between two options. Mmm.... Have to pick one, though. Is it the Cosmic, by Norbert Losche?

Jeannette	07 Jul 2003
Gerbear: Nope, not the Adrian. tarotlady: Not the Victoria Regina either, but that one hasn't done too badly for us. Still, it wouldn't quite even make our top 20. scorpio: Good guess -- the Pagan 2000 is actually #9 on our all-time list. Hedera: Not the Cosmic. I'll look forward to seeing your other guess after you're up-and-about again. -- Jeannette http://www.tarotgarden.com

Marie	07 Jul 2003
The Hoi Polloi?

Le_Corsair	07 Jul 2003
Try the Merryday, by Louise Merryday? Bob :THERM :CL :WL :OL :SL

Silverlotus	07 Jul 2003
The Arthurian Tarot by Caitlin Matthews, John Matthews, Miranda Gray?

Umbrae	07 Jul 2003
Gothic by Vargo... no...didn't think so...

Bryher	07 Jul 2003
I think enough hours have passed for me to have another go - is it the Angel Tarot by Guiley?

Rusty Neon	07 Jul 2003
OK ... How about the Mountain Dream Tarot (second edition), by Bea Nettles?

Marion	07 Jul 2003
Ancient Egyptian Tarot by Clive barrett

Jeannette	07 Jul 2003
Marie: That's a great guess. Even though it's long out-of-print, we do get quite a few requests for the Hoi Polloi through our search service. And it's not quite as hard to find on the secondary market as many of the other older, OOP titles, so the Hoi Polloi has actually out-sold some of the massmarket in-print titles we sell. But it still didn't make the list. Le_Corsair: We just picked up the Merryday last month. It's had a great premiere for us, but not quite enough time to zoom that far up the charts yet. Although it certainly wasn't beyond the realm of possibility. Silverlotus: Luv that Arthurian! But it's not quite a bestseller for us. Good guesses, all! -- Jeannette http://www.tarotgarden.com

Jeannette	07 Jul 2003
Bryher: Guiley & Place's "Angel Tarot" is one we haven't picked up yet, 'cuz I haven't figured out who's distributing it. It's another one on my "want to have it for Tarot Garden" list, though. Rusty Neon: You are amazing. The Mountain Dream isn't #1, but you're always in the neighborhood. It came in as the solid #6 seller. Marion: I think the Ancient Egyptian is an excellent guess. When it was out-of-print, we got lots of requests for it. But once it came back into print, there didn't seem to be as much interest in it any more. I guess that just proves that a lot of folks only want what they can't have, eh? }) I think we're about to declare a winner here... -- Jeannette http://www.tarotgarden.com

Jeannette	07 Jul 2003
I'm declaring the contest officially closed, because the correct answer has now been posted, thanks to Umbrae. Our number one Tarot Garden seller is indeed the Gothic Tarot by Joseph Vargo. (Y'all can see now why I was concerned about getting the creator name -- there's at least three tarots out there that are sold under this title.) This deck has been amazingly popular, considering that we just started carrying it this past March. The rest of our top five bestsellers are titles that we've carried for well over a year. But the Vargo deck had already slid into the #1 slot by late May. However, with Umbrae's permission (we've had a PM exchange on this), I'm going to handle the official "awarding of the deck" a little differently. Umbrae has disqualified himself from the competition, because in retrospect, neither he nor I can remember for sure whether I told him that the Vargo was our best seller during our "booth-buddying" in Portland a couple of months ago. I don't remember mentioning it, but it's possible. So here's what we're going to do. The top prize is actually going to go to... RUSTY NEON! ...For displaying the amazing ability to pick out best-selling decks on every try. All of Rusty Neon's guesses were for titles that are among the Tarot Garden top 10 list. And the Margarete Petersen deck is, as mentioned earlier, our #2 seller. So I think R.N. has definitely earned the "winner's cup" under the circumstances. [but to be fair, i'll make sure umbrae gets a nice consolation prize, heh heh...] So, Rusty Neon... send me a PM with your shipping address, and let me know if you'd like a copy of the Vargo deck, or if you'd rather review a list of alternative selections for your efforts. And in the meantime, if anyone is interested in more fun tidbits on what tarot enthusiasts are buying once they've had their appetities whet beyond the good ol' RWS and Thoth decks, just make a quick post, and I'll start a more informal thread if you'd like to take a shot a guessing a few other goodies (such as, "specifically, what's the best-selling Lo Scarabeo title," that sort of thing). Thanks to everyone who participated! I hope you enjoyed the thread. -- Jeannette http://www.tarotgarden.com

RedWood	07 Jul 2003
Congrats Rusty! I jsut got here..missed all the hubbub..Enjoy your deck!!

Rusty Neon	07 Jul 2003
Thanks Jeannette for offering me a prize and for having started an interesting thread. I've sent you a PM.

Woof	07 Jul 2003
But just out of curiosity, how high did The Fey by Manetti & Aghem score on your list? I know you sold out of it at least once. Thanks for such great service Jeanette &/or Lori! Tarot Garden is great! Woof

Jeannette	08 Jul 2003
Woof: Interesting that you should ask about the Fey. In fact, the Fey is the only massmarket deck with direct North American distribution that made our "top 10" list. It came in at #8. And we've sold out of it well more than once. I kept under-ordering it, because I'm not used to a (U.S.-distributed) massmarket deck doing so well for us. It probably would have moved into the #7 position at least if I hadn't lost a few sales from its being out-of-stock so much. [btw, we [i]do[/i] have it in stock now... I've finally learned not to underestimate the enduring popularity of this one again.] :D -- Jeannette http://www.tarotgarden.com

Jeannette	08 Jul 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Rusty Neon Thanks Jeannette for offering me a prize and for having started an interesting thread. I've sent you a PM. Rusty Neon: I just tried replying to your PM, but the system wouldn't send my message through. It said your mailbox is full. If you need to, send me your email address to jkr@tarotgarden.com, and I'll reply to your personal addy directly. Sorry for any inconvenience. -- Jeannette http://www.tarotgarden.com

Rusty Neon	08 Jul 2003
Jeannette ... I've sent you a PM with my personal email address. It seems my outbox still works even though my inbox (as non-subscriber) is full.

fairyhedgehog	08 Jul 2003
Well done Umbrae and Rusty Neon! I've only just seen this thread but there is no way I would have guessed the top deck or even any of the top 6 as Rusty Neon did. This is so lovely - Jeanette and Lori offering the prize, Umbrae refusing to accept the top prize in case he had an unfair advantage, and Rusty Neon getting it for being so close. What a great bunch of people :)

Rusty Neon	08 Jul 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Rusty Neon Jeannette ... I've sent you a PM with my personal email address. It seems my outbox still works even though my inbox (as non-subscriber) is full. Jeannette ... Did you get that PM?

Jeannette	08 Jul 2003
Hi, Rusty! Yes, I got the PM and the email, and I sent the reply with the list to your hotmail address. Did you not receive it? I can try resending it. -- Jeannette http://www.tarotgarden.com

Jeannette	08 Jul 2003
Rusty Neon: I got your latest PM, but since I can't reply there, I'll give you the "heads up" here -- I resent the list to your hotmail address. Write to me at jkr@tarotgarden.com, rather than sending a PM, if you do not receive it, so I can reply to you directly. -- Jeannette http://www.tarotgarden.com

DarkElectric	08 Jul 2003
Oooh, I'm late, and missed it all :( I was going to suggest the Geiger. Even though I don't particularly care for it, I know it's rather popular. Congratulations, Umbrae, and Rusty Neon!!!

Jeannette	08 Jul 2003
...If you want to take a shot at guessing, DarkElectric (or anyone else), you can try to figure out what took the #3 spot. Of course, I've posted the update with the ranking information on the Tarot Garden website now, but if you promise not to peek... }) -- Jeannette http://www.tarotgarden.com

firemaiden	09 Jul 2003
I am gratified to see that the Margarete Petersen is doing so well. Tell all them folks to come on over and join our study group!!!

Hedera	09 Jul 2003
Congratulations Rusty Neon and Umbrae!! :)

DarkElectric	09 Jul 2003
Thanks, Jeanette, but... Earlier today, long before I got back to this thread (synchronicity??!!) I happened to visit the TarotGarden site to see if THE deck I have been aching to aquire was available through you. LO and behold, there it is, in the number 3 spot... So. this disqualifies me, I'm afraid! (I'll be ordering it soon!)

Rusty Neon	17 Jul 2003
hi jeannette ... I thought I'd let you know that I received the prize deck (Mountain Dream Tarot, Second Edition) in the mail today. It arrived safe and sound. It's a nice deck, better in person than on the web scans; and with the box, it feels indeed like a limited edition. Once again, thanks !

The Guess the Bestseller - PRIZE! thread was originally posted on 07 Jul 2003 in the Tarot Games & Fun board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Tarot Games & Fun, or read more archived threads.