There’s truly no end to the types of printable products you can create and sell online. Some of the better known options include planners, calendars, worksheets, and journals. A product category that doesn’t get as much attention is one that might surprise you: tarot and oracle decks.
A lot of people love these items, so we’ve created this quick guide to help you understand how to create oracle and tarot decks and learn how they can boost your income. Here’s what you need to know.
What Are Printable Tarot and Oracle Decks?
Tarot decks are card decks that have suits in the same way that playing cards do, although they have different names. The suits are called Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles, but may sometimes be known by other names. Each tarot card deck contains 78 cards.
The origins of tarot card decks go all the way back to the 15th century. They were originally used as playing cards and still are in some places. In the United States they are most often used as divination decks, a practice known as cartomancy.
Oracle decks have a lot in common with tarot decks, but the definition is broader than the definition of a tarot deck. An oracle deck is any deck of cards designed to be used for divination or fortune-telling. There’s no set number of cards. Decks may include images such as witches’ broomsticks, lanterns, or pumpkins.
Some practitioners use oracle decks as a way of gaining insight into their own thoughts and emotions. Others use them to tell fortunes. There’s a lot of room for creativity when creating oracle decks, since there are no commonly accepted suits.
Where Can You Sell Oracle Decks and Tarot Decks?
Oracle decks and tarot decks are sold both online and in brick-and-mortar stores. Some of the most popular marketplaces for printable card decks include Etsy, Creative Fabrica, and social media sites such as Instagram and Pinterest.
When you choose a place to sell the printable tarot and oracle decks you create, you’ll need to consider the site’s fee structure and other costs. For example, Etsy charges a $0.20 listing fee plus a 6.5% transaction fee. Creative Fabrica charges more: 50% for sales they bring in and 25% for sales that come from your affiliate link.
Of course, you also have the option of selling card decks on your own website or on social media, or in two or more places at once.
Is It Difficult to Create Tarot and Oracle Decks?
One of the reasons we love printable products is that they’re so easy to create. There are tons of free and low-cost tools out there that you can use to make beautiful products your customers will love, including oracle and tarot decks. To illustrate how easy it is to make tarot and oracle decks, here’s a quick step-by-step review of the process.
Step One: Choose an Image Creation Tool
Ideally, you’ll pick a tool that either comes with card templates or makes it easy to create them. Having a template is a must because all the cards in your deck should have the same basic layout. Etsy and Canva are both good options.
Step Two: Make or Choose a Template
Next, you’ll want to either make or choose a template to use. You can find some for free online or purchase one. If you decide to make a template, you can use a tool like Canva to do it.
Step Three: Design Your Cards
As we mentioned above, tarot cards have defined suits and a fixed number of cards. If you decide to make a tarot deck, you’ll need to stick to those parameters. Keep in mind that there’s a lot of room for creativity. For example, you’ll need a Wands suit, but you can make your Wands unique. With oracle cards, you can do whatever you want—but you’ll still want to create a deck with a unique and consistent appearance.
Step Four: Create Printing Instructions
One of the most important things you can do when selling printable products, and particularly printable cards, is to create a user-friendly set of instructions for printing them. Printing cards can be tricky since in most cases, they’re double sided and printed on card stock.
Step Five: List Your Cards for Sale
The final step is to create optimized product listings for the card decks you create. If you sell on Etsy, make sure to use every keyword and character you’re allowed to use, because doing so will help prospective customers find your products. You’ll also need to choose the right product categories and create professional-looking product images.
How Much Should You Charge for Card Decks?
Printable card decks can boost your income because they create passive income: you make them once and can sell them as many times as you want to. The question is, how much should you be charging for the card decks you create?
The answer isn’t as simple as it might seem. The range of prices for printable card decks on Etsy starts at less than $1 and goes up to between $6 and $7. You can charge more if you want to but be aware that your cards will need to be special if you want people to pay a high price for them. Bundling products allows you to charge higher prices than selling them as stand-alone items.
You’ll also need to remember that unless you sell cards on your own site, you’ll pay a fee to list them for sale. Most online marketplaces charge a percentage, but a few charge a flat fee.
You may also want to consider the cost of advertising your tarot and oracle decks. Advertising may increase your sales, but it’s an additional cost, too. You can check out our post, Managing Expenses and Profits for Your Online Printables Shop, for more pointers about how to set prices.
Creating oracle and tarot decks is something that doesn’t require a big time investment up front. Because you can use the same template for each card in the deck, you can create a new deck in just a few hours. If you want to jump-start your card creation process, check out Understanding Tarot & Oracle Decks for Personal Growth, where you can get access to DFY decks to personalize and sell!
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