Sources for Purchasing Tarot Decks
Tarot Publishers
US Games Systems
U.S. Games Systems is the largest publisher of Tarot decks in the U.S. Most of the popular decks are either published or distributed by them. If you want a popular deck and can't find it anywhere else, this is the place to look. They also have books, playing cards, games, and Tarot accessories.
LLewellyn Publications
In addition to the many decks published by Llewellyn, including the popular Sacred Circle deck, they also hold the franchise for distributing Lo Scarabeo decks in the U.S. They publish books, calendars, and other Tarot accessories. Their web site has an interesting free tarot reading section, that showcases their most popular decks.
AGMuller Tarot
AGMuller, also known simply as AGM, is the publisher and printer of many of the world's best known Tarot decks. Although U.S. Games Systems distributes many of these decks, they usually only have decks in English, while AGM has them available in several languages. I tend to like decks in languages other than English, partly because it adds a bit of mystery and charm, but also because most Americans don't read languages other than English, and therefore the keywords that appear on many decks, including the Crowley Thoth, are indecipherable to them. This gives the reader a bit more freedom in interpreting the cards without confusion and argument. Also, there are quite a few decks that are not available in English, and others, such as the Arcus Arcanum and the Yeager, that are no longer available through U.S. distribution, but can still be ordered directly from AGM.
Lo Scarabeo Tarot Decks
Lo Scarabeo is probably the world's leading publisher of artistic Tarot decks. They publish everything from reproductions of ancient decks such as the Mantegna and Visconti, to thoroughly modern interpretations like the bizarre Bosch Tarot and the erotic Decamerone. All of their decks are top quality in artwork and physical production. They are distributed in the U.S. by Llewellyn.
Tarot Masters (Camoin House)
I have elsewhere referred to the Tarot of Marseilles as "indescribably ugly," and I stand by that. Originally published by Nicholas Conver in the 1700's, the deck has gone through many reinterpretations and revisions, but all retain the original unappealing artwork. Until now. Conver's printing business still exists, having changed its name through marriage to Camoin House. Philippe Camoin, the current owner, teamed up with French Tarot expert and movie director Alexandre Jodorowsky to restore the deck to its original artistic state. These guys cheated -- they have Conver's original plates, as well as his notes on the deck, and using sophisticated computer graphics were able to produce a deck that overcomes the profound ugliness of other productions, and turn it into a jewel among the classical style decks. You can only obtain this deck, as far as I know, by ordering directly from Camoin House via their web site. They have an English section, and a pay service something like Paypal. I had no trouble ordering from them, and I'm glad I did. If I were going to do readings for other people, this is probably the deck I would use. Highly recommended for fans of classical style decks.
Shops Selling Tarot Decks
Alida
As far as I can tell, this is absolutely the best Tarot store in the world. They are located in the Republic of San Marino, a small city state near Italy's Adriatic coast. They claim to have 500 decks, and I believe them. They carry everything from Lo Scarabeo, including their art editions, AGMuller, and U.S. Games Systems. But that's only the beginning. They carry decks from Italian publishers that produce some of the most beautiful decks in existence: Il Meneghello, Italcards, Solleone, dal Negro, and de Vecchi (publishers of the incredible I Tarocchi Celtici di Laura Tuan), to name a few. Many of these publishers are out of business, but you can still get their decks here. The real kicker is that their prices are so low that even with the shipping, it is often still cheaper to buy from them than from U.S. houses. Considering the prices of regular Tarot decks these days, for the same money as an RWS or just a little more, you can have a deck from Alida that is truly a masterpiece of art and divinatory power. They give excellent service, speak fluent English, accept major credit cards, and ship via registered air mail. My packages from them arrive here (California) within 10 days. You won't find a better selection, better prices, or better service anywhere. They also carry crystals, incense, and other supplies and accessories. Oh yes, this is where you can get that $50 Black Tarot for about $13 (item # fr009).
Trigono Tarots
Trigono is located in Italy, and like Alida, they carry many hard to find decks as well as in print titles from Lo Scarabeo and others. Their prices are a little higher than Alida in some cases, but still quite reasonable. I mention them because they have some of the rare decks that Alida does not have. They claim to deliver your merchandise anywhere in the world within 3-4 days.
Update: Apparently defunct.
R. Somerville Playing Cards
This is the "Alida" of northern Europe. They carry a wide selection of cards from publishers in the U.K., including Rider, and Piatnik in Austria, as well as others. If you are looking for decks from smaller publishers in the U.K., this is a good place to look.
Tarot Garden
This is an online Tarot shop in the U.S. with an incredible collection of decks. They actually have some of the rare ones you have only heard of, albeit at a price. Their web site has a searchable database, along with pictures and other data on their decks, and promotional offers on soon-to-be-released items.
Mythos Books
While this shop focuses primarily on the works of H.P. Lovecraft, and other authors whose works relate to his stories, they carry one item you won't find anywhere else: The Lovecraft Tarot. The newly released second edition, done in sepia tones and with some changes in content from the first edition, is now available from them.
The Bodhi Tree
If you live in the L.A. area, this is a good place to go looking for Tarot decks, and other spiritual supplies. Their focus is mostly on Eastern traditions as the name implies, but they have books from just about every spiritual discipline. You can find homeopathic medical texts from India, books by Joseph Campbell, and even some books relating to the Golden Dawn -- pretty much everything you can imagine, and then some. The advantage to visiting the shop is that you can actually see and browse through various decks before you buy.
Amazon.com
Yep, you can buy Tarot decks and related books at Amazon. They don't carry the exotic and hard to find decks, but they do have just about everything from U.S. Games Systems and Llewellyn, plus decks published by St. Martins and others. They often heavily discount their decks, up to 50% in some cases, so it pays to look here if you are after a popular deck.
Eye of the Cat
The Eye of the Cat in Long Beach, CA does sell Tarot decks, but that is not my main reason for mentioning them here. Diviners often use other supplies to enhance their readings, including candles, oils, incenses, and so forth, and the products carried by, or made at, the shop are absolutely the best made, period. I worked there many, many years ago, and I can tell you from personal experience that their stuff is for real. They make incenses the way you would make them, if you had hundreds of herbs, oils, and other ingredients to choose from. You probably don't, but they do, and there is just no comparison between their products and the commercial (junk) products sold elsewhere.
This list is not, nor is it meant to be, an exhaustive list of all merchants dealing in Tarot and related supplies. It is a list of those I have personal knowledge of. I encourage you to visit local merchants, if there are any near where you live, because you will get much more personal service from them. It is important to support your local shops, even if their prices are a bit higher than the internet houses. In these days of major chains swallowing up local businesses, the problem many people have discovered is that once the locals are gone, if the big chain decides not to carry an item (as fans of Cheryl Crow discovered), you just can't get it at all. Local merchants mean a better selection of products for you, along with personal service and advice.
Back to home page.
