Great question—everything is on point and timely. I'll share my perspective on this, not just as a designer or collector but also as a retailer, as I own the largest playing card shop in New Zealand.
You described the situation pretty much as it is right now. When you mentioned doing the same volume with fewer releases, I can even guess that you've started selling more T11 decks.
The main issue is that the playing card market isn’t scalable. There’s only a limited number of people who are genuinely interested in it, and the only way to grow the market is by targeting casual buyers who make impulse purchases, either for themselves or as gifts. These buyers are mostly interested in the theme or brand of the deck. And what are the decks that appeal to a broader (and less limited) audience? Exactly, it’s everything T11 offers. Right now, this is the only viable business strategy—creating products that have a broad appeal. Another great example of this is The Lord of the Rings by KWP. Both are doing the right things.
The number of releases has decreased, and the reason is consistent—currently, decks can only be produced as passion projects rather than as viable businesses, which is the approach taken by 95% of designers. Of course, not everyone falls into this category. There is a second group of designers who focus solely on releasing high-quality products; however, they must launch multiple releases throughout the year, with each one meeting exceptional quality standards. These projects need to be large-scale, and achieving that is extremely challenging. While it is possible to launch these projects primarily through Kickstarter, it requires an inordinate amount of effort to sell the remaining stock afterward. Essentially, the process involves offering the deck on Kickstarter and then clearing the remaining stock through wholesalers. Even for this group, there is little hope for retail sales that would exceed what was initially offered on Kickstarter.
The third group of designers—by far the largest—launch a few projects each year, and the only thing they get in return is disappointment if they go into it expecting to make money or treat it as a business. The key is to understand and accept that this is just a hobby, a passion. Then, everything will be fine. Personally, I view it that way—it’s a hobby.
Now, let's talk about distribution. Why are there fewer projects? Not long ago, I shared my thoughts on this forum regarding the numerous sales by Murphy's Magic, which have led to sites like SoCal dumping decks at prices lower than wholesale because MM cannot sell them. While customers may be happy, there are significant consequences to consider. It would be one thing if these were clearly low-quality decks, but they are not. You are well aware of the top-quality projects available at bargain prices. This situation reinforces what I mentioned earlier—there is little hope for retail sales after Kickstarter, primarily because the market is limited. Given this context, what kind of mindset would one need to support such practices?
Personally, I've made my decision: I have no intention of going down that path again—I simply won't offer anything wholesale. If I ever do, it will be a rare exception. For a $1-2 profit from selling wholesale, all you're really getting is a headache.
On one hand, I understand that fewer options in retail shops can lead to decreased profitability and diminish the appeal of their businesses. On the other hand, until the issue of blatant disrespect for creators' work—such as deep discounts and overstock dumping—is addressed, the number of releases distributed through wholesale will keep declining. Moreover, if a wholesaler can't sell, for instance, 1,000 decks, why not simply order 100 from the designer? Lately, I’ve noticed they’ve been ordering far fewer decks than they used to, which is a good sign. But it also supports my point—if you don't know how to sell what you print, it's better not to print at all or only print what you can realistically manage on your own.
As for the issue of self-distribution, I've conducted numerous tests using advertising. Yes, it often works, it works for me, but it's not for everyone. And as I mentioned, it's not scalable. You simply can't keep spending more and more on advertising because there are limits to demand. Otherwise, I would be happy to spend even $1,000 a day if it generated at least $2,000 in sales. But the market limits are much smaller.
In conclusion, I wish everyone the best. The key is to avoid inflated expectations and to focus on doing what you enjoy; everything else is secondary. Sometimes it’s better to focus on small projects and be happy than to strive for big ones and feel dissatisfied.
P.S. I highly recommend reading everything that Ben from Elephants Playing Cards has shared on this forum recently and on his Instagram a couple of years ago. He is probably one of the best in this business (if you treat it as a business), and his insights are incredibly valuable and may be eye-opening for some.
new colorway of a previous release
THIS WEEKEND ONLY NEVER TO BE PRINTED AGAIN
