Legendarium: Tarot and Playing cards (KS)

[rousselle]

PS: these decks arrived in the DSwhatever carat case box (plus the tarot deck itself in what appears to be a similar box made to fit exactly. Nice touch.) and featured a new labeling scheme to identify which is which. The labels come off easily by simply peeling away the protective film on the carat case.

I've opened up one deck so far (the error deck), and it is gorgeous. Looking forward to opening the standard deck next, and the limited the day after that, followed by the Tarot for the grand finish. I'm such a tease. But, as always, top notch production values. And the gilding is super sweet.

[montenzi]

Yes, it was the DS1 from Carat Case Creations, along with generic plastic cases for the LTD decks. I'll be using this product every time I have new decks printed in China.The tarot deck sleeve wasn’t produced by CCC due to MOQ. This case is a must since my fulfillment center is very good, but they don't specialize in playing card fulfillment and aren’t as careful as Gamblers Warehouse. There's always some space in the box, so the decks can move inside. That said, after sending more than 600 parcels, I haven’t received any reports of damaged decks. We had two minor manufacturing defects on the tarot boxes, and I’ve seen one bad cut on a Limited deck. That's all for now.

By the way, if you opened the Error edition, you’ll find it's basically the same deck as the Limited one, with the only difference being the misprinted cards.

P.S. That plastic case for the LTD deck was originally designed and first produced by CCC! While it's now available through other sales channels, it was a CCC invention.

[montenzi]

I plan to reprint this deck by November, as I've received a lot of requests about how to purchase it. The reprint will be produced without the new coin and without gilding. We'll also release a mini version of the deck (60*95mm), which will be available as an add-on to our upcoming collab (tarot) in September/October. Additionally, a mini version will be produced for our new tarot deck.

The new reprinted version will be more affordable, and Kickstarter backers will receive an additional discount. Starting now, tarot decks are our priority. By the way, we have around 50 Vintage Edition Legendarium decks in stock, but I’m not sure if we’ll reprint them.

We also have a poker deck in progress for that tarot project, but it's not finished yet as the line work still needs to be colored. It will be available in one standard edition only (TBC). But we could still create at least four different editions if you want — gilded, with foil, four back designs, and price them at $30 per deck... Just kidding!

P.S. The true moment of happiness: nobody is selling this tarot deck on eBay.

We decided to update one card: "The Wheel of Fortune."

lg-fortune.png (982.74 KiB) Viewed 742 times

[felicityk]

I plan to reprint this deck by November, as I've received a lot of requests about how to purchase it. The reprint will be produced without the new coin and without gilding. We'll also release a mini version of the deck (60*95mm), which will be available as an add-on to our upcoming collab (tarot) in September/October. Additionally, a mini version will be produced for our new tarot deck.

I could even be persuaded to add on the mini deck. Looking forward to the project launch!

[KGthePrince]

Legendarium was my project of 2023. The tarot deck in particular was next level. Whatever your next collab is, I'm in.

[KingfisherZero]

One of the finest decks (especially the tarot) I have received this year. Just stunning work. I can't wait for the next deck!

[montenzi]

KS update regarding 27 delayed parcels (hopefully you’re not on the list):

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mo ... ts/4215892

[montenzi]

PRE-ORDER is now open!

https://montenzi.nz/collections/playing-cards

[brownsl]

$22 for shipping for 2 of the bundles has given me pause.

[kevork]

Let me make sure I understand:

The difference between these and the KS is that there is a different card in the tarot deck and a new pocket version was released? Just want to make sure, but if shipping is $22 to the US, I would also hesitate too.

[montenzi]

$22 for shipping for 2 of the bundles has given me pause.

That's fine, I understand. In short – if you already have the KS deck, you don’t need this. However, feel free to order the Pocket edition, as the shipping cost will be the same (shipping from China vs. from USA). You don’t even need the guidebook (extra fee), as the only description we changed was for "The Wheel of Fortune," and this text is currently available in the tarot product description. Also, in your case, you're saving $10 compared to retail.

Here is some insight about shipping:

One Standard deck weighs 450g, and one Pocket deck is 200g, making a total of 650g. Two bundles (four decks) would weigh 1.3kg (2.86lb).

There are a couple of ways to adjust for shipping fees:

1. Offer free shipping (with the shipping cost included in the price). In this case, the price would be $32.75 for the Standard deck and $19.95 for the Pocket deck, but only if I offer a two-bundles product. If I only sell one bundle, I can afford to price them at $34.95 and $21.95, respectively. This approach doesn't work well for single product purchases. For a single product with "free" shipping, I would need to set the prices at $38 for the Standard and $24 for the Pocket.

The issue with this approach is that the USA is the most expensive destination (with the exception of Iceland), so buyers from other countries will pay less for shipping. Based on my experience, my best-selling destination is likely to be Europe/UK.

2. Offer flat-rate shipping, which is what I currently do on my site. If I fulfilled this project from the USA, I would follow standard Gamblers Warehouse rates as the difference is quite substantial. Right now, I charge $7 for an unlimited number of decks, but I compensate for the full rate by offering a virtual $1 discount per deck. Or I can adjust the prices to cover this excessive shipping cost.

By the way, current rates for fulfillment from China are THE SAME as if I used Gamblers for up to 8 poker sized decks/800g/1.76lb. The difference shows up after that: for example, shipping 10 (1kg) decks costs $3.40 more, 11 decks cost $4.45 more, and 12 decks (one brick) cost $6.45 more. Your question gave me one idea so most likely, I will adjust my rates by $1-2 for weight over 1kg

So, if you order one bundle, you'd pay the same. But hold on—no way!!!!! I basically need to ship these decks to the USA first, and even using a slow boat, it will add an extra $3–4 per 12 poker sized decks (1.2kg) or the equivalent of two bundles. Then, I'll also need to cover additional fees like customs duties and storage, which could add up quickly. Remember, I can still charge $7 flat rate, but I will compensate another $10-15 by charging more for decks.

You would have ended up paying basically the same OR MORE, even without knowing about these extra fees.

Another comment about the tarot market: there are generally two or three categories of decks based on availability—"mass market" and "indie market." Our decks technically fall under the mass market category based on pricing, but in reality, they belong more to the indie market, where the average deck starts at $40 (as seen on Kickstarter). You can also find most of the mass market decks priced between $20 and $27 on Amazon, but their quality is often questionable. While you may get free shipping with those, I cannot realistically compete with free Amazon shipping. I can still consider Amazon as one of my sales channels.

This deck is probably not for collectors; most people buy this tarot to open and use. For them, the price is very reasonable, especially for countries outside the U.S., where shipping is significantly more expensive compared to my offer. The Pocket version is priced almost like a poker deck, and I use thick playing card stock (Chinese Blue core) with a linen finish for this deck.

Let me make sure I understand:

The difference between these and the KS is that there is a different card in the tarot deck and a new pocket version was released? Just want to make sure, but if shipping is $22 to the US, I would also hesitate too.

One bundle (two decks) is $14.95; the shipping cost is the same from the U.S. (GW rates). It makes no sense to fulfill it from there, as it will be even more expensive, as I explained above.

Differences compared to the first edition:
In this release, we’ve updated 'The Wheel of Fortune' card, removed the gilding, and the coin will no longer be included. The quality and materials (except for gilding) remain exactly the same as in the first release.

[Honeybee]

$22 for shipping for 2 of the bundles has given me pause.

2 bundles is pretty much the equivalent of 3 full size decks. Getting 3 decks sent to Australia from the US for $22 is no longer a given anymore so I consider $22 for NZ to the US, pretty good.

I did not participate in the recent X-Decks sale as
A 1 deck order was $20us postage
2 decks jumped to $37
It stayed at $37 up to 6 decks But at 7 decks it went up to $59us !!!

[montenzi]

2 bundles is pretty much the equivalent of 3 full size decks. Getting 3 decks sent to Australia from the US for $22 is no longer a given anymore so I consider $22 for NZ to the US, pretty good.

I did not participate in the recent X-Decks sale as
A 1 deck order was $20us postage
2 decks jumped to $37
It stayed at $37 up to 6 decks But at 7 decks it went up to $59us !!!

Two bundles to Australia (12 poker decks) - $11.97, one bundle (2 tarot decks or 6 poker decks) - $9.95
Two bundles to South Korea - $7.85, and $6.57 for one
For Canada, rates are the same as for the USA.

Before starting marketing, UC gave me some ideas so I am tweaking shipping rates at the moment. For some countries, I'll be using semi-flat rate options.

P.S. Full disclosure: I know at least two other methods for manipulating shipping rates, and I will be using them, especially for Kickstarter. Don't be surprised if you find some rates are unreasonably low for your destination. It just means that you are still paying full shipping rates, but in a different way. I always pay slightly more for shipping on average than what you pay me, so low shipping rates are just marketing and my attempt to make shipping costs relatively fair. For this reason, I'll be using a weight-based system for my next Kickstarter, so you will pay for shipping after the campaign. Rates will be available in advance, and they will be better than before (except for the U.S., perhaps).

[Honeybee]

When I was talking about bundles, I was meaning what brownsl was referring to ie your bundle of a standard and a mini.
Looking back at the posts now, I see you list a standard deck as 450g, that is pretty heavy when you consider a standard poker deck is only about 100g (Isn't it? I am holidaying so cannot check)

[montenzi]

When I was talking about bundles, I was meaning what brownsl was referring to ie your bundle of a standard and a mini.
Looking back at the posts now, I see you list a standard deck as 450g, that is pretty heavy when you consider a standard poker deck is only about 100g (Isn't it? I am holidaying so cannot check)

They are not poker decks. The standard tarot deck weighs 450g. Any mention of poker decks is just for reference. One bundle—two tarot decks (standard and pocket versions)—weighs 650g, but it will be even heavier with the shipping box. One package will be at least 750g. Oh yes, I completely forgot to mention—I calculate all rates based on this, adding 100g for the shipping box automatically per order, so it's actually 750-800g for one bundle. I was just referring to the product's weight. It is indeed heavy. And yes, one bundle is heavier than six poker decks.

p.s. current shipping rates to Australia (1 unit = 100g = 1 poker deck):

1: $6.98
2-3: $7.95
4-5: $8.95
6: $9.95
7-9: $10.95
10-12: $11.97
13-17: $13.95
18-19: $14.95
20: $18.95
21-24: $19.95

[montenzi]

The decks are currently in production (not with Kingstar, as no one from that company contacted me or offered help to complete the project). Ironically, the only person helping me is my former project manager, who was let go by Kingstar—quite amusing given the comments from Kingstar representatives. She has invested her time, effort, and even her own money to help me finish it.

I received photos last week, and the decks are scheduled for assembly within the next 1–2 weeks. Pre-orders are still open, with around 150 decks pre-ordered so far.