Alright, so I finally decided to get my hands on the James Eads tarot deck. I kept seeing it everywhere online, and the art looked just amazing, totally my vibe. But man, figuring out where to actually buy it turned into a whole little project.
Starting the Hunt Online
My first move was the obvious one: I went straight to the big online shops. I figured it would be easy. I typed in “James Eads tarot cards” and just started scrolling. I found a couple of listings pretty quick, but then I noticed something weird. The prices were all over the place. Some were a total rip-off, way higher than I expected.
I spent a good hour just comparing prices and reading seller reviews. I almost clicked buy on one, but then I saw a comment from someone saying their cards arrived all banged up. That made me pause. I didn’t want to spend all that money just to get a damaged deck.

Thinking About Local Shops
After that online mess, I thought, maybe I should try a real store. You know, somewhere I can actually see the box before I buy it. I remembered there’s a little metaphysical shop downtown that sells crystals and stuff. I gave them a call.
The guy who answered was super nice. He said they didn’t have it in stock, but he could order it for me. He gave me a price, and honestly, it was a bit more than the cheapest online price. But he promised it would be a fresh deck, and if there was any problem, I could just bring it right back. That peace of mind sounded pretty good.
Making the Decision
So I was stuck between two options:
- Option 1: Buy it online for maybe a few bucks cheaper, but risk getting a messed-up deck and deal with returns.
- Option 2: Buy it from the local shop for a little more, but support a small business and know I’m getting something legit.
In the end, I went with the local shop. I just liked the idea of knowing exactly where to go if something was wrong. I called the guy back and told him to order it for me.
Picking Them Up
A week later, he called me saying my deck had arrived. I drove over to the shop, and there it was, waiting on the counter. The box was perfect, no dents or anything. I paid for it, chatted with the owner for a minute, and walked out with my new cards. It felt really good, like a proper little errand.
So that was my whole process. It wasn’t just a click-and-buy thing. It took some digging and thinking, but I’m happy with how it turned out. Sometimes paying a little extra for no hassle is totally worth it.
