The deck is available on both Etsy and Gamecrafter. The history behind this fact is that Gamecrafter is the company that prints our deck, and they also offer a print on demand option. Originally we only offered it there, but few people could find it beyond people connected to Walter or I in some way. There are many other self-published oracle decks on Etsy, so I wanted to try offering it there to try to share it with more people.
Using Etsy also allowed us to offer other packaging and presentation options than were available on Gamecrafter. One of the main differences lies in the guidebook. Gamecrafter does not print bound books, only stapled booklets, each of which can have a maximum of 40 pages. Walter went through heroic measures to fit his writing into three 40 page booklets that could be included with the deck! They are the same size as the cards, 2.75 x 4.75 inches, so they are a great option if you want a compact package to carry with you. However, the print is very tiny, and there are no pictures (there wasn't space for that!).
On Etsy we now offer a guidebook printed as a single bound book that is 4.25 x 6.75 inches with larger print, and the interpretations for each card start at the top of the page and include a thumbnail picture of the card to make it easier to look it up. Hopefully the following photos will clarify the differences between the options for the guidebook.
In addition, Etsy allowed for alternate means of packaging the deck. Many people like to carry their decks in pouches, so I designed a pouch specifically for our deck which I offer on Etsy. To provide a box to keep the deck and larger book in, I came up with a wood box that the whole package will fit in. I buy the boxes unfinished, and use a woodburning tool to draw a modified version of the card back on the top of the box, then I varnish it. The box is meant to provide an attractive resting place for the deck in the pouch along with the book.
Below are the options for purchasing the deck:
Etsy Options:
1) Deck with Pouch includes:
109 card deck
Velvet drawstring pouch (many color choices)
Pdf file of guidebook
2) Deck with Pouch and Book includes:
109 card deck
Velvet drawstring pouch (many color choices)
Pdf file of guidebook
Printed guidebook
3) Complete Kit includes:
109 card deck
Velvet drawstring pouch (many color choices)
Pdf file of guidebook
Printed guidebook
Wood Box
Gamecrafter Options:
1) Cards Only includes:
109 card deck
2) Boxed Set includes:
109 card deck
Printed chipboard box
Printed guidebook divided into three 40 page booklets 2.75 x 4.75
NOTE ON THE COST: The main reason this deck is more expensive than many other decks is that it is a large deck, 109 cards, compared to 78 for a Tarot deck, or around 30 - 50 for many other Oracle decks. As a result, it costs significantly more for us to have them printed and shipped. Not something we thought about when we were creating it, but we had to let it be the size it wanted to be!
Also note if you visit the Gamecrafter site, the prices listed there do NOT include shipping, which was close to $9 last time I checked. The prices on Etsy DO include shipping. The large differences in price between the various options on Etsy are partly due to the costs of printing the book and creating the box, and partly due to the cost of shipping. For example the Complete Kit costs us about $12 - $15 to ship, depending on where you live, while the Deck with Pouch costs less than half that much to ship. These expenses are determined by USPS, not by us, and are included in the listed prices.
