“Why are your decks so cheap?“
Our decks are not “cheap“; they are priced for folks who don’t have a lot of discretionary income. Our pricing reflects a fair mark-up on our costs. We don’t inflate retail pricing to cover big promotions or wholesale discounts.
Digital Gryphon Decks are printed on high quality 320gsm black core stock. A perfect weight for folks who want a blend of flexibility and strength. Heavier weight stock makes great prints for collectors. Because they are made to order in Wisconsin we can’t offer spot gilding, metallic edging or hard boxes with fully printed interiors. All nice features to have, but hardly required to make a deck usable day in and out. Our decks do include a premium UV Coating for protection.
Using a US-based Print on Demand partner means a single deck costs more than if we’d paid to have a few hundred shipped from Asia, but our decks are not designed for mass appeal. This reduces the long-term costs of using oil-powered ships or airplanes. Our packaging isn’t treated with metallic inks and foils or other petroleum-based treatments; much better for the environment.
I personally feel that no tuck box, not even those from the big publishers, is great for a deck that is well used. Hook boxes are even less sturdy, but save another ~$3 for folks who will use bags or sturdy boxes for their decks. Likewise, our decks include basic information without a fancy book. The Tarot of Sister Who** does have a 33 page .pdf available to download from The Gamecrafter after purchase.
A down side to our pricing philosophy is that we can’t cover the cost of printing and shipping out Reviewer Decks, or pay for expensive Marketing Campaigns. We rely on Word of Mouth (or Mouse, online) by folks who do appreciate our boutique decks. That being said, reviewers are encouraged to take advantage of our current promotion.
Thank you
August 2025 Update: The elimination of the ‘de minimis‘ exemption from duty on most small-value imports will not have much immediate impact on TheGameCrafter’s pricing. There may be future increases on paper stock, but there’s nothing definite to date. Exports from them to other countries may already be suffering from retaliatory tariffs; a decision made by those other countries.
Our “Full-Colour Catalogue”:
Left Column, Top to Bottom:
Tarot of Sister Who, Jumbo cards;
Sister Flirt’s Morning Meditations;
Sister Flirt Holographic Meditations.
Middle Column, Top to Bottom:
Tarot of Sister Who, standard cards;
Tarot of Sister Who, & Majors+;
Spilling Some Tea Oracle.
Right Column, Top to Bottom:
Digital Gryphon Kaleidoscope Oracle Mint Tin Edition;
DGKO Square Cards Editions (2 of 3);
The Official R&P Lyrical Oracle.
** I am not the publisher of The Tarot of Sister Who; but coordinate sales and production for a very minimal fee to support Sister’s ministry.