How to Spot a Fake Tarot Deck: 7 Signs to Check Before You Buy
Fake tarot decks are everywhere right now. I’ve seen them online and at trade shows, and even being used by unsuspecting individuals. They show up on the big marketplaces at a fraction of the real price, printed cheaply, often without the original guidebook, or a QR code in its place, with no money going to the original artist who made the deck. This is a prevalent issue, particularly with independent artists and independently published decks.
This is why, at the Water Moon Shop, we work directly with publishers and artists to ensure that what you receive is an authentic deck. So here is how to tell a counterfeit from the real thing before you spend your money.
Look closely at the print quality.
A genuine deck is printed with sharper colors that don’t appear washed out. Counterfeits are usually scanned copies of original decks or copies of other counterfeit decks, so the art loses detail and vividness. Watch for blurry lines, colors that look either washed out or overly bright, and areas where the image does not line up with the edge of the card. And in some cases, text print that is off, upside down, or even cut off. If the art looks soft or slightly pixelated up close, you are probably holding a copy.
Another important detail to note is that counterfeits often omit the original gilt or matte edges and the deck details intentionally printed on the original.
Feel the cardstock.
A real deck has weight and a smooth, silky, matte, or laminated finish that is evenly distributed. Fakes tend to use thin, flimsy card stock with a cheap glossy coating, some with no coating at all. The cards are, more often than not, smaller than the original, or standard size. I see a lot of counterfeits that are poker size, which is 2.5” x 3.5”. The standard Tarot size is 2.75” x 4.75”. Copies of Oracle decks are a bit easier to spot since most oracle decks use larger cards, 3.5” x 5”. For example, The Moonology Oracle is a popular mass-market deck printed on 3.5” x 5” cards; there are poor-quality counterfeits out there printed on poker-sized cards.
The reason people do this is that it is easier and cheaper to print copies on cheap poker-sized cards because they’re more readily available and easy to access. Some POD providers also offer poker-sized cards. It is important to note that the overall quality of these cards isn’t as good, causing them to stick together and bend easily at the corners. Especially if they’re printed quickly and cheaply.
Check the box and packaging.
This is one of the most obvious tell-tale signs of a counterfeit. Counterfeit boxes are usually lightweight, flimsy, tuck boxes (folds at the top) that are much smaller; remember the poker-sized cards? Those cards go in a poker-sized tuck box; this is the size you will likely find them in, with faded or pixelated printing on the outside cover. Look for misspellings, text printed upside down, off-color, and missing details like specialty packaging and boxes. Some examples of these are two-piece lid-bottom boxes (most common), flip-lid, res,magnetic-close, or slide boxes with a flip-bottom lid, to name a few.
Some other details to look out for: the QR code on the outside of the box for the guidebook. I’ll get into this one in more detail further below.
Shrinkwrapping is also an important sign for a couple of reasons. Sloppy or loose shrinkwrapping can indicate that the person or business printing the deck doesn’t have professional equipment, the knowledge, or the care to print and crank out these copies. I’ve also seen this with decks that were opened, used, or pre-owned being sold as new “factory sealed”.
Find the creator credit.
Every legitimate mass market deck names its artist and publisher on the box. If the creator's name is missing or replaced with a generic name, it's likely not authentic. Spotting fakes becomes a little more challenging with independently published decks. Independently published decks don’t always name the artist on the cover (sometimes in the guidebook) and usually don’t have a named publisher on the back. You’ll often see the creator's name on the deck, more often on the front, but I’ve also seen it on the back. Many independent artists create their work and have it printed by a separate manufacturer. The artist markets and sells their decks independently to retailers and directly to consumers.
In some cases, it is these manufacturers that make copies of the deck and sell them out from under the artists. Because many of them are in China, Indonesia, and other countries outside the US, there is little accountability or adherence to US copyright laws. In addition to this issue, I’ve had printing manufacturers try to buy an independent artist's deck from my store, which I refused, and I created a strict company policy against selling to print manufacturing businesses. I report these attempts to the artists.
Open the guidebook.
Most real decks come with a printed guidebook inside the box. There are independent decks out there that do not include a guidebook but include information cards or ask you to purchase the guidebook separately. Authentic mass-market decks will almost always come with a printed guidebook.
Fakes will, more often than not, come with a QR code on the box to access a PDF copy of the guidebook. Or an included PDF of the guidebook via link when purchased. I’ve even seen some people just sell the scanned PDF version of the guidebook as “replacement copies”. Fake guidebooks can also include a photocopy, a printed booklet that looks like it was copied at home, or no guidebook at all. A missing or low-quality guidebook usually means the cards are fake too.
I’ve also had people offer to buy a copy of the guidebook for certain decks. Which is why I have a strict company policy against this. It is unethical.
Question a price that seems too good.
Indie decks cost what they cost because they are made in small runs by independent artists. If a deck that normally sells for fifty-five dollars is listed for fourteen, that is not a lucky find unless it is pre-owned and clearly stated as such. The deck is likely a counterfeit, and the artist sees none of it. It is the businesses or individuals making the copies, flooding the market, and benefiting from the profits. Making it difficult, if not impossible, for artists to compete in a world of mass-market decks. This is not an exaggeration.
If we want to continue to have unique art and intentional decks available to us, we must support the artists and the community that create them.
Look at who is selling it.
Check the seller before you check out. This is important, and I have fallen victim to this myself in the past, which is why I am so adamant about this topic.
When visiting a shop or seller for the first time, do your due diligence, as stated above; make sure the asking price isn’t way lower than what’s out there. You’ll often find decks priced differently due to availability, shipping, and other factors. But you aren’t going to see a legitimate $60 deck sold new for $15.
Check the listing description: is there a statement that says guidebook not included? Or a QR code provided to access the guidebook? Are there deck measurements provided? Does the description mention the creator or publisher of the deck?
Check the customer reviews. Are the customers happy with their purchase, and are they receiving what they expected? Are there customer pictures of what they have received from the seller? Is the shop or seller accessible? Do they respond to customer messages and questions?
Counterfeits often come with no sourcing information or creator info and may just include the location where it was printed. A legitimate business can tell you where a deck came from and who created it.
The short version
Do your due diligence and don’t be afraid to ask the seller questions about the deck you’re interested in. A legitimate business will have no issue answering your questions and providing information about the deck. That said, look for high-quality printing, sturdy cardstock, correct measurements, a credited creator, and a price that reflects the work.
At Water Moon Shop, I review every deck I carry and only sell indie decks with the creator's permission, obtained directly from their channels, so you never have to run this checklist yourself. You can browse the authentic decks here.
If you’ve already purchased a deck and aren’t sure about its authenticity, reach out to me. I’ll gladly verify whether your deck is genuine and provide additional details about it. I’m also available to answer any questions you may have about the decks in my store.