I’ve been getting emails about a lot of counterfeit copies of the Forager’s Daughter Tarot on various websites like Temu, AliExpress, Amazon, Shein, and even Etsy. This has been a huge problem for a while in the indie tarot community, and unfortunately, it’s now affecting my work in a big way as well.
I know many of you are aware of these awful practices, but for anyone not familiar with what's been going on I wanted to share a quick announcement on what to look out for when you see The Forager’s Daughter tarot (and any other deck, really) on any of those other sites. With some of these listings, it's getting harder and harder to spot the fakes as they copy images directly from the creator's websites. There are a few tell-tale signs that I'll share below.
First, I want to clarify that I am the only authorized seller of the FD Tarot. If you aren’t getting it through The Forager's Daughter website or Etsy shop, it is most likely a counterfeit. Of course there are people selling their own personal copies (which is totally fine!), but otherwise, those are the two places where an authentic deck can be purchased.
The second thing to note is that the authentic FD Tarot comes with a full-sized, hardcover guidebook. I sell the cards and the book as a set, not individually. There are no digital copies of the guidebook available (especially not through a QR code), and any deck being sold without the physical guidebook is, most likely, a counterfeit.
The third thing to be aware of is the style of box the cards come in. All editions of the tarot deck, including the first and second editions with dark borders (which is now out of print, so definitely a scam if you see new circulations of these), come in a hard box, either a two-piece with thumb-cut or the magnetic clamshell style. If you look closely at the listing photos on these counterfeit sites, you can see the folded edges of the tuck box (I have more images as an example further down). The FD Tarot is not sold in a tuck box!
The main issue - These counterfeit companies are stealing my, and other creators’, intellectual property that we have worked so hard to design and produce. It’s a direct violation of copyright laws. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to get these false copies removed, for many reasons.
The other issue - Aside from the fact that they are excluding crucial information that comes in the guidebooks, the quality of the deck is far lower, and will not hold up well to time. Cardstock is thin and flimsy, the printing is misaligned, and the cards are typically much, much smaller than the standard tarot size.
What should you do if you suspect you have a counterfeit deck?
If you accidentally bought a counterfeit deck without knowing, first - don’t beat yourself up! It is getting harder to tell the difference in shop listing photos between real and counterfeit decks.
What you choose to do with that deck is completely up to you. Some people prefer to gift them or give them to thrift shops. I’ve heard of some cases where the cards were used in art or collage pieces or as small gift cards to friends and family. You might wish to keep the deck and use it as normal, and that’s okay too. Reading tarot is about the energy you put into it.
If you don’t want to use the counterfeit deck, you can find another that calls to you or find the creator/publisher of that deck and purchase an authentic copy directly from them.
At the very least, you should report the seller/shop that you received the deck from if you’re able to. This helps to get those fake listing taken down so that others don't fall victim.
Here are a few examples of fake listings I've come across:
You can see how messed up the coloring is in the card images, and the folded edges of the paper tuck box. Also - NO actual company or seller is listing their tarot deck for $0.99 - that should be a huge red flag!
This is the previous, dark border edition that is currently out of print. I am not printing more of this edition, and don't have any copies left in stock, so if you see this version floating around, be cautious. Again, note the folded edges of the tuck box.
An image of a manufacturer's sticker on the back of a counterfeit deck. I do not put any labels or stickers on my tarot decks, they do not have bar codes or QR codes. So please avoid any copies that have big stickers like this on them!