I have a pretty massive collection of decks, and most of the time when I’m ordering a new deck? Things go off without a hitch. I’ve ordered from a myriad of sources from publishers (such as Llewellyn, US Games, etc) and indie creators (too many to count) to metaphysical shops, individual sellers on places like Etsy and eBay, and big business booksellers (such as Amazon, Abe Books, Barnes & Noble, etc).
Sometimes there’s shipping delays. Sometimes a hitch happens.
In two specific cases, though? Small hitches became a huge issue, and in both cases I’m pretty sad that I don’t feel safe shopping with them anymore.
The Story of Magick.com
I have been shopping with this site since 2019, and especially so over the past couple of years. They have spectacular deals on decks, and sometimes offer signed copies as well. I love their site, which is easy to navigate, and always seems up to date.
And then 2024 happened.
In early February I placed an order that never arrived. I waited until April, thinking that maybe they were a bit behind. When I checked the tracking number, it said that the label had been purchased, but the package never moved. So, I contacted them at the end of March. They said they’d look into it, and I never heard back. At the end of April, my package showed up, though.
I wrote this off as a hiccup. Every business has them.
Then, my order placed on March 4th (for two decks) went through the same thing. I contacted them through email in May and was told they’d look into it. This time? Not only did I not hear back from them, but the package still never arrived. In early June, I tried to contact them via their support email again. No answer. I have tried multiple times since… and -still- no answer. I tried calling the phone number on their website, which has no human answering the phone no matter what day or time you call, and left a voicemail. Still… no answer. No package. Nada.
On May 10th, thinking this previous issue was on the way to being resolved easily, I had placed another order (for five decks). It is now June 26th and that order still sits in my account unfulfilled.
There are no pre-orders in any of these orders I’ve placed. What had once been a speedy and excellent resource for massmarket decks seems to have gone down hill. I don’t know whats going on there, but it’s pretty clear something is. I have ended up disputing both the last two orders that have not been received with my credit card company. Hopefully I can get my money back.
The Story of Dark Synevyr
We’re going to roll back to 2022 for this one. Or rather, that’s when I finally got it resolved. The purchases actually took place in 2020. Yes… this was a two year ordeal.
I had purchased, over an 8 month period, a total of 20 decks from this seller. In 2020 and early 2021, I tried contacting them through Etsy, which is where my purchases were originally placed and was given no answer. It was beyond Etsy’s order dispute timeline, then their shop closed down, but they were still running their website. SO… I started emailing them and trying to contact them through Instagram.
Throughout 2021 I received no answer to my inquiries. In 2022, I started being given a run around. They asked for the names and dates of each order, and said they were working on fulfillment. Except there was never any sign of fulfillment.
I eventually had a friend that was looking to place a large order with them, and was not worried about the risk involved, that reached out to them and told them she’d place her order IF they did right by me. I managed to get a refund as a result, but the fact it took such measures to get it is a serious issue.
About a year ago, I decided to try and give them a second chance. I found their new shop on Etsy (because at least there, there’s a bit of buyer protection involved) and ordered two decks. Only one arrived. I tried contacting them through Etsy with no reply or response. I finally put through a claim and was refunded for the missing deck, but I never did hear a word from Dark Synevyr about it.
Why This Post?
I think having to dispute the charges brought things to a head where my tolerance is concerned. I got taken by the later two, and had to go through some trouble and stress to get things sorted out. I’m irritated about that, and I’m still going through it where Magick.com is concerned.
So. Reminder… Sometimes a good deal really is too good to be true. Sadly, I seem to be a lesson that I’m meant to learn the hard way.
The thing is? I do enough risk taking with my money on Kickstarter. When ordering from a business, it shouldn’t be this damned hard.
Twisting the Leaf 