Selling tarot readings on Etsy can be a rewarding and profitable venture for those with a passion for divination and spiritual guidance. As a platform known for unique and handcrafted items, Etsy provides an excellent opportunity for tarot readers to reach a global audience. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the process of setting up and running a successful tarot reading business on Etsy, from creating your shop to marketing your services and managing customer relationships.
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Yes, you can sell tarot readings on Etsy — but only under two conditions Etsy states explicitly. The reading must include a tangible good, such as photos of the spread, an audio or video recording, or the written text of the reading, delivered through Etsy Messages or email. And the listing must not advertise a metaphysical outcome: no promising love, money, luck, a job, or the resolution of a legal or relationship situation. Readings are listed as made-to-order digital items. Get either condition wrong and the listing comes down.
What Etsy's policy actually says
Etsy's Services house rule opens with the general position that services are not allowed on Etsy; only services producing a new tangible item that meet Etsy's criteria may be sold. Divination readings appear in the allowed column under a heading that is itself the rule: Divination Readings that Do Not Advertise Metaphysical Outcomes. Etsy's wording is that tarot, psychic, or other divination readings must include a tangible good — photos of the tarot spread, audio/video of a reading, or text of the reading — and that the tangible good may be delivered through Etsy Messages or email.
The same policy lists Metaphysical Services as prohibited outright. The named examples are Reiki and distance healing, spellcasting, prayers, rituals, and — the clause that catches most tarot sellers — items that advertise a metaphysical outcome, such as attracting wealth, love, gambling luck, more business, employment opportunities, or assistance with legal or relationship situations.
The distinction is clean once you see it. You may sell an interpretation delivered as a real artefact. You may not sell an effect on the world.
| Allowed framing | Prohibited framing |
|---|---|
| "Three-card written reading on your career question, 800+ words, PDF" | "Career success reading — manifest your dream job" |
| "Celtic Cross spread with photo of the cards and 10-minute audio" | "Money-drawing tarot ritual" |
| "Love-themed tarot reading, video recording of the spread" | "Bring your ex back reading — guaranteed results" |
Two adjacent prohibitions matter too. Etsy's prohibited Professional Services category includes personal therapy, tutoring, training, and coaching, so a listing framed as "tarot therapy" or "spiritual coaching sessions" is out on separate grounds. And listings whose purpose is transferring money — tips, gratuities, donations — are prohibited, so a "tip your reader" listing is not permitted.
Setting the listing up correctly
A reading is a made-to-order digital item. In the listing flow, choose Digital files as the item type, then set "When did you make it?" to Made To Order. No file is attached at listing time. When you have completed the reading, you go to Shop Manager → Orders, check the order, choose Complete order, and upload the finished file — up to five files at 20MB each. The buyer is notified by email that the download is ready.
Three constraints to design around:
- 20MB per file is tight for video. A 10-minute 1080p screen recording routinely exceeds it. Either export at 720p with a lower bitrate, deliver audio (an MP3 at 128kbps runs roughly 1MB per minute), or send the video by email and attach the written summary and spread photo as the Etsy files.
- Five files maximum. A workable set: the written reading as PDF, a photo of the spread, and an audio file — three slots, room to spare.
- Digital listings cannot use variations. A one-card, three-card, and Celtic Cross reading must be three separate listings, not a dropdown.
You collect the buyer's question through the listing's personalisation field. Cap it — a 256-character limit forces a focused question and protects your turnaround time.
Turnaround, scope, and refunds
Made-to-order orders sit open in your queue until you complete them, and buyers judge you on how long that takes. State a specific window in the listing — "delivered within 48 hours" or "within 5 business days" — and set it to what you can hit on your worst week, not your best.
Then bound the scope in writing, in the description, above the fold:
- How many cards, and which spread.
- Approximate word count of the written reading, or the length of the audio. "Approximately 700–900 words" is a promise you can keep; "detailed reading" is not.
- Exactly what files the buyer receives and how.
- Whether follow-up questions are included, and if so how many.
- Your refund position. Etsy does not require digital sellers to accept returns, but you must state a policy. Many readers state that completed readings are non-refundable and offer a re-reading instead where a buyer is genuinely dissatisfied.
The disclaimer, and why it is not optional
Include a clear statement in every listing that readings are provided for entertainment and personal reflection, that no specific outcome is promised, and that they are not a substitute for medical, legal, financial, or psychological advice. This does two jobs at once: it keeps you inside Etsy's no-metaphysical-outcomes rule, and it is the standard consumer-protection language that fortune-telling regulations in some US municipalities and other jurisdictions expect. Local rules on divination services genuinely vary — some places license or restrict it — so check your own.
Practical corollary: decline questions about pregnancy, medical diagnoses, death, and legal proceedings, and say so in the listing. It is both an ethical line and a straightforward way to avoid the disputes that generate refunds and bad reviews.
What Etsy takes
Etsy's published rates: $0.20 to list and 6.5% of the order total, plus 3% + $0.25 payment processing on a US bank account. On a $25 reading that is $0.20 + $1.63 + $1.00, leaving about $22.17 — roughly 89%. On a $100 order, Etsy takes about $9.95 and you keep about $90.05.
Because a reading costs you time rather than materials, the number that matters is your effective hourly rate. A $25 reading that takes 45 minutes to draw, interpret, write, and deliver nets under $30 an hour before tax. Price against the clock, not against the cheapest listing on the first page.
One more line item: sales attributed to Offsite Ads carry an additional 15% of the order total, falling to 12% once a shop has made $10,000 in any consecutive 365-day period — and past that threshold participation becomes mandatory for the life of the shop.
What does not work
- Spell work, hexes, curse removals, blessings, and distance healing. Explicitly prohibited.
- Outcome language in titles and tags. "Manifest," "attract," "guaranteed," "results," "bring back," "win" — these are exactly the words the policy names.
- Live sessions with no artefact. A Zoom call with nothing delivered afterwards fails the tangible-good requirement. Record it, or send a written summary.
- Selling crystals or herbs as spell components. Etsy's Services policy is specific that resold commercial spell work items do not qualify as seller-sourced craft supplies. A vintage spell book or a crystal you handpicked from nature can qualify; a bulk-bought "prosperity kit" cannot.
- Testimonials that imply outcomes. Quoting a review saying "I got the job two weeks later" in your listing description reintroduces the outcome claim the policy prohibits.
- Racing to $3 readings. After fees you keep about $2.27, and the time cost is unchanged.
Common questions
Are tarot readings allowed on Etsy?
Yes, with conditions. Etsy's Services policy permits divination readings that do not advertise metaphysical outcomes, provided the reading includes a tangible good — photos of the spread, audio or video, or the text of the reading — delivered via Etsy Messages or email. Metaphysical services such as spellcasting, rituals, prayers, and distance healing are prohibited.
How much does Etsy take from a $100 sale?
About $9.95 on a US Etsy Payments account: a $0.20 listing fee, $6.50 at the 6.5% transaction rate, and $3.25 in processing at 3% + $0.25. Roughly $90 reaches you, less another 15% if the sale came through Offsite Ads.
Are tarot readings on Etsy legit?
Readings vary in quality as any human service does. What Etsy does provide is a review system, order records, and its Purchase Protection framework. The structural signals worth reading are turnaround time stated in the listing, a specific description of what is delivered, review count and how recent the reviews are, and the presence of a clear entertainment disclaimer — which indicates a seller who has read the policy. Any listing promising a guaranteed outcome is both a quality signal and a policy violation.
Can you make $10,000 a month on Etsy selling readings?
It is very hard, because readings do not scale — each one costs you time. At $25 a reading and roughly $22 net, $10,000 a month means about 450 readings, or 15 a day, every day. The readers who approach those figures typically add products that do scale: pre-recorded courses, printed spread guides, and digital downloads alongside the one-to-one work.
Can I offer a free reading to attract reviews?
Etsy prohibits listings whose purpose is transferring money and prohibits social media services including paid reviews. A genuinely free or discounted listing is permitted, but a review obtained in exchange for a free product should never be solicited as a condition of the transaction.
Tarot readings are for entertainment and personal reflection and are not a substitute for professional medical, legal, financial, or psychological advice. Etsy's policies and fee rates change — verify current terms against Etsy's own documentation, and check the rules that apply to divination services where you live.