The Best Christmas Card Stores

Wednesday, March 22nd

2023 Christmas Card Store Reviews

Paper Culture

• Cost: Starting from $0.95

Paper Culture designs eco-friendly cards with trees in mind. Their mission is to inspire people "with contemporary design and sustainability". They believe that all of our actions as consumers can and must work actively toward solving the climate crisis.

Beautiful Christmas card designs

The Christmas card designs found at Paper Culture are absolutely beautiful. They are some of the classiest that we have seen and it makes browsing their collection an enjoyable experience. There are over 530 unique designs to choose from. Most cards here are customizable, meaning you can add the message and photos you want to make your Christmas card one-of-a-kind. To narrow down your options, you can filter the Christmas cards by format, number of photos, photo orientation, color, and item orientation.

100% guarantee

Customers can rest assured knowing that Paper Culture stands behind the quality of their products by offering a 100% guarantee on all of them. If customers are not happy with their order, they can get a refund. It's that simple! You have 14 days from the shipping date or 7 days from the day you received your Christmas cards (whichever is later) to submit a refund request via email to Paper Culture.

Green initiatives

With every order that Paper Culture receives, they plant a tree. They do this both in their local community as well as all around the globe. They have planted over 1,000,000 trees thus far. We are impressed both with their beautiful selection of Christmas cards, and with their green initiatives.

100% recycled paper

If you're browsing through the cards at Paper Culture and feel like some of the prices are a bit higher than you would expect, keep in mind that all the products here are made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper. This means that no new trees are cut down to make their Christmas and other holiday cards. Their processes are meaningful and high-quality, which means they won't come cheap.

Prices are a bit higher

Most Christmas cards from Paper Culture cost around $1.50. This comes out to about $75 per 50 printed cards. This is definitely more expensive than many competing Christmas card retailers, but for those concerned about being an environmentally-conscious consumer, the price will be worth it. When you spend over $125, shipping is free. For orders under that price point, standard shipping is $8.99.

Highest rating

Paper Culture has business practices we can get behind. We appreciate their work to help the environment and take accountability for the products they manufacture. They haven't yet been rated by the Better Business Bureau, but they have positive feedback from customers on some third-party sites which reassures us this is a good company. We highly recommend browsing their selection of gorgeous, eco-friendly Christmas cards and have awarded Paper Culture our highest rating.

Brookhollow

• Cost: Starting from $0.59

Brookhollow Cards has a huge selection of Christmas, birthday, special occasion, and customizable cards. They also sell calendars, napkins, postcards, coasters, chocolates, and other small gifts. Their website is easy to navigate with clear categories to help customers find exactly what type of card they want. Their Christmas cards range from modern and chic to classic. You can find simple, minimalistic cards as well as Christmas cards with all the frills to make them fancy.

Unique, clever Christmas cards

There are over 18 categories of Christmas cards to choose from with a dropdown of theme-specific cards including fine art, bridges, patriotic, farm, tropical, vintage, western, and more. We like that there is also a dropdown menu of sub-categories for professional cards. Brookhollow has a lot of unique, clever cards that cater to specific professions such as aviation, accounting, automotive, construction, dental, heating and air, firefighters, healthcare, landscaping, law enforcement, trucking, and many others. Lots of companies send cards to their clients and customers, making Brookhollow a great place to look for those!

Competitive pricing

Card prices range from $0.59 - $3.52. The higher the quantity you choose to buy, the less expensive each card becomes. Some additional options may affect overall pricing such as the type of fold, finish, envelope, and addressing. On orders of $49 or more, customers get free shipping. If you're ordering a bunch of Christmas cards for friends and family, it should be pretty easy to qualify for that no-cost delivery.

Returns give you credit

Rather than offering refunds for products that are considered less-than-satisfactory, Brookhollow will credit a customer's account within 30 days if it is requested. A physical address is provided on the website for customers to send in their returns.

Thousands of happy customers

Returns shouldn't be a major concern though, since thousands of customers can attest to the great Christmas cards that Brookhollow has to offer. Shoppers describe their service as efficient, affordable, high-quality, and full of beautiful options. We not only recommend them for Christmas cards, but for birthday cards, special occasions, holidays, and other customizable cards. Brookhollow has earned one of our highest ratings for Christmas card retailers.

The Gallery Collection

• Cost: Starting from $1.45

The Gallery Collection was established in 1929 and boasts that they are a leading business-to-business and online mail order publisher of personalized Christmas, holiday, and everyday greeting cards in the United States. Some of their customers include Amazon, American Express, Coca-Cola, Frito-Lay, Holiday Inn, Home Depot, Johnson & Johnson, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Pepsi Cola, Sony, Staples, Volvo, and many other well-known companies.

Over 800 options

The Gallery Collection's holiday card collection has over 800 options to choose from. There are plenty of templates for hand-written notes, as well as the option to create your own Christmas card with your uploaded photos and typed messages. Customers can sort through all of these Christmas cards by the front greeting message, card style, theme, and industry. We noticed that even though there are 12 specific industries listed, sometimes the cards in those categories don't actually cater to those professions, which was a little disappointing.

More expensive

At the time of this review, there was a 40% discount on orders over $75. Most of the Christmas cards cost over $2.50 per card, which is pricey if you're ordering 100 or fewer. However, there is a few cents' difference per card the more you order, getting down to about $1.10 each. Regardless of how many Christmas cards you order from The Gallery Collection, you can plan on spending a little more here than you might at one of their competitors. In addition, they advertise that shipping is *only* $10, which is a bit humorous since this is one of the highest shipping prices we found among Christmas card retailers.

Refund or reprint

If customers are not completely satisfied with their orders, The Gallery Collection will either reprint the cards or refund their money. All it takes is a phone call or email to customer service to get the issue taken care of. However, the retailer does not specify a time frame during which a refund can be given, so your best bet is to contact them as soon as you realize there is an issue.

Solid choice

Since The Gallery Collection has been around for quite some time, there are a lot of customers who have shopped here and left feedback about their experiences. We were happy to see that thousands of happy customers said The Gallery Collection is dependable, high-quality, and affordable. Many of these customers have been buying cards from The Gallery Collection for years and have had consistent success with their orders, which is a great sign. Because of customer loyalty, the big selection of Christmas cards, and long-established business history, The Gallery Collection is definitely a place we would recommend shopping for Christmas cards.

Zazzle

• Cost: Starting from $.56

Zazzle began in the garage of the three founders, Robert, Bobby, and Jeffrey Beaver in 2005. They use cutting-edge technology that allows customers and designers to make their own personalized products through independent manufacturers. They claim over 300 million unique designs for sale on their website, which is unsurprising considering the number of Christmas cards alone.

Over 500,000 results

If you are searching through all of the Christmas card options on Zazzle, it will take hours and likely leave you with a headache. There are over 500,000 results for Christmas cards (which for some reason also includes some canvases, bedding, wrapping paper, and Christmas games), but still, there is definitely no shortage of style options here. The sorting tools on Zazzle allow customers to narrow down these cards by foil, type, format, orientation, shape, size, price, officially licensed, and more. And, it is easy to edit the existing designs that are found on this site.

Wide price range

The Christmas cards at Zazzle have a big price range. You can narrow down the cost from under $5 to over $100 and then sort them from lowest to highest pricing if you choose to do so. This might help you stick to a specific price range if that's your aim. Since some cards here are expensive, it really adds up if you are printing in bulk. However, similar to other Christmas card retailers, the more you purchase at once, the higher the discount on each card.

100% satisfaction guarantee

Customers have overall good things to say about their Christmas card purchases and customization experience at Zazzle. It helps to know that Zazzle's 100% satisfaction guarantee ensures that customers can get a refund or replacement on products they are unsatisfied with - if they contact customer service within 30 days of receiving their order.

More design options

We see many reasons that Zazzle is a great place for creating Christmas cards. One of the best reasons is simply for the fact that they have more design options than any other retailer we have reviewed. The Better Business Bureau gives Zazzle an A+ rating, which is what we would expect after reading customer reviews and browsing their Christmas card collection. If you're willing to spend a bit more on unique designs at Zazzle, they are a fantastic provider of Christmas cards.

DaySpring

• Cost: Starting from $0.15

DaySpring is a faith-based company that was started in 1971 by four Christian men who had the vision of making Christ known through printed messages. They sell cards, gifts, books, Bibles, and office supplies. Most of their Christmas cards feature religious messages to emphasize the birth of Christ. DaySpring's website and products are both beautiful and uplifting.

No photo uploads or customization

There are 158 Christmas cards to choose from at DaySpring. Compared to our higher-rated Christmas card retailers, 158 is not very many. Part of the company's message to their customers is that there is joy in handwritten messages. Because of this, all of the Christmas cards are meant to be written in rather than sent as a standalone card. They also don't have any options for photo uploads and customization here.

Small collections

Most of the Christmas cards sold by DaySpring come in boxes of about 10-18 cards each for $4.99 to $14.99. There are also some options to buy single premium cards that range from $2.99 to $20.97.

Free shipping over $50

If you join DaySpring's email list, you'll get $10 off your first order, so we recommend taking advantage of that if it's worth it to you. Customers get free shipping when they spend over $50.

Returns allowed

DaySpring does not have a guarantee on their products, but they do allow returns. We are unsure whether or not customers will get a full refund or just get store credit for their returns since they do not clarify this. To return an order, customers must contact customer service via email with their order number and they will reach out in 24-48 business hours to process the request.

Nice, but...

Even though they aren't our first pick for Christmas cards, DaySpring is a lovely resource for Christian shoppers to find artwork, jewelry, apparel, and gifts. Their products have a chic, modern flair and simplistic style. We like the store and website (besides some slow loading here and there), but you'll have more options for Christmas cards by looking at another retailer.

Hallmark

• Cost: Starting from $2.00

Hallmark is a well-known, household name - especially for their heart-warming greeting cards. They have been around since 1910, so their name and logo has been around for generations.

Not just Christmas cards

In addition to cards, Hallmark sells home decor, ornaments, gift wrap, and an array of unique gifts. Their portfolio of businesses spans across Hallmark Greetings, Hallmark Retail, Crown Media, Crayola, and Crown Center Redevelopment Corporation. This company generates over $4 billion annually, making Hallmark one of the most established card retailers in the industry.

Few options to choose from

Due to their reputation, the selection of Christmas cards at Hallmark - or lack thereof - surprised us. There are fewer options here than almost anywhere else we found. There are only 56 different Christmas cards to choose from and none of them are customizable. Of those 56, some are only available in-store at certain locations, so that makes the online selection even more slim. Since Hallmark is so famous for their cards, we thought they would have had a wider selection for one of the biggest holidays of the year.

Higher cost

Because Hallmark carries such a recognizable name, they are able to get away with selling cards at slightly higher prices, even though their Christmas cards aren't very unique. Single cards start at $2.00 and go up to $9.99. In addition to single cards, you can get some in boxes of 10 or 12. Each card is meant for the customer to add a hand-written note on the inside.

Returns accepted

In the event that a customer does not love their order from Hallmark, they have the chance to send it back for a refund. They will have to either contact the company by phone or chat with customer care for processing. The standard customer support hours are Monday - Friday: 8 AM - 7 PM, Saturday: 10 AM - 6 PM, and Sunday: 12 PM - 6 PM Central Time. Customers have up to 90 days from their original purchase date to request a return.

Stick with the Christmas shows

Hallmark maintains an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, but has a few customer complaints that can be found online. Most of the issues were order mix-ups or delivery problems. Although we don't recommend them as your go-to online Christmas card retailer, let's just agree that we at least love them for their sometimes-cheesy, feel-good Christmas movies and TV shows. We can for sure recommend them for that, even if you'll need to shop elsewhere for the perfect Christmas cards.

Current

• Cost: Starting from $2.24 for sets of 14

Current began clear back in 1950. They originally only sold postcards, but have since expanded to cards, checks, stationery, address labels, wrapping paper, calendars, office supplies, and much more. They have over 2,000 products that can be found either online or through their paper catalog. Their online store is the easiest and fastest way to shop, especially with periodic discount codes available to make orders more affordable.

Few Christmas cards to choose from

There are 189 Christmas cards to choose from at Current. Compared to other online stores selling Christmas cards, this inventory is quite low. The categories of Christmas cards include deluxe, religious, value packs, photo sleeve cards, and photo cards. In our opinion (realizing some might not agree), the majority of the Christmas cards are a bit outdated. Many of today's customers prefer modern, simple designs and there are definitely fewer of those here.

Competitive pricing

Most of the cards are priced in sets of 14. Prices range from $2.24 to $89.99 depending on the quantity of cards chosen. Most of them are not sold individually. All things considered, some of the Christmas cards on the lower end of the pricing scale are inexpensive (around $0.16 each). Others are definitely more expensive, especially given that some of them aren't even customizable - they are simply a template of a winter scene. Prices are overall decent here, but when considering the lack of cards to choose from, it makes Current less appealing as a place to shop for beautiful or unique Christmas cards.

60 day return policy

However, if you decide to buy Christmas cards from Current and are disappointed by what you receive, the silver lining is that you have 60 days to return it for a refund or replacement. An online contact form is provided for a simple way to reach customer service and get the return processed immediately.

Disappointing customer reviews

Based on feedback from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and other third-party sites, customers seem to be generally dissatisfied with their purchases from Current. Even though the BBB gives Current an A+ rating, there are plenty of reports about backordered Christmas card orders that made it too late for customers to mail their cards out, messed up orders, and order cancellation issues. Based on the lack of Christmas card variety and negativity from customers, we suggest shopping elsewhere for Christmas cards.

Simply to Impress

• Cost: Starting from $0.62

Simply To Impress was founded in 2003 by Heather Hasse, a wife and mother wanting to use pictures to capture moments and memories to share with others without having to pay top dollar. Simply To Impress focuses more specifically on photo cards and invitations than some of their competitors. However, we should warn you upfront that many customers have been frustrated by bad results when buying from Simply To Impress, leading to their low ranking among providers of Christmas cards.

Over 1,400 Christmas card options

At first, this retailer makes a positive impression. Customers have over 1,400 Christmas card options at Simply To Impress. This is a bigger selection than most of their competitors. They have an appealing website that is easy to navigate. You can use their search function to find the product you are looking for or just browse through their categories to find whatever fits your style.

Narrow down your search

Their sorting feature allows you to narrow down the inventory by:

• Number of Photos
• Card Orientation
• Special Features
• Greeting
• Shape
• Color
• Style

Discounts available, but shipping is extra

At the time of this review, a sitewide sale was running for 25% off everything. If you are able to purchase during one of their sales, you're in luck because it makes everything quite inexpensive. Although, this same sale is usually running, so it shouldn't be hard to catch it. Unless there is a shipping promo, customers are going to be paying anywhere from $8.75 to $23 depending on the chosen speed for delivery.

Unhappy customers

Despite the great potential we see at Simply To Impress, they have a lot of dissatisfied customers. The range of designs, sleek website, and low pricing are not the issue. There are too many reports of customers not receiving their orders on time, or sometimes not at all. Some say customer service was nearly impossible to get a hold of, while others received orders that were different than what they purchased. There are a handful of glowing reviews as well, but not nearly as many as the critical ones. Simply To Impress does have a 100% guarantee saying customers will get their money back if they are unhappy with their order, but this is not helpful if you aren't able to reach customer service.

Think twice

Overall, we want to like Simply To Impress. But we would have to recommend that you think twice before ordering your Christmas cards with them - just for the sake of avoiding the hassles that others have experienced. Spending the time to create a beautiful Christmas card only for it to arrive differently than expected or be delayed in the mail is simply not worth it.