Best Online Card Shops UK: Compared

Where to buy cards online in the UK: an honest comparison

There are five or six sensible places to buy a card online in the UK and they're built for genuinely different jobs. This page says which is which, including the times you shouldn't buy from us.

Short version: photo cards go to Moonpig or Funky Pigeon, niche one-offs go to thortful or Etsy, urgent and cheap goes to the high street, and original designs you write by hand come from an independent studio.

  Feel Good Times The big sites
Photo on the front Not offered Moonpig and Funky Pigeon do this best
Typed message inside Blank inside, by design Standard on the personalised sites
Enormous range Curated, one house style thortful and Etsy have the widest choice
Cheapest single card Best value when you batch a few Card Factory in store
One delivery for a basket Always Rare - usually per card or per seller
Original designs Drawn in house Mixed - much of it licensed or reused

See what we actually do

Original UK-printed cards, blank inside, one flat price, one delivery per order.

You Old Bastard (Funny Birthday Card) You Old Bastard (Funny Birthday Card) £3.87 Cheeky Wordsearch Valentines Day Card For Him Cheeky Wordsearch Valentines Day Card For Him £3.87 I Wish You Looked At Me Like Any Can of Diet Coke Ever (Valentines Day Card) I Wish You Looked At Me Like Any Can of Diet Coke Ever (Valentines Day Card) £3.87 Sixty Looks Pretty Good On You (60th Birthday Card) Sixty Looks Pretty Good On You (60th Birthday Card) £3.87 Top Trumps 60th Birthday Card for Dad Top Trumps 60th Birthday Card for Dad £3.87 Fifty & Even More Fabulous Than Ever (50th Birthday Card) Fifty & Even More Fabulous Than Ever (50th Birthday Card) £3.87

Shop all cards

Which to use when

  • A photo of the grandchildren on the front: Moonpig or Funky Pigeon.
  • A very specific in-joke about a niche hobby: thortful or Etsy.
  • A card you need in the next twenty minutes: Card Factory or the supermarket.
  • Hand-finished, made-to-order or printed with a name: an Etsy maker.
  • An original design with room to write something real: an independent studio like us.
  • Eight cards at once with one delivery: us, and it isn't close.

What to check before you buy anywhere

  • The price after postage, not the price on the product page.
  • Whether postage is per card or per basket.
  • Whether the card is blank or typed inside, and which you actually want.
  • Dispatch time versus delivery time - they're different things.
  • Whether the design is exclusive or sold across several sites.

Honest limitations of buying from us

  • No photo upload, and none planned.
  • No same-day collection - everything is posted.
  • A smaller range than a marketplace, because we draw it all ourselves.
  • No giant novelty cards.

Birthday cards

The most-bought category, done properly.

You Old Bastard (Funny Birthday Card) You Old Bastard (Funny Birthday Card) £3.87 Fifty & Even More Fabulous Than Ever (50th Birthday Card) Fifty & Even More Fabulous Than Ever (50th Birthday Card) £3.87 Sixty Looks Pretty Good On You (60th Birthday Card) Sixty Looks Pretty Good On You (60th Birthday Card) £3.87 Top Trumps 60th Birthday Card for Dad Top Trumps 60th Birthday Card for Dad £3.87 Top Trumps 90th Birthday Card for Dad Top Trumps 90th Birthday Card for Dad £3.87 Happy Birthday Papa card featuring bold text with a choice of a small heart or a playful moustache illustration. Happy Birthday Papa (Happy Birthday Card) (Multiple designs) £3.87 A colourful birthday card displaying the text 'Happy Birthday Bab' in a playful, modern font with a matching envelope. Happy Birthday Bab (Happy Birthday Card) (Multiple designs) £3.87 Top Trumps 80th Birthday Card for Dad Top Trumps 80th Birthday Card for Dad £3.87

Funny cards

Our own humour, drawn in house.

You Old Bastard (Funny Birthday Card) You Old Bastard (Funny Birthday Card) £3.87 That's What I Call Old (Funny Dad Happy Birthday Card) That's What I Call Old (Funny Dad Happy Birthday Card) £3.87 Funny 30th Birthday Card (Frying Pan) Funny 30th Birthday Card (Frying Pan) £3.87 See You Later, Alligator (Funny Good Luck Card) See You Later, Alligator (Funny Good Luck Card) £3.75 Every Birthday With Me Is A Gift (Funny Husband Happy Birthday Card) Every Birthday With Me Is A Gift (Funny Husband Happy Birthday Card) £3.87 Whose a Clever Girl (Funny Graduation Card) Whose a Clever Girl (Funny Graduation Card) £3.75 That's What I Call Old (Funny Mum Happy Birthday Card) That's What I Call Old (Funny Mum Happy Birthday Card) £3.87 Bye Bitch Funny Good Luck Card Bye Bitch Funny Good Luck Card £3.75

Where to shop next

Frequently asked questions

What is the best online card shop in the UK?

It depends on the job. Moonpig and Funky Pigeon for photo cards, thortful and Etsy for niche designs, Card Factory for cheap and immediate, and an independent studio for original cards you write by hand.

Which online card site is cheapest?

Per single card in store, Card Factory. Online, the cheapest is whichever charges postage per basket rather than per card once you're buying more than one.

Are independent card shops better value than the big sites?

Usually for multiple cards, because one delivery covers the basket and there are no size or finish upgrades at the checkout. For a single photo card, the big sites are the right tool.

How do I avoid paying postage on every card?

Buy from one shop that ships the whole basket together, and batch several occasions into one order rather than buying each card as it comes up.