Chessbazaar legitimacy

Is Chessbazaar a good site? And are the pieces sold there authentic? Because they seem wayyyy to cheap to be authentic. I was wondering if anybody who has ordered from them before could comment on this.

Thanks in advance!

Chess Bazaar was one of the first companies to sell direct from India.  There were others but their set offerings were not reproductions as Chess Bazaar sold.  Because they sell direct, the prices are significantly lower than from American and European retailers that get their sets wholesale from India and now China.

In the beginning there were some problems with quality and service.  However in the last couple of years they have improved both the quality of their sets and their service.  Today they have a very good reputation.

There are other direct sellers now.  Chess Empire and Staunton Castle used to be wholesale providers for a few of the better retailers.  They now also sell direct.  You will find their sets are a bit higher than Chess Bazaar but still lower than the retailers.

Royal Chess Mall is a company that sells reproductions direct.  Their prices are even lower, but if you look closely and compare a number of their sets are not of the same dimensions and weight of the better places. 

Chess Bazaar makes some very nice sets at very good prices.

Yes they are a good company. I own a couple of their sets. They tend to have the best prices depending upon the season of the year. Right now they have a 30% off code on orders over $99. House of Chess, Royal Chess Mall, and The Chess Empire are great Indian chess manufacturer are also good as well.

Ok thank you guys for the answers, will be ordering from them

I ordered a Dubrovnik v2 set from there, just as the Covid-19 lockdown started, so due no fault of theirs, it took a while for it to arrive. It was simply held at a sorting facility by Post India due to the restrictions.

I was well pleased with it, when it did arrive. The pieces were well made and had no faults with them as such. The only thing I would note was that the bottom of the pieces could probably have been made flatter... several pieces tended to wobble a little bit (particularly one of the black Queens), but I just pounded them a little with a hammer. 😁

But otherwise, the pieces arrived very well packaged and in great condition. No splits, no dents, scratches, signs of poor or hasty workmanship.

I’m confident that if there would have been a problem, they’d fix it.

I also bought a set from Royal Chess Mall some months back, where one of the black Queens made of ebony wood had small split at the base. I just sent a picture back to them and as promised, a new piece was sent free of charge to sort the problem.

Well pleased with their service and wouldn’t have any reservations at all with ordering from them again.

Cheers,

Toby

I had given up on Chessbazaar due to bad experiences. Reading on this forum that things had improved, I gave them another chance.

5 days after ordering, I asked if they could give me a shipment date. Their site says orders are shipped in 24 - 36 hours. They said they would look into it. 5 days later they replied and said the product was backordered and suggested I accept an alternate item. I pointed out that the set had been listed as in stock and was even listed as such at that very moment. I just asked for a refund.

If people are happy with their chessbazaar experience, then that's great. I just find I am left with an impression of shoddiness when dealing with them.

I have bought two chess sets from Chessbazaar, so far. I've never had any issues.

@sound67 - Which one is your favorite out of the 22 sets? CB has the most choice of sets out there so your insight is most appreciated.

@sound67 - Thanks for sharing your thoughts. The red colored pieces really pop out. 

Really nice board you got there! May I ask which wood that is? I kinda also want to ask where you got that, but I'm pretty sure I won't be able to afford it hahaha.

Although @sound67 can correct me if I'm wrong, the boards look like high end veneer boards, and probably run $150ish.

Chessbazaar mostly sells budget chess sets that are affordable to average-income customers. Their quality is not that great and their low price tries to justify that. Nowadays, CB prices have gone up making them less attractive to customers. Both Staunton Castle and Chess Empire produce and seller far superior chess sets than CB. Also, with House of Staunton offering free shipment on their high quality chess sets there is less and less reason for sensible customers to buy from Chessbazzar. Royal Chess Mall is a newcomer that  mostly copies Chessbazaar products and business approach and their quality is even lower than CB but their prices similar.

I did mean your @MCH818 board indeed.. it's simple and I like the thickness and the fact that it is solid wood. Good to know what wood type it is too. I will probably get a chess set for Christmas, and I have yet to search for a fitting board. Now looking at fitting colour combinations.

The set is going to be a rosewood set. I'm waiting for the set to arrive to see the exact colour. but any suggestions on board wood types are welcome!

May I ask what those oft-reported problems are with solid wood boards?

Wooden boards are prone to warping and splitting, unlike veneer covered boards.  They also weigh significantly more than veneer boards. 

I am looking into buying a set from Chess Bazaar (probably the 1849 3.75"), and notice they have a lacquer (glossy finish) option - does anyone have this - is it to be recommended?  

Chessbazaar quality is not that good but as a company it is legitimate and reliable for safe shopping. 

Thanks, especially to MCH818 for your advice.  I think I will go with CB, as I am in the UK and buying from SC will be more expensive.   Thanks for pointing out the bishop and queen, also the thickness of the rooks, I don't think I would have noticed this.  Perhaps I prefer the 1900 Marshall set, R0391, as the rooks, queens and bishops are a little more slender.  Ideally I would like a bigger version of my old set - I wanted to attach a photo here but couldn't work out how to do that  

As a new member of this site, I cannot yet post pictures, but I will when I can.  I believe my old set with 3.15" kings, is by Ayres.  Interestingly CB list an Ayres reproduction set with 4.3" Kings, which is very close in design to my old set - and their Marshall set (3.75") is pretty much the same design as their bigger Ayres set - although the knights are slightly different.  The Marshall set is in antiqued boxwood - I hope I like this and it isn't too artificially aged.  Would be interested to hear if anyone has a set by CB that is antiqued - also if the lacquer finish they offer is worth having.