Chessbazzar Sales

I bought several chess sets during Chessbazaar sales offers and sadly I found myself stung again. All the chess sets which I have bought recently have issues ranging from discoloration, grazes, scuffs, chips etc to imprecise cuts. I was really shocked at and disappointed in their products but more at my own folly to fall for their sale traps. In short term, Chessbazaar may think they are doing well and are being clever clever and can carry on stinging naive and gullible customers and hence making easy profit from discardable sets but in the long run they will be the ones who will suffer. Of course, I did suspect their massive sales as they are always on the same types of chess sets which they usually try to get rid of due to production faults but temptation got the best of me due to their low prices and I ended up paying the price. Of course, Chessbazaar’s regular associates on here will soon creep out of their holes and try to justify CB with heckling tactics and tricks but I predict more people will show up to share their similar bad experiences with Chessbazaar.

That's extremely disappointing to hear. I've never used one of their sales for a specific set. I've only used their general sales and/or back ordered sales. Do you have pictures of said pieces?

I bought a dubrovnik set before Christmas. It had issues. The weight on the queen stuck out further than the bottom, so it rocked. The ball on top of the bishop was glued on crooked and the knight was glued to the base crooked. They initially said it was within their tolerance for small variances due to them being hard carved. After fighting them they agreed to replace the pieces but didn't have any left in stock so I'm still waiting for this pieces.

I don't think it's too much to ask for these to be replaced. Again it was frustrating that they tried to justify this as normal variances.

Unfortunately, Chessbazaar does not offer the customer service they used to do and the current one ducks the issue and looks the other way. Perhaps, the biggest issue that characterises Chessbazaar’s products is gross carelessness and lack of understanding of proportion between the chess pieces. Weight discrepancies where the bishop is heavier than the king, badly glued felts, knights with fat torsos, unprofessionally painted sets where the colour comes off during cleaning, lack of precision in cutting and simply imperfection after imperfection. Everytime I fell for their big discount sales I regretted it subsequently. Of course, it always did arouse my suspicion because I noticed that it is always a handful of chess sets that keep popping up in their regular sales and coincidentally almost  the same sets also appear in their ‘slightly imperfect’ sale sections. It is true that Chessbazaar prices are lower compared to several other retailers but their quality is equality low. It seems more sensible to me in hindsight to pay that $30 or $40 extra bit and buy instead from more reputable companies where we can get much better quality and less frequent disappointments. As for customer service and also as pointed out by several other victims above, it is in one word defensive and irresponsible specially this year.  Perhaps due to very good sales and huge profits they do not care anymore. Also, everytime you contact them it is a new customer service person who deals with your enquiry. One new trick they use nowadays is delaying their response several days and using page-long waffling to talk you out of your request and if you insist they become vindictive and escalate matters to frustrate you until you give up. I can predict as usual and very soon the same few people associated with Chessbazaar in this forum  will stick out their heads and try to deny everything and use heckling and digression tactics to exonerate CB but these cheap tricks no longer works as many buyers have woken up. 

Gee! I feel bad for you....I've had my issues with C.B. and after a few hassles,they got pretty much cleared up.Quite a few folks here have had almost no issues with Chessbazzar,however this seller has gotten slammed too many times over the years that I've been a member here.

Looks like C.B. is up to their old tricks again!

Really sorry for your angst.

Well, these tricks may work once on unsuspecting or over-optimistic customers but in the long run Chessbazaar will lose out.  Of course, Chessbazaar’s associates on here will come out of their holes soon to muddy the whole issue and argue to the contrary. 

Sorry to hear this guys, I've been there and done that. I know how frustrating it is to deal with it.

My last purchase from this so called 'reputable and highly recommended powerhouse seller (not CB, but the fancy one in USA)" I get exact the same treatment. It's out of stock and they won't bother to get replacement immediately from their supplier. They said I just have to wait till they get the next batch. One year later no restocking and they stop selling that product. This is one of the reason why I prefer to buy directly from a manufacturer in India. If something needs to be replaced, and it has happened, he made those pieces and I get it within 2 weeks. Icing on the cake, it's the same quality sets for way cheaper than those fancy retailer are selling.

Online sales are never sales- go to CB any day of any year and everything is on special. I haven't bought a CB set for a few years now, and the ones i bought were fine.

Yes, Chessbazaar is  always on 40%-50% off sales but no matter how much they reduce the original price remains the same. They also have a ‘slightly imperfect’ section where they mix and match chess pieces to create a whole set. Everything has to be recycled and sold. 

Bummer. This is not good enough. I hope the CB team rectify the issue with speed for you. I have purchased numerous sets from CB - with eyes wide open - knowing I my may have an issue but hoping I won’t! Some sets have arrived in perfect condition, some needing replacement pieces, in one case - a whole new set needing to be replaced due to problems with the gloss finish. Pleasingly - I have always been able to resolve my issues with replacements but… how I wish I didn’t have the experience in the first place. Why do I still do it… ? Affordability, mostly - I like a range different sets and in the end, my issues have been resolved. Further, to my knowledge / there is no way of getting sets (or viewing the range of sets) locally. Any local stores have a range of sets but few/none to my taste. Most satisfaction comes from finding a few vintage gems. As an aside, I have ordered one set from HoS and one from SC - both needed replacement pieces - again, thankfully - they were provided quickly and with no hassle. While I wish it wasn’t they way - sometimes it feels like buying a chess set online is like going to a casino… have a budget you can afford to lose; you expect to lose and hope that you have a lucky night!

Still waiting for the queen CB said they’d replace.  Been 2 years, tired of emailing, so not holding my breath.

I have sworn off buying CB sets.

I have never bought one that did not have at least one piece with a protruding weight issue.

The pics shown prove that they have core QC issues that they are just not dealing with. 

And while, yes some customers do get the luck of the draw - CB truly is a case of getting what you pay for.

Yes, Chessbazaar is cheaper but not that cheaper than many others and in most of the cases the difference is only 20%-30%.
However, in hindsight and undoubtedly, I should not have risked purchasing from Chessbazaar in the first place and I should have instead gone for premium quality chess manufacturers and while it is true I would have to pay 20%-30% extra but I would get majestic quality chess sets in return and eventually ending up having 7 SC instead of 10 by CB, additionally, I would have owned products that always brought me joy and happiness rather than pain and agony. Chessbazaar lacks refined technique and craftsmanship nor does it have the experience and the imagination needed for producing premium quality sets. Chessbazaar’s main attraction as usual is affordability and this Fedex free shipment thing and in the past they also offered satisfactory customer service which does not exist any longer. Basically, due to chess fever and mass profits Chessbazaar is even producing faster to catch up with the market demand which has negatively impacted on their quality this can also explain the numerous defects that one finds in their products nowadays as they rush the manufaturing process too much to catch up with naive customers’ demand. Customer service has also deteriorated and they keep waffling becoming too  long-winded in order to counter argue against customers’ complaints. I have been stung several times by Chessbazaar in the past and came away with very stressful and frustrating experience which I am determined to avoid in the future. 

Valid points @mch818, thanks for sharing them and adding some food for thought to the discussion. I've had quality issues with all 3 suppliers I've purchased through. If I buy another set I'd like to give ChessHouse a shot as I've heard really good things about them, but I wouldn't hold my breath expecting perfection.

I think almost everyone starting out with the intention of putting together a nice collection of chess sets/pieces(they're all art to me) begins with the sellers who offer the best prices.

As we gain experiences(some good and some bad) we adjust our buying habits.You can get some nice sets from almost anyone,but as we go a bit deeper into the collecting "thing" I think many folks look to the higher quality sellers.

My last few sets have come from two wonderful,but gone due to the war in The Ukraine, Etsy sellers and a few other better quality vendors.

My last two sets have come from Staunton Castle and these guys really know how to make a set!

From communications to superb craftsmanship,they are top tier sellers.

No more el-cheapo sellers for me.....At my age,I don't need the angst.

I think that the vintage pieces were most likely made with higher quality woods.Today,chess is so popular,thanks to the internet and the T.V. Series "The Queen's Gambit" that some sellers don't take enough time to properly cure their wood supply.

Also,due to demand,they most likely just pump out sets to meet that issue.The top tier sellers(I assume) take the time to cure their wood supply and only use wood from trees that are healthy and not too young.

Just my assumption.

I have several dozens of chess sets from Indian manufacturers and in regard to quality those of Chessbazaar’s are the worst. As for issues such as defects, I have had my worst experience again with Chessbazaar. I remember a few years ago I bought a chess set at a bargain price from Chessbazaar. When I received it and examined the chess pieces carefully I noticed the whole set had slight defects of all sorts and this happened before Chessbazaar opened their ‘slightly imperfect’ sale section which only now I fully understand what exactly happened to me at that time. As I had bought the chess set for less than half price I did not even raise the issue with Chessbazaar. It is true that using low quality cheap wood, lack of attention to details and poor woodturning technique are responsible for poor quality product but not accepting their shortcomings and responsibility and pushing eveything under the carpet is really unforgivable as Chessbazaar’s associates on here are already trying to do so. 

MCH818 problem / solution , just buy Soviet vintage chess set  from Esty knowing that it's a rare find ,