NOJ Prices

I was on NOJ two websites and cannot find current pricing!?
Also, what are the general prices on NOJ used sets?

Thanks for any comments!

Prices were taken down from the site about +3 years ago. Due to the long wait times from placing the initial reservation, to when your set goes into production, to when your set is complete and payment is due, they couldn't guarantee exact prices.

Just for reference my last NOJ set was 3 years ago. (There are other forum members with more current prices.)

Minceta red stain maple 698 EUR
Extra queens 30 EUR
DHL delivery 79 EUR

Total: 807 EUR

If you're looking to sell a used set, NOJ sets tend to hold their value better than other sets. Maybe 20% off current retail is a good ballpark. I think many NOJ customers are willing to pay full retail price for a pristine, new, set that was custom made just for the buyer, exactly as they want it, rather than a small discount for a used set. But there are all types of buyers out there, including impatient buyers that will pay a premium for a NOJ set with no extended wait time. If priced well, NOJ sets are pretty liquid and sell quickly on eBay.

NOJ is happy to share pricing info - just send a request. It’s fair to say that their sets rarely turn up on the second-hand market and when they do, they’re gone very very quickly. Their is a NOJ ETSY store too:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/NOJslovenia

In August 2023 I paid:

Minceta in maple and walnut 828 EUR
Extra queens 30 EUR
DHL delivery 89 EUR (delivery to Australia)

Not sure about current prices, but I’m on their list again for a 1950 Dubrovnik. In my opinion, the prices are totally worth it and if needed I’m sure you can sell the pieces for the same price or even higher if in perfect conditions .

Cheers!

It's insane isn't? I was on the list and I could not justify the price. Comparable set $1200 less.

Here we go Kevin back / talking about your invisible chess sets ? are you of your meds ? , Still selling 2nd rate chess sets on ebay ?

Producing things in India is more sustainable than in Europe or North America. I don’t intend to denigrate products made in India - Staunton Castle and the Indian Chess Company (pre-Chess Bazaar acquisition) have made wonderful sets. Amritsar has become an important center.

The costs and sustainability are more challenging in Europe, but a few places - ranging in quality and focus - manage, albeit on a smaller scale than India, to stay afloat. NOJ is one. There are a few great producers in Ukraine (talk about challenging!). Sándor Biró continues to produce his ‘Hungarian’ set. There are lower end producers too…. There’s room for everyone. I like to support makers in Europe and North America as best I can. There is little new work available that is as high quality as NOJ (it pains me to see recently their BCE design ripped off by Amritsar, but that’s how things roll there -). Is NOJ too expensive? They seem to have more than adequate support from the market judging by the waiting lists. I wish them nothing but good health, continued production, and long wait times! 🤓

For anyone who is interested, there is an unweighted Minceta set available on the NOJ Etsy store right now.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/NOJSlovenia

closed end wooden fountain pen for $500 let's go ...

Also worth noting, NOJ is a small family business run out of essentially a garage workshop in the family home. I was in Ljubljana for work a couple years ago and made the trip to see the shop (and I'm also a very amateur woodworker). Nicest people in the world, showed me their shop, and invited me to sit down for coffee and chat about woodworking and chess (and Slovenian soccer) for a while.

Everything is hand-turned and hand-carved and I remain in awe at their skill in doing what they do. I was more than happy to pay the asking price for 34 small handmade sculptures of that quality. And even if you just look at the labor put into making 34 pieces, it's more than fair value.

And again, really nice people.