It's a cool looking design, nevertheless. Love the King and Queen big time.
1935 Warsaw Capablanca Simul set from Chessbazzar....Thoughts?
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Well, I happen to receive one set and I'm kinda disappointed by the finish. On the black monarchs they're just painted and very bad job at that. They're not even protected by a layer of varnish like what has been done only on the white king. In fact, you can scrape the paint off with your nail, which I did because there was some paint spilled over the edge and I was surprised how easy that goes.
For a set that is priced at 500 USD, I think that's embarrassing. I'm still waiting for Mike L to get his set to see how his is done, before I take any action.
I’ve never spent even a half of that amount on a set of chess pieces - but if I did and it was new - not antique or vintage …. it would want to be flawless. Michael - that’s a bummer you’re disappointed - I reckon they’ll fix it but you shouldn’t need to go through any hassle.
PS - don’t get me wrong - I understand and appreciate that people spend USD$500 and way, way more on pieces and that’s totally cool (and I am a tad envious) but at that value - surely pieces should as near perfect as hand carving a natural product like wood can deliver.
PS - don’t get me wrong - I understand and appreciate that people spend USD$500 and way, way more on pieces and that’s totally cool (and I am a tad envious) but at that value - surely pieces should as near perfect as hand carving a natural product like wood can deliver.
Who's paying full price for CB sets? CB price is inflated then it gives deep discounts. Personally, I wouldn't pay more than 50% of CB asking price. I bought the Capablanca Warsaw Set for USD 215, including discounts and rewards. I'm happy with the set for the price I paid for, even with some limitations just as what pointed previously. But at USD 500, I would expect a perfect set.
No I didn't pay at full price, it was on sale so I paid way less. But my point is they position that set as high end (looking at the price at full retail, no discount no nothing) so I didn't expected this poor finish. Even with the discount and the customs I still had to pay 300 USD in total and that's still a lot for a set.
C.B. definitely have the ability to execute a proper set.The problem is,they don't have a good track record of consistency.Gee wiz! I love that set and am sad for my forum pal who doesn't deserve the angst of dealing with this kind of stuff.
Originally,I was seriously considering getting it(one reason why I wanted to test the waters on this forum) but after having extensive experiences with Chessbazzar,I'm not taking the chance.
Spanishstallion would walk all over this thread.In this case,I'd not argue with him.
My master plan,since I can "maybe" squeeze on more set into my chess room, is to wait it out a while and hopefully a consistently good seller like Staunton Castle comes out with a similar design.....Love that King and Queen.....The Knights? Meh.
I have received the Warsaw set one week ago...It's a Wonderful Set, I'm satisfied with the job CB have made on the Set...when you look closer of the pieces, it's difficult to make the pieces like the King and Queens...fpr me it looks not perfect but good...i will give you some pictures in 2 or 3 days to appreciate this beautiful Set...✌
TheOneCalledMichael wrote:
Well, I happen to receive one set and I'm kinda disappointed by the finish. On the black monarchs they're just painted and very bad job at that. They're not even protected by a layer of varnish like what has been done only on the white king. In fact, you can scrape the paint off with your nail, which I did because there was some paint spilled over the edge and I was surprised how easy that goes.
For a set that is priced at 500 USD, I think that's embarrassing. I'm still waiting for Mike L to get his set to see how his is done, before I take any action.
Chessbazaar messing up painting wood is not a new thing at all and it harks back to many years ago. What is really surprising after so many years is that Chessbazaar has not yet learned the technique of painting wood and as a result of getting it repeatedly wrong, they have ended up with a massive pile of painted chess sets in their ‘slightly imperfect’ scrapyard sale section. I might have been one of the first unlucky ones to have made the shocking discovery of Chessbazaar’s art of painting on a piece of wiping cloth. The red paint could not help coming off the chess pieces which I was cleaning gently and the sight of scattered red-stained wiping cloths could bring tears to anyone’s eyes. The peeling lacquer did not need much help to go under your nails and I could have de-lacquered all the 34 pieces in just under 10 minutes. Many a time I came across a CB painted chess set which was much cheaper than its unpainted counterpart and I often wondered why until I finally managed to answer this annoying question but obviously at a high cost. As Chessbazaar has not learned after so many years how to paint wood I really wonder why they keep experimenting over and over again and of course as usual the guinea pigs in this horrible test are the customers again.
SpanishStallion wrote:
TheOneCalledMichael wrote:
Well, I happen to receive one set and I'm kinda disappointed by the finish. On the black monarchs they're just painted and very bad job at that. They're not even protected by a layer of varnish like what has been done only on the white king. In fact, you can scrape the paint off with your nail, which I did because there was some paint spilled over the edge and I was surprised how easy that goes.
For a set that is priced at 500 USD, I think that's embarrassing. I'm still waiting for Mike L to get his set to see how his is done, before I take any action.
Chessbazaar messing up painting wood is not a new thing at all and it harks back to many years ago. What is really surprising after so many years is that Chessbazaar has not yet learned the technique of painting wood and as a result of getting it repeatedly wrong, they have ended up with a massive pile of painted chess sets in their ‘slightly imperfect’ scrapyard sale section. I might have been one of the first unlucky ones to have made the shocking discovery of Chessbazaar’s art of painting on a piece of wiping cloth. The red paint could not help coming off the chess pieces which I was cleaning gently and the sight of scattered red-stained wiping cloths could bring tears to anyone’s eyes. The peeling lacquer did not need much help to go under your nails and I could have de-lacquered all the 34 pieces in just under 10 minutes. Many a time I came across a CB painted chess set which was much cheaper than its unpainted counterpart and I often wondered why until I finally managed to answer this annoying question but obviously at a high cost. As Chessbazaar has not learned after so many years how to paint wood I really wonder why they keep experimenting over and over again and of course as usual the guinea pigs in this horrible test are the customers again.
Kevin are you back on your Meds ? always out to bash CB , like in your many past posts ? 
The thing(not good) about Chessbazzar is their pricing is ridiculous! It's all over the place on an almost daily basis. They have a good business model for profitability, since most buyers are not on this site and probably don't care about a carefully crafted set.
This set could have been had for $240.00 a few days ago....Who's going to buy it for more?
I don't want to denigrate Chessbazzar too much out of respect for my friends here,who own their products. I have quite a few of their sets myself and feel most folks start out buying from C.B. based on their pricing and many choices.Once one gets experience,other vendors(like the superb Staunton Castle) wind up being on our radar.
My story with C.B. goes back a few years."Poor Quality and Service From Chessbazzar" was a thread I had to put up twice.
Originally,I started buying from them and had 4 sets with serious issues,out of a total of 12.I've gifted away one and replaced it with a higher quality one from another supplier(Russian Zagreb).
When I started to message C.B. about my issues they "never" responded. I mean "not a single response" to a customer who has bought two boards(nice ones and no issues) a case(also fine,but they key was inside and the case came locked...Argh) and 12 sets.
The replacements had issues...One was fine...Yipee...Big deal! The other three had either different colored pieces,off colored patina from the original,or sizing issues.
I had to spend extra monies to get them the way I wanted it...Btw,sorry for the length of this posting.
OK....When I finally got disgusted enough for C.B. never giving me the respect of a return email,I posted on this forum....Originally,C.B. claimed they never got my emails and my email address did not work....Laughable,because almost every other day I got advertisements for deals.
All on the same email I originally used...Ha!
I mean,what can I say? I love the Warsaw Cap. set,but I'm burnt out of trusting C.B.The sets I do have are really nice,as I'm sure many of the sets you folks have are as well.
I just don't want to gamble anymore,after the superb buying experiences I had with companies like S.C.
The two recent sets I got from them are almost in the class of my Noj pieces. I'll wait it out over the course of this year and see who comes out with what.
All that being said....As someone who had owned a business for 35 years,I can respect C.B.'s business model as a company who only cares about profit.....Volume is their game.....That's it!
I did it a bit differently and catered to my customers....Probably why I'm not a rich man today.
Here are the pics of the lousy paint job. Notice only the white king has a protection varnish layer on it, all others are not.
I totally love the design, so in worst case if CB doesn't come through to fix this then I'll fix it myself and they loose me as client forever.
Such a friggin' nice design! I hope a company like Staunton Castle copies it!
Bought two dozen sets from them, no major complaints. A couple of minor issues were dealt with quickly and easily. "Spanish Stallion", who might change his nick to "Spanish Gelding", has been dumping on them for years. He wants you to order from House of Staunton, maybe he gets a provision or something.
In my own experience, Chessbazaar have always come through.
Hi Friends, as i said in my previous message, i give you some pictures of my Warsaw Set...ENJOY!!
TheOneCalledMichael wrote:
Here are the pics of the lousy paint job. Notice only the white king has a protection varnish layer on it, all others are not.
I totally love the design, so in worst case if CB doesn't come through to fix this then I'll fix it myself and they loose me as client forever.
The number of customers who have been complaining about Chessbazaar’s product quality and evasive customer service has gone through the roof and I am only a drop in this massive ocean. Understandably, Chessbazaar’s bots in such forum discussions go to great lengths to facelift the image of Chessbazaar and by using Bollywood exaggerations such as ‘I have bought two dozens sets and, no complaint’ and similar claims help CB to get away with it but such tactics are now cliche and no longer work. The only way that CB can put an end to people’s complaints is through improving their product quality, customer service and work ethics. I do not want to hear any more excuses from CB about their product defects such as ‘it is made by hand’ therefore the defect is normal or this is because of ‘wood grain’ etc , basically, CB should stop taking its customers for gullible and naive people who were born yesterday and so seem easy to mess around. The majority of people in Europe and US who play chess or collect chess sets are highly educated and since childhood have seen all types of business gimmicks and tricks. Therefore, there is no other way for CB but to own up to it and seriously start improving their product quality and customer service. I also agree that CB recent prices are really inflated and that they have become as expensive as premium quality chess sellers and charging $240 for such a set is really a rip-off specially as this design even in its original shape does not look anything special, however, it is still the quality which is the main issue. I know that hiring more professional woodturners and using higher quality wood cost more miney but that is the only way forward otherwise more and more customers will walk away from CB everyday.
Pictures look fantastic!
Yes, what a nice looking set!
I have two friends on this forum(both fine folks and top players & collectors) who just received this set and am wondering what you folks' thoughts are about it?
Has C.B. come out with a winner? -