He has lots of pretty pictures of very nice products. Those wont be what you receive. Check his reviews all over the internet. Ships damaged and inferior quality then refuses to make it right in any way. If he let you return it, you will have to pay big for shipping from the USA to Great Britain. Bad reviews and angry, disappointed customers. I believe "wanker" is the correct British term.
My chess set (king's cross in camel bone) came on time, but my queen piece was snapped at the tip, which I was expecting because I had read reviews about chess baron before about the quality of the pieces and the condition they arrive in. However, I opened the chess set on my bed (to keep it out of view for Christmas wrapping) and the black pieces were finished in some sort of dye or oily substance that smudged into my hands and bedsheets. I reported what happened to the vendor, and he told me to pay for shipping to send it back to where it came from for a refund, but considering that shipping would cost almost as much as the set originally cost, I was not interested. I ended up glueing the queen back together, and using a clear finish spray paint to seal the black pieces. I wouldn't shop from this person again.
I got my chess pieces look good but the kings weight were off by over 25% especially the white (advertised as 70 grams but actual weight is only 52. I called Chess Baron but told it was just normal. I was disappointed and felt ripped off. If this was properly advertised noting this big variance (over quarter of the weight in my case), I would have chosen the cheaper set of the same size. Who knows, they may have also sent the wrong weight/product for what I paid for, but they don't care, I was asked to return the product instead... easiest way to get away from mistakes or shady advertisement.
Could not be more satisfied with my experience at this online store. I was personally contacted and updated throughout the shipping process and made to feel very comfortable with my decision. Will buy again and recommend to family and friends.
Chess Baron has a wide selection of chess boards and pieces from the art/luxury end to travel sets.
The company seems to be in several countries and they are easy to deal with but they do import items that are not quality assured and you may pay over the odds for an inferior set.
A lot of sympathetic back and forth but I still ended up with something that didn't match the picture and I didn't really want.
Speak as you find... I've been looking for a specific chess set that my late Uncle used to have. I found a similar one on Chess Baron Canada and went ahead and ordered it on Tuesday. It arrived a few days later beautifully packed and the pieces were exactly as described. Thanks, Chess Baron - great job!
I bought an item for about $169 and wanted to return it. There was no return label provided and shipping the item back out-of-pocket would cost more than what the item was worth. Cost of shipping is not included in their refund so basically, you lose a lot of money if you ever need to return an item from the U.S.
I just received my replica Isle of Lewis chessmen from Baron today and couldn't be more thrilled! The pieces are of superb quality, and perfectly match the fantastic photos on the website. Shipping from Great Briton to the US was much faster than expected, and Baron was extremely responsive by phone. I highly recommend ChessBaron.com.
I ordered the full size acacia chess board and case combo, and it shipped from the UK to the US in just four days. It's every bit as beautiful as the pictures, and I'm looking forward to getting many years out of it.
Recently purchased a 'Sebastian' metal chess set (and accompanying board and case) from Chess Baron. It's a very nice set but I don't use it as it is extremely difficult to tell the queen and bishops apart - I have reverted to using an old Staunton style chess set. Sympathetic emails from Chess Baron but they are unable to do anything because of the design copyright of the set. This is all well and good but I am left with an expensive set that I struggle touse - be aware of this problem if you are looking at the 'Sebastian' set.
Horrible experience with ChessBaron.
I expressed my surprise about having to pay fees and taxes without any information about their nature provided by the carrier. I am unhappy that no details about these fees and taxes were given; the site deliberately hides this information, although it should highlight that the carrier may demand taxes. The seller should detail the nature of the fees and taxes and their calculation methods to the customers, instead of hiding this unpleasant surprise until the last moment. The seller simply replied that I am an idiot and that he would not respond to any of my future emails. I am more than shocked by the indecent and outrageous behavior of this seller.
I decided to refuse the parcel and request a full refund by opening a dispute with PayPal. This seller is a disgrace and should be avoided at all costs. I now understand why there are so many ultra-negative comments about him on various internet forums. This is not a professional sales site but an amateur who sells anything and everything without any professionalism, and he allows himself to insult his customers at the slightest disagreement.
Chess Baron is run by a rude, vulgar, and insulting person. Here his respond to my email:
"You can't cancel the order - it's already in France! If we receive the item back, we'll refund it. But if we are charged for having it returned (which is very likely), this will be deducted from the refund.
You've paid £39 for our best selling item - and tax from your government. Stop being ridiculous - it's your government that charges this. Every country does the exact same thing. Did you get that? It's your government.
Have you actually never bought something from a country outside the EU before? Every purchase from a non-EU country is taxed by the country it's received into. You're an idiot!
Further emails will be unread, so don't bother emailing again."
CHESSBARON, GAME OF SMOKE AND MIRRORS.
ChessBaron is a barony without a castle, let alone nobility.
Having bought two chess sets with ChessBaron, my loyalty has been slashed with irony and disdain once I decided to return a flawed and faulty set. It was agreed in writing that my purchase would be refunded upon return.
For the return, ChessBaron chose their own courier, which unfortunately broke the board during transit. Rather than dealing with their courier, ChessBaron assumed that I was to take the loss.
So be aware: instead of a knight in shining armour riding a noble steed, ChessBaron is riding a ragged mule loaded with cupidity and disdain.
As a loyal customer, here is my advice: don't be pawned by ChessBaron, the game is wicked.
I decided to invest in the World Set from ChessBaron, looking forward to owning a premium-quality set given the cost. To my dismay:
1) The chess pieces I received had notable wear and tear. Scratches, prominent dents, and other indications made them seem either previously used or not of the expected quality. The pieces did not match what was pictured online at all!
2) The case with the chess pieces in it had evident signs of being resealed, with tape and markers on it.
Addressing my concerns to the seller led to them minimizing the issues. They mentioned the wooden nature of the set as a justification for the damages. While I understand wood can have natural imperfections, the damages on this set were excessive for this price point! My chess sets I purchased for a fraction of the price that are also handmade had significantly less imperfections
3) ChessBaron's solution was to offer a replacement for a single piece, suggesting possible repackaging.
4) Their shipping process was misleading. Buying from a.ca website, I anticipated domestic delivery, but was taken aback by the import duties due to its dispatch from the UK.
5) Their reluctance to take responsibility for return shipping was discouraging, especially with the clear disparity between the actual product and their advertisement.
6) Spending approximately 400 CAD just for the chess pieces (excluding the board), I was hoping for a seamless buying experience and a product that lived up to the promised standards. Regrettably, my experience aligns with the negative feedback from other customers.
I recommend potential customers to be vigilant and consider other options.
ChessBaron has a rating of 1.9 stars from 14 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. ChessBaron ranks 11th among Chess sites.