Introduction
Online chess stores play an important role in sustaining the global chess community as they enable chess players to access essential chess equipment and learning resources so that both chess players and chess enthusiasts can improve their skills and enjoy the game wherever they reside. Online chess stores also play a key role in promoting chess and providing support for the global chess community which is essential for the future growth and development of the chess community and the chess industry. In this article i will highlight some of the best online chess stores and provide information on the history of their stores, their available products and services, their customers experience, their trustworthiness and reputation and much more. I will also explore their main strengths and weaknesses.
MegaChess is a family-owned online chess store which is based in the United States that was founded in 2007 by Peter Shikli. MegaChess specialises in supplying giant chess sets and other giant sized and standard sized traditional games such as giant checkers sets, giant four in a row sets, giant tumble tower sets, giant cornhole sets, giant tic tac toe sets, giant backgammon sets, giant Chinese checkers sets, cornhole sets, croquet sets, bocce ball sets, and crazy cricket sets for both personal and commercial clients. The products at MegaChess are unique, made exclusively by MegaChess’ own artisans and can’t be found anywhere else on the market. MegaChess has an extensive catalogue of outdoor gaming products with more than 50 giant chess sets, 16 giant checkers sets, 20 giant chess boards, and wide range of other outdoor games to choose from. The products at MegaChess are ideal for art enthusiasts, traditional game enthusiasts and stand alone chess players, chess coaches, and chess enthusiasts, as well as instituions that are fond of traditional games and chess such as schools, universities, campgrounds, cities and towns, libraries, resorts, shopping malls, cities and towns, apartment complexes, public parks and public gardens, community centres, beaches, and sports clubs and gyms.
Store history
MegaChess was founded in 2007 by Peter Shikli in order to bring people together and provide young people with an entertaining pastime that stimulates their minds in a way that’s both fun and educational. Peter Shikli came up with the idea to establish MegaChess after running his fingers over a large teak chess piece and realising the beauty of chess pieces and their functionality as a form of art for interior and exterior decoration. Peter Shikli’s father was a wood carver and so Peter Shikli also had a background in wood carving and product design which enabled him to materialise the vision for MegaChess that he had formulated in his mind. After surrounding his home with decorative hand carved chess pieces, Peter Shikli started MegaChess which has grown to become one of the most popular online chess stores in the world and the only online chess store that supplies giant individual chess pieces. Peter Shikli transferred the ownership of MegaChess in 2012 to Ken Hagerstrom who now manages MegaChess with his family. In 2016 the Hagerstrom family relocated MegaChess’ main warehouse from southern California to Irving Texas which enabled them to decrease the shipping time for 94% of their domestic orders to within three business days. The Hagerstrom family is dedicated to expanding MegaChess and fulfilling their mission to bring people together and influence the youth by introducing them to games like chess that will develop their critical thinking skills in an entertaining and educational way.
Product selection and quality
MegaChess has a wide selection of giant and standard sized gaming and chess products that cater to the tastes and budgets of game and chess enthusiasts of all ages and experience levels. The products that are available at MegaChess include giant chess sets, individual giant chess pieces, giant chess boards, giant checkers sets, giant and standard sized indoor and outdoor games, and personalised giant games.
Giant chess sets available at MegaChess:
Giant chess sets by height, giant chess sets by material, giant chess sets by interior playing square size, giant chess sets for specific business type, and giant chess sets for specific municipality type.
Individual giant chess pieces available at MegaChess:
Individual giant chess pieces by rank, individual plastic giant chess pieces, individual giant chess pieces for specific chess set size, individual teak and wood giant chess pieces, and individual giant chess pieces by material for specific chess set size.
Giant chess boards available at MegaChess:
Giant chess boards by material, giant chess boards by interior playing square size, giant chess boards for specific sized chess sets and by specific material type, and giant chess boards for specific use cases.
Giant checkers sets available at MegaChess:
Giant checkers sets by width, plastic giant checkers sets, giant checkers sets by height, teak and wood giant checkers sets, and personalised giant checkers sets.
Giant and standard sized indoor and outdoor games available at MegaChess:
Cornhole sets and accessories, croquet sets and accessories, bocce ball sets, crazy cricket sets, giant four in a row, giant tumble tower, giant cornhole sets, giant tic tac toe, giant backgammon sets, giant Chinese checkers sets, giant LED chess sets, regulation LED cornhole boards, giant LED four in a row, LED chess tables for 12 inch giant chess sets, giant LED Chinese checkers sets, teak 8 inch giant chess sets, birch 8 inch giant chess and chess boards, plastic 8 inch giant chess sets, rubber tree 7 inch giant chess sets, tabletop checkers and boards, tabletop chess boards and chess tables, the perfect chess set-tournament edition, carrom boards and accessories, and tabletop four in a row.
Personalised giant games available at MegaChess:
Personalised giant four in a row, personalised tumble tower sets, personalised cornhole sets, personalised tic tac toe sets, personalised giant chess sets, personalised giant checkers sets, custom fibreglass giant chess sets, and giant LED light up chess sets.
MegaChess customer service and customer experience
The MegaChess customer service team can be contacted via phone, email, live chat, and by leaving a message on their contact form which is on their contact us page, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm (Central Time), Saturdays, 8am to 12pm (Central Time), and everyday 8am to 10pm (Central Time) via live chat. The MegaChess customer service team are happy to help customers with any issues or queries they may have such as product related questions, assisting with returns and exchanges, assisting with website navigation issues, or any other issues that customers may have whilst browsing their store. MegaChess has received numerous customer reviews on online review sites such as trustpilot.com, shopperapproved.com, yelp.com, sitejabber.com, and tenereteam.com as well as on their own website and the large majority of their reviews are positive. Customers that have shopped with MegaChess and left positive reviews online have expressed their satisfaction with MegaChess’ fast shipping times, their professionalism when handling customer disputes, the high quality and craftsmanship of their products, the responsiveness and helpfulness of their customer service team, their easy to navigate website, the reasonable pricing of their products, their secure packaging, their detailed products descriptions, their ability to accept payments in instalments, and their clear and vivid product photos. However, customers that have shopped with MegaChess and left negative reviews online have expressed their disappointment with MegaChess’ impolite customer service team, their unprofessionalism when handling customer disputes, and the poor condition of their products upon arrival. According to the reviews online regarding MegaChess’ products and customer service, most of the customers that have shopped with MegaChess in the past have generally had a positive shopping experience and were pleased with both the standard of customer service they received as well as the quality of the products they received. On the other hand, there are also several customers that had a less than satisfactory experience shopping with MegaChess with reoccurring themes regarding the impoliteness of MegaChess’ customer service.
Trustworthiness and reputation
MegaChess ranks highly on the scale of trustworthiness which can be verified by observing the many positive customer reviews that they have received after serving the chess community for over 15 years in addition to several other factors. MegaChess has a high ratio of positive to negative customer reviews which they have earned by serving both individuals and institutions in a manner that reflects their dedication to delivering high standards of customer service and their passion for chess. Some of the main factors that contribute to MegaChess’ trustworthiness are their transparency as their terms and conditions policy outlines exactly what customers can expect when shopping in their store, their helpful and responsive customer service team who are knowledgeable and eager to assist customers, their extensive catalogue of competitively priced gaming products, and their relationships with numerous reputable institutions such as schools, universities, resorts, hotels, shopping malls, retirement communities, apartments, town homes, condos, municipalities, communities, rental and entertainment companies, and commercial workplaces. MegaChess is also very accessible as they can be contacted in real time via live chat as well as via phone, email, and mail. MegaChess has developed a reputation of being the only vendor of giant individual chess pieces in the world as well as for being an advocate of chess that aims to introduce more young people to healthier pastimes such as chess.
Pricing and affordability
MegaChess has a wide range of chess and traditional gaming products that cater to the tastes and budgets of game enthusiasts of all ages and experience levels. The gaming products at MegaChess are ideal for individuals and institutions that are in search of high-quality giant and standard sized chess products and traditional games at reasonable prices. The chess sets that are available at MegaChess are priced as low as 35.99 dollars on the lower end of the spectrum and as high as 24,999 dollars on the higher end of the spectrum. The individual giant chess pieces are priced as low as 4 dollars on the lower end of the spectrum and as high as 1,649 dollars on the higher end of the spectrum. The chess boards are priced as low as 34 dollars on the lower end of the spectrum and as high as 2,999 dollars on the higher end of the spectrum. The checkers sets are priced as low as 29 dollars on the lower end of the spectrum and as high as 1,299 dollars on the higher end of the spectrum. The indoor and outdoor games are priced as low as 69 dollars on the lower end of the spectrum and as high as 1,999 dollars on the higher end of the spectrum. Lastly, the personalised games are priced as low as 129 dollars on the lower end of the spectrum and as high as 5,799 dollars on the higher end of the spectrum.
Available Payment methods
MegaChess accepts numerous payment methods which includes American Express, Apple Pay, Diners Club, Discover, Google Pay, Mastercard, PayPal, Shop Pay, Venmo, and Visa
Shipping, cancellations, returns, exchanges, and delivery performance
MegaChess ships both nationally and internationally to most countries around the world using couriers such as FedEx, UPS, USPS, and Ocean Transit. Shipping to the United States on orders that are over 75 dollars are eligible for free shipping and shipping to the United States on orders that are under 75 dollars will cost 9.99 dollars. Shipping to remote areas within the United States such as Alaska, Hawaii, and other Islands, US territories, Canada, and Mexico will be subject to additional shipping costs in most cases and may also take longer than usual to arrive. Orders to Canada and Mexico will ship with FedEx International Economy and orders to other international countries will either ship with Ocean transport or air transport depending on the customers preference, ocean transport is cheaper but can take longer to arrive whereas air transport is more expensive but will arrive with customers in a much shorter amount of time. International customers also have the option to organise their own shipping arrangements by contacting MegaChess. Customers outside of the United States and Canada are required to contact the MegaChess customer service team during the checkout process in order to receive a quote for the cost of shipping due to the large size of most of the products at MegaChess. International orders may be subject to additional shipping costs that are the responsibility of the customer due to fees such as customs duties and import taxes that are required to facilitate international deliveries however international customers are able to select an import broker of their choice by contacting MegaChess before orders are shipped. Customers that order Items that are large will be delivered on a truck as opposed to the typical delivery van and will require a delivery appointment, a signature upon arrival and may be subject to additional charges if delivery schedules are missed and an order has to be stored and redelivered by the courier. Most orders leave the MegaChess warehouse within 1 business day, Monday to Friday, excluding US holidays and during busy periods which may result in longer shipping times and typically reach their destination within 3 to 7 business days. Custom orders will also take longer to ship in most cases. Customers will receive an email notification with the shipping company information and a tracking number once orders have been shipped. Customers within the United States have the option to collect their orders at the MegaChess warehouse in Irving Texas by booking an appointment with MegaChess before ordering and requesting their “Will Call Pick Up” service, which is available from Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm (Central Time). Some items including larger items are eligible for expedited shipping as MegaChess provides 1, 2, and 3 day expedited shipping options on specific items, customers can expect expedited shipments to ship on the next business day and arrive by the end of the day of their expected delivery date. Customers are advised to inspect their items upon arrival and document any problems on the delivery receipt. Items that need to be returned for a refund or replacement must be disassembled and boxed in order to be shipped back to MegaChess. In the event that orders are delivered with major defects customers are also advised to refuse the delivery and contact MegaChess immediately for a replacement which includes orders that have been left at the door. Damaged, defective items and shortages must be reported to MegaChess within 24 hours of goods being received and MegaChess will send a replacement at no cost to the customer which includes items that are lost during transit after 3 business days have passed, and incorrect items. Customers that wish to cancel orders must do so before orders are shipped to avoid return shipping costs which can be substantial due to the size of most MegaChess items. Customers must return any unwanted items within 10 business day from the date of delivery by contacting MegaChess and requesting a return merchandise authorisation number (RMA) and returned items must be unused and in their original packaging. Customers may also use a shipping company of their choice after receiving an RMA number however MegaChess advises customers use a dependable shipping company that can provide a tracking number, insurance, and proof of delivery to avoid orders that are damaged during transit from being rejected. Returned items will be subject to a 15% restocking fee and returned items with clear signs of use will not be refunded. The initial price of shipping as well as the price of any requested return shipping labels will be deducted from refunds that are issued. Refunds are usually processed 5 to 7 days after returned items are received by MegaChess and will be credited to the customers original payment method.
Website navigation and mobile friendliness
The MegaChess website is easy to navigate, intuitively designed and mobile friendly with easy to identify product categories, a search bar that’s located at the centre of the website which customers can use to search for specific products, a live chat button which is located at the bottom right corner of the website which customers can use to speak with the MegaChess customer team in real time by clicking on the purple speech bubble icon, and a footer menu that’s located at the bottom of the website which customers can use to find additional information such as the about us pages, the blog page, the affiliate program page, the reseller program page, the accessibility page, the customer reviews page, the shipping information pages, the returns and refunds pages, the terms and conditions pages, the product assembly and instructions pages, the product care and maintenance pages, the resources pages, the contact us page, as well as links to their social media profiles. Canadian customers can also choose to shop in their local currency by using the currency dropdown menu within the footer menu. On mobile and tablet devices, clicking on the hamburger menu that’s located at the top left corner of the screen will display the different product categories as well as MegaChess’ contact information and social media profiles. On desktop devices, hovering over the different product categories will display the subcategories within each main category. The MegaChess website is as easy to navigate on mobile and tablet devices as it is on desktop devices and features clear and vivid product photos and comprehensive product descriptions which enables customers to access all the information needed to make well informed purchasing decisions. The MegaChess website is also secured with TSL/SSL encryption which protects customers sensitive information such as passwords and credit card numbers that are used on the site from malicious entities online. Overall, the MegaChess website is easy to navigate, intuitively designed with the customers convenience in mind, mobile friendly, secure, and well stocked with a wide range of high-quality chess and traditional gaming products.
MegaChess strengths and weaknesses
MegaChess’ main strengths are their easy to navigate and intuitively designed website, their extensive catalogue of high quality chess and traditional gaming products, the craftsmanship of their products, their competitive pricing, their resource pages which customers can utilise to gain more information about their product ranges, their affiliation with ChessVibes which enables customers to learn more about chess such as the basics of chess, chess openings, and chess strategies, their live chat feature which enables customers to speak with the MegaChess customer service team in real time, their wide range of accepted payment methods, their worldwide shipping capabilities, their helpful and knowledgeable customer service team, their fast shipping times, their secure packaging, and their ability to supply personalised products. Whilst MegaChess has many strengths it also has some weaknesses which if addressed would greatly improve the shopping experience for both existing and future customers. MegaChess’ main weaknesses according to customer reviews and from my personal observation are their impolite customer service team, their unprofessionalism when handling customer disputes, the poor condition of some of their products upon arrival to their destinations. Overall, MegaChess is a reputable online chess store with a long history of serving the chess community both in the United States and around the world and that’s well known for their high standards of customer service, their high-quality giant chess and traditional gaming products, and their dedication to promoting healthy pastimes such as chess to the youth.
Conclusion
Online chess stores are an essential part of the chess industry, and they play a crucial role in sustaining the global chess community as they enable chess players to access essential equipment and resources that will enable them to improve their skills in chess however not all online chess stores are made the same as some are clearly better than others. In this article i have highlighted 25 of the most prominent online chess stores, each having defining characteristics. Some online chess stores specialise in supplying high end chess products, some specialise in supplying chess products for professional chess players, and some specialise in supplying chess products for chess players for all ages, tastes, budgets, and experience levels. Whether you’re a professional chess player in search of a chess set that’s suitable for practice sessions, a chess set collector in search of unique chess products, or a chess enthusiast in search of a high-quality chess set, this catalogue of online chess stores will enable you to find the perfect online chess store.
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