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.
The British Museum Shop is an online store and the official store for the world-famous British Museum that’s located in Great Russell Street, London, UK. The British Museum was founded in 1753 and houses millions of historical artifacts, books, manuscripts, coins, medals and much more covering up to two million years of human history. The British Museum Shop has a wide range of products which includes replicas, jewellery, fashion, books, prints, homeware, children’s products, exhibitions, and gifts. The British Museum Shop also supplies a wide range of high-quality chess products as well as other traditional games such mahjong, puzzles, solitaire, Egyptian Senet, playing cards, hnefatafl, the game of Ur, and more. The British Museum is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the UK which attracts millions of national and internationally visitors every year. Every purchase from the British Museum Shop helps to support and maintain the British Museum and purchases from the British Museum Shop also helps to fund the growth and expansion of the British Museum which includes the acquisition of more historical pieces and the upkeep and restoration of the building. The British Museum is currently in the process of being refurbished which will take several years to complete and the aim of the first phase of the restoration process is to build a new collection research and storage facility.
Store history
The British Museum Shop is the official store and trustee of the British Museum which is the most popular tourist attraction in the UK. The first British Museum Shop was founded in February 1912, however the British Museum Shop launched their online store in 2007. Over 6 million people both nationally and internationally visit the British Museum every year to see some of the most famous historical artifacts in the world as the British Museum has over 8 million historical artifacts which covers up to two million years of human history. The British Museum was founded in 1753, the same year Sir Hans Sloane passed away, in order to provide knowledge for the most studious and curious British citizens. Sir Hans Sloane was an Irish physician and collector of antiques that lived during the 17th to the 18th century who amassed a large number of antiques during his career such as coins, medals, books, prints, manuscripts, plants, and other artifacts related to the customs of ancient times which made up the principal collection of the British Museum. The British Museum Shop has a large catalogue of products that are inspired by the artifacts within the British Museum which includes replicas, jewellery, fashion, books, prints, homeware, children’s products, exhibitions, and gifts. The proceeds from the British Museum Shop helps to support and maintain the British Museum and the proceeds from the British Museum Shop also helps to fund the growth and expansion of the British Museum which includes the acquisition of more historical artifacts and the upkeep and refurbishment of the British Museum building.
Product selection and quality
The British Museum Shop has an extensive catalgoue of chess products that caters to the tastes and budgets of chess players of all ages and experience levels. The products that are available at the British Museum Shop include chess sets, replicas, jewellery, fashion, books, prints, homeware, children’s products, exhibitions, “inspired by” products, and gifts.
Chess products available at the British Museum Shop:
Isle of Lewis chess sets, premium Isle of Lewis chess sets, Harry Potter chess sets, Isle of Lewis chess piece replicas, mini Isle of Lewis chess piece replicas, children’s chess books, Isle of Lewis chess piece pin badges, Isle of Lewis chess books, Isle of Lewis chess piece tote bags, Isle of Lewis chess piece tea towels, Isle of Lewis chess piece mugs, Isle of Lewis chess piece key rings, Isle of Lewis chess piece socks, Isle of Lewis chess piece magnets, and Isle of Lewis chess piece bookmarks.
Replicas available at the British Museum Shop:
Sculptures and ornaments, replicas, collectibles and souvenir coins, and busts and heads.
Jewellery available at the British Museum Shop:
Necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings, brooches, cufflinks, and watches.
Fashion available at the British Museum Shop:
Bags and wallets, scarves, clothing, ties, keyrings, and accessories.
Books available at the British Museum Shop:
Exhibition books, art history books, history books, mythology books, language books, guides to the collection books, academic publication books, poetry and literature books, gift books, audio and DVD’s, puzzle books, religion and philosophy books, and object in focus books.
Prints available at the British Museum Shop:
custom prints, mounted prints, and postcards.
Homeware available at the British Museum Shop:
Home decor, kitchen and dining, bookends and bookmarks, stationery, games and puzzles, and magnets.
Children’s products available at the British Museum Shop:
Games and toys, children’s clothing, children’s stationery, and children’s books.
Exhibitions available at the British Museum Shop:
City life and salon culture in Kyoto and Osaka 1770 to 1990, Michelangelo the last decades, legion life in the Roman army, Burma to Myanmar, China’s hidden century, luxury and power Persia to Greece, hieroglyphs unlocking ancient Egypt, feminine power the divine to the demonic, the world of Stonehenge, Hokusai the great picture book of everything, and past exhibition catalogues.
“inspired by” products available at the British Museum Shop:
inspired by the British Museum, inspired by ancient Egypt, inspired by ancient Rome, inspired by ancient Greece, inspired by the Isle of Lewis chessmen, inspired by the Rosetta stone, inspired by Hokusai, inspired by Sutton Hoo, inspired by William Morris, inspired by Beatrix Potter, inspired by Lewis Carroll, inspired by cats, inspired by animals, inspired by Celtic art, inspired by Iznik pottery, inspired by London, inspired by the Japanese galleries, inspired by Mary Delany, and inspired by the Middle East.
Gifts available at the British Museum Shop:
Luxury gifts, cards and decorations, and royal family gifts.
British Museum Shop customer service and customer experience
The British Museum Shop customer service team can be reached by phone, mail and email, Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm and are happy to help customers with any issues or questions they may have such as product related questions, assisting with returns and exchanges, assisting with website navigation issues, or any other problem customers may encounter whilst interacting with the site. Determining what past customers of the British Museum shop have experienced whilst shopping on their online store is challenging as there are not many reviews online for the British Museum Shop specifically and there are also very few reviews for the British Museums physical store and the British Museum itself. However, delving into the customer reviews for the British Museum and the British Museum’s physical Shop may be helpful as it may enable us to gain some insight on the standard of customer service that customers have experienced whilst shopping on the British Museum’s online Shop. The customers that have left positive reviews after visiting the British Museum and or shopping in the British Museum Shop both on and offline have expressed their satisfaction with the customer service teams helpfulness and their quick response times, their vast collection of artifacts, and how tidy and organised the British Museum was. The customers that have left negative reviews after visiting the British Museum and or shopping in the British Museum Shop both on and offline have expressed their disappointment with the layout of the Museum’s explanatory plaques which were difficult for some visitors to read, the Museum’s over crowdedness and long waiting times, and the impoliteness of some of the staff members. The British Museum and the British Museum’s physical and online shop has received much more negative reviews than positive reviews however as the total number of reviews are small it may not necessarily reflect the standard of customer service that customers of the British Museum’s online shop have received.
Trustworthiness and reputation
The British Museum Shop ranks highly on the scale of trustworthiness due to it’s close association with the British Museum and it’s long history of serving both the UK public as well as tourists from all over the world. The main factors that contribute to the British Museum and the British Museum’s physical and online store’s trustworthiness according to the positive customer reviews online are their customer service team’s helpfulness and quick response times, their vast collection of artifacts, and the tidiness of the British Museum. However there are also some features of the British Museum and the British Museum’s physical and online shop that negatively impacts their trustworthiness such as the layout of the British Museum’s explanatory plaques which some visitors found hard to read because of their placement, the British Museum’s over crowdedness and long waiting times, and the impoliteness of some of the British Museum’s staff members. The British Museum attracts millions of visitors each year and although the majority of online reviews are negative it’s likely that many visitors and customers of the British Museum and the British Museum’s Shop have had positive experiences. The British Museum has gained a reputation for having a vast collection of artifacts and the British Museum Shop has also gained a reputation for having an extensive catalogue of products.
Pricing and affordability
The British Museum Shop has a wide range of products that caters to the interests and budgets of a wide demographic of people. The chess products that are available at the British Museum Shop are priced as low as 3.75 pounds on the lower end of the spectrum and as high as 675 pounds on the higher end of the spectrum. The replicas are priced as low as 85 pence on the lower end of the spectrum and as high as 3,750 pounds on the higher end of the spectrum. The jewellery is priced as low as 1.20 pounds on the lower end of the spectrum and as high as 1,550 pounds on the higher end of the spectrum. The fashion is priced as low as 60 pence on the lower end of the spectrum and as high as 199 pounds on the higher end of the spectrum. The books are priced as low as 1 pound on the lower end of the spectrum and as high as 195 pounds on the higher end of the spectrum. The prints are priced as low as 3.99 pounds on the lower end of the spectrum and as high as 28 pounds on the higher end of the spectrum. The homeware is priced as low as 85 pence on the lower end of the spectrum and as high as 3,750 pounds on the higher end of the spectrum. The children’s products are priced as low as 60 pence on the lower end of the spectrum and as high as 115 pounds on the higher end of the spectrum. The exhibitions are priced as low as 85 pence on the lower end of the spectrum and as high as 3,750 pounds on the higher end of the spectrum. Lastly, the gifts are priced as low as 2.50 pounds on the lower end of the spectrum and as high as 3,750 pounds on the higher end of the spectrum.
Available Payment methods
The British Museum Shop accepts multiple payment methods such as Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal.
Shipping, cancellations, returns, exchanges, and delivery performance
The British Museum Shops ships both nationally and internationally to over 200 countries around the word. There are five shipping methods that customers can choose from depending on their location, UK customers can choose between in store pick up deliveries, standard delivery, England, Wales, and Scottish mainland delivery, and premium delivery and international customers must use the worldwide shipping method. Delivery is free for in store pick up deliveries and orders to the UK that are priced over 100 pounds excluding custom art prints, England, Wales, and Scottish mainland costs 6.99 pounds, premium delivery is only available for UK customers, costs 9.99 pounds and custom art prints are excluded, and worldwide delivery costs 79.99 pounds and includes custom art prints and customs duties fees. Delivery prices are calculated based on the volumetric weight and the destination of orders and delivery prices will be displayed on the final page before payments are made. Standard deliveries to the UK should be delivered within three to five working days from the date orders are placed excluding custom prints and made to order sculptures which may take longer to prepare for dispatch. International orders will be shipped via DHL, Parcelforce International, GLS Parcels or local couriers and delivery times may vary depending on the order destination. Orders to North America should take between 3 to 7 working days to be delivered, orders to Europe and Australasia should take 14 working days to be delivered, and orders to the rest of the world should take between 7 to 28 working days to be delivered. Unframed custom art prints can take up to 5 working days to be delivered to the UK, framed custom art prints can take up to 10 working days to be delivered to the UK, unframed custom art prints can take up to three weeks to be delivered to the rest of the world, and framed custom art prints can take up to five weeks to be delivered to the rest of the world. Made to order sculptures can take up to 16 weeks to be delivered and premium delivery is not available for these orders. Orders that are placed during busier periods such as Christmas may also take longer to arrive. Premium deliveries will be shipped via Parcelforce 24 or Royal Mail Special Delivery and will require a signature from customers. Orders with premium delivery as the chosen shipping method that are placed before 1pm UK time Monday to Friday will be dispatched on the same day for next working day delivery and orders that are placed after 1pm will be dispatched on the following working day. Premium delivery orders that are placed on weekends, holidays, or on Fridays after 1 pm UK time will be processed on the following working day to be delivered the day after. Orders to Azores, Vatican City State, Libya, Yemen, British Virgin Islands, People’s Republic of the Congo, Dominica, East Timor, Guyana, Iraq, Kosovo, Mongolia, Norfolk Island, Spitzbergen, St Christopher and Nevis, Tonga, and Uzbekistan will be subject to customs and import charges however the British Museum will refund customers customs charges that reside in these countries if they are contacted and provided a receipt of the charge. Customers that wish to cancel orders must contact the British Museum as soon as possible as orders that have already been processed cannot be cancelled and must be returned. Customers that are unhappy with their orders and wish to return their orders for a refund must do so within 14 days from the date their orders are delivered. Custom prints, made to order replicas, and pierced earrings cannot be refunded unless there is a fault with the product. In the even that orders arrive damaged or incorrect the British Museum will refund or replace the items and will reimburse the cost of ordinary shipping however any claims must be made within 14 days from the date of delivery with the order number and the details of the damage or issue.
Website navigation and mobile friendliness
The British Museum Shop is intuitively designed, easy to navigate and mobile friendly with easily identifiable product categories, a search bar that’s located at the top of the website which enables customers to search for specific products and a footer menu that’s located at the bottom of the website which customers can use to find additional information such as the delivery page, the frequently asked questions page, the ticket booking page, the membership page, the contact us page, the terms of use page, the privacy policy page, and more, as well as links to the British Museum Shop social media pages. On mobile and tablet devices clicking on the hamburger menu that’s located at the top right corner of the screen will display the different product categories. On desktop devices the product categories are located at the top of the website and hovering over the different product categories will display the different subcategories within them. The British Museum Shop is as easy to navigate on mobile and tablet devices as it is on desktop devices, and it has clear and vivid product images and comprehensive product descriptions which enables customers to access all the information that’s needed to make well informed purchasing decisions. The British Museum Shop website is also secured with TSL/SSL encryption which protects customers sensitive information such as credit card numbers and passwords that are used on the site from malicious entities online. Overall, the British Museum Shop website is intuitively designed, easy to navigate, secure, mobile friendly and well stocked with a wide range of high-quality products.
British Museum Shop strengths and weaknesses
The British Museum shops main strengths according to customer reviews and my personal observation are their wide range of high-quality products, their intuitively designed, secure and mobile friendly website, their worldwide shipping capabilities, their competitive pricing, the helpfulness of their customer service team and their quick response times. The British Museum Shop also has some weaknesses which if addressed would greatly improve the shopping experience of both existing and future customers. The British Museum Shop’s main weaknesses according to customer reviews and my personal observation are their small variety of chess products and their small number of inexpensive chess products, the absence of live chat which prevents customers from being able to communicate with their customer service team in real time, their limited number of payment methods which may prevent some customers from being able to shop from their store, the impoliteness of some of their staff members, their high international shipping prices, and their lack of customer reviews which can make it difficult for potential customers to determine the trustworthiness of the store. Overall, the British Museum Shop is a reputable online store which also has a physical storefront that’s well known for it’s long history of serving high quality products to customers in the UK and around the world.
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.
