The House of Staunton Reviews 43

TrustScore 4 out of 5

4.1

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Review summary

Based on reviews, created with AI

Reviewers had a great experience with this company. Customers consistently praise the wide variety of products, competitive pricing, and excellent customer service. Many people highlight the quick and efficient delivery, noting that products arrive well-packaged and on schedule. The staff is frequently commended for being responsive, courteous, and always putting the customer first. However, some customers also noted issues with product quality, specifically regarding the fragility of some chess pieces which cracked or broke, sometimes due to humidity, and the company's warranty policy on these items. A few other people also felt that the shipping costs, particularly for international orders, were too high and that the company could offer cheaper alternatives or better upfront tax estimations.

What people talk about most

Product

Users describe positive interactions with product, consistently praising the beautiful, high-quality chess... See more

Quality

Reviewers mention ambiguous feedback about quality. Many customers praise the exceptional quality of chess... See more

Price

Clients share positive opinions on price, with many finding competitive pricing and good deals on certain... See more

Customer service

Customers had positive experiences with customer service. Many reviewers praised the thoughtful and attentive... See more

Delivery service

Reviewers highlight positive aspects of delivery service. Many customers praise the fast shipping and quick... See more

Based on these reviews

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

HOS has a wide variety of products which meet my chess needs for chess sets and books. Always a varied selection with periodic sakes fir substantial savings. Their customer service has always been res... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I have been dealing with the HOS for many years. Their products are well packaged/protected and arrive as scheduled. Also highly regarded is their service.....questions and suggestions are answered/p... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

As a lifetime lover/enthusiast of chess, The House of Staunton is like a dream come true! The standard of quality they uphold is unmatched. All of my finest chessboards and chessmen have come from the... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

The first thing I ordered was a sort of "bucket list" chess set, a fine quality ebony and boxwood set that I also purchased the large coffer for to keep it safe. The quality and workmanship were supe... See more

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Buyer beware! They ghosted me twice when I have tried to order. No communication from them saying why. I had to reach out wondering where my 2day shipping boards went. When I asked why, they said m... See more

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Received an attache case with a broken handle (not slightly irregular as advertised; totally broken in two pieces . I wrote to inform customer service of this issue; received no response whatsoever.... See more

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Stay away Don't Buy The House of Staunton Chess Pieces - Terrible Customer Service I got the Imperial Chess set as a Christmas gift from my wife. Information is below I bought a chess... See more

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

These guys have the worst policies. Doesn't let you cancel an order that hasn't been processed or sent. Expects you to pay for return on an order they haven't even sent yet AND you have to pay... See more

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

House of Stounton is a quality shop with quality products - my complaint is about the support for European customers: 1. you place your order - all ok 2. you have to pay very high shipping costs w... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

House of Staunton remains one of the premier providers of chess pieces in the world. Their craftsmanship is unmatched, their resources consistently excellent, and their service always prompt and profe... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Love getting a flash sale for 30% off regular priced items. I'm tempted enough to look for items I might otherwise not look for. Sure enough, I found chess pieces from my favorite series in a combina... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Purchased a beautiful tirior set with pieces as a Christmas gift. There was clearly damage to the exterior box upon arrival. Unfortunately, when the interior box was opened a corner of the set... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

The people at HOS is what makes the purchase special - whether in person or by phone or over the internet! They go the "extra mile" to make sure you are happy with your purchase! For a person who has... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I have purchased plastic chess sets with roll-up boards on several occasions for our chess club. They have always been good quality and I have had prompt delivery. I purchased a wooden Staunton-style... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Always answered questions helped when i needed replacement chess pieces, my only wish is a drop in price with the better chess boards.. but i know its not your fault, love evertthing i purchased from... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

House of Staunton’s associates are well informed, efficient, and helpful. They sell fine chess sets at a competitive price, and S&H is always timely. I highly recommend them. Bob Ewers Roanoke VA

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I have purchased several chess boards, a Zagreb lacquered set of pieces, and books and other items. When I have had a need for customer service it has been great. There is no reason not to choose H... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Fast shipping, great products. Once a wooden piece I ordered from them cracked a few days after I received it. They replaced it immediately after I informed them of this with no hassle or extra cost t... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

You carry virtualy everything I could want in the chess world. Your shipping is always on the spot, you have great deals and great communication.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Staunton Chess was willing and able to help me get the best discount deal on my recent purchase of "The Bobby Fischer Ultimate Tournament Series Plastic Chess Pieces - 3.75" King" with a 20%-off code,... See more

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

My last experience was not good. The finial broke off on my black King and when I called wanting to just replace the small finial piece, I was told I had to but the whole piece at an absorbant price.... See more

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

HOS has very good deals on certain books, of which I have many. An excellent selection of multifaceted chess sets is available from them, but sadly, there is a repeated, and therefore expected flaw fr... See more

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

I recently purchased several items from this website, and I’m very impressed with both the quality of the products and the overall shopping experience.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

The chess sets are beautiful! I have purchased sets from them for years. Although, recently I had made two separate orders roughly 2 months apart. Both orders contained the wrong addresses. Both... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

High-quality chess products at reasonable prices. User friendly website to navigate.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

After a difficult experience with Mexican Customs that resulted in my original set being returned, the HoS team really stepped up. They provided store credit for the return and honored my original dis... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

The chess sets and boards are of really exceptional quality. Some of them cannot be purchased in any other shop in the world.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I consider The House of Staunton, my go to place for all chess related needs. The informative shared articles on history and gameplay are icing on the cake. Thank you for honestly and sincerely sup... See more

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Excellent selection and high quality throughout. I was so initially impressed by the chess items that I splurged and bought a chess table. Love it!


Company details

  1. Toy and Game Manufacturer
  2. Game Store

Information provided by various external sources

The House of Staunton is proud to be an official sponsor and the exclusive equipment provider of the United States Chess Championship, making us truly The Chessmen of Champions! When America's top Chess professionals battle for the US Chess Championshi...


Contact info

4.1

Great

TrustScore 4 out of 5

43 reviews

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

These guys have the worst policies

These guys have the worst policies. Doesn't let you cancel an order that hasn't been processed or sent. Expects you to pay for return on an order they haven't even sent yet AND you have to pay for a 25% restock fee for their incompetent service and disastrous policies.

Imagine not letting you cancel an order before they’ve processed or sent it. I have receipt in my shop app that shows it hasn’t.

They are sharks and don't care about their customers and just want to take your money. Stay clear.

I took my business to Royal Chess Mall instead. Wish I had came across them first.
For the House of Staunton, take note and learn from your competitors. Yikes.

March 14, 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 3 out of 5 stars

The chess sets are beautiful

The chess sets are beautiful! I have purchased sets from them for years. Although, recently I had made two separate orders roughly 2 months apart. Both orders contained the wrong addresses. Both had the same wrong address. Both were said to be undeliverable! I paid $16 for shipping and now I had to call and complain. They did call FedX and had the address corrected. But, I needed to wait another day. I do not know how this happened? They told me that they are looking in to it? They said that the first time. Now they said it a second time! Shawn, you used to much better than that! What the hell has happened?? Anyone else have the same experience?

March 9, 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 3 out of 5 stars

Hit or Miss!

HOS has very good deals on certain books, of which I have many. An excellent selection of multifaceted chess sets is available from them, but sadly, there is a repeated, and therefore expected flaw from them. The felt pads are very often not centered, or too big for the piece itself, or even of inferior quality in comparison to the rest of the piece, and all of these issues have no business being on the bottom of multiple-hundred dollar sets, as I have purchased and experienced, multiple times. This shameful flaw must be remedied!

March 5, 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Unexpected return

After a difficult experience with Mexican Customs that resulted in my original set being returned, the HoS team really stepped up. They provided store credit for the return and honored my original discount on the new purchase to a US address. As a long-time customer with around $700 in purchases over the last few years, they even offered free shipping as a loyalty gesture. Very thoughtful and attentive customer service—they turned a frustrating situation into a great experience.

February 11, 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Received badly damaged merchandise

Received an attache case with a broken handle (not slightly irregular as advertised; totally broken in two pieces . I wrote to inform customer service of this issue; received no response whatsoever.
This comes as a complete surprise to me, as I've purchased many items from this business over ~30 years.

January 2, 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Staunton Chess was willing and able to give me a good deal.

Staunton Chess was willing and able to help me get the best discount deal on my recent purchase of "The Bobby Fischer Ultimate Tournament Series Plastic Chess Pieces - 3.75" King" with a 20%-off code, and a discounted "Wooden Tournament Chess Board" with free shipping!! It was shipped and arrived quickly. The chessmen are my new favorite.

January 23, 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Buyer beware!

Buyer beware!

They ghosted me twice when I have tried to order. No communication from them saying why. I had to reach out wondering where my 2day shipping boards went. When I asked why, they said my order was flagged - and there was no real fix. I asked if for my trouble of being ghosted twice and not hearing from them, if I could get a code for free 2 day shipping. They said no. Ghosting orders, and not offering any fixes is poor taste in my opinion. I will not be using them after this last order (if it even goes through!).

January 13, 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Spectacular Customer Service!

Purchased a beautiful tirior set with pieces as a Christmas gift. There was clearly damage to the exterior box upon arrival. Unfortunately, when the interior box was opened a corner of the set was badly damaged.

Wrote to them ON CHRISTMAS and received a reply ALSO ON CHRISTMAS. I was astounded. They were friendly, responsive, and immediately offered options of either a partial refund or a replacement. We chose a replacement.

The replacement arrived much quicker than they expected (the model we purchased had sold out and they didn't expect it to arrive until March). They kept me informed all along the process.

I cannot praise them enough for their outstanding customer service. We look forward to many many years of battling it out on this set. But if we ever need anything else, I won't go to anyone else. They've earned a lifetime of loyalty.

January 20, 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 2 out of 5 stars

Ordering from Europe is not recommended

House of Stounton is a quality shop with quality products - my complaint is about the support for European customers:
1. you place your order - all ok
2. you have to pay very high shipping costs with FedEx - they could offer cheaper alternatives.
3. FedEx asks for additional papers for customs which you have to provide as a customer - other shops take care for this.
4. you receive notification about the amount of the taxes from FedEx after custom clearance and have to pay to FedEx - other shops estimate the tax upfront and take care that you know about the total cost in advance and that there is no additional effort for the customer.

January 9, 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Highly recommend!

As a lifetime lover/enthusiast of chess, The House of Staunton is like a dream come true! The standard of quality they uphold is unmatched. All of my finest chessboards and chessmen have come from them. Once you’ve enjoyed playing a match with a 4" king set on a big beautiful board, there’s no going back! They also uphold the highest standard of customer service.

July 20, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 3 out of 5 stars

Repair of the Black King Finial

My last experience was not good. The finial broke off on my black King and when I called wanting to just replace the small finial piece, I was told I had to but the whole piece at an absorbant price. There has to be an outlet to obtain just the finial. I have been a longtime customer of HoS and this make me wonder about cotinueing as a customer. Take care of your customer. Not sure of the date but it was sometime earlier this year. BW

June 20, 2025
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Best place for a nice chess set

Always answered questions helped when i needed replacement chess pieces, my only wish is a drop in price with the better chess boards.. but i know its not your fault, love evertthing i purchased from you thank you

October 19, 2025
Unprompted review

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