For a while i've been thinking of buying a goban but since it will be my first one i don't look for anything fancy.
Now, i understand that my choices are heavily budget related so i'm willing to pay up to 150 euros for the whole sheebang (board, bowl, stones). The problem is mainly this: shipping cost-taxes. I have seen some really fine equipment but those additional expenses make most of my choices not viable. If anyone can give me an advice i'd be most thankfull.
For example i've seen this goban but it's without stones. What stone size would go with such a goban (if it is a good choice) ?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B008 ... 6XXNQDNG9C

Hi,

well that board is a veneer so it might not look so great after a while, also the question for stones is whether its Chinese or Japanese dimensions (sorry I don't know straight away from those listed dimensions). Solid Bamboo boards such as they sell might be a good option http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bamboo-Weiqi-Board-Reversible-Xiang/dp/B004D0DFBE/ref=pd_sim_sbs_kh_1 depending on how you feel about the look.

I'm guessing you're in the UK (since you link to Amazon UK) which rules out some US sellers on postage cost but either way you might like to check out the Go Game Guru shop (nothing to do with me but I've found them to be very good in the past)

E.g. for 180 Euro, which is more than your budget
you can get
http://shop.gogameguru.com/shin-kaya-go-board-24-c/
http://shop.gogameguru.com/go-bento-box/

or a cheaper (thinner) board and the same stones for about 87 Euro
http://shop.gogameguru.com/shin-kaya-go-board-05-c/

etc

posting included in the price and they ship from the UK so no import taxes.

If you're going to take it to clubs though, perhaps a two part set, such as one of these:

http://www.pentangle-puzzles.co.uk/acat ... _Sets.html

HTH

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I am John. John-I-Am.

Thank you CnP for your answer.
First of all i'm from Greece not UK it's just that trading between eurorean union countries is free of import taxes i believe.
Actually i saw all those gobans from game guru, yimports, the tradingcenter etc. but still couldn't decide :p
How fast do veneer gobans tend to deteriorate? The reason i'm asking is because the colour of this one looks really good in comparison with the bamboo gobans which is not very appealing to me. Also, the reason i didn't pick a thinner goban is because i'm concerned with its durability. Do thinner gobans tend to deteriorate relatively fast? I wouldn't be bothered to buy a new goban in the futute -actually i'm counting on it- just not in the immediate future.

On which continent do you live?

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Patience, grasshopper.

As a said before i'm a greek citizen so Europe is my continent

You might perhaps also want to try http://www.hebsacker-verlag.de/go-c-59.html, they’re in Germany and should also ship to Greece.

Welcome, BTW

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“The only difference between me and a madman is that I’m not mad.” — Salvador Dali ★ Play a slooooow correspondence game with me on OGS?

ok, well perhaps the Zen minded one would be the right one. I've only actually seen one veneer board afer a couple of years light use - small knocks to the corners had started to flake off the veneer there, nothing major. It would depend on the thickness of veneer used.

Too thin a board (i.e. GGG's one) might just 'feel wrong' but as far as I know they are also more likely to warp, though GGG state theirs have been dried properly. Zen minded used to also sell sets with stones (on Amazon and ebay) so they might be able to tell you which stones to get (though it might also be obvious to another L19er).

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I am John. John-I-Am.

Indeed, using their go-set configurator perhaps something like:

Derzeit ausgewählt:
Brett: Go-Brett Shinkaya, 30mm
Steine: Glassteine, 21,5 x 09 mm
Dosen: Chinesische Dosen A

I don't know how much the shipment to Greece would be, but that might just fit into your budget.

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Same as Ireland:



Expensive.

I should note, I did buy from here and got very good service so I do recommend them but unfortunately if you're on a tight budget the shipping costs might be prohibitive if you're not buying a good bit of stuff that weighs a lot.

Thank you all guys you are awsome. The german site seems to have some real nice offers, certainly better than the sites i checked.

In general I've found:

You need to watch exchange rate quite closely. Buying from Ireland it's invariably cheaper to ship stuff from the UK to me but often after the exchange rate and general price level of the UK is taken into account it's cheaper for me to pay for more expensive shipping from Germany or Holland where the books/stones/whatever will work out cheaper. This is especially true if you're buying a nice lot and shipping starts to become more similar between Germany and the UK, it's really in small, light parcels that there's the big price difference in shipping. Now, shipping to Greece I imagine this shipping advantage for UK sellers disappears and you end up with all the disadvantages of buying stuff priced in Sterling with Euro with none of the advantages of lower shipping that you might get in Ireland.


Also, I've ordered from here and gotten very good service also: http://www.goshop-keima.com/index.php?language=EN

True, if not in Euro-country and buying from Euro-country (which being in Greece and buying from Germany would be)

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for my first go board, I just went to the local lumberyard (Home Depot, actually), and bought a veneered plywood and cut it to size myself. Drew the lines with a ball point pen and a ruler.

Its not professional, and certainly not traditional. No finish, and not much sanding on the rough edges. After 10 years, its starting to darken a bit with use (and dirt and oil from my hands). But its still my favorite.

Depending on what you're looking for, a professional made veneered board could suit you fine for years to come.

Greece is in the Eurozone.

Yes, as is Germany, and thus OP doesn't need to watch exchange rate very closely, if he's going to by from Hebsacker. That was the point I was trying to make.

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Have you checked whether there are any boardgame stores around you? Even if they don't have a go board in stock, they should be able to order one from their supplier: you'll be paying a middle man, but one who pays wholesale and less for shipping, so it might end up cheaper.

Ah ok, your sentence I wouldn't read as saying that. Apologies.

In Greece even big stores don't know what go is. I asked around and they were totally clueless...
The game is not very popular down here unfortunately.

By the way i'm thinking of buying this one
http://www.hebsacker-verlag.de/komplett ... p-503.html

Looks good. I just remembered this as well: http://www.goshop-keima.com/spelmateria ... anguage=EN (in the Netherlands)

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There seems to be a facebook page for an unofficial greek go association. Maybe you might find some people from there to play with your new equipment after you get it

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greek-Go- ... 8263555997

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