Today I received a full table board go set from the online shop https://en.goboard-stone.co.jp/ which does business as Hyuga Goban Goishi CO.,LTD, and used the email address goboardstone@gmail.com
I hadn’t been able to find any reviews for this store and had been a bit nervous about sending a chunk of change overseas. Boy was I surprised. The care and respect in the packaging were out of this world, beyond impressive. The quality of the goods was even better than expected. The package arrived from Japan to Massachusetts within 7 days via UPS with a tracking number.
Overall the transaction and communication with the vendor were smooth and professional with the only oddity being the use of a Gmail address, I think this contributed to my uncertainty while waiting for the items. The product received was above expectations on all counts. I highly recommend this retailer.
Based on the product descriptions, I anticipated that the boards sold were somehow ‘less than new’. I’m definitely no expert but this hunk of wood shows a little age (wisdom?). Nothing that upsets me, but it feels like it was used before making its way to me, evidenced by light handling marks and extremely light dents/scratches on the sides. Based on the claimed 20 year drying period on the quality certification this makes sense. I couldn’t be happier with the product.
I have no affiliation with this retailer beyond being a one-time customer (so far).
It would only let me embed one photo, but I included an full unboxing in my reddit post. https://www.reddit.com/r/baduk/comments/md990q/retailer_review_of_goboardstonecojp/
