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FAQ 7j. Tips For Buyers

Caveat Emptor. When you see an attractive mah-jongg item for sale, make sure it's really got everything you need. How many time have I heard, "I got a wonderful Chinese-style mah-jongg set but it doesn't have enough tiles," or "I got a wonderful Japanese mah-jongg set but I can't tell the Winds apart!" I've bought a lot of sets on eBay, and have learned about some specific things to watch for when buying a set...

• How many tiles does the set contain? See FAQ 2 to make sure that the number of tiles is appropriate for your style of mah-jongg; see FAQ 7a to make sure the number of tiles is right for the type of set it is; see FAQ 7b to make sure the tiles are all there.
• Are the tiles marked with Western indices? (Or is everything in Chinese?)
• If your type of mah-jongg requires special tiles, are those tiles present? See FAQ 7a and FAQ 7e for information about special tiles.
• What condition is the set in?
• Are all the bits & pieces included? See FAQ 7d for info about the extra pieces that come with most mah-jongg sets.
• Is the set suitable for the sort of mah-jongg you play? See FAQ 2 to make sure that the number of tiles is appropriate for your style of mah-jongg.
• Is the seller's price competitive? Read FAQ 7h. And do comparison shopping. I recommend that you visit eBay -- a LOT of sets for sale there. It's free to register and browse there. Most sellers offer their mah-jongg items at "Toys & Hobbies: Games: Traditional: Mah Jong." Some sellers offer mah-jongg items at other locations too, like "Toys & Hobbies : Games : Vintage," or "Collectibles : Cultures & Religions : Cultures : Asian").

Method 1: Exploring the Vendor Sites

• Click here: http://www.sloperama.com/majexchange/links.html (selected list of vendor sites)
  
• Click here: http://www.sloperama.com/mjfaq/mjfaq04.html (tons of sites; you'll have to sort out the commercial vendors from the informational sites)

Method 2: Exploring the "For Sale" Bulletin Boards

• Go to http://www.sloperama.com/majexchange/sets.htm where sellers post announcements about their complete sets for sale.
• Go to http://www.sloperama.com/majexchange/selltrade.htm where sellers offer individual tiles for sale.
• Go to http://www.sloperama.com/majexchange/otherpieces2.htm where sellers offer mah-jongg accessories for sale.
  • Email the seller and ask for more details.
  • If the item is sold, please email the webmaster so the post can be deleted.
  • You can also...

• Go to http://www.sloperama.com/majexchange/setswanted.htm to let potential sellers know about complete sets you are seeking.
• Go to http://www.sloperama.com/majexchange/wanted.htm to seek individual tiles to fill out your set. Give details -- color, dimensions, etc.
• Go to http://www.sloperama.com/majexchange/otherpieces.htm and let sellers know about mah-jongg accessories that you are seeking.
• When you have found what you wanted, please email the webmaster to request removal of the outdated post.

Note: When you see items advertised for sale, here's what the grading terms usually mean (but there are lots of unscrupulous sellers - always compare these against the photos, and ask questions when unsure):

PHYSICAL CONDITION GRADING:
1) Mint: Item appears to have not been used before (old new stock). Condition is 99%
2) Near Mint: Item has been used before but is close to perfect. There may be slight scratches but is only noticeable upon close scrutiny. Item is 90% upwards.
3) Excellent: Item is still in overall bright condition and maintains 85%-90% of new condition. Will have some wear blemishes or scratches, though light.
4) Very Fine: Item may have chips, dings, dents, cracks or scratches and maintains 80 to 85% of new condition.
5) Fine: Item may have minor repairs or restoration. It may have chips, dings , dents, cracks or scratches and maintains 75 to 80% of new condition.
6) Very Good: Item has clear visible blemishes and scratches and has visible repairs and/or major restoration. It may have plating or gilt loss. Maintains 70%-75% of new condition.
7) Good: Item is well used with dents, dings, chips, cracks or scratches with possible major repairs and missing pieces. Generally maintains less than 70% of new condition.

Visitors to this site are especially advised to be wary of sellers' claims that an item is "ivory". See our FAQ 7c. What's It Made Of? page for assistance in how to tell ivory from bone. We have recently seen some eBay sellers tout their mah-jongg sets as being made of elephant bone. We don't know if sets were really made of elephant bone (cow bone was the usual material of choice), or how to tell elephant bone from cow bone. Note that it is illegal to import ivory - or any items made from endangered animals, such as elephants - into the United States!
And you are also advised to be skeptical of sellers' claims that a set is from "the Qing Dynasty" (which ended in 1911). We've even seen a Chinese seller on eBay tout his set as being "170 years old" (this would have placed the set's origin in 1834 - 20 or 30 years before mah-jongg even existed!). Don't believe this kind of exaggeration! Read FAQ 11 to learn about the history of mah-jongg. Much mah-jongg research is going on now - don't fall into the trap of believing the colorful myths about mah-jongg's origins.
Caveat emptor -- make sure you're sure before you buy. Or at least make sure the price hasn't been blown out of proportion by exaggerated sales claims.

Useful link: http://www.coololdgames.com was created by an anonymous collector of vintage Mahjong sets. The section about history, identification and restoration of vintage plastics is well done. (Thanks to "Nath Krismaratala" for the link.)

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From the Mah-Jongg Q & A Bulletin Board:

What's the difference between an American set and an American Western set?

>From: Karen
>Sent: Monday, April 28, 2008 4:44 PM
>Subject: Mah-Jongg Q A
>My mah-jongg question or comment is:
>Hi there.
>I'm about start meeting a group for Mah Jong next week and wanted to buy a set.  I just did an exhaustive search on the internet to try and find the answer.  My question is:  is there a difference between buying a Mah Jong set that is American vs. American Western?  The two terms seem to be used interchangeably but don't want to buy the wrong set.
>Thanks.
>Karen

Hi there.
Since there is no mah-jongg terminology police enforcing what words all mah-jongg sellers should use, my answer to your question is "I don't know - why don't you ask the seller?"

I assume you've already read FAQs 7a & 7b (above left). What you really need to know before buying a set is whether it...

...Has enough flowers and jokers for your kind of mah-jongg. How many flowers and jokers do you need for your kind of mah-jongg? (If you don't know, see FAQ 2b.) Make sure the set has all those before you buy it.
...Is marked with Western indices in the upper left corners. I assume your players don't all read Chinese? Make sure the set has Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4...) in the corners of all the craks, and that there are Roman letters (E, S, W, N) in the corners of all the wind tiles, at the very least.
...Comes with racks (if your players expect racks).

And that's pretty much all you probably need to know before clicking the "Buy now" button.
May the tiles be with you.
Tom Sloper
Author of "The Red Dragon & The West Wind," the definitive book on mah-jongg East & West.
MJ溌Sloperama中com
トム·スローパー   /   湯姆 斯洛珀  /  탐 슬로퍼
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
April 28, 2008

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