Buying Equipment / in North America
Canada
The Go Game Store offers good quality Chinese go equipment at reasonable prices. They sell genuine Yunzi stones and the traditional woven baskets. All items can be shipped to the US.
- Game and Hobby Zone located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada offered a small selection of go sets. Their web page currently appears to be down.
United States
ChessNGames sells beginner and affordable Go equipment.
Yunnan Arts sells high-end Chinese Go Equipment. Clicking on the "products" link is currently the best way to see the equipment available.
goportable.net sells a foldable board, ideal for dragging on campus or to the park.
Kiseido
Samarkand sells both equipment and books (SL page:Samarkand). This online store is owned by Janice Kim.
Shogun's Gallery offers a unique selection of antique Go equipment imported from Japan!
Slate and Shell
go4go.net
Yutopian sells Ing boards and stones as well as regular equipment, books, and software.
- Yellow Mountain Imports sells Go equipment and slate and shell from Ogawa Goishi. Their best deals are their
auctions on eBay. ChiyoDad has a series customer experience posts and links on
his blog (see posts from 05-12-03 to 05-12-16). He also has
photos of their manufacture.
AddAll.com will search all major online book retailers for availability and the lowest price on Go books if you can provide the name, author or, preferrably, the
ISBN. A total price per book (including estimated shipping and handling) is provided with the search results. If you specify your state, the site will also add any applicable state taxes.
Ishi Games has a selection of equipment and more (SL page:IshiGames) but it is unclear if they are active or if this is an abandoned site. This shop is not related to Ishi Press. appears defunct for go
- Many game stores will carry one or more Go sets. (Game stores as in board games; often found in malls. Such as
Wizards of the Coast)
ArtOfGo at CafePress features shirts, mugs, hats, and other items with 3D raytraced Go artwork.
BoardGames.com carries an inexpensive $19.99 Go set.
Amazon.com Japan - buying directly from Japan seems to be the most economic way to buy Japanese books at the moment.
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Toy and Game Warehouse carries some Go sets.
San Francisco Bay Area, California
Kinokuniya Bookstores is a good place to get Japanese and English Go books; mostly from Kiseido Press. Prices are at regular retail plus CA sales tax. They infrequently stock small magnetic sets. Directions to their San Francisco and San Jose branches are provided on
the Kinokuniya US map page.
San Francisco Japantown antique stores will sometimes carry used gobans in the range of about $500.
San Francisco Chinatown stores carry portable magnetic and non-magnetic Go sets ranging from about $20 to $40. You can also find sets of
functional single-convex glass Go stones for $4 instead of the regular $20 (about 120 irregular stones of each color - so buy two sets). Inventory and availability varies by shop. Check the stores deeper down the main street to find the best prices on everything.
Games of Berkeley has a considerable selection of books and gear. Their book selection vastly exceeds that of Kinokuniya Bookstore in San Francisco and includes titles from Yutopian and Slate & Shell.
Milpitas Square (South Bay/Silicon Valley) has two Chinese bookstores which carry a small inventory of portable magnetic sets, plywood gobans, and stones. Yunzi stones are sometimes sold in the bookstore on the north wing of the mall. Ask for weiqi as the retailers do not refer to the game as Go.
- Fun & Games (Milpitas, Great Mall of The Bay Area) sells small (estimated at 14x14 inches) wooden gobans complete with glass semi-convex stones for $19. They also carry portable sets with vinyl boards. No website. Call 408-945-5745 for more info.
San Jose Japantown has two shops which carry basic Go equipment (full-sized folding boards, plastic Go stones and goke). Check
Nichi Bei Bussan and Kogura's (No website, call (408)294-3184).
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Game-a-lot in Santa Cruz carries a basic non-folding board and small stones which are flat on one side. Apparently makers of the cheaper korean glass stones have not been shipping here or to Games of Berkeley for a while.
Austin, Texas
Great Hall Games Decent selection of both go books and go equipment, as well as materials for many other games.
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Games People Play Decent selection of both go books and go equipment, as well as materials for many other games.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Syracuse, New York