hello from Italy (1 Viewer)

[Malaka97]

Hi everyone,
I’ve been lurking on the forum for a few days now, reading your guides and posts (thanks, thanks, thanks! ), and I think it’s finally time for me to buy my first proper set of poker chips.
Before joining the forum, I was pretty set on getting the Majestic China Clay chips, but after spending some time here, you guys definitely changed my mind

The main issue I’m facing is that, living in Italy, ordering chips from the US is painfully expensive. A 600-chip Majestic set that costs around $350 in the US ends up costing me about $510 once shipping and import taxes are added. At that point, the whole quality/price ratio of China Clay chips kind of falls apart.
Because of this, for now I have to rule out Paulsons and similar high-end options due to budget constraints. I’ve therefore started looking more seriously at ceramic chips: on this forum I discovered—and immediately fell madly in love with—the Día de los Muertos and Tiki Kings sets. On BR Pro Poker, a 600-chip set would cost me roughly $1 per chip. Do you think that’s a fair price, or should I be looking elsewhere?
I’m also considering getting one of those two sets from Tina on Alibaba, which could potentially save me around $200–250. Would the quality difference compared to the originals be very noticeable?

Are there any other Europeans here who faced the same problem? How did you deal with it? Did you still end up ordering poker chips from the US, or did you find a good European alternative? If so, what are some quality European poker chip brands, and where can I find them online?

One last question: I’ve noticed that Paulson chips can vary a lot in price. Why is that? Is it mainly about rarity, or are there real quality differences between sets?
Specifically, why are the Jack Cincinnati Casino chips and the Paulson Majestic so relatively cheap?

Because I found a set of 400 chips (120× $1, 125× $5, 100× $25, 40× $100, and 15× $500) — Jack Casino Cincinnati — that I might be able to get for around €500. I’m trying to figure out if it’s worth it.

The thing is, as it stands that set wouldn’t be quite complete enough for running tournament-style games with my friends. I’d probably need to get at least another hundred chips from a third party to make it work.

So what do you think — would this be a good deal, or am I better off continuing the search?

 

[Tonysquander]

Welcome to PCF!

 

[Felt_Lizard]

I love cannoli.

 

[Malaka97]

graziee mille!
P.S.
I’m sicilian: we live with cannoli.

 

[sleepypiggly]

Welcome to PCF!

At your price point, Tina Hybrids at around $0.50/chip would be your best option. They are ceramic chips with a real laminated label in the center. @justincarothers runs these orders here: https://www.pokerchipforum.com/forums/broken-arrow-cardroom-supply.172/

One last question: I’ve noticed that Paulson chips can vary a lot in price. Why is that? Is it mainly about rarity, or are there real quality differences between sets?
Specifically, why are the Jack Cincinnati Casino chips and the Paulson Majestic so relatively cheap?

Pricing for Paulson chips diff significantly due to:

1) Color / Edge Spots
- As a rule of thumb, the fancier the chip, the higher the value - meaning solid color chips will generally be worth less than chips with edge spots.
- Complicated edge spots are preferred and people pay up for them if they are more rare.
- Certain base colors are more valued over others because they work in standard Vegas-color sets:
$1 - blue, white
$5 - reds
$25 - greens
$100 - blacks
$500 - purples
$1k - yellows

For frac chips (0.05, 0.10, 0.25, 0.50), there are also some preferred colors, though the range is wider.

2) Condition
- are the chips in mint condition, relatively new condition, or are they old and worn (i.e. bike tires?)

3) Rarity
- Is the supply limited, and will there be more of these chips made? (e.g. obsolete chips from closed down casinos are more rare)
- Was there a ton of these chips sold, and what was the original selling price? (that matters for secondary market resell price)

4) Quality difference
- Older Paulson chips are "leaded" and weigh more. They were made with a different formula than current chips. Many people prefer that older leaded feel. They are also limited in supply b/c leaded chips are no longer made by Paulson. The result is that these chips cost more on the market.

Because I found a set of 400 chips (120× $1, 125× $5, 100× $25, 40× $100, and 15× $500) — Jack Casino Cincinnati — that I might be able to get for around €500. I’m trying to figure out if it’s worth it.

Post a picture of the set and let's see if it's worth it.

 

[soccerdadof3]

Welcome to PCF!!

 

[Pippa]

Hi everyone,
I’ve been lurking on the forum for a few days now, reading your guides and posts (thanks, thanks, thanks! ), and I think it’s finally time for me to buy my first proper set of poker chips.
Before joining the forum, I was pretty set on getting the Majestic China Clay chips, but after spending some time here, you guys definitely changed my mind

The main issue I’m facing is that, living in Italy, ordering chips from the US is painfully expensive. A 600-chip Majestic set that costs around $350 in the US ends up costing me about $510 once shipping and import taxes are added. At that point, the whole quality/price ratio of China Clay chips kind of falls apart.
Because of this, for now I have to rule out Paulsons and similar high-end options due to budget constraints. I’ve therefore started looking more seriously at ceramic chips: on this forum I discovered—and immediately fell madly in love with—the Día de los Muertos and Tiki Kings sets. On BR Pro Poker, a 600-chip set would cost me roughly $1 per chip. Do you think that’s a fair price, or should I be looking elsewhere?
I’m also considering getting one of those two sets from Tina on Alibaba, which could potentially save me around $200–250. Would the quality difference compared to the originals be very noticeable?

Are there any other Europeans here who faced the same problem? How did you deal with it? Did you still end up ordering poker chips from the US, or did you find a good European alternative? If so, what are some quality European poker chip brands, and where can I find them online?

One last question: I’ve noticed that Paulson chips can vary a lot in price. Why is that? Is it mainly about rarity, or are there real quality differences between sets?
Specifically, why are the Jack Cincinnati Casino chips and the Paulson Majestic so relatively cheap?

Because I found a set of 400 chips (120× $1, 125× $5, 100× $25, 40× $100, and 15× $500) — Jack Casino Cincinnati — that I might be able to get for around €500. I’m trying to figure out if it’s worth it.

The thing is, as it stands that set wouldn’t be quite complete enough for running tournament-style games with my friends. I’d probably need to get at least another hundred chips from a third party to make it work.

So what do you think — would this be a good deal, or am I better off continuing the search?

Ciao e benvenuto
Hello and welcome to the family
I’m Italian
Born and raised in Torino but my parents are Sicilian ( Enna)

 

[ukas]

Welcome!

 

[Baldeagle9]

Welcome to PCF, tons of good people here and great info throughout the forum, enjoy!

 

[Mongoose]

Greetings. Welcome aboard

 

[FatStack]

Welcome!

 

[Eriks]

Welcome!

How did you deal with it?

 

[Sway]

Welcome!!

 

[vulp]

Welcome!

You can order Majestic china clays from here:
https://pokershop.de/MAJESTIC_1

 

[rrobyrrroby]

Buongiorno e benvenuto!

 

[SwissChip]

Welcome!
It really depends on what chip style you prefer.
And finally your budget.
A fully customized 39mm 1000pc Tina set will cost you around 75c/ea direct shipped to Italy.

Shipping 1k chips from US will also cost around $100. Don‘t forget taxes if you buy from a public store like BR Pro.

If you want other chips than offered in EU stores, you have to pay a lot for shipping.
Chips are heavy…
EU got the nice cards - USA got the nice chips!

 

[Malaka97]

thanks everyone for the warm welcome, specialmente ai miei compatrioti all’estero!

thanks @sleepypiggly, unfortunately someone else bought them this morning, I hope I didn’t miss out on a great opportunity…

I decided not to join Justin’s order because it would be March + another 2–3 months before they actually arrive, and honestly I’m not really in the mood to wait that long. So I contacted Lyman to get a quote for 600 Dia de los Muertos–themed chips, and he asked $180 for the chips ($0.30 each) and $138 for shipping, plus extra local taxes.
But to be honest, I think the shipping cost is insane, especially considering that other Chinese sellers on Alibaba charge between $20 and $35 to ship chips of the same weight.
So yeah, I’m pretty undecided right now.

Now I understand why people on this forum put so much importance on getting chip samples, so you can see for yourself whether you actually like them or not. But unfortunately, living in Europe, that’s something I can only dream about, and I basically have to buy them blind

 

[bigblind]

Welcome

 

[croatan]

Welcome to the forum, and good luck on your search. The classifieds here may be a good option for you too (some European sellers there).

 

[Malaka97]

Welcome to the forum, and good luck on your search. The classifieds here may be a good option for you too (some European sellers there).

Yeah, I noticed that too, but before I can post there I have to wait three days from my forum registration. After that, I think I’ll make a post in the wanted section.

 

[Tommy]

but before I can post there I have to wait three days from my forum registration

Welcome to PCF. It is 10 posts and 3 days as a registered member.

 

[TheChipVault]

Welcome!

 

[Fran]

Welcome from Belgium !

 

[Salkkumies]

Welcome!

 

[Salkkumies]

I’m also considering getting one of those two sets from Tina on Alibaba, which could potentially save me around $200–250. Would the quality difference compared to the originals be very noticeable?

Are there any other Europeans here who faced the same problem? How did you deal with it? Did you still end up ordering poker chips from the US, or did you find a good European alternative? If so, what are some quality European poker chip brands, and where can I find them online?

I was in a similar situation less than a year ago, considering whether go with a cheaper Tina set first or go to directly into real clay spending what it takes. So based on the advice here, I ordered Tina samples from Alibaba and after receiving those realized I would still have an itch to upgrade them to real clay if I went forward with a Tina set. Since then the real clay rabbit hole has costed me way more than I originally thought I'd be spending on chips but I have zero regrets about it. Especially with more expensive clay chips the same old advice of getting samples becomes more valuable because you don't want to drop thousands on a set you won't be completely happy with.

If you are interested in what remains of the Tina samples I had just PM me and I can send out some for you, just pay postage. I sent out subset of those recently for another EU-based chipper here and found out within EU small sample sets can be sent relatively cheaply in a flat envelope. Feel free to PM me and welcome again!

 

[Malaka97]

If you are interested in what remains of the Tina samples I had just PM me and I can send out some for you, just pay postage. I sent out subset of those recently for another EU-based chipper here and found out within EU small sample sets can be sent relatively cheaply in a flat envelope. Feel free to PM me and welcome again!

thanks you so much for your kindness and for being available, I’ll send you a pm later!

 

[Jers28]

Welcome to PCF! I can’t really add much to the great info @sleepypiggly and others provided. Only this…reshipping is extremely valuable when dealing with international shipping, especially on expensive chips, ie higher end Paulsons. The savings in a reshipper can pay for a set of Tina’s pretty easily.

Here’s what I did when I joined and I’m only telling you this as a “what not to do” example.

I was super excited and bought a set of Tina’s with labels I designed, poorly. I grew impatient and ordered a set of BRPro ceramics. They’re fine, not great, but fine. Great for ceramics, but if you’ve played at very many casinos, you probably have already played with ceramics and Paulsons. The difference is stark, to say the least. I didn’t even wait until the BRPros were here (2 whole weeks) before pulling the trigger on some Paulsons. They landed first and that pretty well ruined me for the BRPros and Tina’s before they ever even landed. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with ceramics, hybrids, china clays (I came here with a huge set of China Clays), CPCs or any number of other chips. I just prefer Paulson’s. So, I went with a set of Jacks, next. Detroit Jacks in my case. The value of RHC chips is outstanding, imo. That set of Jacks was my first good choice I’d made. lol

But, even those will be sold soon. Whatever you land on, if you’re like the majority of us, you’ll just be scratching the surface. I’ve sold off all non clay chips, except the BRpros. Mainly, because I doubt anyone would even want them. They just sit on a shelf. Played them once. Never felted the Tina’s. If you want to save yourself a fortune, order a custom set of Tina’s from @justincarothers and play with whatever is handy until they land. If they had been the first chips I received, I likely would still be playing with them and be tickled pink. Since you’re Italian, it’s like this. If you have only ever driven a Fiat, they’re great! But, one day you get behind the wheel of a Ferrari and it kind of ruins you for anything else. So, I ask you…do you wish you’d never driven the Ferrari?

I sure added a lot for someone who claimed they didn’t have anything to add. Sorry. I’m a windbag. Welcome and best of luck!

 

[Malaka97]

Welcome to PCF! I can’t really add much to the great info @sleepypiggly and others provided. Only this…reshipping is extremely valuable when dealing with international shipping, especially on expensive chips, ie higher end Paulsons. The savings in a reshipper can pay for a set of Tina’s pretty easily.

Here’s what I did when I joined and I’m only telling you this as a “what not to do” example.

I was super excited and bought a set of Tina’s with labels I designed, poorly. I grew impatient and ordered a set of BRPro ceramics. They’re fine, not great, but fine. Great for ceramics, but if you’ve played at very many casinos, you probably have already played with ceramics and Paulsons. The difference is stark, to say the least. I didn’t even wait until the BRPros were here (2 whole weeks) before pulling the trigger on some Paulsons. They landed first and that pretty well ruined me for the BRPros and Tina’s before they ever even landed. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with ceramics, hybrids, china clays (I came here with a huge set of China Clays), CPCs or any number of other chips. I just prefer Paulson’s. So, I went with a set of Jacks, next. Detroit Jacks in my case. The value of RHC chips is outstanding, imo. That set of Jacks was my first good choice I’d made. lol

But, even those will be sold soon. Whatever you land on, if you’re like the majority of us, you’ll just be scratching the surface. I’ve sold off all non clay chips, except the BRpros. Mainly, because I doubt anyone would even want them. They just sit on a shelf. Played them once. Never felted the Tina’s. If you want to save yourself a fortune, order a custom set of Tina’s from @justincarothers and play with whatever is handy until they land. If they had been the first chips I received, I likely would still be playing with them and be tickled pink. Since you’re Italian, it’s like this. If you have only ever driven a Fiat, they’re great! But, one day you get behind the wheel of a Ferrari and it kind of ruins you for anything else. So, I ask you…do you wish you’d never driven the Ferrari?

I sure added a lot for someone who claimed they didn’t have anything to add. Sorry. I’m a windbag. Welcome and best of luck!

Honestly, until quite recently, the world of poker chips barely interested me. I always saw them as just a tool for the game, nothing more.
Then I discovered this forum. And above all, I discovered the incredible passion that so many people put into this hobby: the attention to detail, the stories behind every choice, the mistakes, the discoveries, the “first times” with a special set. Reading posts like yours – and many others here – completely changed the way I look at chips.
It’s no longer just about materials or brands: it’s about the experience, the journey, and the way everyone develops their own preferences. That’s what I find truly fascinating.
That’s why I love reading “personal” stories like yours. They’re not just practically useful, they carry enthusiasm, honesty, and contagious passion. And it’s precisely because of posts like these that I’ve found myself much more invested in this world than I ever imagined—so much so that one day, I’d be willing to give a kidney to get a Paulson set ahaha

 

[dennis63]

Welcome to PCF.

 

[Malaka97]

How can I tell if the chips I see in online listings are in good shape? Should I just look at the shine and the edges, or is there anything else I should check?