Matsui chips? (1 Viewer)

[Chris Manzoni]

Mods please move if this is in the wrong place.

Had a chance to e-mail the lovely Roxana at Matsui USA, inquiring about some quotes for chips, she tells me that the minimum order quantity for each denomination is 500 chips. I haven't emailed her back, but that seems like an awful lot for a single home game player who wants to build a cash or tourney set. Don't need to purchase 2500 chips for a single table tournament, and it seems extra silly to have 500 chips in the 5K denomination.

Can anyone confirm this is really their minimum order for consumers? If this is the case are there, or have their been any group buys to offset this cost? I'd love to get my grubby mitts on some custom Matsuis, but I can't justify a down payment on a car for poker chips.

 

[jbutler]

There have been many group buys over the years. The most recent was run (or co-run?) by @links_slayer so he could probably give you information as to the requirements that were in place at that time.

 

[mummel]

How much were the chips each?

 

[Poker Zombie]

It varies depending on the style, but to sum it up...

 

[Chris Manzoni]

How much were the chips each?

She says it depends on the design, so I didn't get an answer, but after she said the minimum quantity for each denom is 500 I gathered it was what Poker Zombie says in his brilliant gif, ha ha.

 

[Mental Nomad]

the minimum order quantity for each denomination is 500 chips

The way the language went, when I last spoke with them, there was not a minimum per denomination. The catch was that there's an artwork/setup fee of $300 per design, so if you put the denom into the face of the design, you'd be paying an extra $300 for that extra denomination, even if you only wanted one hundred of them. If your cost is $1.40 per chip times 100, plus $300, you still end up at $4.40 per chip. This is where the group buy comes in; spreading the setup fees. (My $1.40 per chip is entirely fictitious and made up; I haven't heard their current price.)

One way around this problem is to use a single face design for all the chips - and have the denominations indicated in the ring mold. For example:

This was a Matsui group buy from 2011 on a WSOP replica theme; the denominations in the chip ring are injection-molded with the spot colors used on the chips. This allowed for a single setup of the face art (I believe they make silkscreens for the face art.)

 

[jbutler]

Said as much to @Chris Manzoni in PM, but speaking with a Matsui rep, I got the following details:

- per chip price is "about $1.30" per depending on options;
- 500 chip minimum per denomination at the given price, but can buy fewer with 30% upcharge;
- $275 per design artwork fee ("per design" meaning even changing denom so best to use one graphic for all chips which have denoms on edges);
- 5-6 week production time following payment.

See within the spoiler tags below (it's big) the full catalog she sent.

Spoiler

EDIT: I guess pdf hosting at imgur is shit. Here's a Dropbox link to the catalog in pdf if you want to be able to actually read the thing.

 

[Chris Manzoni]

Thanks for all the info guys!

 

[mummel]

$4.40 per chip

Bend over ho, show me what you're working with....................

 

[Tommy]

You can also DL the catalog here:

http://www.matsui-gaming.co.jp/english/catalogue2/pdf/chip_catalogue.pdf

http://www.matsui-gaming.co.jp/english/casino/catalogue.html

Or here

http://www.matsui-americainc.com/cms-themes/Default/images/chip_catalogue.pdf

 

[links_slayer]

There have been many group buys over the years. The most recent was run (or co-run?) by @links_slayer so he could probably give you information as to the requirements that were in place at that time.

I'd have to dig up my files for that group buy (for the chips pictured below) for more details. 2nd Best Josh did all the up front negotiating with Matsui re price, minimums (non AFAI remember), etc. Also, J5 mentioned that they (Matsui) jacked up some of the colors in the artwork mock-ups. It sounded like this was not the first time he encountered this with them. Just something to keep in mind. Were the Zens and bud jones style WSOP tribute sets group buys? Both were either before my time or before I really got interested in the hobby.

View attachment 42047

 

[Pinball]

as far as I know, if you order under 500 per Denomination they will add 15% to the chip price.

 

[BGinGA]

See within the spoiler tags below (it's big) the full catalog she sent.

Before anybody gets all fired up about the Matsui clay chips contained within that catalog, take a chill...... they no longer make them.

 

[jbutler]

as far as I know, if you order under 500 per Denomination they will add 15% to the chip price.

Maybe it's different for European and North American customers. I was quoted a 30% upcharge for sub-500 denomination orders.

 

[Pinball]

Maybe it's different for European and North American customers. I was quoted a 30% upcharge for sub-500 denomination orders.

Than order your Chips under matsuieurope.com

They produce the chips anyway in South Korea.

 

[jbutler]

Than order your Chips under matsuieurope.com

They produce the chips anyway in South Korea.

Perhaps that would be the best option depending on how many chips you'd need to pay the premium for. Although most companies that have distributors broken out by region limit customers to their most local distributor. I believe the last Matsui GB went through Matsui Europe, but I'm not sure if there was a Matsui USA at that time.

Anyway, the real answer is to just buy more chips

 

[Pinball]

Perhaps that would be the best option depending on how many chips you'd need to pay the premium for. Although most companies that have distributors broken out by region limit customers to their most local distributor. I believe the last Matsui GB went through Matsui Europe, but I'm not sure if there was a Matsui USA at that time.

Anyway, the real answer is to just buy more chips

Anyway the Chips themself arent so expensiv, the set up fees are the killer, if you order small quantities.

 

[jbutler]

Anyway the Chips themself arent so expensiv, the set up fees are the killer, if you order small quantities.

Yeah I'm not generally a big fan of going with a single label design with no denomination, but that seems the only practical way to do it unless it's a big GB and the artwork fees can be spread out over a large group of buyers.

 

[Pinball]

Yeah I'm not generally a big fan of going with a single label design with no denomination, but that seems the only practical way to do it unless it's a big GB and the artwork fees can be spread out over a large group of buyers.

use decal inner ring for Denomination und you can choose as many as you want.

 

[jbutler]

use decal inner ring for Denomination und you can choose as many as you want.

Yeah that's what I mean - I'm not thrilled by that prospect.

 

[Pinball]

Yeah that's what I mean - I'm not thrilled by that prospect.

personally I like having the denominations on the ring, because I can order as many diffrent chips as I want and I dont need 100 PCs for having another colour

 

[Poker Zombie]

The drawback is some of Matsui's best designs (CC-310-L) don't have room for the inner ring with denoms. So you're looking at the individual set-up fees, or non-denominated chips.

Although, I do recall that @SixSpeedFury ran a Matsui plaque buy where they allowed him to have a slightly different artwork on some plaques for little or no fee - but I may have read something wrong there. Six may be able to clarify.

 

[SixSpeedFury]

Correct. The artwork stayed the same, the only difference on the artwork was the name change (i.e. Fast Cash Club and One Hundred). Now, like Pinball said, the artwork fees is where they kill you if they're not the same throughout. Even if you have different denoms on the label, that's an additional artwork fee, and at $300 per, you can imagine how pricey that'll get.

 

[Poker Zombie]

It seems to me, that if they were willing to allow the Fast Cash Club and One Hundred swap, swapping out denoms might not be too far off. Of course, that might be for just 2 denoms - but if you were looking at a Matsui limit set...

 

[Robert P]

Are you allowed to engrave the coin inlay design? Can you do border design on their CIC?

Thanks!

 

[Poker Zombie]

Are you allowed to engrave the coin inlay design? Can you do border design on their CIC?

Thanks!

I've never known anyone to order custom CICs. You'd have to contact Matsui directly.

 

[Robert P]

So, turns out, if you are want to do a design and then separate denoms, it would be really pricey going with coin inlay (new stamp/artwork for each color). The "decal value" chips have a border design (like the WSOP chips) where you can put denoms. Any advice on chip size and color options?
39/40mm 2,3, or 4 color
43mm 2,3, or 4 color
45mm 2 or 3 color
50mm 2 or 3 color

 

[Robert P]

anyone here have any pictures of custom matsui chips they ordered?

 

[Poker Zombie]

I only have pics of custom Matsui plaques from a GB.

Stacks of 4 for height comparisons
Back row: Matsui
Middle Row: Ceramic (left), MSK (right)
Front Row: CPC chips.

 

[mummel]

I gotta say, that $5 plaque looks sweet. Nicely done guys.