Mahjong sets range from budget boxes to design-led sets costing several hundred dollars, and the tag price tells you little about what is in the box. This checklist draws on official and press sources, which we credit below, and applies it to a real example.
1. Confirm which game you play
The National Mah Jongg League says American mah jongg uses a card of standard hands, against which all games are played, and that these cards are changed annually. It also says the game uses more tiles than other versions, notably the Joker, which is used to complete quints and sextets in several hands. A set built for another style of mahjong may not suit American play, so check the listing before you order.
2. Buy the current card
The League's store listed the 2026 standard card at $14 and the large-print card at $15. Many sets and online game subscriptions list the card as required but not included, and the League's complete set is the only listed set that includes a current score card. If a seller says a card is included, check which year and edition it is.
3. Check what is in the box
The League's complete set with white tiles lists four acrylic color racks, an instruction book, a bettor and the current score card. Other sets may leave out racks, a case, jokers or the guide. Ask for the tile count, the joker count, the rack type and the dimensions of the tiles, and compare them with a set you have handled.
4. Compare prices like for like
On the same store page the League priced white tiles alone at $85, colored tiles at $195 and the complete white set at $225. A Good Morning America shopping roundup from June 2024 priced another brand's travel set at $425 and a starter kit at $541.50. Sets differ in size, material and contents, so line up what each includes before judging a price, and remember that a roundup is not a test unless it says so.
5. Read the return terms before you pay
For a purchase of a few hundred dollars, check whether returns are accepted at all, the window, who pays return shipping, whether a restocking fee applies once the shrink-wrap is off and how long you have to report damage. Ask support in writing if two pages say different things, and keep the reply.
An example: checking a seller against the list
In our Mahjong House review we applied these questions to a design-led mahjong shop. The brand lists travel sets at $375 and House tiles at $455 and gives some dimensions, a retailer lists four racks and four House Cards with the travel set, but the shop's refund policy and its shipping and returns page disagree on whether returns are accepted, and a 15% restocking fee applies to unwrapped complete sets.
A note on the sources
The National Mah Jongg League is the body that publishes the card, so its store sells its own products. The Good Morning America shopping roundup carries a commission disclosure and does not say whether products were tested. We wrote this article in our own words and did not copy text. Some links to brands on this site are affiliate links; see our affiliate disclosure.