I don't understand the internet

Joined Feb 2005
49 Posts | 0+
ok, ive been looking at prices of boxes, for one the acid cold tea infusion box. Ive seen it go for about $115 on one site, down to $88. Is there some reason i shouldn't buy from the $88 store. I just want to to make sure i don't get tricked
 
Maybe one retailer bought 1000 boxes as opposed to another retailer buying 300 boxes? Just throwing something out there. Simp
 
It is a volume thing. Beware a lot of those low price places. They buy in such high volume that you get a box that has been on a shelf for three years and god only knows how they have been stored. GO WITH A TRUSTED SOURCE. Cigars are a luxury so try to put price aside as much as possible. I can buy my regular smokes for half what I am paying for them but I like knowing I got cigars right from the factory so I can care for them the way I like. Not only that I have tried the low price avenue before. A lot of manufacturers out there hate the internet discounters so they dont send them the best quality cigars from the production run or they dont give them anything at all and your order will never get filled. I could not believe the quality thing but a manufacturer at a cigar event in a smoke shop told me that. Anyway that is just my .02 I have been screwed to many times by the lure of a low prices.
 
With all due respect to Macallan, who has shown his experience, wisdom, knowledge and intelligence many times, I must say I know the other side of the coin. While I am truly sorry for his multitude of bad experiences, I continue to stick to the tradition of searching for the best price on whatever one is shopping for. Of course, one should always seek reputable and reliable merchants. If they aren't reputable and reliable, then go to the second best priced merchant, etc.

There are a variety of reasons why retailers charge what they do for the products they offer. Sometimes it's because their rent or the wages they pay their employees are a lot higher. Sometimes it's because they cater to a certain kind of clientele who not only don't care, are too lazy too find out but ARE ACTUALLY HAPPIER, YES, ACTUALLY HAPPIER PAYING 200 DOLLARS FOR A BOX OF CIGARS THAT YOU AND I CAN GET FOR 140 DOLLARS by doing a bit of diligent shopping.

And the internet is a great place to shop without wasting money on gas and time being out in society where you can be assaulted, shot, have a truck or bus go out of control on you and pin you up against a building, or trip and fall, breaking your body and ruining your life, etc. Not to mention seeing and meeting people you don't care to see and meet to begin with.

The Hermit's Diatribe Continues: :duh: :sm_angel:

I know a web site that charges $97.21 plus shipping for my favorite bourbon. I know another web site that charges $76.99 plus shipping, and yet another that's currently charging $39.99. In a New York City liquor store, you will pay $74.99 plus tax. If what Macallan's saying applies across the board, like to cigars for example, then I guess those lower priced guys got the "bad bottles," no?

I have been smoking cigars for 8 1/2 years. I buy from NYC shops, the internet and I have had so little in the way of "bad experiences" on the internet that they're not worth mentioning, let alone even existent. My worst experience was with the HIGHEST PRICED INTERNET AND CATALOG BUSINESS in the country!!! I'm not even going to go into what happened, but it was 5 years and 10 months ago to the day and I have not gone back there, even for their rare good deal on certain items. And they ARE rare!!!

ANY reputable merchant, whether internet or in-person will also seek to please EVERY customer. The internet is a great way to spread bad press, and these merchants know that. Don't forget, most internet merchants are stores who also have a mail order business. They HAVE to please you. I have listed below my favorite web sites through the years. Phatash gets most of my business but I'm always shopping around.

Last, but not least, don't forget certain points about the way people operate in life. There are designer dresses that sell for $5,000 on Fifth Avenue in NYC that someone with a lesser budget can get for $2,000 if she looks around. There is a famous funeral home on the Yupper East Side that will charge you $15,000 for the same funeral, church, casket and all that my friend a few blocks down and over a bit will charge you $6,000 for. The people that shop on Fifth Avenue WANT to keep shopping there. That's what makes property values go sky high, and Fifth Avenue boutiques charge so much. SOME people WANT TO PAY MORE.

That's how a company that charges $200 for a $140 box of cigars, $115 for an $88 dollar box of cigars and $90 for a $65 can stay in business. Don't be so mystified. The internet cigar business is just like life. And if you get a bad shipment, send a fax, e-mail or phone call, and START OFF in a firm, but respectful, detailed, polite, conciliatory, NON-confrontational, NON-judgmental, NON-imposing fashion and I think you'll wind up getting fine product for good prices and be a satisfied customer.

My favorites, still in business, in alphabetical order:

http://www.bonitasmokeshop.com
http://www.cigarlight.com
http://www.cigarsx10.com
http://www.firehousetobacco.com
http://www.lilbrown.com
http://www.payless-cigars.com
http://www.phatash.com
 
Bloof raises some good points. I guess all I was speaking to was what I know to hold true in other industries. The itnernet is a ticky thing. If I make a camera for instance I want all the retialers to carry it so I generate a lot of sales. However, to get the store to carry my product they have to be convinced that they can make money on it also. If they can turn 100% profit they would be very happy and take it on. However, if I dont try to protect the suggested retial price and let 4 or 5 people on the internet sell it for 5% markup, no other retialer will ever want to sell my product because there is no money to be made. The same thing happens in the cigar world. If you asked any local tobacconist about how they feel when they sell a macandudo they tell you it makes them sick becuase they dont make any money on the cigars with discounters selling it $1 over cost. So smaller companies trying to get presance do their best to keep people following MSRP.

But Bloof also mentioned something that made me think of something else. Take the $5000 dress example. While it is designer it is probably not worth it. Someone probably makes a dress that is just as nice for 1/100 the price.

What I am getting at by this is that if you have a favorite cigar, dont just shop for that cigar at a better price. Open your mind and try some of the lower cost alternatives and house brands. I used to love the don carlos but have since fallen in love with the cigar.com cameroon label at a fraction of the price. When I was on my montecristoo kick I really liked the MC by Cusano bundles.

Sorry for ranting. Bloof I think I know the company you are talking about. I buy from them but after reading your post am rethinking. They do have the rare stuff. Where the initials oif the store TS and was it located in Tampa?
 
Well, it is located in Tampa, and it is a "T" but it's not TS unless they have another name or changed it. Probably the same place, though. I've been having a running conversation about that place with some other internet folks for several years. We no longer speak the name, which is part of the whole joke. Pretty funny stuff. Some of the gang that knew me at "another web site" have come over and occasionally we go "T" bashing. :mrgreen:
 
I was always kind of curious about ordering humidors and boxes of cigars from the back of various magazines.
 
My .02

Before I ever order anything over the net -
I ask is my satisfaction 100% garenteed?
Ask if for any reason you are not ahppy can you return said product for a full refund.
If they do not agree I would not buy from them - to many fish out there.
But if they put in writing they wille xcept returns -
fear not. Your CC company should be able to reverse charges if there is a problem.
 
Bunchdouglas, I come here not to bury internet shopping, but to praise it. The "T" word is the place I bought my first humidor from. They have great deals on humidors, and occasionally fairly good deals on cigars. The problem with the "T" word is that they generally charge $225 for a box of cigars that you and I can get for $175 anywhere else, and $90 for a box of cigars that you and I can get for $65 anywhere else. They also have a bunch of robots for sales reps who also sometimes act like a bunch of doofs.

The "T" word did me wrong in a certain situation about six years ago, had several chances to rectify it, and just didn't seem to have the intelligence to do so. When it came down to crunch time and I finally got somebody who MIGHT have originally been able to do something about it, it was too late and I decided phuk them 4-ever.

Having said that, I still do almost all my cigar or cigar related shopping on the internet. I just don't shop from the dreaded "T" word anymore. They DO however, to be quite fair and honest, have great deals on humidors and occasionally certain cigars. And my experience was only ONE. There are many people who still shop with them and are quite satisfied.
 
thomsons introduced me to internet shopping, thanks to them, i found this site and couple others and lots of online retailers. these forums told me where to go, too many choices, and where not to go. their humidor deals"look" great. but what do you do with the 125 cigars,el anus o thomson selects, in any case, thanks thomsons for introducing me to web shopping[not your site] and great bathroom mag and never had to buy from them, just givi me idia to use computer for cigars
 
Bloofington said:
Well, it is located in Tampa, and it is a "T" but it's not TS unless they have another name or changed it. Probably the same place, though. I've been having a running conversation about that place with some other internet folks for several years. We no longer speak the name, which is part of the whole joke. Pretty funny stuff. Some of the gang that knew me at "another web site" have come over and occasionally we go "T" bashing. :mrgreen:


Gee Bloof, you can really hold a grudge. See, youze mugz better not get on bloofy's "bad side" :D LOL :D . But they do have some nice humidor deals. What I' hate is that they have theire stupid name/emblem on da' damn humi lid LOL.
 
:mrgreen: :cryinlaugh: :cryinlaugh: :pumpkin: :rotflmao:

They deserve it for that one incident and what they've pulled on some others in our crowd!!! :mrgreen:

I guess my American Walnut humidor I got from them is a collector's item. It DOESN'T have their logo on it. Probably the last one without it. :mrgreen: :cryinlaugh: :pumpkin: