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Newbie cigar smoker-- where to buy cigars online?

J

jackcrab

New Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2009
Messages
2
Hi, I have only been smoking cigars for a few months, and I normally buy them from a shop near my house. I recently started looking around online and found two sites-- cigar.com and thompsoncigar.com, and I am always seeing these "56% off MSRP!" and "sale prices"-- are these really sale prices or just a marketting scam? And anyone ever do the "daily cigar deal" that cigar.com runs? Those cigars any good or just trash?

Also, I don't want to spend more than 4-5 bucks a cigar-- any reccommendations for some good ones to try? Any advice in general?

Thanks a ton.
 
The answer in my experience is that it mostly depends on the site. Certain sites that shall remain nameless, inflate MSRP, to make their prices seem better, but if you go through and comparison shop Cigars.com, Thompson's, CI, JR, BCP, etc., you will find that much of the time, their prices will be very similar, if not identical. So what is more important, prices compared to MSRP, or prices compared to the most prevalent cost of a particular box? In my opinion it's the latter. Many people will tell you that MSRP doesn't mean a thing. The Gurkha brand, for example, tends to have a high MSRP, yet you can often find them for sale for $2-3 bucks a stick. So should you look at them as a 12-dollar cigar, or a two buck stick?
If you find yourself tempted by a particular online offer, I suggest you do a quick comparison shop with their competitors to find out if it really is a great deal.
And more importantly, instead of worrying about how much off MSRP a certain deal is, just try to make an educated guess as to whether the price you pay is worth it to you. And consider it all a learning experience.
 
I generally don't pay any attention to the "MSRP" they list. I find the surest way to get the best price is by comparing to other online sellers that carry the same brand.

I usually stick to Cigarsinternational.com, JRcigars.com, Famous-Smoke.com, or Cigarbid.com (and I personally stay away from Thompson at all costs.)
 
Welcome to CP. If you truly wish to learn all the wonders of cigars and the brotherhood that goes along with it, go post in intro, fill out your profile and read. There is a wealth of knowledge about cigars and so much more here on CigarPass that you will not be disappointed you joined and participated. You've received a couple of answers already, but this place is a lot more than where to buy cigars. Join up, stick around and you won't be disappointed.
 
X2 on that...

Join the conversations by doing an intro on yourself.

It's the polite thing to do... "LINKY"
 
local here in scottsdale az that does the online thing..

great people there

http://www.hilandscigars.com/
 
I highly suggest you try one of the retailers who frequent these forums. I personally deal mostly with Israel, because his customer service is excellent. For example, Cigars international may have rock bottom prices, but have fun calling them and getting them to give you a custom fuente sampler or a 5-er of oliva v maduros. Don't underestimate the value of great customer service.

Here's his site if your interested: http://uptowncigar.com/

There are other wonderful retailers on this site. I'm sure you'd be happy with any of them. Just check here as they often post sales and deals for CP members: Link

Also, as others have said. Post an intro, fill out your profile, do some searching and have fun!
 
Definatly support your local b/m but as far as online goes:
http://www.famous-smoke.com/
http://www.cigarbid.com/auction/
 
Here are my main online sources:

Cigars International
Cigarbid.com
Famous Smoke Shop
AtlanticCigar.com
Holts.com

Also, JoeCigar.com and CigarMonster.com have deals aplenty.

On these boards, try Isy at Uptown and hermit11(Chris) at Philly Smoke Shop, among others. You'll find deals from many sources.

Check out the B/S/T boards, too. There are lots of deals to get
directly from other cigar smokers. I've gone broke over the past
year buying incredible deals from BOTLs that need some cash.

If your price range is up to $5 per stick, you'll find some
xlnt smokes, if you're patient.

Enjoy your new hobby.

Chemyst :cool:
 
Support the online retailers who advertise here. If you have any questions about a certain retailer, make sure and put their name into the search area. There is a lot of great information here and it has helped me on many levels.

SPECIALS

In my experience, the "add-on" specials are usually a way for the retailers to remove stock from their shelves that they are having a hard time selling. There is usually a good reason they cannot sell enough of that particular item. I have never been blown away by a freebie cigar from any site.
 
jackcrab said:
Hi, I have only been smoking cigars for a few months, and I normally buy them from a shop near my house. I recently started looking around online and found two sites-- cigar.com and thompsoncigar.com, and I am always seeing these "56% off MSRP!" and "sale prices"-- are these really sale prices or just a marketting scam? And anyone ever do the "daily cigar deal" that cigar.com runs? Those cigars any good or just trash?

Also, I don't want to spend more than 4-5 bucks a cigar-- any reccommendations for some good ones to try? Any advice in general?

Thanks a ton.
Click to expand...

There's cost, and then there's cost. In my experience the online places are good for samplers when you you're just getting started and have no idea what you want, or bulk when you are experienced and know exactly what you want. So, yeah, online can be cheaper "by the stick." But over time, the real question is how much do you spend to get the sticks you really want? That's where cultivating a good relationship with the right B&M can really pay off. I'm in North Texas; after trying a lot of shops I ended up at Town & Country in Euless. The staff there really takes care of me; they know the sticks I like. They suggest new stuff as it comes in, often cheaper than you'd think. They really pushed me on the Cain Fs when they came out as something I'd love for $5/stick, and boy were they right. And they steer me away from stuff I won't like.

So the bottom line is that I feel like I get more bang for my buck at my B&M. YMMV.

Hope that helps.

Chris Feola
 
B&Ms in my area are simply way too expensive. As much as I'd like to support local businesses, I'm in college with tuition to pay and can't afford spending $8 on a stick I can purchase elsewhere for $4. I do drop in now and again to pick up singles.

From my experience the cheapest possible has been CigarBid, but you have to be careful--watch the auctions you're interested in for a few weeks and figure out how much you should place your maximum bid as, because I've seen some people end up paying more than if they had purchased the lot straight from CI.
 
jackcrab said:
Hi, I have only been smoking cigars for a few months, and I normally buy them from a shop near my house. I recently started looking around online and found two sites-- cigar.com and thompsoncigar.com, and I am always seeing these "56% off MSRP!" and "sale prices"-- are these really sale prices or just a marketting scam? And anyone ever do the "daily cigar deal" that cigar.com runs? Those cigars any good or just trash?

Also, I don't want to spend more than 4-5 bucks a cigar-- any reccommendations for some good ones to try? Any advice in general?

Thanks a ton.
Click to expand...
For what it's worth, I've had some luck with cigarauctioneer.com as well(owned by Famous) Good Luck!
 
dlow said:
I highly suggest you try one of the retailers who frequent these forums. I personally deal mostly with Israel, because his customer service is excellent. For example, Cigars international may have rock bottom prices, but have fun calling them and getting them to give you a custom fuente sampler or a 5-er of oliva v maduros. Don't underestimate the value of great customer service.

Here's his site if your interested: http://uptowncigar.com/

There are other wonderful retailers on this site. I'm sure you'd be happy with any of them. Just check here as they often post sales and deals for CP members: Link

Also, as others have said. Post an intro, fill out your profile, do some searching and have fun!
Click to expand...
Absolutely. Support the guys that post here and offer us all great service and fair prices. You won't regret doing business with any of them.

And....get that profile filled out.....!!!

Regards - B.B.S.
 
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