Time for a rule change..?

[Rod]

Over the past year or so I've realized the cigar market is far different now than ever before. There are many reasons why the price of cigars has increased, especially Cubans.

I'll get right to it... While our 25+ year-long standing rule of "you are only allowed to sell cigars what you paid for them" has served us well for many years, I think we should consider an update.

If someone purchased a box of Opus X 15 years ago for XX price, and now it's double that (fair market value), the person also had to ensure proper storage and take care of the cigars. I think it would be far more unfair to the seller to have to sell their cigars at such an unrealistic price opposed to the buyer knowing they're getting a properly stored product at a fair price. Sometimes the seller has to sell, but a buyer never "has" to buy. Personally, I would not feel right as a buyer taking advantage of the seller. The main intent behind the rule was to prevent people from buying cigars on black Friday (or at a significant discount) and then turning around only to make 25%+ per box. Perhaps that's the rule change we need to put in place...

We have other rules in place to mitigate people taking advantage of CP and its members, such as having to be a participating member for X months prior to selling. It seems to have worked well over the years.

I always like community buy-in when making a change like this, so if anyone strongly opposes, please let me know. Otherwise, the rules will be updated accordingly next week.

Edit to add: This allows the seller to be compensated for their time/effort/expense in proper storage, and opens the doors to more options for buyers. All without gouging.

 

[lucasbuck]

I think this is a good idea. There are a good number of Brothers here that guard the integrity of this place without fail so I don’t see a problem with the rule change.

 

[BlindedByScience]

Good thoughts, Rod.

We have a very smart, very aware membership, with some very market aware folks watching from the sidelines. I'd suggest people can charge what they want. If they're out of line, no one will buy. If they're crazy, they'll get lit up by the membership. Seems fair to me.

Only concern I have, would be the newbie that may not know what the 'going rate' is on aged or even limited releases. Onus is on them to check; not like there aren't a bunch of folks that would be happy to help, if they'd ask. Stuff from the island south of Miami is just nuts, but there are auction sites and other resources to get a feel for the going rate on just about anything.

Edited to add - once the prices get opened up, we'll have to watch for flippers. Say, someone buys a couple boxes at a screaming price on sale, and then tries to resell them for retail. I don't think that'll be a big problem with our brothers; we'll always have "drive by's" to deal with. They're usually quickly caught and called on the carpet.

....one man's opinion.

 

[jfields]

I think this is a good idea. There are a good number of Brothers here that guard the integrity of this place without fail so I don’t see a problem with the rule change.

Things have definitely changed since when I joined. I certainly wouldn't sell cigars I've been taking care of for 15+ years for what I paid then. I would also be willing to research what an average auction price is and go middle to lower for a brother here. This would be a win for the buyer considering they pay the auction fees on those sites and not the sellers. Of course there's always room for constructive and friendly conversation when it comes to prices and how someone comes up with them. Just like puts and takes in a pass.

I think Craig put it in perfect perspective when he said something along the lines of if he bought a house in 1977, he certainly wouldn't sell it to you for what he paid then currently. This place will self moderate and call out gougers as it always has.