Has anyone else noticed that Padron Cigars seem to have been pulled down from the auction sites, CBid and Cigar Auctioneer? Anyone know why this may be? Maybe Trish can chime in.
Thanks!
Printable View
Has anyone else noticed that Padron Cigars seem to have been pulled down from the auction sites, CBid and Cigar Auctioneer? Anyone know why this may be? Maybe Trish can chime in.
Thanks!
I noticed there have been less and less on CA lately. Now they don't even show as a future auction in my watchlist.
That sucks.
CBid has some right now
A while back didn't Fuente say that the auction sites couldn't sell their products for less than a certain price? If you notice, a lot of the Opus and higher end Fuentes on CBid are not actually auctions, but QuickBuy's?
It's possible that they, Padron, was no longer willing to let people pay so little for their product, just like Fuente was.
I noticed that yesterday as well. They typically sold for just under what they could be had for on the sites anyway though... Unless if maybe I'm missing something?
I noticed that the lesser amounts, singles and fivers, sold for just under what they can be had for. The boxes though are a different story I believe. I recently purchased a box of 64 Diplomatico Maduros from Small Batch using one of their 20% off coupons. Score, right? Wrong. Within five days another box of the same cigar was won at auction for close to 40% off retail.
believe someone from the site mentioned this:
"Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but we are no longer auctioning Padron cigars. This is due to Minimum Advertised Pricing (MAP). We are trying to negotiate the possibility of Quick Buy purchases only."
Padron has very strict pricing policyies that retailers must adhere to, otherwise they shut the retailer off. In my opinion all brands should be like this as many auction sites are putting brick & mortars out of business.
Ive seen people come into a brick & mortar and smoke a cigar they won on a bid site. I mean would you bring your own beer to a bar?
I wrote up a long response in regards to most of your statement but ultimately it didn't seem relevant to the post. Suffice to say, I doubt very seriously it's the fault of auction sites that B&M's are going out of business, at least in my experience with which local B&M's are successful and which aren't.
Regarding Padron MAP, I had a feeling this would be the case, and it is unfortunate as I do thoroughly enjoy them but they aren't available locally for less than 100% markup over MAP.
I disagree with you about auction sites... They sell stuff a lot of times below wholesale cost, so brick & mortars can't compete with that. It has driven the customer out of the store. As far as your local situation don't forget that Louisiana has a state tobacco tax that they collect.
Again, I place responsibility as two fold, the B&M's not providing a good value to the customer (be it in merchandise or atmosphere/amenities), and the consumer not making a choice to support their local business. Trust me I do my best to support my local B&M's but it's not always economically feasible for me. Everyone has a choice to make on where to get their smokes...the auction site isn't forcing consumers to shop with them.
And in regards to the other statement, I would never bring personal smokes into a B&M to smoke, that's just not right.
I always -- ALWAYS -- buy something when I even walk into a cigar shop. There are three main reasons: (a) it helps support B&M shops, (b) it lets the owner know I am serious and what sort of cigars I'm interested in, and (c) it just strikes me as the right thing to do. If I plan to use the lounge I always ask the first time whether I can smoke my own cigar assuming I pay for another there. So far everyone has been happy to oblige. Usually I buy 2 or 3, so I feel I've more than payed for my stay.
I don't like smoking the cigars bought at the shop because, and @Horseshoe will vouch for this, if there is only one bad cigar (draw, construction, tar, etc.) in that lounge, I will pick it. Atleast if I bring my own I can check the draw first and know it's at the right conditions for smoking.
I see it from both sides...
In one hand, the free market will decide who thrives and who fails.
On the other, it is not a level playing field. Auction sites are not subject to the same taxes (sometimes oppressive) as local B&M stores are, on top of a less efficient overhead model.
Short term, auction sites that can sell super cheap cigars are awesome for stocking up the humidor.
Long term, pricing B&M out of the market is going to have a very negative impact on the cigar industry (IMO). B&M is where most people are introduced to cigars. That introduction helps foster a long term relationship that grows our hobby.
Online is great for the established and growing cigar smoker, but it leaves a HUGE disconnect for new smokers to come to the table. On top of the fact that it's far more complicated for cigar manufacturers to get new cigars to market when dealing with mega stores.
There has to be a balance and most of the responsibility falls on us.
To be self disciplined enough to pay more to help out or B&M partners. In NY this is huge. With NYS taxes, a B&M has zero chance to compete with online sales. But without B&M, I have NO WHERE to smoke in the winter. I often pay more for a smoke to help support local B&M shops, because I have a serious interest in them sticking around.
I would NEVER walk into a B&M to smoke without purchasing. If I REALLY want a cigar that has been rested in my Humi, I make sure I bring one I purchased from them, and I still buy a few more to bring home.
Seems Fuentes are back on the Devil Site - if you want to pay $8 for a Short Story.