Thanks again to  CigarSkunk's review I touched up on an issue Steven gets almost everyday when selling cigars. They mention to him about buying from suppliers online and magazines. CS had this to say.

 CigarSkunk :

Buying cigars in person vs online/mail

So you want to buy a cigar - should you support your local cigar shop or liquor store and personally select your smokes from the humidor or is it better to do it online or via a catalog, thus getting yourself a potentially better price any maybe even saving a few bucks in taxes?

The answer quite simply is, yes.

"But CS," you say after puff on your favorite cigar, "that was a multiple choice, not a true/false question?"

True, but just like I think this type of cigar is best while you know without a doubt that this other type is best, the reality is that every source of cigars is just as unique and subjective in what makes it "best" as the cigars themselves.

For simplicity's sake I'm going to define any purchase where you personally pick up the cigar or box with your own hand as a direct purchase and any in which you get the smokes sight unseen as indirect.

Just as there are many factors that make us all prefer different cigars, methods of lighting, storing and cutting them there are also numerous factors involved in making one method of acquiring those cigars preferable to different people over others.

The biggest advantage of a direct purchase is that you know exactly what you're getting - you can inspect the cigar for defects, get an idea of the aroma and see exactly what conditions it's being store in. Since direct purchases can be made of both singles and boxes, you get the added advantage of being able to buy a single cigar first to see if you wish to invest in a box and speak with one or more store employees (or customers) to get their opinions and feedback on a particular cigar as well. An added bonus is recommendations as a knowledgeable smoker can tell you that if you're a fan of cigar A then cigar Q might appeal to you or that one should try cigar C with drink X.

For indirect purchasing, the key advantage for most people comes in the form of cost savings if you're inclined to purchase cigars by the box - a wholesaler has less overhead then a cigar shop as well as the advantage of keeping up profits and down cost by selling in bulk. My personal advantage of indirect purchases though is variety. A cigar shop has limited space and can't afford to waste it on limited demographic cigars while the warehouse sized humidor of a wholesaler allows for them to have an entire crate of any cigar they can find in stock.

Taxes were brought up in the initial question but personally, I don't find them too relevant as the debate over the right of states and Uncle Sam to tax indirect sales has been raging for several years now. For all intents and purposes, cigars are just a tiny bit of indirect sales of all products in the country and lawmakers are more concerned about big ticket items like electronics, so I don't feel that smokers need to make direct purchases in order to help make cigars more appealing to the health nazis as a potential source of revenue.

We've covered the micro-economic aspect of cigar purchasing so now let's look at the macro end, ie/how your personal purchasing habits affect the industry as a whole.

While anti-smoking laws have destroyed the social aspect of visiting a cigar shop and enjoying your purchase in the company of your fellow cigar smokers the neighborhood cigar shop is still an invaluable resource for introducing people to the joys of a cigar as they're still full of friendly and knowledgeable folks who are more then happy to help, guide and educate the "cigar curious."

An added bonus is that while direct sales will never match the selection of indirect sales, they do have a small selection of unique smokes and that, combined with the recommendations of staff and fellow smokers, means that aficionados are more likely to try new things and thus encourage and support the industry as a whole rather then falling into the rut of simply ordering a box of cigar B from their favorite indirect source every so often, thus only supporting that single brand they favor.

As such, patronizing the local shops to keep them in business is the long game that ensures that you wont be sitting by yourself for long if you manage to find a public place where you can enjoy a cigar without hassle.

On the other hand the wholesalers allow access, not just to variety, but for some smokers, to any cigar. Due to lack of local interest or local/state taxes and regulations not everyone is fortunate enough to have ready access to a decent direct supplier - indirect purchases are their only option to buy their favorite brand or cigars at all.

The wholesalers are also vital to the industry as a whole as their bulk purchases keep producers in business, plus, just about every wholesaler has it's own house cigars which allow producers to achieve economies of scale by being able to unload surplus and/or factory seconds as the cheaper house brand.

Finally, the wholesalers are also the ones who supply the cigars to you local smoke shop as they provide one stop shopping and bulk shipping that allows your local shop to keep prices much lower then they would be if they had to actually place a separate order with every cigar producer they carry.

Thus the wholesalers are just as important to the long game of cigars as the local shop.

You can therefore see how the answer to "which is better" is "both" - the local stores serve as the kindling that get the fire started while the wholesalers are the logs that fuel it through the evening - remove either and you don't have a fire (nor any cigars to smoke around it with your buds while you're camping).


Wow. o.o
Didn;t know there was alot to that. Thanks CS. ^_^

If ou guys have some opinions and reviews you'd like to share, drop us a note. :3
Till next post. *puffs up*