I’ve shared the process I use to research making online purchases. And though I buy cigars from several places, there are a few that are my go-tos that I will look at first before other sites.
At the top of my list is Miami Humidor. I discovered this shop by stumbling upon it in my search for Paul Stulac cigars. I was specifically after the Post Script line and Miami Humidor had the best price on a bundle out of the few online places that carried it. And this is the place where I will be buying my Paul Stulac cigars going forward. And even as a small outfit, I was amazed at their competitive pricing on other brands as well.
But what I truly dig about them is their customer service. Case in point, I made a purchase this morning of a few different items. A few minutes after I completed the order, I got a text from Mike at Miami Humidor saying they were out of stock on one of my items and offered to replace it with a different one. I’d had the one he suggested so I requested a different one and BAM! The issue was resolved in a couple of minutes! THAT’S incredible customer service! Personal touches like this are what build customer loyalty, especially in today’s world of doing business at a distance.
This is a little shop in Scottdale, AZ that I order from often. Like the others, their prices aren’t always the best, but like Miami Humidor, their customer service is awesome. And I’ve also found that when I call them directly to order, they’ll give me great prices on boxes. And here’s a hint: If you’re in the area, drop by. They’ll give you great prices on the spot just for coming in to visit. At least they did for me.
This is another site that I stumbled upon, but this time I was searching for Curivari sticks. They don’t carry the entire line, but they carry the ones I’m most interested in and at much better prices than most retailers. Their shipping is free above $99, but since I buy in bulk, I reach that threshold without a problem. They also ship a lot faster than other sites, and they package orders very well. I haven’t gotten any damaged sticks. I can’t speak to their customer service because I haven’t had a problem with them. But that’s a good thing. All my transactions with them have gone smoothly.
This one was a surprise for me. I used to group them with sites like JR and CI. But it turns out that their prices are mostly on par or sometimes even better than Cigar Page on many items I’m interested in! Not only that, but I have also been impressed with their prompt shipping and packaging. There have been a few times where Fox may be a few bucks more on certain items than CP, but I’ll still order from them because they ship so much faster and until recently, their packaging was WAY better than CP.
So what about Cigar Page and Cigar Bid? I have more orders with Cigar Page and Cigar Bid than any of the other sites combined at this point. Though I prefer to buy from the four sites I listed above, the plain fact of the matter is that with certain sticks, the prices on CP and CBid are so good, that I can’t avoid them.
For instance, I love Alec Bradley Magic Toast and CAO Brazilia sticks. I get those only on CBid. The reason is that by being smart about bidding, I can get them for under $3/stick. The same goes for most La Gloria Cubana sticks. For CigarPage, they’re the only site that carries the Black Swan, so I buy from them. Their LFD prices can’t be beat either. But their Scorcher deals are incredible and some of their box blowouts can’t be beaten. But I try to avoid them if I can for other brands because they ship slowly, and in the case of CBid, you still must pay shipping, and sometimes that just blows up the deal.
But having said all this, even though I favor the sites I listed as my favorites, let’s make no bones about it. I’m price conscious and will buy from where I can get stuff the cheapest. But I am willing to pay a few bucks more to go with my favorites because of the positive experiences I’ve had with them.
Unco B's Stogie Diary 