The Best (and Worst) Websites to Buy Cigars From Online
A couple of years ago, I wrote a breakdown of my two favorite cigar websites for great cigar deals. Over the years, it’s been one of my most popular posts, so I want to expand on the topic.
In the last few years, a number of newcomers to the online cigar market have emerged, including Cigar Federation, Atlantic Cigar, and more. And of course, you’ve got all of your traditional online retailers like Thompson Cigar, JR Cigar, and Cigars International, which for me are generally a snoozefest, offering samplers that sound great but are ultimately disappointing.
But I know what you’re thinking: “Matthias, hurry up and tell me where to buy cigars online!”
I will. But before I get to my updated list of best places to buy cigars online, something to keep in mind. Price is not the only factor I consider in this list. I’m looking price, selection, online experience, and also what a website brings to the table that is new and fresh.
So without further ado…
The Best Online Cigar Store
Winner: Famous Smoke Shop
I’m a big fan of Famous Smoke Shop. Not just because their website is easy to navigate or because they have great customer service. They have a great selection and, after ordering dozens of times through them, I find all of my cigars are shipped with packaging that preserves the integrity of the cigars. If you are looking to buy cigars for friends, loved ones, or even yourself, start there. Famous also have an innovative take on the “deal a day” fad that happened back in the early 2000’s. Yep, I’m talking about cigarmonster.com, still one of my favorites to buy cigars from.
If you want the best deals on cigarmonster.com, don’t refresh your browser once an hour. Instead, log in every Friday for the Mega Monster Mashup where they feature all of the deals that they ran earlier in the week.
Honorable Mention: Cigarbid.com
That’s right, it made the top of my list once again. Why? A few reasons. First, I’ve ordered many a box of cigars on this website, and I’ve never had any problems with availability, shipping, or cigars being mysteriously substituted for other cigars because “we didn’t have it in stock.” *cough* Thompson Cigars *cough*
Second, I’ve gotten some flat out amazing deals on this website. A few months ago, I ordered a pack of 10 Room 101 Uncle Lee cigars, which I think exemplifies the dried cedar/leather flavor profile better than almost any cigar I’ve smoked. The price? Less than $40 for the box.
So price is one thing. Third, though, this website focuses mostly on packs/boxes of cigars, not samplers. That means you do a lot less wading through crap deals and can focus more on finding awesome lots to bid on. If you find you want a different spin on cigar auctioning, you can also check out Cigar Auctioneer, which offers a similar service.
Honorable Mention: Smoke Inn
Although this website doesn’t get many points in the web design / user experience category, it does get some big points for the sheer breadth of cigar companies that it features, including many great boutiques. Take a look at the Smoke Inn Microblend Series, which is basically a sampler of some of the best boutique releases on the market (ok, ok, some of them aren’t strictly “boutique” companies in the traditional sense, but they aren’t General Cigar co’s either).
The Worst Websites to Buy Cigars
So now that you know my three favorite websites to buy cigars on, here are some scammy cigar websites to avoid.
Thompson Cigars
That’s right folks, one of the world’s largest online cigar retailers is getting dropped on my shit list. Why? Because if you place an order with them, you could expect a call from a pushy sales rep trying to get you to sign up for some ridiculous cigar of the month club. No biggie though, right? Just say no!
Except even when customers say no, Thompson still signs them up. Read here and here. Unfortunately, Thompson Cigars seems to be a sad example of a company getting too big and sacrificing its integrity to maintain sales targets set by higher-ups.
Thompson isn’t the only company involved in these kind of schemes: just the one that’s gotten caught the most often. The take-away here? Be very careful to check with any salesperson on the phone that you aren’t being signed up for any additional services, and check your bank statement at the end of the month to doublecheck. Once you’ve decided a retailer is trustworthy: stick with them!
Solo Cigars
I’ve never purchased through Solo Cigars, but I’ve read on countless internet forums now that, not only do they sell fake Cuban cigars, but they’ve also been involved in creating fake accounts on popular cigar forums to try to get people to change their mind about the retailer. Just google their name and look at result 2 – 10. You’ll get the idea. Key point here is: always check the reputation of any cigar retailer you purchase from. Just google their name and add “reviews”.
Do you have a favorite cigar retailer that should be on this list? Or, if you have a question about a cigar retailer, or a comment (good or bad), drop it in the comments section below.
P.S. Shopping for Christmas? Check out our ultimate cigar gift guide.
Disclaimer: affiliate links may be included in this post at no cost to you. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own!
2 Amazing Websites for Buying Great Cigars at Ultra-Low Prices - Fine Tobacco NYC
October 2, 2016 @ 9:06 am
[…] Check out our newest look at the best online cigar retailers here. […]
Jp
February 15, 2018 @ 5:28 pm
I’ve been to cigars international and had bad experience every time I went. They have some back they have some bad sales rep telling me that Camacho’s I no longer in style but they have a big display with the latest ones there then about one of the bargain bags and each one of them cigars was dry as dirt very very very overrated I’m talking about that big store and Hampton PA
Matthias Clock
February 18, 2018 @ 11:51 am
Hey JP, sorry to hear about that experience. I’ve never understood cigar companies that sell dried out cigars. That’s like selling spoiled bottles of wine.
JP
March 26, 2018 @ 4:41 pm
Famous and Monster are my go to sites now though….nice articles…good job
Gene Wu
August 29, 2018 @ 8:39 pm
Famous Smoke sucks. Sent me premium samplers and half of it was trash, poorly wrapped/packed and tobacco falling everywhere. Then I told them and they wanted me to pack it up and send back to them using their e-label. Never again.
Matthias Clock
September 2, 2018 @ 2:42 pm
Yikes, that sounds like a bad experience. Though of course, they have to have you send it back. Otherwise people would just say “the cigars are bad, give me my money back” and then smoke them.
Name Your Price at Cigar Monster
February 17, 2017 @ 10:57 am
[…] Don’t just take our word for it that Cigar Monster has some great deals, check out this testimonial from Fine Tobacco NYC! […]
James Aranes
February 27, 2017 @ 9:16 pm
Steer clear of Cigar.com and CigarsIntl.com (sister companies) as they recently had a software problem that prevented them from shipping goods. However, they dishonestly decided NOT to publish this fact on their website and/or before you paid for the goods, and the result was you gave them money, and they could not tell you when or if you would actually get the cigars! They KNEW the would have a problem shipping your order, and they didn’t tell you, and just merrily took new orders and the money for the same without telling any clients the truth.
Brett
March 7, 2017 @ 2:32 pm
Just wanted to give you a quick update. Cigar International, a site i tried for the first time, spent $180 on my first order, then got a reply they were out of stock on one of my cigars, which reduced my price to $150. As of now, I am at 14 days since I placed my order, and the only response I received from the company, after 2 email complaints, is a auto email saying, we are processing your order.
Horrible experience, will never use them again.
conner
August 17, 2018 @ 12:04 pm
exact same thing happened to me. did u ever receive your cigars
Steve Golub
April 17, 2017 @ 11:01 am
I enjoyed reading your article and was glad to know someone else feels the same about Thompson. I found the tbe cigars I received from Thompson were not always the freshest. Jand R cigars fresh shipping reliable great customer service
Jim
June 6, 2017 @ 8:24 pm
You can add Cigars International to that list. still waiting for sence February for an order.
Craig Cascio
July 11, 2017 @ 9:48 am
Stay Away From Cigar One. They show a three pack purchase, then tell you the choice is for one, out of a three pack! RIP OFF
AVOID AVOID AVOID !!!!!!!
The Complete Guide to Smoking Cigars | Cool Material
August 9, 2017 @ 5:09 pm
[…] JR Cigars and Cigars International. Mattias Clock from Fine Tobacco NYC put together an excellent guide on the best online cigar retailers, and we think it’s absolutely […]
Eryn
October 16, 2017 @ 1:21 pm
Hi! I loved your article. I’m getting into cigars and am looking into getting my brother in law some cigars for Christmas, like a nice sampler. I’d love to pick your brain about how to go about this. Like, what is a good assortment, maybe I can also discreetly find out what taste he likes best. Also, how long does a cigar last in an humidor? Will it go bad after a certain point? This way I don’t get him too many. I’d really appreciate the help. It seems like you really know what’s what and I’d like to get some stuff online so it’s different from what we can get around town. Again, I’m new to this completely, so the more info I can get the better.
Matthias Clock
October 16, 2017 @ 6:24 pm
Hi Eryn!
Luckily enough, I’ve actually written another article specifically about this! You can check it out here: https://finetobacconyc.com/ultimate-christmas-cigar-gift-guide/
As far as how long the cigar will last in the humidor, it really just depends on the owner keeping enough humidification in the humidor. Otherwise cigars can last for many years.
As far as discovering what his tastes are, the best way is to approximate based on the foods that he likes. For example, if he’s a meat and potatos, steak and gravy kind of person, he’ll probably do well with more full bodied cigars. If he is a tea drinker or likes lighter foods like salmon, a milder cigar sampler would be better.
Let me know if this answers your question!
Jon
November 1, 2017 @ 8:00 pm
Famous Smokes sold me a box of expensive Gurhkas I ordered for my daughter’s graduation. I’ve had better cigars that sat on the shelf of a kroger supermarket for years. They put me in touch with the marketing rep, Christine, from Gurhka who piled the shit higher than cowboy could ever shovel. The farce continued for months. I was out good money and left with an unforgettable taste from both Gurhka and Famous. Sorry….I’m not buying your bull either and neither should your readers.
Matthias Clock
November 3, 2017 @ 8:20 am
Hey Jon, thanks for commenting. I’ve gotta say though, in this case, your problem was that you ordered Gurkhas, a company known for churning out lots of cool looking cigars that don’t taste good at all (hence why they are constantly on sale on websites like cigarbid). It doesn’t sound in this case like Famous did anything besides fulfilling your order.
Next time, don’t order Gurkha. In fact, if you’d like a recommendation, I’d be happy to give you one. Email me at matthias at finetobacconyc.com
Craig woodhull
April 20, 2018 @ 11:20 am
Even Mr. Nick Perdomo supports famous. I have been buying from CI for about 15 years.. They are going down hill Fast ! Nick speaks about how well the RH is in Famous. No more CI for me (the last two shipments took 8 DAYS when they are promised in 2 to 6 days. Later Daxe CI ! Plus your $$$ are getting out of control.
Erica L Young
November 3, 2017 @ 2:18 am
Please advoid Thompson Cigar…they did exactly what you said they would do…Back in the summer my boyfriend spoke to them about starting a monthly subscription starting Septmber 11 2017…and told them he would call them first before he wanted his card charged…Well on September 1 2017 they went ahead and charged his card….he immediately called them and told them to cancel it….after all kinds of back and forth they refused to cancel the order and we would have to wait until after he received the cigars then call them back to have a return slip sent to him…2 months later he was still waiting, he finally got it after several months but at that point decided to keep them, which Im sure was done deliberately so he did keep them…well they got $120.00 but he wont ever purchase from them again…Thank you
Matthias Clock
November 3, 2017 @ 8:18 am
Hey Erica, thanks for commenting and telling your story! I’m so sorry to hear that you had that experience!
JOEY
September 6, 2018 @ 8:22 pm
Holts hand down most of time free shipping top shelf cigars and best price im happy beat any one price cao flat head when put on sale
Andrew
November 4, 2017 @ 12:17 am
Has anyone every dealt with hit cigars? Or can anyone lead me into the eighth direction of backwoods vanilla or banana I know it may seem funny but it’s for a gift for my uncle whom is really trying to find these
Robbie
November 20, 2017 @ 12:58 pm
Hey Matthias, I’m convinced some of these catalog places sell either knock off cigars and slap a brand name on it, or they just get the rejects from companies and sell those. I got some Macanudos that looked horrible, and I thought there’s no way they’d allow that bad of a wrapper to leave their company. Same thing with some Romeo y Julieta cigars where the band wasn’t even put on correctly. Thoughts?
Matthias Clock
August 4, 2018 @ 2:19 pm
Hey Robbie,
Thanks for your comment. Personally, I’m skeptical of that because it just sounds like brand suicide. But you aren’t the only person I’ve heard this from. So it may be best to avoid the online cigar retailers that you’ve heard do it. My 2 cents!
StormyMoans
December 10, 2017 @ 11:40 am
The only thing about Famous that I would caution people on is their rating system. Poor ratings tend to “spool” when submitting them and don’t make the reviews list. I disregard their rating system entirely and find it intentionally misleading on their part in order to promote their sales. Capitalism, I get it. On this topic, does anyone know of an unbiased and uncensored rating site for cigars?
Matthias Clock
December 10, 2017 @ 2:09 pm
I think in general disregarding ratings on cigar retailer websites is a good decision. Just do a google search a cigar review of whatever cigar you’re looking at.
The main issue with reviews on cigar retailer websites is that many reviews are written by brand new cigar smokers. So you’ll see a 5-star review of a $2 junk cigar that says “My buddy gave me a Davidoff and it was fine and all but this no name is way better.” Obviously not credible. So take those reviews with a big grain of salt and do your additional research. That’s why cigar blogs exist! Find a couple of bloggers you trust and filter your choices through their ratings.
Ed Miller
January 3, 2018 @ 9:43 am
I placed an order online with Thompson Cigar and within half an hour cancelled it. I received an email acknowledging the order was cancelled. Much to my surprise, I received an email telling me it had shipped. When I called their CSC line, I was told there is nothing that can be done (is the CSC out of the country?) I usually order from another large online vendor but they did not have what I wanted to send and had heard good things about Thompson. My mistake and will not order again. Consumer beware.
Rich Matiszik
January 15, 2018 @ 10:51 pm
Hey-
You mention cigarbid in your favorites. I bought from them for a couple years. Results were varied, mostly shipping issues. One time there was a major screw up with my order and after many emails/calls the order was cancelled. THEN, I get the very “sincere” apology letter from the owner stating that they were going through some tough times, will do better, etc. And because of my problem with them they were offering me something like 30% off. So, I give it a shot. Cigars don’t come. Call after call was met with AWFUL customer service… basically, well, we’ll get to it when we get to it. It was really surreal. Cigars never came, so after about a month I tell em where they can put their cigars. About 2 months later, I get an email stating they’ll be charging me for the order that I never received. Several emails later and the mention of getting the State Attorney General involved to investigate their fraudulent practices and they finally drop the bullying tactics. I’ve heard more stories of the ol’ bait and switch from cigarbid, but I can tell you first hand how shady they are. Never again.
Matthias Clock
January 15, 2018 @ 11:34 pm
Hey Rich,
Thanks for adding your comment. I have to say, I’ve heard others with a similar experience. It does seem that in 2017 there was a serious IT issue that knocked out Cigar International/CigarBid’s ability to discuss orders. A post on Halfwheel explains this way:
Cigars International processes thousands of orders per day and the company has said that the new system prevented them from not only seeing orders, but also seeing customer emails complaining about the orders. As such, many customers experienced lengthy delays in orders while Cigars International was unable to address and respond to complaints. These issues persisted for weeks, sometimes months and according to the guidance, are at least in some capacity still affecting the company’s business today.
——
This is certainly no excuse for the behavior, and it could certainly change my mind about having CigarBid on my top list. But some context may be helpful for others to understand the situation.
Thanks again for commenting. Are you using any other websites now?
Tobias
January 28, 2018 @ 5:44 pm
Regarding Cigars International:
I’ve heard this excuse as well, but if you really take the time to investigate it, it really just sounds like an excuse to buy them time to try to get things a bit back in order. Sadly, it sounds like CI has NEVER gotten things back in order, even after, apparently, the CEO offered all of the unhappy customers, and there are SO many of them, discounts if they give them another shot. Sadly, I just keep reading the same story all over again, the only difference is that they no longer have the excuse of a “computer problem”.
What I heard is that CI actually changed hands right around the beginning of 2017 and nearly *instantly* began having these ridiculous problems. Just read all of the reviews on their Facebook page! It documents the story rather well. People who were customers for years and years are now getting taken advantage of and are being, to be blunt, robbed.
So, from what I can tell, Cigars Internatioal used to be a reputable company, but changed hands and is now just a scam machine that occasionally sells cigars (and the ones the DO send out apparently are in very bad shape—full of bugs and larvae!). Things have gotten so bad that CI now has an “F” rating (the lowest possible) with the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
Now that it is 2018, do you by any chance have an updated list/review article up?
Thanks for taking the tie to reply to all of these comments!
Cheers,
Tobias
In fact, I just read your article for the first time and was actually very surprised that CI was NOT on your shitlist!
Matthias Clock
February 1, 2018 @ 5:32 pm
Hey Tobias,
First of all, thanks for commenting, and for providing such great backstory!
Yes, it does seem that many of the ‘big players’ in the American online cigar market really have dropped the ball multiple times. I’ll be doing an update on this article in the next week or so and I’ll be taking your feedback into account.
Thanks again!
– Matthias
Dennis Bedard
January 26, 2018 @ 12:14 pm
I do not agree on Thompson. I have been a customer for 35 years, going back to the pre-internet age when they were a mail order joint. Their specialty is discount cigars and they have plenty. Sure, some were duds but most were new discoveries whose quality was the same as the better known brands (i.e., Gurkha, Gordo). I remember starting out with Caribbean Rounds in the late 80’s when I used to eat lunch and dinner at White Castle in Long Island out of economic necessity. Their monthly club nets you a free box of cigars a year. I once visited their facility at the Tampa Airport. Got free samples and the staff was very friendly.
Matthias Clock
January 26, 2018 @ 2:06 pm
Hey Dennis, thanks for sharing. Every major company will have lots of happy customers (otherwise how did they get so big). But in the case of Thompson what I’ve seen is that, comparatively, there is a much higher number of negative reviews for Thompson than for any other major cigar retailer.
paul
February 19, 2018 @ 2:02 pm
Matthias I have to disagree as far as JR Cigars. I have been a customer for many years and they do not disappoint. Famous Cigars have the exact same price (which that alone tell you something?) but JR Cigars always has an offer of free cigars when you buy a box and they are top shelf free cigars! Famous does not I’m getting more for my money with JR………..just my opinion
Matthias Clock
February 19, 2018 @ 2:08 pm
Hey Paul,
Thanks for commenting! I agree JR does have some great freebies, though Famous often does as well. My bigger issue with JR is that when I’ve tried to get in touch with them (particularly their corporate company), I’ve been downright ignored repeatedly.
Faizan
February 20, 2018 @ 5:51 am
Hi
I’m planning to order my 1st collection of cigars. Kindly advice which website will be the best to order online cigars for a internationally delivery.
Mike
March 13, 2018 @ 9:50 pm
If one does a bit of research you will find that Cigars International, Cigar.com, Cigarbid.com and Pipe and Cigar all operate from the same address in Bethlehem, PA. To the best of my knowledge the whole bunch are owned by Swedish Match, a subsidiary of Scandinavian Tobacco Group. While we would all like to envision our cigars being made by a few craftsmen in a 10′ x 10′ room, we are dealing with some fairly large corporate entities. Cigars sold by one organization may be made by another and don’t be surprised if the same cigar (especially the lower priced commodity cigars) is not sold under different names by different companies. Lately I have noticed that cigars I bought on Cigarbid.com all seem to have little sticky tapes that hold the folded over cello wrapper in place. These tapes have the cigar name printed on them. I am a bit confused that these different cigar companies from different countries all have a common bit of printed tape. Or perhaps the answer is that they were all made to purchase orders from the Swedish Match Group who may specify that particular form of packaging. If that were to be the case, are these cigars the same as the ones Famous, JR or your local cigar store sells? It would be an interesting experiment to buy the same cigar at a half dozen places and then do a blind test to see if any difference exists.
Darren
March 14, 2018 @ 5:45 pm
Do you have any recommendations for places online to buy smaller pack or individual cigars. I don’t smoke too often, so buying a full box isn’t necessarily an option. Many of my preferred cigars only seem to be available online, since my local retailers and shops don’t carry them.
Charles Allen
April 19, 2018 @ 1:41 pm
I will never order another thing from Cigars of Habanos. In November 2017 I placed an order with them for a box of Hoyo de Monterrey Epicure No. 2, because I was attracted to their price which was $40.00 less than the supplier I had previously ordered this item from on two separate occasions. I quickly learned that “you get what you pay for”. The first RED FLAG was when I received my order and noticed that all the seals were cut, even though I had requested “Sealed Box Only”. Before storing them in my humidor, I smoked one and it was pretty awful – severe canoeing and difficulty staying lit. I assumed they just needed a few weeks to age and settle down in my humidor. WRONG!!!
In the past three months I have smoked a total of 8 sticks and have not had one even moderately good smoke. Problems included canoeing, tunneling, difficulty staying lit, and hard, pin-head sized beads forming inside the ash. Also, on only two occasions has an ash been produced that was over a inch long. And on every cigar the ash developed crooked.
I contacted Ravi at CoH to ask for a replacement for the 17 unsmoked cigars remaining. He suggested that I should have informed him of the problem earlier. Perhaps I should have, but I was thinking that surely the next cigar I smoke will not be defective. The request for a replacement was refused and he said they would issue a refund for the unsmoked cigars when I returned them to COH in Hong Kong. When I checked on the cost of returning the cigars and learned that would cost me well over $100.00, I decided it was not worth it for me to return them. Additionally, Ravi informed me that my return would be subject to their $35.00 “Restocking Fee”. REALLY??!! Are they honestly going to restock cigars where 1/3 of the order has proven to be defective.
So, the bottom line is they have their customers at a distinct disadvantage in knowing that few – if any – would pay the outrageous return shipping charges, plus the “Restocking Fee”. That’s why I will never order anything from Cigars of Habanos again, and I’ll take every opportunity available to me to inform other potential customers.
Matthias Clock
April 19, 2018 @ 1:52 pm
Yikes! That sounds like a nightmare!
Definitely have to be careful with Cubans. Price is a very good indicator of quality in this case. If you’re seeing listings for authentic Cubans 10 – 20% below what you’d find at an authorized retailer, you’re taking a big risk!
Jim
June 23, 2018 @ 3:10 am
I’ve been purchasing from famous for 6 years now the cigars pack with bubble wrap and in 7 Days on economy shipping . I probably made 40 purchases had some issues with a couple of boxes and some 5 packs over those years and they’ve had no problem returning them and doing a shipping label at no cost to return it . customer service is very friendly and no long wait time to get ahold of them. the last two years I’ve been buying mostly high-end padron, oliva’s, linga privadas, my father, Alec Bradley, Rocky Patel and they came fresh and ready to smoke and only get better when you age them in the humidor. I looked at other websites and to get around the website, it’s much more difficult than famous website.
aaron ellerman
July 11, 2018 @ 2:11 am
I order from Thompson as well as the auction site frequently and have had nothing but the best service and quality sticks. That being said I also live within 35+/- Miles of them lol also went to an event or two they hosted and had great experiences.
Wadge
July 12, 2018 @ 1:44 pm
I use Cigars Int., Cigar.com, JR, and my new favorite Holts Cigar. I’ve not had any problems with delivery or quality of what I ordered. I keep a 300 cigar humidor nicely stocked. Years ago I used to order from Thompson. With one of my shipments I got a batch of cigars the had tobacco bug larvae
inside the cigars. When I called to complain I was told that this is common and nothing else could be done and that some people actually like them this way. I had to throw away about cigars, sanitize my humidor, let it dry and then reseason it. I WILL NEVER ORDER FROM THOMPSON AGAIN!!!!
Greg Johnston
July 13, 2018 @ 4:10 pm
I have been purchasing cigars from Cigars International for about 10 years (every 2 months I get about 60 sticks) and have only had a couple of issues and when I called they were good to take care of them. They definitely have the better price on some of their lines (5 Vegas ahem…) but sometimes it seems like the quality is iffy, even on better stogies like Rocky Patel and Montecristo.
However, just recently I decided to look elsewhere and discovered Holts. They have better prices on some the sticks I really enjoy and they seem to have some sort of a deal with Rocky Patel. They’re worth checking out. My first order from them is set to arrive today and I’m chomping at the bit to inspect them.
Michael
August 25, 2018 @ 6:32 pm
I have never really had an issue with Cigars International. And any time I’ve had something wrong with my order, they’ve more than made up for it with service and added goodies. I have never had an email or phone call go unanswered and I’ve been ordering for many years. I also found it odd that you ranked Cigarbid as a top seller, while saying Cigars Intl is a snooze fest, when the two are the same company, even listing the same corporate address and even department number. So if you’re cool with the cigar quality, packing, shipping, and service at Cigarbid, all the same scores should go to CI, as well. I read all these stories about people getting no answer or having issues with orders delaying…. I have NEVER had that happen and I’ve placed a dozen orders in the past year. Not saying they’re off, but I don’t think it is widespread.
dan3952
September 2, 2018 @ 12:53 pm
Holt’s sends huge catalogs by default after placing your first order until you tell them not to. I live at a hotel, and rent a mailbox at the UPS Store. I don’t need all this junk mail. Capital One credit card packages are bad enough.
Matthias Clock
September 2, 2018 @ 2:41 pm
Hey Dan, thanks for commenting. My experience is just about everyone I’ve ordered from ends up sending paper mail (Famous does this too). Though to be honest, every now and again there are some good deals there. But generally they’re junk.
Roger
September 4, 2018 @ 10:01 pm
I buy from Cigars Int’l, Famous, and Holt’s and I never have a problem with any of them. Thompson’s cigar club is a nuisance, as are their pushy sales people!
Herb Kaufman
September 12, 2018 @ 4:37 am
I dealt with Cigars International, Cigarbid and Cigar, com for years. They are all the same company as most of you know. I never had a major issue with them until February of 2017, I had placed an order for cigars at Cigar.com and then, with my order, I got an ad for a promotion on 15 PDR cigars. The price was good and I happen to like PDR so I picked up the phone and placed an order. That’s when the problems began. I waited for my order for about 10 days and no delivery. I called them up and, by chance, got the same rep I had placed my order with. He told me that they had installed a new computer program and they were having problems but that my order would be sent to me as soon as possible. That was not the case at all. First of all, I had problems getting through to customer service. When I did get through I was told lies at least twice. The lie consisted of telling me that “my order had been shipped’ WHEN THEY KNEW DAMN WELL THAT IT HADN’T. Other reps could not help me. They could not cancel the order. They could not ship me cigars of equivalent value and I may have been told yet another lie when one rep told me that my account would not be charged until the cigars were shipped. I finally received my cigars in the middle of July, 2017–some 5 months after my order had been originally placed. I don’t buy their story about the computer glitch. I don’t buy the lies they told me on the phone. In fact, I don’t buy from them anymore for anything.
Dale Hill
November 18, 2018 @ 7:35 am
If you’re a JR Cigar customer and have auto renew turned on for your membership (free shipping, etc.) watch out!!! They doubled the membership fee from $29.95 to $59.95 claiming increased shipping costs are to blame. Total BS… USPS shipping rates for 2018 or 2019 did not double, not even close! I have always had a good buying experience with JR, but this doubling of the membership fee is unjustified. I call it greed…
Charles Toland
November 29, 2018 @ 6:04 pm
Although I have purchased many times from Mike’s Cigars for over 20+ years, I had recently purchased a package that contained one (1) torch lighter. The package was an upgrade with a higher purchase price.
When I received the package, I excitedly broke out a cigar, and went to light it with the enclosed torch lighter that was part of the deal. When I pressed the button to start the lighter, an initial sound of butane escaping from the lighter came out, but the flame did not ignite. After several attempts, I could not get the lighter to light nor would any butane come out of the chamber.
The following day, I decided to contact Mike’s Cigars to let them know about the defective lighter. Their response was that I needed to add fluid, and then it would work. I have been using torch lighters for years, and I am familiar with refilling them, and I had often done that with older lighters. There was plenty of butane in the lighter; in fact the lighter was full.
When I explained to them again that the fuel was not the issue, they returned my complaint with some excuse that because of Federal Regulations, they could not ship lighters with lighter fluid in them. This excuse is a lie. Shipments of lighters with fluid in them are allowed via land, but not air. The USPO will ship lighters with fluid in them as will all other ground shipping companies. Again, I told them the lighter is full of butane, but they insist the lighter is empty. I even offered to send them a picture showing there was fluid in the lighter.
Had this truly been the situation, shouldn’t Mike’s Cigars put in the package description that they were going to send you a lighter that will not work unless you add butane yourself? This disclaimer cannot be found on any of their advertisements, because it is not true.
Had Mike’s Cigars addressed my brand new broken torch lighter, I would not have written this negative review, but their insistence that the lighter is out of fluid is false, and there is no reason to put more fluid into the lighter because it does not work. The upgraded package that was purchased was more than enough to cover the cost of a torch lighter and then some, so they would not had lost any money at all by replacing the defective lighter. Turn to reputable mail order cigar companies like Thompson or JR Cigars.
Chuck T.
Allen
December 11, 2018 @ 8:17 pm
I’ve recently decided to drop C-bid (and perhaps the CI empire altogether). I’ve had so many issues with them, including boxes of desiccated cigars to damaged goods (due mainly to very very poor packing). Most recently, a poorly-packed shipment which included a badly damaged Fuente Opus X (tubo)and a box (with a dried out Boveda pack) helped solidify my decision to bypass the savings and to stick with I consider to be more premium outfits such as Famous, Atlantic and Neptune.
Mac Brown
January 3, 2019 @ 7:38 pm
For Cuban cigars I’ve been buying from Ravi at cigarsofhabanos.com in Hong Kong for over 10 years. These are the “real” deal and his prices are hard to beat.
Tim
February 17, 2019 @ 12:55 pm
New to the cigar “hobby” I searched the internet & settled on cigarsinternational. After an initial email with a simple question to customer service before placing my order I was shocked to receive a rude email response! After a few emails AND a phone call I came to the conclusion this company could care less about customer service.
I then mikecigars & got a fair response so decided to place an initial $100+ order. Online Checkout went smooth & then I received the invoice which showed $8 more than I had authorized! Their email response was fairly quick but CC rep quoted wrong person & wrong products. I responded politely pointing out these mistakes. Next email from them still did not address my concerns but gave me a lesson on how much mikescigars had saved me by ordering from them STILL not addressing my issues! Several emails later a different CC rep apologized about their mistakes & informed me how to read their online invoices. I keep pointing out each time I clicked on the “details” button it took me back to my home page & continued to show me my invoice with the $8 overcharge. By this time & MANY email exchanges I decided to drop this company off my list not having enough time to continually debate these issues. Received my order in good shape charged correctly. Since then I have placed & won 8+ orders with cigarbid & I have been VERY happy with their prices, products, shipping & customer service. They have not disappointed me or my friends.
Being a former 20+ year customer centered business owner/operator I don’t expect to be treated like royalty but I do expect to be treated fairly, honestly & with respect. An idea that elevated my businesses to enable me to retire comfortably before 50!