Average markup per stick in B @ M

ZAP

I think prices are fair on this site.   You can get some great deals if you wait for them....but my question is based on the single pricing on this site, how much more of a markup are we seeing in the B & M shops?   I am not close enough to a quality shop to go compare prices but I would have to think when you factor in tax even buying single price sticks here must be at least 25% cheaper?   Am I wrong?  Is it more than that.?

For instance.   Here you can get a Cohiba XV 550 Sumatra for 11.50.   I have to imagine the markup on that would be high in a B & M...maybe a price of around 19.99 there?  Not sure....just curious what others have seen

Eulogy

It is cheaper buying sticks online, but B&Ms have other factors that they have to include in their prices.

webmost

This is going to depend so much upon the state. Nearby Merryland, for instance, imposes a 70% tobacco tax; while Dull-Aware imposes a 15% tobacco tax.

SleevePlz

In general, B&M's charge MSRP (wholesale price x2) plus tobacco tax and sales tax. Most online shops don't have any taxes. Cigar.com is extra special because it is owned by Scandinavian Tobacco. So they can sell cigars that are made by their parent companies for less than their competitors. Many other brands, however, are price protected so that everyone sells them for, more or less, the same price (exclusive of taxes).

onestrangeone

I'll let someone else figure out what the percentage is.
La Palina Black Toro on this site $10.50 at my B&M $11.28 + 8.25% tax = $12.21 If I buy 10 cigars at the B&M I get a 10% discount, 20 cigars 20% discount so @ 10% with tax = 10.91 @ 20% with tax =$9.76 If I call Tim I know I will get a discount as well sometimes a very good one. It's close enough that I don't mind helping support my B&M on some smaller purchases mostly of new or new to me cigars, I use there facilities and talk to their people it's only fair that I spend some money as well. I have scored some really good deals from the bargain bin as well, AKA, L'atelier, La Aurora, CyB, Viaje etc sometimes as much as 70% off. I have 6 B&M's within a 20 min drive and the pricing seems to be fairly consistent across the board, Yes C.Com is cheaper but not by much IMO.

rwheelwright

Depends and what the product is too. My 2 local b&ms sell Anejo sharks for ~$14 a piece which is a great price with not that much markup. Their pardon prices are competitive as we'll.

youngryan216

Here in Cleveland all the B&M's are way overpriced, but they're great places to buy single cigars that you'd like to try before an online box purchase.

Are we paying for the smell of the place? Because it smells fantastic in those joints. Not enough to justify a $10 Lot 23 though!

J.S.

It depends on the B&M too. I can go right up the street and pay $2 over MSRP on everything. It is a standard mark up for them. I can go a little further and get some really great deals. Pardon cheaper then ccom. Bargains that start at buy one get one 1/2 off. Buy 20 (mix and match) get a 20% discount on the purchase. For every 6 times I go in the 7th is 1/2 off my average 6 purchases. So I average $100 purchase 6 times the 7th I get $50 off my purchase. When you are careful and see that box prices are not really discounted that much the 20% often beats it when the sticks are lower to start with (Pardon especially in this specific case). But this is not always true some online cigars are cheaper and boxes are discounted much more. You just have to be aware of what you want and what it is going for. Each has their place.

catfishbluezz

Depends on local taxes and distribution licenses. If the shop has to buy through a distributor, that distributor marks up 15% plus shipping to the cost of the cigar. Then you add state tax, sometimes twice depending on the state, and prices increase dramatically. Even if the company is self distributing, some states like ca still have hoops to jump through and taxes get added back in unless you know the loopholes. Shops get screwed until they grow. If you want to know raw cost, that's another discussion.

Ken_Light

rwheelwright:

Depends and what the product is too. My 2 local b&ms sell Anejo sharks for ~$14 a piece which is a great price with not that much markup. Their pardon prices are competitive as we'll.

And one day they might even have them in stock long enough for anyone else to get 'em!! XD

Patrickbrick

I have two shops that I go to (same owner) that sell straight retail+tax (8.75%). Then I have a shop that is a min of $3.00 per stick over Msrp. I do not go to that one because of the price, the ambience is amazing and is worth one stick at a time especially in the winter. And the Msrp shops have a ridiculous selection that a lot of cant be found online such as Monsters. Love my B&Ms, and Love my Ccom.

rwheelwright

Ken Light:

rwheelwright:

Depends and what the product is too. My 2 local b&ms sell Anejo sharks for ~$14 a piece which is a great price with not that much markup. Their pardon prices are competitive as we'll.

And one day they might even have them in stock long enough for anyone else to get 'em!! XD

Gotta go around Xmas time. They usually have them for a few days...