Any truth to this?

KenpoKnight

I was listening to a cigar authority podcast.  They said that cigars from bidding sites have been known to be a lesser quality blend than what you might get from a B&M. This was so the companies could get the cigars listed for a lower cost on a bidding/auction site.  
Just wondered if anyone has ever heard this before?  Have you all noticed anything different?  Maybe they said it to get people to steer toward B&M’s or their own online store?

0patience

So they are saying that the same brand/line of cigars is different at the bid site, than the B&M is getting?

I have CAO America that I got from the evil bid site and I have the same cigar from my local. They looks and smoke the same.

There are lines made specifically for those sites, but they aren't the same lines as you get in a shop, so yes on that, but no on the rest.

VegasFrank

Which episode was that on?  I've listened to almost all of them and don't remember them saying that

KenpoKnight

Yes to your first question. They are saying supposedly they take the same cigar brand/line and they don’t make it the same(same blend not as strong?)as what you might get from a B&M.  
I wouldn’t think this to be true but still made think about it.  

KenpoKnight

VegasFrank said:

Which episode was that on?  I've listened to almost all of them and don't remember them saying that

I wish I could say for sure.  I just recently found them and have been on a roll listening to them on the drive to and from work.  It was an email question they read on the show from a listener.  I thought they were going to shoot it down but to my surprise they said that it was actually true. 

0patience

Gonna call BS on that.
I've bought many cigars on both bid sites.
No difference. 
AF Short Story, Torano 1916, AJ New World and the list goes on and on.
If there is a difference, it is so slight it isn't distinguishable. 

Not saying that there aren't some makers who make different levels of quality, just that the ones I buy, no difference.

Usaf06

Cigarauctioneer is legit. 

KenpoKnight

0patience said:

Gonna call BS on that.
I've bought many cigars on both bid sites.
No difference. 
AF Short Story, Torano 1916, AJ New World and the list goes on and on.
If there is a difference, it is so slight it isn't distinguishable. 

Not saying that there aren't some makers who make different levels of quality, just that the ones I buy, no difference.

Thanks for the feedback. I haven’t had a bad experience so far just makes a person wonder if it BS or not when you hear something like that.  

KenpoKnight

Usaf06 said:

Cigarauctioneer is legit. 

Thanks that is good to know

VegasFrank

It doesn't make sense that a guy like Saka would spend 2 years developing a blend, say like Sobremesa, and then alter it to sell it cheaply.  If people bought the cheap knockoff they may be turned off of the product thinking it was the real thing and it sucked 

TCA is my fav cigar podcast, but they're off the rails on this one.

Far_North_64

I have seen bundles, basically box quantity without the box,  on cbid for example that I haven't found anywhere else. All the other online retailers sell the same brand but only in boxes.

Trident

Im pretty sure the reason they are able to get them so cheap from the manufacteres is because when you spend millions of dollars at a time they give you a pretty darn good deal.  They buy in Volume and sell Volume

TheCigarChick

Complete and total BS, and I'm fairly certain I know who is behind that way of "thinking" as it's not the first time this person has tried to cause trouble in the cigar industry.

If you want to know truth without me revealing too much, there are companies out there that for various reasons negotiate better pricing on products from the manufacturers... Sometimes it's simply based off of volume purchased, and other times it's due to wanting to keep a long-standing (and profitable) relationship strong.  Other than having proprietary products on some sites, everything on many of the cigar auction platforms is 100% legit. 

I'm sure many of you know this, but almost all of the manufacturers have blends that simply sit on a shelf for years, and that's because they don't want to (or need to) necessarily put their own label on the cigars and sell; they sell these blends in bulk to trusted vendors who then brand them how they want them. These cigars too are not less-than, but for some reason there are people out there who view them as such.

TNBigfoot68

Well said @Trident and @TheCigarChick
It's called supply and demand, not bait and switch. How do we get good deals, buy in quanity Retailers buy in Bulk, and may need to reduce inventory of certain lines of product, or they may just buy in order to sell on auction balancing out profits over the losses. It has nothing to do with let's take a cheap cigar and put a better label on .It so people think they are getting a deal.  Besides we all should know that these are hand made products and each will be like me, a little different.