CBid vs the others....

[NCost]

So a while ago I used to be hooked on CBid. It was a slipper slope, but I'm also one that hates to play the bid game and prefer the buy it now price. I also have an account with Atlantic Cigar and buy from Emersons from time to time.

Whenever I look at CBid now I compare their Buy it Now price w/ Atlantic and 99% of the time Atlantic is cheaper.

Some of you may already realize this, but thought I'd pass it on to those addicted to CBid. Now, if you like the bidding side of things, then have at it.

 

[problemsolverjc]

You have a very good point... IF you can get a steal on cbid or ca its great. Keeping in mind that most places mark below MRSP, and these two sites list their auctions compared to MSRP, many people bid the items over what they could just buy them for. Very good point!

 

[RobZip]

Good info, Ill have to check Atlantic out. I do get their email specials, and they seem pretty reasonable. However, I go the bidding route, and I regularly get some pretty great deals. But, you have to be aware of what a good deal is when using Cbid. I am on the site waaaaaay too much, so I started scaling back. Will definitely look at Atlantic though.

 

[ChefBoyRG54]

I feel same way. Every once in awhile I'll throw some low ball bids out there and see what sticks, but if a bidding war starts there are no winners

 

[Fairway1]

+1 for Atlantic.

 

[Whtwtrman79]

I buy few and far between on cbid but found a few strategic bids on large lots to be good deals but set my max price bf I bid and didn't change it

 

[Tag9485]

I used to get 5ers of Oliva V lances on cbid, then I realized that with the famous code they really weren't that much cheaper.

 

[ChefBoyRG54]

I used to get 5ers of Oliva V lances on cbid, then I realized that with the famous code they really weren't that much cheaper.

My brother recently won some if these on cbid for like $23 or $25. What a deal lol

 

[ky70]

Good info. Though I never use buy-it-now on cbid. I get my deals as the high bidder through auction

 

[cgraunke]

Only problem I had with cbid was remembering to account for shipping that was added for every item, no matter what the size. A large cbid order could end up costing you $20+ in shipping charges with their actual shipping only costing them around $8, and you might have gotten free shipping from a regular purchase site. IIRC, cigarauctioneer does flat rate shipping no matter how much you buy. Also, a trick I've used when I wasn't in a hurry to get my items, was to change my "ship weekly" date back and forth between Thursday to Tuesday so my order keeps building over the course of weeks and I can save as much in shipping as possible.

 

[Cigary43]

I have almost stopped using CBID only because the pricing just doesn't fall into the "deals" that it used to have. Too many novices tend to want to outbid each other instead so CBID is not a source for me. CigarsAtYourPrice is starting to get more of my business because I can start my pricing at a low price and then work my way up til it accepts my bid...if I like it then I buy.

 

[Argus17]

For years, I used to buy 90% of my cigars from Cbid, until Trish banned my account for telling others the truth about how they buy the rights to highly rated out of production labels, slap them on dog rockets and pass them off as the original. Since I was forced to leave, I'm actually doing just as good at other places, plus I'm now smoking better cigars. The only reason I'd ever go back, is when I finally run out of my current supply of Genesis Projects. But with that said, a buddy of mine just posted over there that the Genesis Projects he just received tasted of "barn yard" and "musty", and weren't anywhere near as good as the previous ones. I sure hope they didn't decide to save a few pennies by switching to cheaper tobacco now that this line is a big hit, but knowing them, I wouldn't put it past them.

 

[RobZip]

For years, I used to buy 90% of my cigars from Cbid, until Trish banned my account for telling others the truth about how they buy the rights to highly rated out of production labels, slap them on dog rockets and pass them off as the original. Since I was forced to leave, I'm actually doing just as good at other places, plus I'm now smoking better cigars. The only reason I'd ever go back, is when I finally run out of my current supply of Genesis Projects. But with that said, a buddy of mine just posted over there that the Genesis Projects he just received tasted of "barn yard" and "musty", and weren't anywhere near as good as the previous ones. I sure hope they didn't decide to save a few pennies by switching to cheaper tobacco now that this line is a big hit, but knowing them, I wouldn't put it past them.

Whoa! Ive never heard this. I get most of my cigars through Cbid, by the box and 5ers. Is this a fact? and on what cigars are they using this practice, if you know?

 

[Argus17]

For years, I used to buy 90% of my cigars from Cbid, until Trish banned my account for telling others the truth about how they buy the rights to highly rated out of production labels, slap them on dog rockets and pass them off as the original. Since I was forced to leave, I'm actually doing just as good at other places, plus I'm now smoking better cigars. The only reason I'd ever go back, is when I finally run out of my current supply of Genesis Projects. But with that said, a buddy of mine just posted over there that the Genesis Projects he just received tasted of "barn yard" and "musty", and weren't anywhere near as good as the previous ones. I sure hope they didn't decide to save a few pennies by switching to cheaper tobacco now that this line is a big hit, but knowing them, I wouldn't put it past them.

Whoa! Ive never heard this. I get most of my cigars through Cbid, by the box and 5ers. Is this a fact? and on what cigars are they using this practice, if you know?

From what I can tell, you are safe with name brand, current production cigars. Just stay away from discontinued cigars that where once expensive, highly rated, and now selling cheap at CI.

The one that really got me upset, was the La Perla Morado. This was a favorite of mine, but sadly, it was discontinued. I bought up the last remaining boxes from Holts. All of a sudden it shows up at CI for cheap. I asked on the boards if this was still the real deal, and if so, how could they be retailing them for $3? Steve (one of the moderators) assured me that they where indeed the same cigar, but that because they simplified the packaging, they where able to cut the cost. Total lies! The new ones are dog rockets. Not only do they not use the same tobacco, but the sizes are different, and the labels are now fuzzy and out of focus. I found a few blogs that stated that CI bought the rights to the whole La Perla line, and are having the cigars made to their cheap specs. They've done this with other lines and labels as well.

As I said before, if you ignore their "used car salesmen" descriptions, and concentrate on current production name brands, you should be fine.

 

[shadowcam]

Oh Kevvvvviiiinnnn! Where are you?

 

[thejavaman]

Oh Kevvvvviiiinnnn! Where are you?

Haha. Cbid has some great deals if you're patient & know what a good price is & refuse to spend more than that. I agree that some of the discontinued lines are bought & ruined by CI (Meier & Dutch is their wholesale arm actually). But, you can score some awesome deals (40-50% off or more) on some great smokes if you know what you're doing.

Always be weary of brands that are no longer in production popping up for way less on CI/CBID/CCOM. Those are the ones that they buy the rights to the "brand" to & then (I assume - no facts to back this up besides my own personal experience) subcontract them out to the lowest bidder using inferior rollers & materials and then try to pass it off as the original product.

 

[ChefBoyRG54]

This is ridiculously interesting!

 

[mdwest]

I still shop there.. like Kev.. I establish up front what I think a good deal is.. make my bid.. and refuse to go over.. I probably only win 1 out of every 10-15 things I bid on anymore.. but.. thats part of the fun.. and anything I do win, I pick up exceptionally cheap...

There are a couple of websites out there that track what items historically sell for on Cbid.. you can check them to see if what you like or want to buy normally sells for.. and then check that against CI's regular list price or the list price somewhere else like famous, atlantic, etc.. if the item normally goes "cheap" on cbid... I usually throw out a bid a couple of bucks lower than what it normally sells for.. and see what happens..

here's the one I most often use:

http://sloppymcnubble.com/cbid/

again.. I might win one or two items every few months.. and probably bid on 30 or more things during that same period..

but its fun.. and if youre smart about it, a good way to pick up a few things on the cheap (I most recently picked up a box of cigars that has an "MSRP" of $157.. and a normal list price on CI for $102.95.. for $40 plus shipping on cbid... not too bad a deal if you ask me...)...

 

[thejavaman]

...There are a couple of websites out there that track what items historically sell for on Cbid...

Here's one of them:

http://sloppymcnubble.com/cbid/

EDIT: looks like Dave beat me to it.

 

[mdwest]

lol.. you were posting as I was updating with the same link