Is there a tobacco shortage or a pipe boom … or both?
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Kevin Godbee - Nov 17, 2010
- 1 min read
I’m not sure what to make of this. Is the pipe smoker market growing at a pace where producers have underestimated their production?
You may have seen Mac Baren’s advertising here in September and October. They renewed for two more months of advertising and then requested their ads be pulled because they are completely sold out of 7 Seas.
There’s a perfect example of an ad campaign being the victim of its own success. Their ads will go back up when they are back in stock, hopefully in December.
Next up: Villiger 1888 tobaccos. They were going to take the "peel ad" in the upper right corner of the home page, but that’s canceled as they are out of stock.
Villiger-Stokkebye is also selling their new bulk blends like crazy because Lane can’t keep up with production of 1Q and BCA. Stokkebye has their own replacements that shops are buying like crazy.
And then there’s Dunhill tobaccos. There’s lots of questions there, and one of the main ones is concerning the availability.
Samuel Gawith can’t keep up either, and there are other tobaccos that are hard to get.
Is there a pipe boom on the horizon?
I hope so, but let me get stocked up first.
Written by Kevin Godbee
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I have not noticed it too much but I have really wanted to try the new 7 seas blends in the tins but I can’t get them anywhere.
This is why I am glad I have 13 years of tobacco stored in my closet!
Had not noticed things missing from the shelfs of the local smoke shop. As one who would receive first notices, such as the cancelling of ads due to lack of product, its nice of you to let us know early what is going to run out soon. This way we can stock up for the long cold winter awaiting the new tobacco crop to come in. Always apprecite the heads up.
I haven’t noticed it too much, outside of what I see here. I am thinking it is just a matter of the tobacco companies either make more production runs or acquire more tobacco to begin with. Some, like Gawith can’t expand because of the equipment being used. But there are others, I would think, that could expand one way or another.
The purported shortage(s) may be the unintended consequences of the success of the anti-tobacco nazis and increasingly oppressive taxation. Smokers aren’t being deterred, they’re just stocking-up big time against the possibility that increased taxes and trade prohibitions are imminent. I know I am.
I’m with cortezattic on this one. I think people are hoarding right now … at least that seems to be the trend.
But with that said; my local tobacconists (I have a couple here in Copenhagen) say that they see more new pipe smokers these days.
Well I’m going down to Rich’s ASAP. I’ma gonna cellar me some tobaccy!
I don’t kmow if there is a shortage or just poor management by the blending companies. I noticed a “slowdown” in supply at my local B&M over the past 6 months; not only with pipe tobacco but cigars as well.
The usual answer from suppliers has been that pipe and tobacco trade shows have impacted supply which I find to be astounding.
Consolidation in the market is causing back orders and with the holiday season coming on these companies are shooting themselves in the foot at every opportunity. Remember when Hershey could not deliver their candy in time for Halloween? It cost that division’s president his job.
I am as encouraged as anyone by the uptick in our hobby but find it difficult to believe that popularity has outpaced their ability to supply.
I wonder how much some of the increased buying has to do with internet rumors and smoking forum participation. Some of the posts I’ve seen almost approach a hoarding style of purchases and a hedge against future shortages, there by feeding the stock shrtages and making the cycle even more pronouced.
I am inclined to agree with cortez and mlaug, I think there is A lot of hoarding going on, I know I am.
I know that cost was a big factor in my moving from cigars to pipes. I think alot more people are doing the same. Second I think the great sites like PM.com are helping move more tobbaco. Lastly the tobacco giants are smart business people and know that supply and demand drives higher prices so since they see more tobacco being bought they can capitalize on the increase demand with higher prices if we think there supply is running low.
To me, it seems that there’s a big response to the reality of increasing
price and decreasing availability in the Pipe tobacco marketplace. People
are stocking the cellar. The figures are skewed on Pipe tobacco sales at this
time as manufacturers are producing more Pipe tobacco cuts on cigarette tobacco
blends. Yes, I keep reading that Pipe smoking is gaining momentum, as people
attempt to get more product value as they move away from cigarettes and cigars…
This is speculation, as there doesn’t seem to be much data available beyond the
bottom line for Sellers.
About 2 years ago I felt betrayed and actually angered by the outrageous actions of the public and govt. against citizens of what I thought was my country too. I starting seeing people of all ages standing in the cold behind stores and other businesses as though they were lepers/ These same people stand in small closed bathrooms and spray various products all over themselves
to the point it was hard to breath (hair spray as an example). Weeks ago our local hospital hung signs all around their property
that this was, by law, a TOBACCO FREE ZONE. This means even in a tin or pouch. (results) nurses and DR’s walking all the way,
several hundred yards, to a public street to stand in the street (no sidewalks) to smoke now that they were declared criminals.
I’ll be damed if I will yield to this abuse and so therefore I have started stocking up on tobacco in hopes of at least having supply for the balance of my life. We tried to shut down the use of spirits and found that you cannot legislate another persons likes and dislikes. I can be a smoker and a reasonable man who considers others without laws demanding it. Our freedoms are being
pooped away by dangerous people and it has to be stopped. Maybe its time to start voting if we care – really care! There is a substance far more dangerous and deadly to the american public and thats ok, because that substance is food, are we going to pass laws making fat people criminals?