Can't use credit cards to buy loose tobacco online?

[mlaug]

This is being talked about on other forums as others receive the same email.
I've never been able to have a relationship with Just For Him. They won't ship to Iowa, despite the lack of any law forbidding buying pipe tobacco out of state. As near as I can understand, out of state cigerette purchases are illegal and Just For Him won't differentiate a cig order from a pipe tobacco order. :evil:
Its odd that they will allow credit card use over the phone but not online.

 

[numbersix]

Thanks for the update @karlj.
But no matter what, the handwriting has been on the wall for some time now.

 

[captainprophesy]

Was about to post the same thin... was going to place an order and that same thing popped up.

 

[lazydog]

ordered 9 ounces from Pipes & cigars this AM paid with paypal. Saw another site that said it would only accept fone orders....Time for more B&Ms to spring up.

 

[judcole]

I use checks as much as I can, anyway. Yeah, maybe it's a bit slower, but it works. And for some places, you can call up, tell 'em you are going to pay by check, and then make your order that way. Works for me.

 

[buster]

I found this
http://www.csnews.com/top-story-tobacco-senators_push_measure_to_close_loose_tobacco_tax_loophole-61097.html

 

[hawk60ce]

That article is from may 2012. I believe, and someone correct me if im wrong, they passed legislation on RYO, but pipe tobacco,was exempt...this time...

 

[dhintonca]

The real issue is this quote:

Blumenthal added that this measure "equalizes the federal tax rate for all tobacco products to that of cigarettes" and is expected to generate more than $1b billion in revenue.

(Italics mine).

 

[rcstan]

FWIW

 

[chopz]

i would appreciate it, since we avoid political discussions here, if the word "socialism" isn't used here. it's become a buzzword for the media, used to obfuscate and mislead people. in other words, if you're using the word socialism you're probably apt to spout other people's opinions as well. social democracy is the political system the usa has been governed by since its inception, like it or not. it's a very left-leaning political system but far preferable to the alternatives, in my opinion. anyway, lets all not go there, shall we?

 

[lazydog]

You just went there

 

[igloo]

Close the thread and save us all from the grief . Half the people are brainwashed and they think the other half is crazy .

 

[sjpipesmoker]

With most people using credit/debit cards and now Paypal is becoming a way to pay, not many people use checks anymore. I know I don't, I pay most of my bills online and have only used plastic to purchase tobacco items.
Really, I don't even know the last time I wrote a check or used a money order??
Can't they "tin" up their bulk blends and sell them as that? It's one way to get around the loophole??
Edit-After reading what timly wrote, that it also include their tinned tobaccos, this won't work!

 

[timely]

good morning

this is the issue I had starting Sept. 29, The Master Card fiasco as been going on since then. It includes tinned tobacco also. I shop at 4noggins and have not been able to place an order with my MC since, so far Visa is ok.

 

[fshu2]

well that is just absurd. does any one know does debt work? i feel slightly wronged with this new policy.

 

[smoker49]

I don't believe for one minute that this came from the credit card companies themselves.
I can't say I blame JFH for losing Paypal access, because Paypal is evil, and may have stripped JFH's account with or without cause. It happens, a lot. And they are probably still on a blacklist, hence the reason they are scrambling to figure out a way around it, instead of having a Paypal account setup same day.
But I truly believe what happened in this case is that the service JFH was using to process the credit cards, the gateway company (seperate from Visa/Mastercard), cut them off. Some gateway companies don't want their clients dealing in tobacco, or want to charge them more for dealing in tobacco. Were the rates raised and JFH didn't want to pay? Were they trying to sneak tobacco sales by a gateway that forbids tobacco sales? Did the gateway company suddenly go anti-tobacco sales and cut them off?
There are gateway companies out there that allow tobacco sales. You just have to pay more in processing fees, and you have no problems. How do I know this? SmokingPipes, pipeandcigars, etc. are still up and running. If the big boys crash, then we can run around chanting "the sky is falling." Until then, I believe it's just another retailer who didn't pay the electric bill, and not a blackout.
One more thing...the owner of JFH is a man. So I don't know if the woman someone spoke to on the phone was his wife, or just a checkout clerk. I would expect to speak to the owner before I believed the first person to pick up the phone. JFH changed ownership a few years ago. It's still a decent brick and mortar, but they have had their speed bumps along the way. Somewhat recently an anti-smoking law was passed at the city level, and created all kinds of headaches for local bars and JFH.
JFH deserves support, but only if they are upfront and honest with their customers. Causing a panic by saying "we are the first retailers to be notified of impending collapse of online tobacco sales" is reckless at best, disgusting at worst if it isn't true. I guess we will know in a month's time, if all the other online tobacco sites go down. If they don't, my business with JFH is done.

 

[cigrmaster]

smoker, excellent post. I have been watching this thread and trying to figure out what really is going on. I know it is not an issue with Mastercard, because I can buy Cuban cigars all day long using my Mastercard and that is trading with the enemies. I knew it had to be something JFH did or didn't do. I think you are right and if they are trying to sell us disinformation for their own gain, I too am done with them.

 

[garyovich]

FWIW, I have a lot of family in the area of JFH, and I visit the store everytime I'm in the area. My experience with the human beings that work there have never been anything but pleasant and straight forward. I have no idea what is really going on with this credit card thing, but I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt...for now.

 

[hawk60ce]

I just placec a large order with smokingpipes and used a mastercard so no issues there.

 

[smoker49]

I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt too. But when they start accepting Mastercard/Visa online again in a few weeks, I may not be so kind. Remember what they said...
"This is due to a policy that has been implemented by the major credit card companies. We have been informed that they are no longer allowing sales of any loose tobacco over the internet to be paid for with their cards."
This is either blatant misinformation, or the true end of tobacco sales online. I will personally thank them if they are indeed the first messenger of the coming shutdown of online tobacco sales. But blatant misinformation is ridiculously stupid given our current climate, because it places stress on the already stressed community they claim to serve. If the sky doesn't fall, I will be boycotting them.