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cigrmaster

Lifer
May 26, 2012
20,249
57,280
66
Sarasota Florida
Back in my cigar days, me and some guys would put together some pretty serious group buys and worked some great discounts with our Cuban cigar sources.
This site is the most popular pipe site on the web with more action than the others combined. So say we wanted to get in touch with one of the sponsors of the site and we get 20 guys to buy ten tins each of the same blend. That is a 200 tin order, how low could we get a vendor to go? Could we get 25% off, maybe less, maybe more? What if we got 30 guys, do we have the juice to get these types of discounts? I don't know but it would be interesting to find out. If we have some serious interest, post it here, I will approach some vendors if there are enough guys. Of course we would have to agree on what blend, but that won't be an issue until we find out what we can do.

 

deathmetal

Lifer
Jul 21, 2015
7,714
32
Good thinking. I hope it will work. Today's internet is kind of retarded so people are super-flaky, but there is an above-average group of good people at this forum, I think, which is a testament to Kevin and the mods showing expert judgment.

 

cobguy

Lifer
Oct 18, 2013
3,742
15
Great idea!
However, you'd better start agreeing now as to which blends you'd want that many tins of.
Finding 20-30 pipe smokers who all want 10 tins of the same blend could actually be a challenge.

 

jmatt

Part of the Furniture Now
Aug 25, 2014
770
74
I'd be in for Va, VaPers. Most anything in the top ten of either category. And I'd probably buy 20 tins of a top cellarable blend.

 

hawky454

Lifer
Feb 11, 2016
5,338
10,220
Austin, TX
I'm in...and my first suggestion for blends are Bengal Slices, and Escudo.

YES! I'm definitely okay with that. Those were the two I had in mind as well, it sucks that there are no bulk options for those...
I know I'm new to the site and I totally understand if you all don't want to include me on the first haul. I'll be around for sometime and will be more than happy to wait around for the next haul... Sometimes I forget that I'm new here as I also partake in other forums that I have been a part of for much longer.

 

buroak

Lifer
Jul 29, 2014
1,867
14
Cigrmaster, I like your thinking. Actually, I love your thinking. The starting point, though, is probably finding enthusiasm for particular blends. Everybody loves the idea of getting their favorite blends on the cheap. The problem is getting folks to line up behind the same blends. You will also need money up front. I am treasurer for the Pipes Ephemeris Syndicate, and I would say my experience has been uniquely successful due to the nature of what the group is buying. Namely, niche items in the extreme. A small number of highly motivated individuals is pretty easy to organize. You are trying to organize people around buying a product everyone wants. That means bigger numbers and more problems with coordination.
The other problem is getting the vendor(s) to accept your role as, essentially, a retailer.

 

jvnshr

Moderator
Staff member
Sep 4, 2015
4,616
3,868
Baku, Azerbaijan
That is a good idea. For sure there will be some online vendors that are going to get interested in this.
Could we get 25% off, maybe less, maybe more?
25%? Well, let's see but I don't think so. There is an MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price) for all brands so it is going to be impossible for vendors to make huge discounts.
The problem is getting folks to line up behind the same blends.
Why same blends? Sellers can arrange few blends to be bought I guess. For example, 2 tins of English blends, 2 tins of VaPers, etc. Or we can create a google document and vote for a blend or blends.

 
I'd be curious as to how much lower an online vendor like smokingpipes would/could go, since they already offer the tobacco for almost wholesale pricing. At my B&M hangout, the owner has said whenever someone mentions online prices, he just can't compete, because smokingpipe/laudsi are the wholesalers, and the prices mentioned are almost exactly what he pays.

But, we might be able to get them down a few dimes or nickels.
Without knowing which blend, I could only say that I would be interested. I am guessing that you were thinking about a straight golden Virginia flake. Which ones are left that you haven't already hoarded? :wink:

 

jackswilling

Lifer
Feb 15, 2015
1,777
24
What cobguy said.
Great idea. But finding common ground/blends will be the challenge. Every time we have the "list your five favorite blends" threads, there is a wide variety.

 

clickklick

Lifer
May 5, 2014
1,700
212
I'd be in but as others states, blend is a big issue. Maybe just a bulk order of different tins would net a discount?
I'd be in significantly if that were the case! I have 3 or four blends that I would invest in significantly!

 

cigrmaster

Lifer
May 26, 2012
20,249
57,280
66
Sarasota Florida
It is nice to see so much interest right off the bat.
I will say that it will have to be a flake, either VA,VAper,Vabur, from the list of the flakes that I smoke and if we can agree on something from it I will then try to beat up some poor retailer. It won't be my first time at this dance.
If anyone is wondering why it has to be from my list there are a few reasons. One is I cannot tolerate red virginia's tobacco in my blends as it burns my tongue off as I have an alergy to it. Second, I dislike straight 100% burley blends such as Solani Aged Burley Flake. Next up I really cannot smoke anything with Latakia or Lakeland essence, sorry.
If anyone feels that my list is to restrcitive, I totally understand as it is a very narrow one and I will be the first to admit it.

I can understand it people choose to not particapate, it will not be held against you and you will be able to leave with out being shot at the door.
Virginia Flakes:

Fribourg&Treyer Cut Virginia Plug TR

Fribourg and Treyer VintageTR

Fribourg & Treyer Special Brown FlakeTR

Wessex Campaign Brigade Dark FlakeTR

Wessex Brown Virginia Flake TR

Wessex Gold Virginia Flake TR

Wessex Gold Brick TR

Samuel Gawith Best Brown Flake

Samuel Gawith full Virginia Flake

Hamborger VeermasterTR

Dunhill Flake TR

Astley’s no. 44 Dark Flake TR

Astleys 109TR

John Aylesbury  Luxury Flake TR

Rotary Navy CutTR

Capstan Blue FlakeTR

Brigham Klondike Gold TR

 

Virginia/Perique Flakes

EscudoTR

Solani 633 TR

Samuel Gawith St James Flake

Dunhill Deluxe Navy RollsTR
Virginia/Burley/Kentucky Flakes

Solani Silver Flake TR

Peterson Perfect Plug

GL Pease NavigatorTR

Petersons Irish Flake

Peterson University Flake

Esoterica  Stonehaven

Mac Baren HH Old Dark Fired

Wallace Flake TR

Orlik Dark Strong Kentucky TR
Aromatic flakes.
Mac Baren Modern Virginia Flake TR

Mac Baren Vanilla Creme Flake TR
The TR next to a name means ready to smoke out of the tin with no drying time. Now that is just for me as I like my flakes on the moist side.

 
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