Dollar Strong vs British Pound Means Good Time to Buy

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romaso

Lifer
Dec 29, 2010
1,702
6,446
Pacific NW
Today the British Pound is $1.14! It's worth checking British retailers if you're looking for anything, though I think most of them only ship pipes and accessories, not tobacco. I just ordered a Falcon with two bowls and a Peterson pipe for about $115, including shipping. They have a Peterson series, the Liscannor, with an acrylic fishtail stem, that I've never see here in the US.

Some things to remember:
Prices shown will often DROP once you indicate you're shipping to the US, as we don't have to pay their approx 17% VAT tax!

Your credit card may charge you for the currency conversion. Mine is only 1%, which is pretty good. This is often better than selecting the US Dollar prices quoted on British sites, but check on the currency conversion charges with your credit card provider first.

Check the shipping charge before you buy to make sure it's reasonable.

I used:
who were vouched for by several of our fine British members. They may wish to suggest others, as different vendors have different things in stock.

The euro is now at parity with the dollar, and I know several people here buy tobaccos unobtainable here from Europe, so that's worth checking also. Maybe I'll look at those HU tobaccos I keep hearing about... Cheers!
 
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mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
So far I haven't noticed any advantage in the pipe market, though I've been watching it out of curiosity, not because I'm itching to buy more pipes. I posted about this a while back and another member hypothesized that most of the inventory online and in shops was purchased before the dollar became relatively strong.

There could be a dip in prices up the road, or perhaps the retailers hope to just pocket the difference. Possibly there are some deals on individual pipes from artisans and such.
 
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cigrmaster

Lifer
May 26, 2012
20,249
57,280
66
Sarasota Florida
Condor when they Euro came out it was ,83 to the US dollar. I was buying Castellos cheap.

When I was in the jewelry business as a mfgs rep Gold was any where from 4---650 an ounce. The British pound I believed was still on the gold standard if my memory is correct, I could be off a decade or so.
 
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condorlover1

Lifer
Dec 22, 2013
7,993
26,607
New York
The British Pound came off the Gold Standard on 21 September 1931 - how old are you @cigrmaster ? Maybe you are thinking about fixed exchange rates which existed prior to 1979 with the Exchange Control Act and what was then known as the Sterling Area?
 

condorlover1

Lifer
Dec 22, 2013
7,993
26,607
New York
@kcghost : That would be sort of right although the £/$ exchange rate in the 1950s was $2.80 and you might be thinking of the Canadian $. Prior to decimalization a quarter of a £ or what was a Half Crown was known in slang parlance as a Dollar which harked back to the pre-war £/$ = $4.80.
 
Oct 7, 2016
2,451
5,195
Last quote I saw $1.03 and likely headed lower if the BOE doesn't raise interest rates. The Euro was at 97 cents, so buying from the Italian shops that cater to the US trade is also very attractive
 
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romaso

Lifer
Dec 29, 2010
1,702
6,446
Pacific NW
Help support the European economies: Buy more pipes from overseas! Do your part!

I've got 2 coming today including my first Falcon.