I learned today in an email notice from P&C that Mac Baren is lowering their prices. This is good news as I had stopped buying their blends at the last increase. I love it when, apparently, the free market works.
Mac Baren Lowering Prices
- Thread starter aristokles
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mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast
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I noticed this had happened in late July or early August, and it was soon after that the Capstan Flake Blue went out of stock at smokingpipes.com. I think tins of Capstan dropped by a couple dollars? Thank you Mac Baren, as I do like and cellar some of your blends; and cheaper is always better in this instance.
Maybe when they raised prices the first time, customers left and started trying other blends. They found replacements and never went back. MB lowers prices and it didn't have the results they were looking for. MB lowers prices again hoping...
There are too many great blends out there for ten bucks and under. Lots of new blends I've yet to try but when my favorites are way cheaper I can't be bothered ordering any of them. They have some great blends but I think they just drove people away with the first increase.
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mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast
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I got notification this morning that it's back in stock at smokingpipes.com again. It's still never been offered at it's original price of $11.39 a tin. Although, $14.45 is still better than $16.00. I'm glad I ordered a lot when it was $11.39. It's one that Mac Baren does that I can't live without.
Too true. I have found myself refraining from purchase of a number of, while good, over-priced blends. If enough of us do it, the hype comes closer to reality.
Did they lower their price, or are retailers taking a loss to drop that bitch off the shelves? If they aren't seriously preparing to comply with our FDA, retailers may be trying to wipe any signs of MacBaren off the shelves to prevent getting stuck with a boatload of the stuff that they cannot sale.
F%$K MacBaren....... they soiled me with that huge price increase, too much other good stuff around. Get too greedy and they can sit on the stuff as far as I'm concerned............. :crazy:
Keep in mind they might have lowered the price so they could dump their extra stock. They might be looking ahead and preparing for the possibility that they may not be able to sell in the U.S. in the near future.
I'm going to go with life is to short to carry a grudge against a business for being a business. If one of their blends intrigues me, im buying.
My bets are they are trying to revive lost business. While they did lower prices, they are still considerably more than they were before the last boost. With the intervening Euro exchange rates going the wrong way for a price increase back then this lowering is not enough. I will continue to miss Arcadian Perique.
Mac Baren blew this. I like a lot of their stuff, and think it's real good quality. The 100g/4oz tins have been a great deal for EVER. 13 bucks kinda thing. And lots of the product did stay at that price point, but the premium ones took a big jump, and it was a very big jump, from some 14 bucks to about 22, which put them at the very tippy top of the price-point pyramid. A couple bucks I would have understood, but taking tobacco that was pretty good value and making it literally more expensive (in the case of Capstan) than basically any other tinned tobacco, per gram, was goofy. Suddenly at that price point I am considering Reiner Long Golden. Dunhill Flake. Suddenly starting to stock up on Brunello because it didn't jump quite that much!
I think below 20 bucks for 100 grams, the stuff is still great value, and we had it REALLY good for a long time in terms of pricing. I also think that a bunch of very good stuff will stop coming to American shores soon, so bitch all you like about price - if you like the stuff, buy some now. Luckily, the long-term blends like Navy Flake won't be affected by the FDA stuff, but the HH series looks to be. So... act as you see fit.
At 52 bucks a pound, a lot of these flakes are still perfectly reasonably priced imho.
I think below 20 bucks for 100 grams, the stuff is still great value, and we had it REALLY good for a long time in terms of pricing. I also think that a bunch of very good stuff will stop coming to American shores soon, so bitch all you like about price - if you like the stuff, buy some now. Luckily, the long-term blends like Navy Flake won't be affected by the FDA stuff, but the HH series looks to be. So... act as you see fit.
At 52 bucks a pound, a lot of these flakes are still perfectly reasonably priced imho.
Sorry, 'squatch, but I was paying $11.49 for the 100gr/3.5 oz tins and going to plus $20 was way too much. Now down to around 18?...somehow my brittle old brain just doesn't buy it. Too many other blends at that price or better. But, heck, if you like the stuff and want to pay the price, it's less competition for you.
OKay, I guess my point is, what tinned tobacco of any quality can you buy for a lot less than 9 dollars for 50 grams? I can't really think of any keepers at that price point. So it was a good deal for a long time, but I don't think 18 bucks is crazy for a large tin (100g). Blue Note is 13.00 for 50g. Gawith Hoggarth tins at 8.50 are the cheapest I guess, so they've got Mac Baren beat by a whopping 50 cents per 50 grams. Wow. So yes, the price increase was substantial, and unsustainable I guess, but aside from a couple of the ultra premium blends (nuns and capstan) mostly the increase was just more or less to a point nearer ordinary market value. At 18.50 for 100 grams, I think Club Blend is the best virginia/kentucky going.
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