Price Hike?

[quincy]

I've been looking for something on this big price hike on US tobacco everyone makes mention of here. I can't find anything on it. Can you fill me in? I've started looking for underground bunkers to use as a cellar since you all are scaring me so badly! Any info on it would be great!

 

[joshwolftree]

It's doom and speculation. Many states are proposing laws allowing them to charge state taxes on internet sales being shipped to that state. The general consensus is that this will raise the cost of business and thus the price of products for many online retailers. Most of these laws are still in the infant stages. When the price of tobacco goes up fewer people will want to smoke pipes, reducing the hobbies client base to a level unable to support the current wealth of products and artisans. As merchants and mixers go out of business the remaining sellers will need to increase prices further to cover their cost's and eventually we'll be left paying eighty dollars a pouch for Captain Black. By then nail smokers will be giving handies behind the seven eleven to pay the fifty bucks a pack of smokes will cost.
Edit: Please don't think this in anyway means I think that the speculation is incorrect, I'm ordering a pound or more over what I smoke every month just to make sure I have some squirreled away.

 

[mustanggt]

Some people don't see things even if they are right in front of them. States are going broke and have billions of $$$$$$ in deficits. They think that raising taxes equals raising revenues. Doesn't happen. History tells the story. Do not be complacent about these things. If you want to continue enjoying your smoking hobby be forwarned stock up now or you'll be sorry.

 

[mrgunnar177]

Yeah seriously. Just google it.

 

[Perique]

Failure to anticipate increased taxes on goods such as tobacco suggests supreme misunderstanding of current federal and state fiscal problems, specifically the inability to fund defined benefit pension plans.

 

[dragonslayer]

PLEASE CLOSE THIS!

 

[quincy]

I'm not an idiot. I've seen what's gone on with cigarettes. I guess I was looking for something more concrete than vague generalities about huge hikes coming suddenly in the next year or so. The only things I can really find about it specifically is it looks like Dick Durbin is introducing a vague bill that could potentially raise the tax on pipe tobacco from around $2.50 per pound to around $25.00 per pound and that this is mostly because Roll Your Own tobacco is being labeled as pipe tobacco as a tax loophole. They also say that tax could increase on big cigars to up to a dollar per cigar. I was hoping someone here could point me to a more definitive article on the subject rather than saying "you're an idiot if you don't think the price will go up". Of course it will. Taxes are increasing all around. Taxes are especially skyrocketing on unhealthy luxury items like tobacco. I wasn't questioning that it will; just when and by how much and how quickly.

 

[quincy]

rothnh: I would love to look at it. Do you remember what you called the post?

 

[metalheadycigarguy]

I'm hoping now that marijuana is legal the state will soon begin collecting taxes on that product that they won't need to worry about raising taxes on tobacco. Its bad enough that WA state has the second highest tobacco rates in the country, we don't need any more increases.

 

[peckinpahhombre]

Unfortunately the search function on this site is really, really bad. It is virtually impossible to find old threads unless you have a horseshoe stuck up your arse.

 

[captainsousie]

I've looked for roth's thread and I've had no luck, sorry.

 

[quincy]

Roth, I ended up poking around on here a little more. I'll definitely check out the article you posted. Sometimes it seems like people are being a bit over-alarmist about this stuff. However, two things never ever surprise me: gas price increase and tobacco price increases. Good thing I'm more TADing right now than PADing. Just sucks. I got back into pipes about a month or two ago after a few year break. I really love it now. I quit drinking 8 years ago and when I hear of how much people are paying for booze in some cases I almost choke. Hell, what I pay for groceries now is ridiculous. Sad state of the times, I suppose. We can only try to make it better and not give up that it CAN get better.

 

[captainsousie]

I love pipes too much to quit and focus only on TAD. That said, I do have about 3 years of tobacco set back and I only plan to spend the next year in this country before a bit of overseas work. By then I hope to have another 10 years worth set back.
We're going to see tax and inflation increases in our time (they tend to come sooner than we hope) so we have to do what we can and let the future take care of itself.

 

[igloo]

It will all feed upon itself until it is crushed from the weight .

 

[rmbittner]

quincy:
While there may be something onerous coming in the future, I do also think that this forum fosters something of a panic mentality: "He's stocking up, so I'd better stock up too!" Sure, the sky might actually be falling. Or it might just be a meteor.
I think it's safe to say that no one here knows the future.
My recommendation is to buy as much of what you like as you can afford, because you never know when a company or blend will disappear. But I don't think it does any good to panic. Or to suddenly go on a shopping spree because of what you think might happen 12-36 months down the road. But that's just my approach. If I'd been alive in the 1950s, I also would have been the man on the block who wondered why his neighbors were installing fallout shelters in their back yards.

 

[numbersix]

While there may be something onerous coming in the future, I do also think that this forum fosters something of a panic mentality: "He's stocking up, so I'd better stock up too!" Sure, the sky might actually be falling. Or it might just be a meteor.
I think it's safe to say that no one here knows the future.
My recommendation is to buy as much of what you like as you can afford, because you never know when a company or blend will disappear. But I don't think it does any good to panic. Or to suddenly go on a shopping spree because of what you think might happen 12-36 months down the road. But that's just my approach. If I'd been alive in the 1950s, I also would have been the man on the block who wondered why his neighbors were installing fallout shelters in their back yards.

+1
I am one of those who stocks up when I can, but I question those of us who are stocking up 50-100 years of tobacco. Without question, pipe tobacco will only get tougher to buy, so if you're a committed pipe smoker, I can see the logic of having a decent supply if you can afford it. And if you're very wealthy, then by all means, stock up for the next 50 years.
However, as with all things, it's tough to prepare for all possible scenarios. Imagine your home gets flooded (as mine did) - you could quite easily lose all of your stock in a single day. Houses burn down, tornados strike... I've heard that smokers may not even be able to get health insurance (are drug tests for nicotine in our future?) Who knows? laws may change to such an extreme that smoking is outlawed altogether.
As the saying goes "The best laid schemes of mice and men...go often awry".

 

[cigrmaster]

Take a look at this link. http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/research/factsheets/pdf/0169.pdf
Check the state you live in. I live in Florida and have an 85% tax on the wholesale price of pipe tobacco. A tin of Escudo is 23.00 at my local b/m I pay 8.80 a tin when I buy 25 at a time from smokingpipes. When, not if the internet sales tax becomes a reality, on line vendors will have to collect the state taxes, that is not a pipe dream. Already there are many states that do not allow tobacco sales into their states so those people are stuck with their local b/m's who of course have lousy selections because of their ridiculous taxes.
My local guy has no selection because his sales were killed when they instituted this 85% tax so if I am forced to only buy from local b/m's I cannot get my favorites. I am stocking up for a 25 year supply. Once that is done I am going to invest serious money on pipe tobacco because I know I will be able to sell a tin of Escudo for over 100.00 ten years from now.
If people want to hide their heads in the sand that is their option, when prices triple they will probably just give up the pipe. Mfgs will go out of business, blends will disappear, I will be sitting pretty.

 

[rmbittner]

You know, that fallout shelter is pretty cool -- makes a great place to safely store wine and tobacco.

 

[numbersix]

Take a look at this link. http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/research/factsheets/pdf/0169.pdf
Check the state you live in. I live in Florida and have an 85% tax on the wholesale price of pipe tobacco. A tin of Escudo is 23.00 at my local b/m I pay 8.80 a tin when I buy 25 at a time from smokingpipes. When, not if the internet sales tax becomes a reality, on line vendors will have to collect the state taxes, that is not a pipe dream. Already there are many states that do not allow tobacco sales into their states so those people are stuck with their local b/m's who of course have lousy selections because of their ridiculous taxes.

This is very good info Harris and really answer's the OP's original question. And to clarify my own point, I am a big believer in moderation in all things. Nevertheless, if I had the funds, I'd be stocking several years worth as well.

 

[peckinpahhombre]

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that someone isn't following you