Smokingpipes.com Prices

[fitzy]

I've been ordering from sp.com for a long time and always found their prices to be cheaper than other sites.
However lately I have found their pipes to be much more expensive than other reputable sites. Has anyone else experienced this?
I researched a ton of pipes and they are all coming up more on sp.com.
This is one example where they are about 23 to 25% more. Chacom Alpina Dublin shape 32.

sp.com $99.45.

sp.com
p&c $76.80

p&c
cigars international $75

c i
I emailed sp.com to see if they had anything to say on this.

 

[flmason]

If you are a member of NASPC make sure to tell them. SP gives a discount on new pipes to members.
I do not know about prices on the brand you mentioned but I bought pipes from them in Noveber and they had better prices than other vendors plus they were able to answer any questions I had before making the purchase.

 

[mso489]

I've noticed on one or two pipe purchases that smokingpipes.com comes in high, if I find the same pipe elsewhere.

Recently I bought a Group 1 Peterson Belgique rustique yacht/zulu from Iwan Ries for about $58 plus shipping.

I think SP has that same pipe for $78, or above $70 anyway. Of course it always pays to shop and compare.

Sometimes one retailer has bought pipes when they were less and doesn't raise the price. I find this true of

Iwan Ries. On the other hand, SP brought a Luciano billiard to a pipe show to save me shipping, and gave me

a show discount, which brought the price below any comparable Luciano available online. I find SP's tobacco

prices, bulk and tin, highly competitive. You have to track things pretty closely. Some sites, like Cup O Joes,

has pipes no one else has, and occasionally at surprisingly low prices. I sometimes feel that many new pipe

smokers don't shop enough. They know two brands at "entry level" prices, to try pipe smoking, but don't

look at a number of others.

 

[phred]

Haven't crunched the numbers recently, but on a couple of pipes I've got on my "someday soon" list, SP was very competitive. Plus, they actually had the specific pipe in stock - another vendor having had it at a lower price in the past doesn't necessarily tell me much, to be honest. :wink:

 

[fitzy]

I looked up other brands as well. Specifically Peterson Spigot and Dunhill Bruyere. On all of those SP was more.
I also saw on 3 or 4 different Sav lines that SP was more with the exception of one or 2 of the bottom lines.

 

[cmdrmcbragg]

It always pays to shop. If I find a pipe that I like, I check out: P&C, SP, CupoJoes, CI and eBay before I purchase. Saved myself plenty by buying from a site with a cheaper price or a good condition estate of the same model.

 

[mrenglish]

I am willing to pay a little more at SPC because of the pictures and dimensions they provide. Plus, if you have questions they will take the time to answer them for you. Tried that with Cup o Joes and got no response. With CI you are not going to get a choice of the pipe unless its the only one they have. P&C can definitely improve and it sounds like they are.
When I was on a Peterson kick, I was constantly emailing SPC about dimensions, drilling, pipe cleaner tests, more pics, etc and they always came through.

 

[jmill208]

This summer, I made a trip to the B&M of smokingpipes.com in South Carolina. (Low Country Tobacco) Their selection of pipes and tobacco is pretty amazing. All I can say is they were very gracious,knowledgeable 'salt of the Earth' kind of folks.
I never paid attention to the online pricing,but I will now....

 

[gray4lines]

This summer, I made a trip to the B&M of smokingpipes.com in South Carolina. (Low Country Tobacco) Their selection of pipes and tobacco is pretty amazing. All I can say is they were very gracious,knowledgeable 'salt of the Earth' kind of folks.

I found the B&M before the website a few years ago and it is one of the coolest shops ive ever been in. Great service and selection.
I usually check around for prices and sp wins and loses on about the same amount. However, I love their estate pipe selection and that will be where my next pipe come from. Helllo estate castello

 

[tedswearingen]

Fellas, glad you enjoyed your trip to the shop! Next time (and this goes to all of you and anyone) let someone know that you're on the Pipesmagazine.com forums and one of us will give you the grand tour. The store is awesome and all but the real fun happens upstairs in our estate department and over in the next building where 40 or so of us are playing with 7,000 or more pipes. It's a good time. And we love giving tours.

 

[lochinvar]

I just purchased a Rinaldo from SP and they were in line with P&C and less than every other site I checked as well as cheaper than any on ebay. On top of that they were giving a great Black Friday deal. I have purchased a pipe from them twice before and they were the best deal then too.
They always have a wide selection of great high end pipes pipes (and by the way having that much stock means they have that much money tied up, selection comes at a cost) and tobacco, and they have always gotten me my orders at warp speed. I would be happy to pay a little extra to keep a business with such quality service around.

 

[doverpipes]

Ask for a "price match. It can't hurt to give it a try.......

 

[Briar Boy]

It pays to shop around.

 

[cigrmaster]

What I like about buying a pipe from Sp is that you are actually getting the pipe that is in the picture and not some stock photo of a different pipe. I also appreciate the fact that when you call to ask a question about a pipe you are interested in, the people actually know something about the pipes they sell. I will gladly pay a little extra to see the pipe I am buying and I really appreciate the time and effort that SP takes by taking the best pictures and video's

and writing the best and most accurate descriptions of any other new pipe dealer. I personally dislike having to call and ask about depths or bowl widths when all of those basic things should be on the site for anyone to see. When I see a 400.00 pipe with only one lousy picture, no dimensions at all why would I give someone like that my business? Should I have to call and ask for all the dimensions and for a bunch of pictures and weights? I can go to Sp, get all the dimensions and weights with great photos and not waste time on the phone with a rep who knows nothing about the pipes they are selling, my time is worth money, why should I have to waste it when I can just go to SP and get all the info I want with just a couple of clicks of the mouse. I will gladly pay a few extra bucks to not have to make a bunch of phone calls and deal with people who don't know a thing about what they are selling. If I am going to spend 400.00 for a pipe, I expect to be treated with respect and to be pampered for my business. When I see one lousy pic and no descriptions it tells me the company could care less about my business and that I am not important to them. Those kinds of business people do not get my business, it is that simple. When I am shopping at SP I get the feeling that they care about me as a customer and they appreciate my business. They go the extra mile to make my shopping experience enjoyable and not a chore. They are a very smart company.
If you think that saving 20 bucks and then have to return a pipe because it is the wrong one is worth it to you then go for it, I have never had to return a pipe to SP for any reason and to me that is worth a few bucks.

 

[lestrout]

cigmaster nailed it with SP's service and selection. They set the standard for everyone, not just ETailers.
Harris - you must be feeling better. Glad to hear you are coming through the stones, or is it more like they are coming through you?
hp

les

 

[taerin]

If what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger, Harris must have a very strong...

 

[fitzy]

Do I think SP is the premier retailer on the web? absolutely. Am I willing to pay a little bit extra for the kind of service and information they provide? definitely.
Am I willing to pay 25% more because of that? Heck no.
That 25 dollar price difference is on a 75-100 dollar pipe. Are you willing to pay that 25% price difference on a Dunhill?
Not everyone has the money to throw around like you Harris. I'll save my 25 bucks and buy it elsewhere.
A year ago I almost never found pipes for less elsewhere. If you ask me their prices on pipes are higher now because they know the position they are in. I could be way off but that's just my viewpoint.

 

[taerin]

Briar Blues offers the cheapest prices and the best service/photos and descriptions. Personally if I saw an ideal pipe on Smokingpipes in my price range (and needed a pipe), even as a poor bastard, I would not hesitate. Getting it right is worth 25% to many people, we have been burnt before. I spent an extra 25% easily on the Pete, just getting 4 of them shipped back and forth with serious issues. To each their own

 

[fitzy]

Someone else on another forum mentioned that SP's prices appear to be higher because P&C's pipe prices have been lowered since they were bought out. That could explain it.

 

[tbradsim1]

Their are no suprises with a pipe when you buy from SPC, that is worth the extra for me.