Unobtanium Co-op

[briarbuck]

I was intrigued by the thread a few weeks back about placing a bulk order to the EU for Curly Block. I thought it was brilliant. Sounds like it went off without a hitch and got through customs.
Question...With some brands getting virtually impossible to find (stonehaven), has anyone tried to put a co-op together? Put a standing bulk order together pre-paid and split it up among the co-op when it delivers. Contact Germain and Esoterica for example and see if we can get stuff direct. It would go to a central trusted person, and then distributed.
I'm still buying 95% of my cans from my preferred store, so I am not trying to cut out the brick and mortars. This is for something very specific, unobtanium.

 

[rmpeeps]

Based on your avatar picture, it looks like you just volunteered!!

 

[jvnshr]

Last time they did that Herbert Motzek retired.

 

[briarbuck]

No no no...I am the creative. That eliminates me from having to do any of the work.

 

[sablebrush52]

A couple of years ago an attempt was made to set up a group buy of Motzek Strang here. It was a dud. Herding cats is easier. It did work out well for the organizer as he kept all of the Strang.
It can be done as was successfully done on another, now extinct, forum. But it takes people to respond quickly and quietly, as doing a pre-order is not generally possible and you don't want to alert your competition. We were able to buy and distribute about 26 lbs of it to the group, IIRC.
In the case of the Esoterica blends, you have to go through Arango, the US distributor. I don't see them putting you ahead of their regular network of dealers. All that said, you never know. Contact them to see if it's possible, and what the minimum order would be. You would probably have to have a resell license for them to sell to you.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

There are plenty of extremely good obtainiuims, why go through all the hassle and expense for the so called unobtainiums?

 

[drbenway]

Can we start planning the great Stonehaven heist?. A raid on the factory?. We can get some WW 2 era gliders on ebay. Cheaper than what Stonehaven is going for there now.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Agree. But there's human nature to deal with as a counter balance to reason.

 

[balkisobrains]

I heard folanator's setting up a co-op.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Can we start planning the great Stonehaven heist?

An aromatic conspiracy? That's new. 8O

 

[bnichols23]

Because "un," hpg. }

 

[Chasing Embers]

:mrgreen:

 

[mrenglish]

The heist on Germain could just be like the British Para's at Pegasus Bridge in WWII. They were tasked with seizing the bridge and holding it until troops from Normandy could relieve them. They literally landed a glider right next to the bridge in darkness along with others, seized the bridge and held out for a couple days, fighting off numerous German counter attacks, while waiting on relief in the form of Lord Lovat walking up with British troops with bagpipes playing.
That would be the drawback to such a heist with gliders, we would have to get out somehow.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Has anyone heard from their tobacconist that there is going to be problems getting tobaccos in from the EU with tariffs or taxes or whatever it is they are doing to us in this trade war? Skip at The Briary told me to expect empty spaces where EU tobaccos go. Or, expect higher prices. Apparently tobacco is top of the list in the trade issues with the EU.

 

[drbenway]

We escape by swimming out to sea, using our pipes as snorkels and get picked up by submarine. We launder the Stonehaven thru ebay sales as "collectible" tins to a forum member posing as a wealthy Chinese tobacco hobbyist.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Sounds good! How do we protect ourselves from the skimmers? The ones that just help themselves to a bowl or two every time no one is looking....

 

[Chasing Embers]

If it's not Pembroke, the cookie jar is safe from me.

 

[briarbuck]

Sounds good! How do we protect ourselves from the skimmers? The ones that just help themselves to a bowl or two every time no one is looking....

Example:

The Stonehaven co-op would have a standing order (prob with an EU shop) for say...20 bags of SH.

Co-op is 5 people that put the cash up front.

Each co=op member gets 4 bags when/if they become available.
Guessing the hard part would be to find a shop to play ball where the supply is more prevalent.

 

[drbenway]

@jpmcwjr:
Well, this will end like all good heists do. Everyone involved gets methodically killed off by the real mastermind of the operation. Who we then find alone in a warehouse sitting on top of a giant pile of Stonehaven to wet to ever smoke, laughing maniacally at his empty pipe.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Sounds about right! But, does he get the girl, and is she faithful??