Howdy Gang and Happy Super Bowl Sunday!
I just got through reading a recent thread, "Question for Debate," and thoroughly enjoyed reading through it, especially since my name was brought up a few times (okay, a lot of times). And I do want to start by saying that the reason I have been a site sponsor of pipesmagazine.com for many years is that it has a great bunch of guys who love talking about my favorite subjects - pipes and tobaccos! I love fun debates about our hobby and I hope you fine folks don't mind if kind of piggy-back off of that thread since it dealt with tobacco pricing and that's something that I've had to debate just about every time I list a tin or bag of tobacco on my website.
I’ve had to practice patience with tobacco snobs for many years. The fact is, I actually feel a little sorry for them because it’s obvious that they “just don’t get it.” But you know what? There was a point in time where I didn’t get it either. So, if you read further, know that I used to be a “tobacco snob” too! The great news is that I finally did get it and even better, I don’t recall ever having had to deal with tobacco snobs who make purchases from my own website. I guess they got it long before I did. I don’t know about their past history, but I find that most of my customers are extremely happy to get what they order and I often get emails from buyers who tell me how excellent such and such a blend was once they tried it, and actually thanked me for selling it to them, no matter the price paid. Hey, I’m the one who should always be thanking my customers for spending their hard-earned money on my website offerings. Yes, I know that there are times when a customer makes a purchase – and spends a lot of money – on a tin that, for whatever reason, just did not float their boat. Hey, I’d be a rich man (well, almost), if I had my money back for tobacco purchases that I’ve made over the past four decades that didn’t float my boat. It happens, but fortunately, my customers understand that. And for every dud there will be plenty of home runs, right?
I am a member of several Internet forums (although this is the only one I regularly participate on and the only one in which I am a proud sponsor), and read some of the less than flattering things these tobacco snobs write on P&T forums. Personally, my idea of a tobacco snob is the person or persons who think that spending more than $10 – $20 on a tin of tobacco is a criminal act and will justify their thinking by offering less than flattering adjectives about those who do. And I have found that it’s actually the people who think that spending $100 or more for a tin of tobacco, or hobbyists who collect hundreds of tins of high dollar, rare, or no longer made pipe tobaccos, who seem to be the ones who simply mind their own business and don’t disparage another hobbyist’s purchase because it was inexpensive or not highly regarded tobacco. Why should the tobacco snobs of the world care whether their fellow hobbyists spend $10 or $1,000 on a tin of tobacco? I no long can figure that one out. I have a lot of customers who have 20 tins of tobacco in their cellars that are worth about $200 and they are excited to send me a list of what they have to get my thoughts. And that excites me! I also have customers who have literally multiple hundreds of tins worth multiple thousands of dollars’ worth of tobacco. I am happy for both and glad they are enjoying the pipe smoking hobby in a way that best fits their personal collecting and smoking desires.
All of us in the pipe tobacco hobby have different comfort zones regarding our purchases of things like homes and cars as well as pipes and pipe tobaccos. I am always just as happy for those who are able to purchase high dollar tins of something that they wanted as those who email me after being excited that they got a $30 tin of something that they wanted. We are fellow hobbyists who, hopefully, have the same excitement level for any purchase of something that we are after. And a hearty thanks to each and every one of you who chooses to spend some of your earnings with me, whether it be a $20 tin of tobacco or a $100 tin. And I promise to work hard at keeping Pipestud.com is a snob free zone!
Steve
I just got through reading a recent thread, "Question for Debate," and thoroughly enjoyed reading through it, especially since my name was brought up a few times (okay, a lot of times). And I do want to start by saying that the reason I have been a site sponsor of pipesmagazine.com for many years is that it has a great bunch of guys who love talking about my favorite subjects - pipes and tobaccos! I love fun debates about our hobby and I hope you fine folks don't mind if kind of piggy-back off of that thread since it dealt with tobacco pricing and that's something that I've had to debate just about every time I list a tin or bag of tobacco on my website.
I’ve had to practice patience with tobacco snobs for many years. The fact is, I actually feel a little sorry for them because it’s obvious that they “just don’t get it.” But you know what? There was a point in time where I didn’t get it either. So, if you read further, know that I used to be a “tobacco snob” too! The great news is that I finally did get it and even better, I don’t recall ever having had to deal with tobacco snobs who make purchases from my own website. I guess they got it long before I did. I don’t know about their past history, but I find that most of my customers are extremely happy to get what they order and I often get emails from buyers who tell me how excellent such and such a blend was once they tried it, and actually thanked me for selling it to them, no matter the price paid. Hey, I’m the one who should always be thanking my customers for spending their hard-earned money on my website offerings. Yes, I know that there are times when a customer makes a purchase – and spends a lot of money – on a tin that, for whatever reason, just did not float their boat. Hey, I’d be a rich man (well, almost), if I had my money back for tobacco purchases that I’ve made over the past four decades that didn’t float my boat. It happens, but fortunately, my customers understand that. And for every dud there will be plenty of home runs, right?
I am a member of several Internet forums (although this is the only one I regularly participate on and the only one in which I am a proud sponsor), and read some of the less than flattering things these tobacco snobs write on P&T forums. Personally, my idea of a tobacco snob is the person or persons who think that spending more than $10 – $20 on a tin of tobacco is a criminal act and will justify their thinking by offering less than flattering adjectives about those who do. And I have found that it’s actually the people who think that spending $100 or more for a tin of tobacco, or hobbyists who collect hundreds of tins of high dollar, rare, or no longer made pipe tobaccos, who seem to be the ones who simply mind their own business and don’t disparage another hobbyist’s purchase because it was inexpensive or not highly regarded tobacco. Why should the tobacco snobs of the world care whether their fellow hobbyists spend $10 or $1,000 on a tin of tobacco? I no long can figure that one out. I have a lot of customers who have 20 tins of tobacco in their cellars that are worth about $200 and they are excited to send me a list of what they have to get my thoughts. And that excites me! I also have customers who have literally multiple hundreds of tins worth multiple thousands of dollars’ worth of tobacco. I am happy for both and glad they are enjoying the pipe smoking hobby in a way that best fits their personal collecting and smoking desires.
All of us in the pipe tobacco hobby have different comfort zones regarding our purchases of things like homes and cars as well as pipes and pipe tobaccos. I am always just as happy for those who are able to purchase high dollar tins of something that they wanted as those who email me after being excited that they got a $30 tin of something that they wanted. We are fellow hobbyists who, hopefully, have the same excitement level for any purchase of something that we are after. And a hearty thanks to each and every one of you who chooses to spend some of your earnings with me, whether it be a $20 tin of tobacco or a $100 tin. And I promise to work hard at keeping Pipestud.com is a snob free zone!
Steve
, some of it is just ranting. For those ranters, type it, read it on your computer screen, save it and reread as the need arises. That will fill the need to rant without imposing your sorrows/woes on the rest of us. Life is tough and not fair. Get tougher and spend your time finding "fixes" instead of whining.
