Online distribution of Habanos cigars?

[KarlJ]

I was reading in the "suspect" forum about a member who received a box of Cuban cigars, from another vendor I assume, and among various suspicions was the fact that the barcode was removed from the box. It goes on to say that this is done to protect the vendor from having their license revoked from Habanos SA for distributing outside their territory. Is this accurate? Don't most of these vendors advertise they ship anywhere in the world? It's right there on their site what their doing? Am I interperating this correctly?

I'm very new to Habanos cigars and still have a lot to. Where I live if you want a Cuban cigar you have to get it from outside the country and hope for the best.

learn. For me there is no benefit to using different or multiple vendors, find one good one no matter how far or close they are and stick with them. I made my first order with the czar, and even though I haven't received it yet I'm pretty confident I found what I'm looking for. But none the less, knowledge is power and I want to learn as much about Habanos cigars and the industry as possible. -Karl

[j0z3r]

You're in the right place to learn, that's a fact. If you can find anyone with as much passion as the Czar crew has, and Rob in particular...well, I don't think I need to finish that thought.

I've been a member here for a meagre 2-3 months, but I've already learned a great deal about Habanos and have received some truly excellent cigars. Welcome, hope you enjoy the experience as much as I do.

Joe

[KarlJ]

So is removing barcodes a legitimate practice used by vendors selling authentic Habanos cigars. I guess what I'm getting at is that it was said that they remove the barcodes because they are not supposed to sell outside their area but they advertise they will ship anywhere. If your not supposed to do something, why put it in writing and advertise that you will do what your not supposed to do? Again maybe I'm missing something here or maybe my interpretation is wrong? Just like to know the truth about why this is done and if it is a cause for concern? -Karl

[j0z3r]

So is removing barcodes a legitimate practice used by vendors selling authentic Habanos cigars. I guess what I'm getting at is that it was said that they remove the barcodes because they are not supposed to sell outside their area but they advertise they will ship anywhere. If your not supposed to do something, why put it in writing and advertise that you will do what your not supposed to do? Again maybe I'm missing something here or maybe my interpretation is wrong? Just like to know the truth about why this is done and if it is a cause for concern? -Karl

To the best of my knowledge, and I'm sure some more knowledgeable folks will come along, this practice is generally employed by Gray Market vendors who aren't directly supplied by a Habanos S.A. licensed distributor. They may indeed get a good deal of their cigars from vendors who do go through proper channels, but at that point something has to be done to protect the legitimate vendors from being identified as the ones supplying them. I've received good quality cigars from the Gray Market, as genuine as anything the Czar sells, but what you get here that you don't get there is peace of mind knowing that your cigars are the best possible quality.

Hope that helps in some way, and if I'm off the mark someone correct me.

[Maron76]

So is removing barcodes a legitimate practice used by vendors selling authentic Habanos cigars. I guess what I'm getting at is that it was said that they remove the barcodes because they are not supposed to sell outside their area but they advertise they will ship anywhere. If your not supposed to do something, why put it in writing and advertise that you will do what your not supposed to do? Again maybe I'm missing something here or maybe my interpretation is wrong? Just like to know the truth about why this is done and if it is a cause for concern? -Karl

If you are getting boxes with the bar code missing thou have either purchased A) A box of genuine Habanos SA cigars, or B ) you have just purchased a box of "professional fakes". You will never know for certain if you got box A or B with the bar code gone, you can't check. Authentic Cubans? Maybe, if they were rolled with Cuban tobacco. Should you be concerned? Most certainly.

[Colt45]

As the guys have mentioned, regional distributors sell cigars to merchants outside their designated area (gray market), and remove the barcodes so the boxes can't be traced back to them. The end merchant can sell wherever they choose to do business. The merchant may never actually even have the

cigars in their possession, having them shipped directly from a warehouse elsewhere.

As also mentioned, there is a risk - buyer beware.

[danclough]

I was reading in the "suspect" forum about a member who received a box of Cuban cigars, from another vendor I assume, and among various suspicions was the fact that the barcode was removed from the box. It goes on to say that this is done to protect the vendor from having their license revoked from Habanos SA for distributing outside their territory. Is this accurate? Don't most of these vendors advertise they ship anywhere in the world? It's right there on their site what their doing? Am I interperating this correctly?

I'm very new to Habanos cigars and still have a lot to. Where I live if you want a Cuban cigar you have to get it from outside the country and hope for the best.

learn. For me there is no benefit to using different or multiple vendors, find one good one no matter how far or close they are and stick with them. I made my first order with the czar, and even though I haven't received it yet I'm pretty confident I found what I'm looking for. But none the less, knowledge is power and I want to learn as much about Habanos cigars and the industry as possible. -Karl

Like you, I bounced around trying different vendors from different areas before coming across the Czar about a year ago. I haven't purchased from anywhere else since, and have no intentions of doing so in the future! Their HQ and PHP boxes are absolutely amazing, and the way they conduct business is what I'd call "old-world service with Aussie irreverence".

Before going exclusively Czar I too had received a box with the bar code removed which puzzled me at the time. I ended up buying a box of the same cigars from the Czar so I could compare and they smoked similarly enough. I concluded them to be gray market like the others have mentioned.

[mazolaman]

I found out some info on this matter in this thread.

With a response from a good supplier at the bottom of the page.

[aes8]

I found out some info on this matter in this thread.

With a response from a good supplier at the bottom of the page.

Linky not workey

[mazolaman]

Linky not workey

Think it's ok now.

[armedak]

I'm not sure why some seem to make a big deal out of the bar code. Habanos, S.A. will tell you they started marking their boxes with bar codes to help identify fakes. In my opinion, the primary reason they did this was to keep their distributors in line and to prevent them from selling outside their designated territory. Grey market does not mean the cigars are any less authentic. If you have a good vendor you trust, the bar code removal is a non-issue. If it makes you feel better to pay up to a 100% mark-up to have an intact bar code then by all means do so. I might add this only applies to 2008 or 09 boxes as this was when the bar code system was initiated. It will not help at all for the earlier date codes pre-2008 I believe. Hope this helps.

[gigabyte056]

The bar code system was introduced a while back to keep the distribution chain in check,bear in mind it is highly ineffective.

Once I took a box code from a box at an LCDH and got two different answers, one that it was not recognized and another where they gave me the wrong type of cigars.

It's a Cuban system, god gave them the gift of the best land on this earth, that's about it.

[El Presidente]

The bar code was indeed introduced to limit the sale of cigars outside of a distributors market.

Distributors pay decent coin as a license fee for their market to HSA. They get peeved when other distributors sell into their market.

Of course, the barcode system was done in such a way that it was innefective. A simple stanly knife cut and it is gone.

Of course it would be inprudent of me to suggest that one of the key players in the pushing of this code (and not tougher measures) is the same Vice President of HSA currently awaiting trial for massive fraud involving supplying directly the parallel market

[KarlJ]

Thanks all for helping clarify this. I personally have never bought a box from any online source. I have bought singles from a couple different sources before I found the czar. But none the less after reading someone else's experience it was very curious to me why anyone would remove the codes if they were selling a legitimate product. It all is crystal clear now. -Karl

[Rushman]

Of course it would be inprudent of me to suggest that one of the key players in the pushing of this code (and not tougher measures) is the same Vice President of HSA currently awaiting trial for massive fraud involving supplying directly the parallel market

There are plenty of people driving his cars, spending his money and selling "his" boxes in this part of the world. Has he not been sentenced yet?

[Trevor2118]

Of course it would be inprudent of me to suggest that one of the key players in the pushing of this code (and not tougher measures) is the same Vice President of HSA currently awaiting trial for massive fraud involving supplying directly the parallel market

Oh....perish the thought! :rotfl: