Cigar Internet Trading or Sale Relationships.

[Maplepie]

I've never bought, been gifted or smoked a fake

Shoot me your addy via PM.

Sent by the Enigma on BlackBerry.

[...]

Educate yourself as much as possible. The internet is ripe with information; use it and learn to know the difference between facts and opinions.

Candor and blind trust are for fairy tales and romance. Trust people to be people. People are opportunistic by nature.

Suspicion can come off as rudeness. Try and be polite while remaining suspicious.

Don't put all your eggs in the same basket. Learn to spread the risk.

Make any single transaction no bigger that what you can afford to loose (unless it is with Rob and the team )

[Skyfall]

Shoot me your addy via PM.

Sent by the Enigma on BlackBerry.

I don't want to start smoking fakes now!

[canadianbeaver]

I only trade with Sky. For steak.

[Skyfall]

I only trade with Sky. For steak.

JOKE OVERLOAD.......

[AbuAmelia]

I needed this thread 3 months ago.

[tagheuer]

Thanks for the wealthy information.

It definitely help Noob like me for not making the same mistakes.

This also will remind me to stick with FOH vendor / BOTL for my future buying / trading.

At least I can sleep well at night

[Ted]

1. Buy from Rob!
2. Look at 1.
3. Look at 2.
4. Repeat 2 and 3

[El Presidente]

In trading or private sale: Identity impersonation is an area you can become unstuck.

Are you really dealing with Kohiba1492 from XYZ forum?

Do a search on the e-mail address. Does anything come up? Is there an almost identical e-mail addy ...but this one is out a letter or a number in the address? Revert to PM immediately. You may be surprised by the reply.

So you decide to proceed anyway

You send your part. Weeks go buy and you haven't received your package. You contact him.

* he has been in an accident/hospital/illness. He will be able to ship next week.

99.9% of the time you have been taken. He is just awaiting other trades to arrive before he disappears entirely.

He will have numerous aliases on numerous forums all perpetrating the same scam. He opens and closes e-mail accounts when done. The aliases get banned from forums but the person behind it all keeps his hand in by keeping a respectable front under a different name.

If it all goes to seed then remember that it is likely he is doing the same to others. contact other traders, share your experience. Contact other traders who have been taken recently. Compare notes. Was there a second shipping address in the same city as the package you sent. Likely the same person. Do a search on who owns, rents those houses/apartments. Is there a link? Are they leased by the same realty? Is there a common tenancy name now or in the past? Use Spokeo or whatever. Are there e-mail addresses? If the fraud was perpetrated through a particular forum, ask the owner or mod to run a search on those e-mail addresses. He will want to know what has occurred with verification. Forums (decent ones) don't want thieves as part of their membership. They will help out where they can.

[1LegLance]

I have used the same source for 15yrs plus and then these folks for the last couple of years....then there is 1 backup I use now and then.

All are sources that have been vetted over and over and so I don't worry about what I get in.

Amoung my buddies I am the one that places the orders for our splits....it is only very recently that I have attempted trading/splitting here on this board. I am finding that I suck being on this end as I am used to face to face and not having to remember who is getting in what. But it is fun I gotta say that.

In all honesty I think if a person a new they would not have to spend much time being a normal, nice person before they either got an offer of a source or an offer of split/trade from an old timer.

[Bostin]

I'm just about to ship to two FOH'ers for the first time and one of them asked me to di My part first and thats just fine cause i'm totaly new here and think thats the best way to go and it gives me a good chance to get a good reputation

Stefan

Stefan

Skickas från min iPhone via Tapatalk

[rhcolbert]

I only go with referrals. Have to have been given the thumbs up by at three of my friends that know way more than me about Habanos!

[aes8]

1. Trust your source

2. Trust your source.

3. In lieu of 1 and 2 then develop a relationship or trust among board members by successful executing smaller trades with flawless execution and superior communication or, god forbid meet and Herf with some board members.

4. See number 1 and 2.

Btw, Any jackoff that list Vieji or Tats or some other NC boutique cigar as HTF is, well, a jackoff.

[Skyfall]

Btw, Any jackoff that list Vieji or Tats or some other NC boutique cigar as HTF is, well, a jackoff.

[amart]

Thanks all, very good info for new guys like myself

[canadianbeaver]

We are talking about trusting sources etc but I wanted to mention about trusting the behaviour of your fellow trader when it comes to proposals of what for what.

Just completed a trade with a guy who is always a pleasure to work with and a real reason this hobby is so great.

[oliverdst]

We are talking about trusting sources etc but I wanted to mention about trusting the behaviour of your fellow trader when it comes to proposals of what for what.

Just completed a trade with a guy who is always a pleasure to work with and a real reason this hobby is so great.

100% true.

I ask myself if the trader who tries to take advantage with real cigars if he is not a scumbag as well.

[CanuckSARTech]

Just caught this kinda late.

For online purchases / online vendors - much has already been said here that I fully agree with, so I don't need to rehash it.

For trades with individual persons - my biggest is to know the person, to have some form of an amicable relationship with them beforehand. Call me "clique-ish", but if I don't know you - if I haven't met you before, if I haven't personally met you, if you haven't been "referred" to me by a trusted fellow cigar smoker, if you don't have a respected trader history behind you, or worst off, if I haven't had X-amount of pm's or individual conversations with you over the forum (WITHOUT trades being the primary discussion motivator) - then likely, I'm not going to bother. If a trade goes well, we trade again. If it doesn't, we won't, and I won't refer you to any others. Simple.

I've received PM's and e-mails in the past where people have complained that sometimes I (and occasionally that the Toronto group in general) are too much of a "clique", that it's a true BOTL who just welcomes in anyone at anytime. Tough crap. I'm gonna slightly protect myself. I have a core group that I trade with, yes - considering past issues with other members (and my own work stuff), I'm looking at getting a PO box set up, that way, I protect somewhat my privacy as well. I've had people before that I've traded with as well, to "give them a chance" so to speak - and then they end up being a DB about the whole ordeal, and then, when X-amount of weeks or months later I DON'T want to do a trade again, then boo hoo, the whining begins. Tough crap - you can say you're a "true BOTL" because you're generous in trades, but if you act like an ass on the interweb, and just behave in a boorish fashion, I'm not trading with you.

This all may sound harsh, but it's reality. All the above said, even if I haven't met you before, even if I can't consider you to be "truster" per my criteria above, if I see you at a herf / local event, I've always got sticks to hand out, or a nice box to pass around. There's no "threat" of getting scammed then, and it's all face-to-face, and makes a huge difference. Some definitely use the anonyminity of the internet to their advantage, and this is why I'm looking to get a PO box set up, and why I'm most preferential of face-to-face trades.

Now, I'm done ranting. LOL.

And, I'm not sure if Rob or the mods wants it listed or not, but....

There is a "bad trader" list that's been published elsewhere. It really hasn't been updated in just over a year, but it's still a pretty good resource. I've had a few people contact me about trades that I found their e-mail, names, or IP addresses on this list. I can post a link here if wished, but figure that'd be pushing the rules, and will leave it to Rob's call.