e-mail of the month and why we don't discuss other vendors.

[MIKA27]

12 hours ago, Fuzz said:

This is over 21,000 years old. Does it count?

 

[Nico]

The October 2010 Chicago cigar massacre showcased what can happen when the stars align. 100,000 cigars seized over two weeks. 

 

Online operators went out of business. Refunds weren't made. It was ugly.  

 

Interestingly, one of the operators is mentioned in the comments posted on canaysis . That same operator was hit hard in the October massacre but refunded every single client and there were hundreds. 

 

 

As soon as you mentioned this "October 2010 Chicago cigar massacre" I immediately went to google and searched and all I can say is yikes!! That incident is actually something I can't possibly argue with or speculate that there more to it with this no-talk-about-vendors rule. Maybe it's time to take down the poster I have next to my cigar storage.

 

In all seriousness, thanks for the explanation. it's a good answer and valid point you made.

 

 

Skickat från min iPhone med Tapatalk

[gweilgi]

1 hour ago, El Presidente said:

No problems. Ask and get an answer via PM. 

and by the way....I often get asked where is the best place to buy cuban Cigars.  I always reply with 5 names + mine. 

I may get back to you on that, thanks.  

As for best places to buy, I think I have Diana's email on speed-dial ....

[NSXCIGAR]

4 hours ago, tengel78 said:

Interesting reads on that site, especially the one on Duty Free Zone WebSites.  The one vendor mentioned is widely trusted and used by many on here as well, so I would be shocked if they were fake since I have bought from him several times and never questioned the legitimacy of his products. 

Yes, interesting is certainly a word one could use. As you can see, the responses from the admin are rather hostile at times, and it appears that he (or she, I suppose) will not be convinced despite who comes to the defense of them. 

The admin's whole premise is based on a tenuous theory of HSA distributor and wholesale pricing, which is in turn based on what he claims is insider HSA pricing information. The whole thing is very bizarre. And when names are mentioned by those defending the vendor, including Rob's in fact, the pushback from the admin gets even stronger. In his assault on another vendor who I have used successfully multiple times in the past, he compared two boxes of Cohiba that he claims were purchased directly from the vendor. How do we know? If one is to embark on a prosecution, one must be extremely thorough and above board with their evidence. I see none of that.

All i can say is that before I started a website dedicated to exposing purveyors of fakes and supposedly endorsing legit vendors, I'd make it very clear exactly who I was and where I was so that I'd have some credibility. The admin will not reveal this. The whole thing reeks of some hidden agenda against any vendor's two biggest competitors. I spoke last year with the vendor I think we all know, and he has informed me he is very aware of this blog as others had also been very disturbed by it and alerted him to it, and that he would take legal action if the identity of this admin were known. 

 

[SignalJoe]

8 hours ago, El Presidente said:

The October 2010 Chicago cigar massacre showcased what can happen when the stars align. 100,000 cigars seized over two weeks. 

The most shocking part of this?  A government agency successfully did it's assigned job.  

[Rrm7284]

Newbie to the forum and reminder tips like these are sound for us while we get acclimated. Cuts off future questions. Policy makes sense, and I'm already enjoying the forum, thanks.


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[Mattygukas]

Somewhat sad but comically so. I run a site / blog / YouTube channel etc. I never talk about where I bought things or post the best place, where fakes are, etc. However, my goal is to spread the word of great cigars...Cubans for sure! I often get PMs and emails asking where to get Cubans and I offer three places that I trust and FOH is top of the list. (I have even been contacted by forum members asking me not knowing my answer is FOH) I never post anything public because it's simply not worth doing and there is enough interest coming in via PM/email.

I always suggest they join the FOH forums and learn about Cubans before jumping in. Being an informed consumer is the best advice I can provide. If someone running a site has a different agenda then I'm not wasting my time. Help others, provide product info/reviews, give different perspectives, and let the consumer choose.


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[Versus1ss]

22 hours ago, El Presidente said:

No problems. Ask and get an answer via PM. 

and by the way....I often get asked where is the best place to buy cuban Cigars.  I always reply with 5 names + mine. 

Sooo.... can I get a pm of those. I always shop using two vendors, one of those being you but never hurts to know a few more. ?

[jay8354]

The way I see it and would have reply back (as Rob)  to CigarNoNads would have be as follows:

If you are concerned about fakes, I am an authorised PCC cigar supplier, so buy just from me.

The forum is part of my business, which I wholly owned, to sell cigars. 

Why would I want to put something that will potential put me in libel suit and promote my competitors? 

Don't like my answer, go somewhere else.

[Warren]

On ‎3‎/‎23‎/‎2017 at 11:10 PM, Fuzz said:

This is over 21,000 years old. Does it count?

 

Core look at that one.

[jwr0201]

Does brother NoNads have sufficient tenure and post count to make such a request???   

[Mr. Japan]

On 23/3/2017 at 5:42 PM, PigFish said:

You don't owe the 'community' a damn thing my friend. It is your site, you are doing it right and I am proud to be a member here.

That's it!

[PigFish]

8 hours ago, Mr. Japan said:

That's it!

Cheers Gino!

[Dimmers]

What a palaver! Living within spitting distance of FOH HQ + the benefit of collective knowledge of this fine forum at my fingertips…thank the gods that issues of fakery aren’t something I’ve needed to be concerned with!

[PaulP]

On March 24, 2017 at 2:18 AM, SignalJoe said:

The most shocking part of this?  A government agency successfully did it's assigned job.  

Not quite true.  In October 2010 a package bomb was discovered on two separate cargo planes flying from Yemen to the States.  The government was looking for bombs and stumbled onto the cigars.

[SignalJoe]

9 minutes ago, PaulP said:

Not quite true.  In October 2010 a bomb was discovered on two separate cargo planes flying from Yemen to the States.  The government was looking for bombs and stumbled onto the cigars.

Successful is a subjective term.  Think of it like Maxwell Smart succeeding in thwarting KAOS.  It may not be due to diligence or competence but the net result is success.  

[maxcjs0101]

With that questioning tone I wouldn't even bother doing anything. I'd probably would say "My forum my rules" gtfo if you have a problem with it

[gweilgi]

8 minutes ago, PaulP said:

Not quite true.  In October 2010 a package bomb was discovered on two separate cargo planes flying from Yemen to the States.  The government was looking for bombs and stumbled onto the cigars.

So presumably it's a good thing that the terrorists seem to be concentrating on putting their bombs into electronic hardware these days, rather than into old-school letter/parcel bombs?

[SignalJoe]

6 minutes ago, gweilgi said:

So presumably it's a good thing that the terrorists seem to be concentrating on putting their bombs into electronic hardware these days, rather than into old-school letter/parcel bombs?

I believe the point he was trying to make was that CBP was focused on one issue (bombs) and bumbled onto another accidentally (cigars).  

 

[SCgarman]

2 hours ago, SignalJoe said:

I believe the point he was trying to make was that CBP was focused on one issue (bombs) and bumbled onto another accidentally (cigars).  

 

All those cigars were a nightmare for CBP. Lots of overtime and tons of paperwork.

[SignalJoe]

3 minutes ago, NYgarman said:

All those cigars were a nightmare for CBP. Lots of overtime and tons of paperwork.

The thought of that makes me smile!    

[TCContender]

12 hours ago, SignalJoe said:

Successful is a subjective term.  Think of it like Maxwell Smart succeeding in thwarting KAOS.  It may not be due to diligence or competence but the net result is success.  

Perhaps an application of the infinite monkey theorem?

[bnasse9900]

One of the many reasons why I love FOH is because of the "no talking about sources" rule.  As others have mentioned, there are plenty of other sites where you can discuss sources, and many of those sites end up being primarily driven by this topic.  Here at FOH, since the boards aren't consumed by "legit or not?" threads, it leads to a different type (higher quality?) of member, looking to talk about more interesting things.

I probably don't post as much as I could, but spend a lot of time on these forums because folks are having (mostly) really interesting discussions.  I don't have to filter through 3 pages of "Is this FAKE???" to find an interesting conversation on the new cigar releases, and what others think about what it means.

- Brody

[RijkdeGooier]

On 24-3-2017 at 2:15 AM, El Presidente said:

The October 2010 Chicago cigar massacre showcased what can happen when the stars align. 100,000 cigars seized over two weeks. 

Online operators went out of business. Refunds weren't made. It was ugly.  

Interestingly, one of the operators is mentioned in the comments posted on canaysis . That same operator was hit hard in the October massacre but refunded every single client and there were hundreds. 

So back to the point you raised. 

Seizures, Duties, Taxes are fears that buyers have (to different levels) in different parts of the world.  There is no upside to "touting" a retailer loud and proud. The more popular they become, the higher the risk (albeit maybe only incrementally). 

it is the reason why I wince when I see a "my first box from FOH" thread complete with package marking photo and member location. 

.....I know it was with the best of intentions...but no good can come of it. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Completely correct. 

It is also the reason I don't share sources or give recommendations to people who message, mail or otherwise contact me out of the blue asking me to introduce them to my sources. 

 

[luvdunhill]

Good thread and i completely agree.

That being said, I have a question best done via PM with one of our Swiss or German members, if you happen to see this shoot me a quick message.