Boxes of 10--Opinions please..

[PigFish]

10 count boxes of Monte #5s... at $35... all day long!

1x, 2x, 5x, 10x, 25x, 50x of fat, untested, overpriced cigars... NFW!

Face it guys (gals) the damn box costs more than the cigars. Let me buy 100 PCs less 4 boxes at $4.00 each and we are talking the language of a seasoned cigar smoker who smokes and does not pose with cigars. Send the 10x marital aids to the weekend warriors and golfers.

I am with you Zaney, while I also agree that centering on the box is not the main issue.

For me, crappy untested overpriced cigars is the issue. I don't care who does it, or what the box count is. Any price is too high for a crappy cigar, and the best cigar in the world is not worth more than about $15 bucks!

MHO...

-the Pig

[JohnS]

8 hours ago, zeedubbya said:

What concerns me most of all isn't the high price of ELs and REs in 10 boxes. So be it, take them or leave them. At prices bordering on Vintage Winnie prices I'll leave them. What concerns me most is the creeping up of prices on the new release reg production 10 count boxes. Mag54 is my original and perfect example.

The LCDH releases (e.g. Hoyo de Monterrey Elegantes) , Specialist Habanos Releases (e.g. Punch Punch 48) and recent new 2016 ( e.g. Cohiba Medio Siglo  and H. Upmann Magnum 54) and 2017 (e.g. Quai d'Orsay No. 50 anyone?) regular production releases seem to have a different price point then well-established regular production releases.

What can we deduce from this? Habanos S.A. markets a product to an established market which, when it comes to new releases, has an 'inelastic demand' inclination, at least initially. I think the price point of the Cohiba Medio Siglo and H.Upmann Magnum 54 is unjustified personally in comparison to other Siglo and Magnum series cigars. 

My advice is to stick to well established regular production 10 count boxes such as Partagas Lusitanias, H.Upmann Magnum 50 and Montecristo No.2's.

[anacostiakat]

I am with Ray on this.  There are two separate issues here. 

For the most part, current pricing on EL's and Regionals is prohibitive IMHO.  Now and then you can find what I would call a decent price but for the most part they want too much.  YMMV

Ten count boxes are another issue.  They are a good way to try a particular regular production cigar.  I felt at one time that the consistency of ten counters was not as good as 25 counts.  But I don't really think this is the case.  The only reason I don't go for them more is that I prefer the larger boxes. 

[Fugu]

13 hours ago, NSXCIGAR said:

Exactly. As long as pricing is within ~10% why not offer as many packaging options as possible? No downside as far as I can tell. 

And to add - in some markets (depending on local tax-regulations and distributor), you pay only for the cigar, irrespective of packaging, whether you buy a single or a 50ct-box. A volume-discount policy isn't even permitted sometimes or only in very narrow margins. So, there, having smaller units is an attractive way to get stock for immediate smoking or for sampling. While I truly love a nice 50-SLB I also like the option of the smaller packaging.

[tsolomon]

I buy 10ct boxes when the prices are reasonable and it's a cigar I want to try or a larger cigar that I won't smoke that often. If I do like the cigar, I will then keep an eye out for a 25ct box to pick up.  I'm not sure packaging is as much an issue as the price just being too high and more than I want to pay.  

[Danimalia]

I love them when they're just another pricing option. HdM EEs, Monte PEs, Partagas Lusis have all given me a lot of pleasure in 10ers. My cigar budget is fairly limited most of the time, so they allow me to try different cigars.

There are times when it appears to be used to reduce the sticker shock on an expensive cigar. That's more problematic. The issue of cigars being priced out of league with their colleagues seems to be a separate issue. Medio Siglos, Mag54s, etc. are all available in 25s as well, right?

[Lotusguy]

One point I forgot to make - when it's SLB or other wooden boxes of 10, I prefer those for aging over dress boxes of any size. They are also much easier to play box Tetris with