Online vs mail order sales, and the future...........

KingoftheCove

Sorry again for being lazy - but my quick read of all this legislative crap has me dizzy.
If online cigar sales as we know it takes a legal beat-down, will said laws also apply to mail order sales?

Guess I'm simply asking if mail order cigar sales would survive this nanny-state attempt at restricting access to our hobby.
I'm obviously opposed to any restriction of online sales, but I'd "survive" using mail order sales, and phone calls to the Beard.
But if the mail order option is taken from me as well........................I might as well quit the hobby.

kuzi16

Ban on walk-in humidors, self serve cigar displays, and mail-order cigar sales; Ban on all flavored cigars, that are enjoyed by legal-age adults; Deface ornate, decorative cigar boxes, often considered an art form with grotesque images; Ban on cigar events where free cigars (samples) could be available to legal-age adults; Limits on cigar marketing and advertising; Imposition of new 'user fees' [tax] on cigars, to finance regulations; Limits on special release and small-batch cigars, due to mandates that cigar blends be submitted to FDA for pre-approval before release; Limits on nicotine levels on cigars to near zero, severely impacting the flavor of cigars; Ban on marketing cigar merchandise.

online is still mail order. you order online and it is mailed to you. so yes... ccom would be banned.

Direwolf

Well, we all need to be as healthy as possible for the government to make the best Soylent Green.

rwheelwright

The only upside to this for me if they do ban sales and tax more is that I have probably 1600 - 1700 cigars to hold me over for years to come. Now, I'm not condoning what they are proposing in any way. I feel it is wrong but in terms of it affecting me and ordering any more it will have no effect on my for the forseeable future. I am also sure that if/when this does come into affect then people will go out and purchase as much as they can before the deadline. I know I probably will.

Direwolf

It sucks that I just found this hobby, and now it can possibly be taken away from me.

Jiffy78

Okay, so what's the time line with this legislation?

kuzi16

Jiffy78:

Okay, so what's the time line with this legislation?

CLICK
that is about the best i can give you on the house. the senate is about the same: CLICK

scarlin

Does the house realize that they would kill the amount of tobacco growers in the US and the amount of illegal importing of cigars would increase tenfold or more.

Teege

scarlin:

Does the house realize that they would kill the amount of tobacco growers in the US and the amount of illegal importing of cigars would increase tenfold or more.

When is the last time you can remember them doing anything that would help and not hurt our economy... just sayin

Rhamlin

Guess they just dont get it that people will get their cigars. All they are doing is taking money from US busisness and giving it to someone over seas. I mean seriously who here can't get Cuban smokes if they really want em. Prohibition just doesn't work.

Jiffy78

Has anyone from CCom weighed in on this?

KingoftheCove

kuzi16:

Ban on walk-in humidors, self serve cigar displays, and mail-order cigar sales; Ban on all flavored cigars, that are enjoyed by legal-age adults; Deface ornate, decorative cigar boxes, often considered an art form with grotesque images; Ban on cigar events where free cigars (samples) could be available to legal-age adults; Limits on cigar marketing and advertising; Imposition of new 'user fees' [tax] on cigars, to finance regulations; Limits on special release and small-batch cigars, due to mandates that cigar blends be submitted to FDA for pre-approval before release; Limits on nicotine levels on cigars to near zero, severely impacting the flavor of cigars; Ban on marketing cigar merchandise.

online is still mail order. you order online and it is mailed to you. so yes... ccom would be banned.

crap!!!!!!!!!!!!!
the sky is falling..............................dang it!!!!!!!!!

Guess I'll have to buy 2000+ cigars if it looks like this is going to pass - coolidors here I come..............

cause if the sh!t hits the fan as hard as it could possibly, if I have 2,500 cigars, I could sell 1000 of them on CL and get my money back...........can you imagine the black market activity?!............there will be a whole new class of criminals, and many of us will be felons.....

beatnic

Its good that we have shared our addresses. We might need them for the underground humidor train.

phobicsquirrel

I think the govt has their panties in a wadd over both tobacco and drugs. I mean how much f'in money have they spent of OUR tax dollars on it! Sure I've fine with saying that you can't smoke in restaurants and planes (do to obvious reasons) but bars (some exceptions surely) and all this other crap is way too much.

Jiffy78

I'm not going to lie guys, I'm more than a bit worried about this. If this happens before I get off of deployment, my current stash is going to be at like 100. There is a B&M nearby that I might be able to stock up from when I get home, but I just got bitten by this bug and it might get swept away in a bunch of bureaucratic nonsense.

Direwolf

Jiffy78:

but I just got bitten by this bug and it might get swept away in a bunch of bureaucratic nonsense.

exactly

beatnic

Nothing has happened to this bill since April. In August Bill Nelson introduced S.1461 Latest Title: Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act of 2011SUMMARY AS OF: 8/1/2011--I - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to exempt traditional large and premium cigars from regulation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and from user fees assessed on tobacco products by the FDA.
We have lobbyists on our side too.

Grazuh

Join CRA. I did! And I got a sweet 10 pack sampler when I did it.

Sheehanadam

Got a link?

Sheehanadam

Just to weigh in on this issue (from my end).

I live in Australia (lucky to work for an airline so get my smokes over in States) and to see what reactive and over zealous legislation can do, Australia is a great example.

They just passed plain packaging legislation which will affect cigars to the extent that resellers might have to remove cigar bands for crying out loud. As it is now, taxes are so high a basic bargain cigar is nearl $17/stick, making it pretty darn pricey to enjoy this hobby.

Hope this gets shot down!

KingoftheCove

heck.....I think I'm going to learn how to grow tobacco, and roll my own cigars.......old style

jlmarta

I've often thought I'd start my own macaroni ranch. And if it does well I'll put in a few acres of linguine.

Grazuh

Sheehanadam:

Got a link?

I can't post a link, but the CRA website will direct you to a local shop that sells the samplers. If there aren't any around contact them directly. It took them a few days to get back to me, but they took care of me once they did.

CigarVol

I am going to have to talk to the ladies at my local smoke shop.  They have been in business for years and I would hate to see them hurt by all this bull *** that the government pulling.

Rhamlin

Yeah this can put a quick end to something ive come to really enjoy.

docbp87

Seriously, legislation like this is why joining, and supporting, and getting involved with CRA is REALLY important if we want to continue to be able to enjoy this amazing passion of ours. There are also a lot of smaller, local groups worth checking into as well. Get involved at your local shop, make sure they are involved in the IPCPR, who are also working to fight the FDA, via H.R. 1639. Please guys, take a few minutes, and do what you can, then tell everyone you know who you think would be willing to help. I have gotten many of my family members, and co-workers to sign these petitions too, after telling them about what is going on, even those who aren't cigar smokers understand, after a brief chat, the difference.

Anyway, as someone from CRA said at an event I recently was at, if the legislation is to deter minors from using tobacco, products, that's fine, but I'm pretty sure there aren't many, if any, kids out there going to a tobacconist and spending $15 (or more depending on local taxes) on a single Davidoff cigar. It just isn't a problem that exists. Kids and cigarettes? Sure. Kids and premium cigars? Uh, no. Make sure the FDA understands what we do, who we are, and what this hobby represents, as a community, as a passion, as a social activity, as an activity that brings adults together in ways that other luxury items do not.