opus X pricing disparity

[sonick]

I have to ask for some opinions because this doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me....... and it goes a lil somethin like this:

I have recently discovered that the opus x perfecxion #5 (4 7/8 x 40) are truly awesome and I can't get enough of them........ and with an msrp of $7.50 per stick, and a real-life price of $9.00 per stick at my local B&M, they are a bit pricey for daily smoking. Especially when i can't hold my smoking to under 3 sticks per day.

ANYWAY, so I decide to try and track down a box of these things, thinking that I'll at least save a FEW bucks, even if it's not a lot due to the novelty of the opus x. So I get online, thinking that the price would at least beat the full b&m stick price times 42 of $378..............

What do I find ? EVERYWHERE online, the prices for this stick I'm paying $9 locally, are upwards of 28-30 dollars per stick online!!!!!! WTF ??? And a box ? LOL. $970-1000 for a box of 42 small petit corona size opus'

So I ask you.......

WHY is a stick with an MSRP of $7.50 going for $30 per stick online ?
Secondly, why is my B&M charging LESS THAN A THIRD of the online price, whereas EVERY other instance they charge MORE than online prices?

Can someone explain the opus x anomalys or give me the scoop here ?

Does Fuente punish vendors without a B&M presence ? I can't seem to make any other sense of it......

but DAMN those perfecxion #5 are so good!!!!!

[montecristo#2]

Pretty simple, opusX are only produced in limited quantities and some retailers price gouge because they can.

I think authorized Fuente dealers are not suppose to mark the cigars up that much, but some obviously do. Also, some retailers are not authorized opusX dealers, so they charge whatever they want. These places usually have to pay more for the boxes in the first place.

Some people have problems finding them anywhere close to MSRP, so you are in pretty good shape with your local B&M. Plus, most places won't sell them by the box, since they only get a couple of boxes at a time and want to spread them around to their loyal customers. I have only found three online retailers who will sell me opusX over the phone at decent prices and they usually limit me to a couple of sticks. I have had to develop a relationship with these places in order to get rare Fuentes, but it was definitely worth it.

If I could grab a box of the #5's for ~400, I would buy them in a heartbeat.

[RapidTransit]

It's because the retailer dosn't want the cigars to just sit there. Also people selling them online have probably bought them after they already been sold a few times over.

[sonick]

Thanks for the info, guys.

It definetely sheds some light on the situation, but the difference in price still seems so staggeringly high. I guess between fuente account holder and NON fuente account holder, as well as muliple re-sales, starts to account for massive price increases.......

I know that Fuente is reasonably accomodating as far as opening a standard account with retailers........ the opus X account, however, is much more difficult to get.... according to some of the smaller B&M proprietors I speak to.

I would love to know what an opus-x account holder pays outright for a box of perfecxion #5, for example.....

[MeNimbus]

You could find the retail prices on Moki's Vitola website. I forgot the website. Could someone post a link of Moki's website?

As for how much the retailers buy it for, I have no idea, but would like to know how much they are being marked up as well.

[RGD]

They do it because they can since people will stupidly pay it. If people refused to pay the price then they would sit there until they charged a reasonable price.




Ron

[wilblake]

Originally Posted by MeNimbus

You could find the retail prices on Moki's Vitola website. I forgot the website. Could someone post a link of Moki's website?
=

You were so close! His site is Vitolas.net

Just missed the S and dot net.

[physiognomy]

I found quite a few listings for opusx on yahoo auctions last night, but the prices did seem high. I've never even seen them in the b&ms around here, so it looks like I will have to pay ~$30 at a cigar bar before I'll get to try one.

[Warren]

Originally Posted by wilblake

You were so close! His site is Vitolas.net

Just missed the S and dot net.

Cool site.

[Mr. White]

Originally Posted by sonick

I have to ask for some opinions because this doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me....... and it goes a lil somethin like this:

I have recently discovered that the opus x perfecxion #5 (4 7/8 x 40) are truly awesome and I can't get enough of them........ and with an msrp of $7.50 per stick, and a real-life price of $9.00 per stick at my local B&M, they are a bit pricey for daily smoking. Especially when i can't hold my smoking to under 3 sticks per day.

ANYWAY, so I decide to try and track down a box of these things, thinking that I'll at least save a FEW bucks, even if it's not a lot due to the novelty of the opus x. So I get online, thinking that the price would at least beat the full b&m stick price times 42 of $378..............

What do I find ? EVERYWHERE online, the prices for this stick I'm paying $9 locally, are upwards of 28-30 dollars per stick online!!!!!! WTF ??? And a box ? LOL. $970-1000 for a box of 42 small petit corona size opus'

So I ask you.......

WHY is a stick with an MSRP of $7.50 going for $30 per stick online ?
Secondly, why is my B&M charging LESS THAN A THIRD of the online price, whereas EVERY other instance they charge MORE than online prices?

Can someone explain the opus x anomalys or give me the scoop here ?

Does Fuente punish vendors without a B&M presence ? I can't seem to make any other sense of it......

but DAMN those perfecxion #5 are so good!!!!!

Actually getting a box for a decent price is so rare and difficult to accomplish that it can take months to track one down. They charge more on the Internet because people are willing to buy them at that price. Your local BM doesn't price gouge because they want to keep their customers coming back, and lure new ones in. Also AF likes the Opus boxes to be returned to them so they can be recycled.

They are definitely a good cigar but i think the gap has closed tremendously over the last few years. Especially with the Don Pepin lines available today. I think AF needs to give it up and just start producing more, instead of continuing to artificially keep market demand high.

[livwire68]

Also a thought, your B&M may be a bit over msrp due to the tobacco tax in your area. Sounds like your B&M might be the best place to stick with. It could be worse, One of my main opus dealers happens to be casa fuentes! Talk about pricey, but one also must remember that some of the cost goes to a good cause!

[wilblake]

I seem to remember seeing photos of how Fuente would ship Opus X in normal cedar boxes in certain counts, just enough to refill boxes that a B&M should already have in stock.

I thought Moki had some of these photos, but I can't find them.

[RapidTransit]

Originally Posted by sonick

Thanks for the info, guys.

It definetely sheds some light on the situation, but the difference in price still seems so staggeringly high. I guess between fuente account holder and NON fuente account holder, as well as muliple re-sales, starts to account for massive price increases.......

I know that Fuente is reasonably accomodating as far as opening a standard account with retailers........ the opus X account, however, is much more difficult to get.... according to some of the smaller B&M proprietors I speak to.

I would love to know what an opus-x account holder pays outright for a box of perfecxion #5, for example.....

They don't pay alot let me tell you. Opus is shipped every quarter I think can't remember. We used to get like 10-15 boxes now it's like 5-6 ever since Fuente decided to open everyone and their brother.

[newcigarz]

Originally Posted by wilblake

I seem to remember seeing photos of how Fuente would ship Opus X in normal cedar boxes in certain counts, just enough to refill boxes that a B&M should already have in stock.

I thought Moki had some of these photos, but I can't find them.

Here are the pics ( not mine). This bulk box of Opus X recently sold on Yahoo Auctions for $1135.00

[Dan_]

I went looking for OpusX and Anejos a while back, I found a site that carried them, and they were $31+ a stick. Their reasoning for the price gouge: "Well at least we have them, and if you're a true love of cigars, not just smoking but the whole experience, then you wouldn't care how much they cost." To me that says they are a business first to make money, and a lover of cigars second, so fu contradicting elitist cigar stores.