Do you buy locally or on-line?

[smurph]

Originally Posted by DeadFrog

For pipes, it's been mostly ebay for me. For tobacco I've mostly gone to the local B&M or one of those "mall smoke shops" named Sheffield & Sons that are in every mall. Sometimes I get lucky at one of those and they'll carry MacBaren products instead of just Captain Black and Amphora. My next big pipe purchase will be from an online shop most likely. Even with exchange and shipping you just can't beat the prices. Yesterday I placed an order with 4Noggins for the noobie trade and they were great to deal with. My next tobacco order will be from them.

Ahhh Sheffield & Sons - they do seem to be everywhere. I guess I can't complain - we have a really good shop in Edmonton that has been around since 1986 - thetobacconist.ca on Whyte Ave. (kinda like Robson Street in Van). Everytime I've walked past the store, your nose is filled with amazing scents. We were by there the other day but were with out-of-town friends on a schedule so we didn't go in. Phoooey.

I called there the other day and they carry a lot of Peterson's in stock. Of course they're a bit higher priced than ordering on line but they have to make money too. I would rather support our own and buy locally but it all depends on the price. I have to eat too. I think if it's anything more than 15-20% more then it's not worth it. Though as dmkerr mentioned - it's nice to be able to 'fondle' (my word not his ) the pipes. That makes a huge difference i'm certain.

Frenchy's is great to deal with (he says hi to all the folk on puff). So is Rev. Puffer from pufferspipes. Great gentleman. Those are the only people i've been in touch with. Some of the other companies are charging ridiculous shipping charges, imo.

Out.

[mojo]

Mainly web shopping for me like others because of the better selections. I wouldn't mind paying a little more to buy locally. I don't like the hassles associated with deliveries. I also want instant gratification when I go shopping.

One of the local shop I go to caters mainly to cigars & another one caters to cigar & pipes. Both of them have limited tinned tobacco. One shop has a limited pipe selection while the other one is pretty decent. So it boils down to the selections for me & the web wins hands down.

[uncballzer]

Originally Posted by Yoda!

I'm here in California, need i say more?

It should be a law in Cali that you should buy online! It's a crime to buy from a B&M there!

[cp478]

so far ive used pipesandcigars

only one shop close to me and it really doesnt have anything .
although i do try to buy my cleaning supplies from him just to give him some business

[CrankyChris]

Originally Posted by dmkerr

How did you end up with Pete UF and GLP Abingdon in place of Escudo and 2015???? I hope that wasn't the tobacconists recommendations as replacements?

Nah - they just didn't have what I wanted and I'm an easy mark. When I go down there I always by at least a few packs of pipe cleaners. They try hard - so I like to buy something.

[Hendu3270]

I buy online mainly. There's only one tobacco shop in PEarland that I know of and one in Friendswood but they dont have much of a selection and the people I've dealt with in their are very unknowlegdable and seem to be there stricly to "man" the cash register. It's very frustrating going in there and asking a pipe or pipe tobacco question just to have them shrug their shoulders at you. Anyone know of any worth-while tobacco / pipe shops south of Houston???

[brianwalden]

After a frustrating search, I've determined that most local tobacco shops stopped trying long ago. They tend to carry lots of expensive pipes and lots of bulk tobacco, which was maybe great before the internet but what am I gonna do with Local Joe's Blend? I can't read reviews about it to see if I think I might like it; I can't talk about it with you guys on the forum. If they would carry a wide selection of tins and carry the small everyday things, I'd stop by from time to time. I'm willing to pay a little more for the convenience of being able to read some online reviews for a new tobacco I want to try and then walk into my local B&M and buy it, but that only works if they have it in stock.

It looks like most of the big online tobacco sites were originally just ordinary B&Ms. If they could start an online business, why can't these other local shops? I bet their local stores benefit hugely from the online business. If they move a large variety of tobacco through their website I bet that allows them to keep that same variety in their local stores. Whereas the guys who are just B&Ms probably don't get enough pipe business to carry a big selection of tins. Every local B&M I've been in has had very friendly and knowledgeable staff, but no store can make it on customer service alone without products on the shelves people want to buy.

All that said, John B. Hayes is a good tobacconist in a local mall and they seem to have a pretty good selection of tins. I've been hankering to try Presbyterian Mixture and plan to go there this week. If they have it in stock it just may renew my faith in B&M's.

[Mad Hatter]

I buy almost all of my tobacco online

[Hermit]

No shop anywhere near me.
100% internet.

[DubintheDam]

For me I still buy 75% instore, however there is a new importer in Holland for Peterson's, McConnells and Rattrays. He's bumped the price from €9 a tin to €11 for his own profit margin. So currently I'm search out any old tins at the old price. But in future this means I will be buying more MacBaren's (€14 for 100g tins) and be shopping more online and Ebay. My biggest problem with online suppliers is high postal costs to Europe, this usually means a minimum fee of $40 so I have to place a big order to make it worthwhile. Luckily Frenchy's just started doing baccy and with a little cunning I can pay him through paypl.

[Cigary]

When I visit a B&M I always buy cigars,,,I dont feel right going in there without at least supporting them. I do most of my buying online and with C Bid because I know what cigars I enjoy and want to get as many as I can for the money, esp. with the currrent tax situation. There are good deals to be had out there but you must know your pricing and what cigars you like. It's like anything out there,,if you don't know your inventory pricing you can lose more than you gain.

What I like about B&M's is the availability to walk in and try out new cigars without investing money for a 5 pak or box. If I like a new one I will ask the owner for their best pricing on a box and will check first as to what it costs online to see what the markup is. If it is neglible I would always buy from the B&M,,,but lately I always get a better deal onliine.

[DebbieS]

It's interesting to read what preferences folks have B&M vs internet. We here in Albany have a few B&M shops other than our own. I would say that Albany area smokers have a good variety to choose from, I do hear from an awful lot of folks that do not have access to B&M shops and what they do have are Dr Grabow Pipes and old timey "drug store" tobaccos. For those without a local B&M thank goodness for the internet!!

[AcworthAl]

Near my work and home, you find cigar sellers, who sell a few pipes at high prices and little decent pipe tobacco. The other thing you find is a combination of tobacco and head shop. I really do not like going into those places (I did when I was younger, although) If you think what it takes to have an inventory (or access to one) of pipes and all of the tobacco puffers like, it would appear to be a very expensive. You would have to stock Price Albert to Peterson. Dr Grabows to Dunhills- and hundreds of them. That is a lot of money.

[viking12344]

I live about 15 minutes from pipeandcigars.com or habana as their sign says at the store. They have such a great selection and are very, very nice to guys, like myself, who are kind of uneducated about the whole experience. They have a Rasberry delight in store that is probably my all time favorite tobacco right now. I do really, really want to try about ALL of Boswell's brands and get a pipe or two from him.

[IrishCamel81]

At $24 for 2008 Christmas Cheer, my local Tobacco Store will soon be a distant memory.