Do you buy locally or on-line?

[MickeyFinn]

Originally Posted by plexiprs

Not any real pipe stores locally, now that the Tinderbox folded. A few damn nice cigar stores, with just a smattering of pipe paraphernalia and then those damn "Smoke Shop" strip-mall abominations that cover perfumes, incense, and "collector only" glass pipes.

Thank you Al Gore, for gifting us with your glorious Information Superhighway!

We have a Smoke Shop like that in Seabrook NH that in the same building leads to a sex shop. I know that they have no tobacco or cobs in there for sure.
Dave

[AcworthAl]

Originally Posted by 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!!

Dr Grabow Pipes and Price Albert and Carter Hall ain't all that bad. I have two Dr Grabow Pipes both are great puffers. Check out Tobacco Reviews.com for the reviews of Price Albert and Carter Hall - it just may suprise you.

[guy g]

Ive bought from three B&Ms in town. Each has its own selection,varied in their own way.so I havnt needed to buy online. I will but some gars online and I only buy from one B&M. Go figure.

[SmokinJohnny]

Dr Grabs are good pipes. The low end of decent quality briar. My first pipe was a blister pack Dr Grab I got at Kmart around 1976 for 5 bucks. I always have a pouch of PA on hand. It's available practically everywhere such as convenience stores.The flavor is always there and it's a great on the go smoke. I like to roll a cig with PA on occasion too. It's great for that. Strong though but not harsh like a non filter Camel or Lucky Strike.

[Zeabed]

Originally Posted by MickeyFinn

We have a Smoke Shop like that in Seabrook NH that in the same building leads to a sex shop. I know that they have no tobacco or cobs in there for sure.
Dave

Cigars maybe.

[laney1566]

I'm blessed with several well stocked options here in Portland. But I have bought online as well. A pound af Penzance comes to mind!!

[SmokinJohnny]

Originally Posted by laney1566

I'm blessed with several well stocked options here in Portland. But I have bought online as well. A pound af Penzance comes to mind!!

I finally got a tin of Penzance a week ago. This is good shiet.

[Phil The Thrill]

My area, despite being a traditional tobacco growing one, has few actual tobacconists. The ones that do exist are expensive, due to high taxes on tobacco. I do go and buy cleaners from the local shops though, giving them a little business might help keep them afloat (though they mostly rely on cigars for that)

Originally Posted by smurph

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.

Oh boy, if I'm lucky enough to get posted to Edmonton when my paperwork processes and I finish my training, I know the first place I'm heading to!

Rev. Puffer is a great guy to deal with, and I've only heard good things about Frenchy.

[peps1]

I would say 90% on-line.

and up until 6months ago, a lot of that was on overseas trade with the US of A.

[atvjgjg]

I only buy Locally but I'm lucky habana premium cigar shoppe (pipesandcigars.com) is only 2 hours from me i just took a ride up there this weekend the store is amazing they have everything thats online and more and the lounge up stairs is really nice but there moving down the street from there location now i cant wait to see there new store

[MarkC]

I buy my Carter Hall locally, and pick up pipe cleaners locally (usually), but I figure six cobs are enough cobs for now, and there's nothing else available. I don't mind paying more for the Carter Hall than I would pay online; it's worth it for me to know that it's there if I run out and I won't have to wait a week for UPS to replenish my stock.

I'd LOVE to buy pipes in a B&M; I miss actually seeing what the things look like rather than just one angle view (the best angle, I assume) and I REALLY miss being able to get the feel of the pipe before I buy, but stuck here in Podunkville, that just isn't going to happen. I'm hoping for a trip to Portland maybe next summer to remind myself of what a real tobacco shop has to offer.

Obviously, I buy just about everything (other than my Carter Hall) online. It's not like I have a choice. On the other hand, the price is right, the selection is unbelievable, so I'm not complaining. The week between placing my order and getting my tobacco is ridiculously long, but the 'Christmas Morning' feel when the package finally arrives kind of makes up for it!

[Alpedhuez55]

I buy some at a local B&M, but the prices there are on the high side. I do not mind it for the occasional tin, but if I am stocking up on something, it would be online.

[Requiem]

Almost all things are cheaper in the internet than in a actual walk-in store. Internet dealers save on high store rentals and/or shopping mall's fees, employees, etc... I buy almost all my books and clothes online already and sometimes I even go to a walk-in store to see the actual product before ordering it from the net...

Makes me wonder what is going to happen to city's downtown comercial areas... if shopping malls were strike one, online selling is strike two...

[mannyCA]

online definitely has the greater selection especially when you live on the edge of the empire in the middle of nowhere. thank God for the internet.

[drastic_quench]

If I owned a brick and mortar store, I don't see how I could expect to do any worthwhile pipe and pipe tobacco sales without an internet presence. Cigars? Sure. But the audience for pipe smoking is much smaller than that, and you must be capable of reaching a ton of people to keep your sales up. This is why nearly every store that stocks pipe stuff, but is located in a city smaller than 100k, is entirely lackluster.

Now not just anyone can match the inventory of smokingpipes, but the principles of generating online "foot-traffic" by trickling out new pipes are sound. Frenchy does this on a smaller scale than smokingpipes. In my view, you wouldn't even have to cater to the high end Dunhill crowd. You could likely do good business with just Savinelli, Stanwell, and Peterson.