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March 09, 2010   08:10 PM  EST Customer Service Hours M-F 9am-5pm EST

ABOUT CIGARBID.COM Welcome to CigarBid.com, the CIGAR AUCTION WAREHOUSE! CigarBid.com is a fun and convenient way to purchase fine cigars at great prices. Every day, we provide ongoing, live auctions on a variety of products, including cigars, merchandise, 5-packs, samplers, humidors and more. All these products are available for you to bid on 24 hours per day. The beauty of CigarBid is that you determine what price to pay! You'll find some great premium cigar deals here, so bookmark this site and check with us first before buying anywhere else. However, just like any auction, other shoppers are placing bids on items, too. This keeps the auction fast-paced and exciting. So, be sure to take advantage of the great deals by bidding early and often. You'll be surprised how much you can save! Bidding is easy and fun. Here's some more information to get you started or answer other questions you may have.

Help Topic Description Click on the help topic for more information. How to Sign Up How to set up your account Categories and Lots Quick explanation of auction layout How to Bid How to place bids on lots Optional Bidding Features Optional tools to enhance your bidding Shipping Policy How product shipments are handled HAZMAT Restrictions on HAZMAT shipping The Fine Print Legal mumbo-jumbo Privacy Policy Protecting your privacy Commonly Asked Questions (FAQ) Best place to answer those easy questions Browser Configuration Check your browser properties Lost Your Password? Have your password emailed to you Suggestions? Tell us how to make things better for you Customer Service Send a request to customer service Contact Us Ways to get in touch with us

How to Sign Up

Before you can make bids and benefit from the savings at CigarBid.com, we need you to register with us. The advantages of registration include: You only provide your name, address and credit card information once during registration, instead of every time you bid. This enables faster entry into the auction since you only have to input your bidding Username and Password. NOTE: Registration is FREE - there is no charge to your credit card for setting up an account. Bidding is also FREE - there is no charge to place a bid on any item. Your credit card will only be charged in the event you are the winning bidder. At CigarBid.com, we are concerned about the safety of the information you provide to us. If you have any questions, please contact us at any time. For information about our secure server, contact security@cigarbid.com

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Categories and Lots

A "Lot" is an item up for auction. For example, "H. Upmann Robusto." The lot page contains all of the item information about a given lot, including open and close prices, quantity, initial bid, minimum bid increment, description, and any images or photos of the item. It also contains the current bidding information, including the minimum bid necessary to win at least one quantity of the lot and the current list of winning bidders. At the bottom of the page is the form to submit your own bid for the lot. All lots are categorized. The "Category" page contains a list of all lots in that category, including lots that are currently open, lots that will be opening soon, and lots which have just closed. For example, under "BOXES," you’ll find lots including cigars sold by the box and by the bundle, whereas you’ll find humidors, lighters and cutters under "MERCHANDISE." Note that each quantity bid on for lots in the "5-PACKS" category contain 5 cigars. Therefore, winning a quantity of 1 in this category indicates that you will receive 5 cigars, a quantity of 2 indicates 10 cigars, and so on. Images displayed for each lot are indicative of the product at auction. Size, shape, color, and quantity may differ. Be sure to read each product description carefully.

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How To Bid

Auction Format All CigarBid.com Auctions use the "Yankee Auction" format. In a Yankee Auction, one or more identical items are offered for sale at the same time. When the auction closes, the highest bidders win the merchandise at their bid price. Registration In order to maximize your enjoyment of CigarBid.com and your chance of winning, here's a quick overview of how bidding works. You'll have an opportunity to register when you place your first bid, but we recommend registering now. For an explanation of our simple and free registration, see How to Sign Up If you want to register now, go to the Sign Up page How to Bid Choose the item that interests you and click on it for more details and pictures Enter your bidding Username and Password when you are ready to bid Place your bid by entering the amount of your bid (the amount you are willing to pay for the product) in the appropriate field . The default value in the text field will be the minimum bid necessary to win at least one quantity of the lot. The system will not permit you to submit a losing bid. If necessary, enter the quantity you would like to bid on. The field will not appear if there is only a single quantity in the lot, or if each bidder is limited to winning a single unit. Please note that your total bid is your bid price times the quantity you requested. Submit bid. Be sure to check back often to see if you have been outbid. When you are outbid by someone else, you can raise your bid and continue as often as you like. There is no charge to place a bid. Winners are notified by email when each auction closes. You may also select the optional Auto-Bid feature to instruct the system to update your bids automatically to increase your chances of winning (see Optional Bidding Features below). If you have already bid on a lot and would like to update your bid, i.e., change the bid price or quantity, you may do so by adhering to the conditions in Optional Bidding Features below. Rules for Winning Bid Determination An auto-bidder with a higher maximum bid takes top priority over other bidders at the same bid price. An earlier bid will beat a later bid of the same price only if Rule 1 does not apply. Users have the option to edit their bids to increase the price or change the quantity (see rules for editing bids below.) If a user's bid is updated during the 15 minute "grace period" or automatically increased using the Auto-Bid feature, the bid is still considered to be from the date/time of the original bid. Thus, that bidder will still beat a later bid of the same price. In other words, updating a winning bid does not affect its status as an earlier bid. Each lot has a designated closing date/time. However, all lots have an inactivity period of 5 minutes which will keep that lot open past the designated closing time as long as there is still active bidding. If a bid is submitted during this time, the period is extended. For example, the auction will remain open until 4 minutes and 59 seconds after the previous bid, even if past the closing time. Per "Yankee Auction" guidelines, winning bidders are charged the amount of their final winning bid multiplied by the number of units won plus shipping charges (see Shipping Savings Program for more detail.) Good Luck!

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Optional Bidding Features

Auto-Bid By selecting the Auto-Bid feature, your bid is automatically updated to increase your chances of winning the item. Each time you are outbid by another user, Auto-Bid submits an increased bid automatically up to a maximum amount determined by you. To use this feature, enter the maximum bid you are willing to make on this lot. The maximum bid must be at least one bid increment greater than your initial bid. When each new bid is submitted, the system will ensure you still have a winning bid. If you do not, it will raise your bid to maintain your winning status. Please note that if auto-bid is activated, the bid will be raised for your entire bid quantity. However, once you have reached your maximum bid, you may win a partial quantity. You will not lose the lot until your entire quantity selected has been outbid. Quick Buy Quick Buy allows you to purchase an item at a discounted price, eliminating the bidding process. Quick Buy may not be available for the duration of the lot. All Quick Buy purchases are final and cannot be edited. A Quick Buy can be used to outbid another user, reducing the quantity available. Quick Buy purchases are shipped according to your selected shipping preferences. Quick Buy purchases are not shipped immediately. All Quick buy purchases are sent after the auction closes. If you have your CigarBid winnings sent Daily, all Quick Buy purchases are shipped within 2 business days after the auction closes. If you have your CigarBid winnings sent WEEKLY, all Quick Buy purchases are shipped within 2 business days from the last lot closing on Wednesday. Editing Bids A bid can be decremented within 15 minutes of your original bid, only if it does not affect the bids of other users and another bid has not been submitted to this lot. This grace period does not apply during the last hour of an auction. Bid modifications can be made to current bid, quantity, and auto-bid. Bid price, bid quantity and maximum bid can be increased at any time. Bids cannot be deleted. See Order Cancellation Policy below for further details. A Quick Buy cannot be edited or deleted. Bid Comment Comments are intended for entertainment purposes only, and do not affect the actual processing of your order. Please use common sense when adding a comment, and refrain from the use of profanity, advertising, or references to other individuals, companies, or websites. Any comment deemed unsuitable by the CigarBid staff may be removed.

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Shipping Policy

Shipping Savings Program Each product contains a unique shipping charge, which is listed in the description of each lot. However, our Shipping Savings Program allows you greater savings when you win more than one item. Shipping Cost of Additional Units Instead of paying individual shipping charges for each product, multiple items shipped to the same address won during the same shipping period (either DAILY or WEEKLY), only the greater of the shipping charges apply, plus $1 for each additional item ($0.50 for each additional item in 5-PACKS category; $0.25 for each additional item in the SINGLES category.) Some exceptions apply, as in the case of items shipped from 3rd party vendors, oversized, and non-standard packages. Any such exceptions will be indicated in the product and shipping description. Daily vs. Once-per-week Shipping You now have the option through your account profile to select Daily or Weekly (once-per-week) shipping of your winning bids. Then, bidders who win multiple items during the same period will receive REDUCED shipping charges. All such savings will be reflected on your Consolidated Order Summary Invoice. By selecting DAILY as your shipping preference, all winning bids are shipped within 2 business days. For example, all lots closing on Monday usually ship on Tuesday. All lots closing on Friday through Sunday usually ship on Monday. By selecting WEEKLY as your shipping preference, for lots closing the previous Thursday through Wednesday, all winning bids are shipped within 2 business days from the last lot closing on Wednesday. Sorry, we cannot hold packages won on different invoices to be shipped together. Changing your shipping preference does not take effect until shipments have been completed the Thursday following your change. For example, if your current preference is DAILY and you change it to WEEKLY on Friday, you will be shipped DAILY through the following Thursday. Orders usually ship within 1-2 business-days from the receipt of your Order Summary Invoice and you can expect arrival within 2 to 8 business days, depending on your location. Shipping times are not guaranteed. E-mail Confirmations Shipping charges are re-calculated on each invoice to factor in these savings. Therefore, the automatic winning bid confirmations you receive via email after a lot closes will not reflect shipping charges. You should refer to the Consolidated Order Summary Invoice for actual charges. Shipping Method Standard shipping is UPS-Ground or USPS-Priority. If you select a Post Office Box or Rural Route Box as your shipping address, insurance fees may be added and your shipment will be delivered by the US Postal Service. In general for all shipments, insurance fees may be added for products valued over $50, and signature fees may be added for items valued over $100. Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, and FPO/APO charges may be higher. Foreign Shipments CigarBid does not ship outside of the United States. We will continue to service existing customers. However, additional shipping and insurance charges may be incurred. Also, CigarBid is not responsible for any additional duties or charges placed by customs.

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HAZMAT Shipping Restrictions

What is HAZMAT? HAZMAT is an abbreviation for `hazardous material'. Lighters and butane are good examples of HAZMATs that are frequently sold at CigarBid.com. The FAA restricts and regulates HAZMAT shipments. If your shipping address conflicts with FAA regulations, you may see one of the following errors: Restricted delivery areas: Due to FAA regulations, HAZMATs are prohibited to some shipping addresses. Lighters must be shipped via ground parcel services and therefore cannot be shipped to Alaska, Hawaii, FPO, APO, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, and Guam. Parcel shipments usually take 1 - 2 weeks to arrive. Shipments to a PO BOX: Due to FAA regulations, lighters must be shipped via ground parcel services. Deliveries to a PO BOX address requires shipment through the US Postal Service (eg. PO Box) utilizing Priority Mail and First Class methods, which are prohibited. Therefore, a physical shipping address must be used. Click here to update your account Click here to contact customer service

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The Fine Print

CigarBid.com is designed to provide a fair and objective auction for all participants. To maintain fairness, we stand by these auction practices and adhere strictly to the following terms and conditions. Fraud Auction Cancellation Policy Order Cancellation Policy Lot Descriptions and Images Bid Reinstatement Returns Policy Exchange Policy Credit Card Declined Privacy Policy Bid Cancellation Policy Auction Changes System Availability Payment and Sales Tax About CigarBid Products Customer Service Account Cancellation Policy 1) Fraud It is a violation of the law to make bids under a false name or with an invalid credit card. We strongly advise you not to test the auction with false bids, as it will put you at substantial personal legal risk. Fraudulent bidders will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Please be aware that even if you do not give us your real name, your Web browser transmits a unique address to us, which can be used by law enforcement officials to identify you. Both the FBI and the US Secret Service are responsible for investigating all Internet fraud cases. Users attempting to "cheat" the bidding system by altering or tampering with the course of normal bidding, or by editing bids for the purpose of altering bids or prices in a manner in which it was not intended, may have their bids canceled and their account immediately suspended at the sole discretion of CigarBid. 2) Auction Cancellation Policy CigarBid.com reserves the right to cancel an auction or issue a Return Merchandise Authorization for merchandise that is posted in error, does not confirm to specifications or was shipped in error. 3) Bid Cancellation Policy All bids are final. Only CigarBid reserves the right to cancel bids. However, a bidder may modify his/her own bid during a 15 minute grace period after the bid has been placed. Please note that this grace period is suspended during the last hour of an auction. See Optional Bidding Features for more details. 4) Order Cancellation Policy All orders are final. If you must cancel an order prior to shipment, the order is handled as a return and you will be assessed a 15% re-stocking fee. Excessive cancellation may result in the revocation of bidding privileges. 5) Auction Changes CigarBid.com reserves the right to change posted quantities, remove from sale or re-offer items that were previously withdrawn. We also reserve the right to close auctions early or to extend auctions at any time and at our discretion. Posted closing times and displays of CigarBid's current time are approximate and based on eastern standard time. 6) Lot Descriptions and Images CigarBid.com makes every effort to ensure that product descriptions and images are accurate. However, CigarBid.com is not responsible for typographic or image display errors. Images displayed for each lot are indicative of the product at auction. Size, shape, color, and quantity may differ. 7) System Availability CigarBid.com makes every effort to maintain 100% system availability, except during scheduled maintenance periods, which are posted on the site. Should we experience technical difficulties, we are not responsible for bids that are not processed or accepted. 8) Bid Reinstatement We keep track of all unsuccessful bids. If a problem occurs with a winning bid in an open auction, CigarBid.com may reinstate your currently unsuccessful bid to winning status at your last bid price. 9) Payment and Sales Tax All successful bids are payable on demand in US dollars on a VISA, MasterCard, American Express or Discover credit card. Pennsylvania residents add 6% sales tax - Remittance of any taxes on orders shipped outside of Pennsylvania is the responsibility of the purchaser. Although many of the items sold on the CigarBid.com site are billed by and/or shipped by CigarBid, there are occasions when items are billed and shipped by independent, third parties. CigarBid.com will ensure that all personal and order information that is sent to the third party in order to fulfill the order is fully encrypted, secure, and used for the sole purpose of executing your order. 10) Returns Policy Where applicable, every product we sell is backed by a returns policy. If you have questions about particular products, please contact customerservice@cigarbid.com before bidding on merchandise. Most, but not all, products are covered by the following returns policy. Within 10 days of shipment, CigarBid.com offers return privileges and refunds for shortages, missing, damaged or defective items only. All other sales are final. Should a return be necessary, please note the following: You must have an assigned Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) number before the merchandise can be returned. No unauthorized returns will be accepted. All returns must be in original condition, complete with any accessories and in original unopened packaging. CigarBid.com will refund your credit card after the product has been received, inspected and tested. If the product is not found to be defective upon inspection, we will charge a 15% restocking fee, plus shipping costs. CigarBid.com may elect, at its discretion, to replace defective merchandise in lieu of a refund. CigarBid.com cannot supply return freight instructions for merchandise shipped to a foreign APO/FPO address. While we will issue an RMA number, all return freight charges are the responsibility of the buyer. 11) About CigarBid Products All cigars auctioned on CigarBid are brand new and in perfect condition, fresh from the manufacturer. All cigar products are stored in a controlled environment under optimum humidity and temperature conditions until shipped. We recommend storing and protecting your cigar purchases in a humidified environment upon receipt of products. CigarBid cannot be held responsible for cigars that are not treated properly by winning bidders. Please contact CigarBid.com if you have any questions about the proper care of fine cigars. All merchandise and non-cigar products are new, unless otherwise stated. If you have questions, please check with CigarBid.com prior to placing a bid. CigarBid.com disclaims all other warranties or conditions, whether express or implied, including, without limitation, implied warranties or conditions of merchantability, or fitness for a particular purpose. 12) Exchange Policy All items are offered on a limited time basis, as long as supplies last. CigarBid.com cannot guarantee continued availability, nor be responsible for a replacement item if an item is unexpectedly out of stock, defective or is missing parts. The dynamic nature of the auction makes it impossible for us to replace or exchange merchandise that is out of stock, defective or missing parts. We do not reserve inventory for replacement or exchanges. However, we may offer such items again in the future as supplies permit. 13) Customer Service CigarBid.com offers a complete range of customer services for customers. Should you have any questions - from placing your first bid, to tracking a package, to resolving a quality problem - contact Customer Service at customerservice@cigarbid.com We commit to respond to your request in a prompt manner (often within one business day). If we have committed an error, we're determined to fix it! 14) Credit Card Declined / Bad Credit If your credit card is declined, CigarBid will notify you by phone or email within 48 hours of your order. As a courtesy orders may be held up to one week, however there may be times when a declined order is immediately canceled and given to the next bidder. A $20 cancellation fee will be imposed if your credit card is not resolved in one week's time. You may contact CigarBid customer service to resolve your problem by: calling cusomer service at 1-800-830-4590 during normal business hours filling out a customer service request form (see customer service) contact customer service by email at: customerservice@cigarbid.com simply reply to the "declined credit card notice" email If your order is cancelled as the result of a credit card decline you will be assessed a $20 cancellation fee. Please note, cancelled orders cannot be reinstated. Multiple and/or periodic occurrences of this situation may result in account termination at CigarBid. 15) Account Cancellation Policy Use of CigarBid is not a commitment to sell. We ask all users to act in accordance with CigarBid procedures, including forum guidelines and bidding procedures. CigarBid reserves the right to cancel or suspend user accounts.

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Commonly Asked Questions

My order shows that one of my winning lots is on backorder. How does that happen and where do we go from here? Our backorder rate is less than 1% of all of the items posted over the last 12 months. While we continuously strive to make that number 0%, there are a few reasons why a backorder may occur. Almost always it is due to an inventory discrepancy resulting from damage, a receiving mis-count, a supplier mis-shipment, or other changes in inventory that occur beyond our control between the opening and closing of a given lot. How do I set my account to use Autobid? Autobid can be used on a lot by lot basis. When you place a bid, your bid will automatically be populated with the minimum amount currently needed to win. Entering a “Maximum Bid” will initiate Autobid. How it works: Each time you are overbid, Autobid increase your bid by the established bid increment for that lot, until you reach your maximum bid. If someone else is using Autobid, you can quickly arrive at your maximum or an amount in between. Bids are won based on two criteria – dollar amount and time. Example – If two people use Autobid and both are using the same maximum bid, the person who placed their bid first will win that item. Why didn’t my lighter arrive with the rest of my order? FAA regulation mandate that items categorized as hazardous materials (HAZMAT) must be shipped using ground services. We utilize the US Postal Service's Parcel Post delivery option to guarantee ground delivery of all HAZMAT items. We ship lighters, butane and any other material deemed HAZMAT separately…and don’t worry there’s no additional shipping costs to you. Can I combine my invoices to save on shipping costs? CigarBid is highly automated and winnings are processed "daily" or "weekly" depending on your account preference. Then, lots are combined automatically to produce a single order and assigned a confirmation number for that set of lots. If you are a "daily" shipper and wish to combine lots from multiple days, you can do so by selecting "weekly" shipping and your orders will be processed once per week (on Thursday mornings). If you are a weekly shipper, we unfortunately cannot combine lots spanning multiple weeks. How do I change my shipping preference? From the home page, log in to your account. Select “Account Information”. Preferences are located at the bottom of the section labeled “Shipping Information”. Make your selection and click “Update Information” at the bottom of the page. Note: Shipping Preference updates are made once per week, immediatley following the processing of "Weekly" orders, which usually occurs on Thursday mornings How do I know if I won? We will send you an E-mail Confirmation of your winning bid, the item description, and quantity. Also, you will receive an End of Day Order Summary at midnight detailing the total charges to your credit card. This is done to factor in shipping savings for you in cases where you may have won multiple items on any given day (more on Shipping Savings Program). If I win more than 1 item, can you send them together so I can save on shipping charges? In most cases, yes. For your convenience, an "Order Summary" invoice containing your entire order activity will be automatically emailed to you either daily or weekly (depending the option you selected), and will include information on all the bids you may have won during that period. This summary will help you save on shipping charges by combining items won during the period and will reflect the charges applied to your credit card (more on Shipping Savings Program). Why did the auction close later than the stated closing time? All CigarBid auctions close at the posted time if there has been no bidding activity in the last five minutes. If there is bidding activity, the auction will remain open until five minutes have passed without a bid. Therefore, auctions may remain open after the posted closing time. The bidding can be very fast-paced during this period. What are my shipping options? Standard shipping is UPS-Ground or USPS priority. Insurance fees may be added for products valued over $50, and signature fees may be added for items valued over $100. Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, and FPO/APO charges may be higher. All orders will ship within 24 hours of closing and you can expect arrival within 2 to 8 business days, depending on your location. Do you ship internationally? We currently ship to the US and APO addresses only. We do not handle international shipping at this time.

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Browser Configuration

Is your browser setup to accept cookies? To fully utilize this site, it is necessary for your browser to accept the use of cookies (especially per-session cookies). To test whether per-session cookies are enabled on your browser, simply click the link below. This will check your browser's cookie configuration for use with CigarBid.com.   Test Your Browser's "Cookie" Settings   To enable cookies in Internet Explorer Internet Explorer 6: Click Tools -- Internet Options, switch to the "Privacy" tab, click the "Advanced" button. Check "Override automatic cookie handling". Set "First-party Cookies" to "Accept" and check "Always allow session cookies". Internet Explorer 5: Click Tools -- Internet Options, switch to the "Security" tab, highlight "Internet" (picture of a globe) and select "Custom Level...". Scroll down to Cookies, under "Allow cookies that are stored on your computer" make sure "Enable" is checked, and under "Allow per-session cookies (not stored)" make sure "Enable" is checked. Internet Explorer 4: Click View -- Internet Options, and switch to the "Advanced" tab. Scroll down to Cookies, make sure "Always accept cookies" is checked. To enable cookies in Netscape Netscape 4 and up: Click Edit -- Preferences, highlight "Advanced". Under Cookies, make sure "Accept all cookies" is checked. Are you viewing the latest version of the site? In some cases, your ISP/server will hold old versions of the site or pages within it in order to help speed download time. To make sure you are always viewing the latest version, you should check that your browser is set properly and is not loading old pages. For Internet Explorer users: Version 5 (and above) Select Tools -- Internet options -- General, Temporary Internet files -- Settings. Select "every visit to the page" where it says, "check for newer versions of stored pages". Version 4 (and below) Select View -- Internet options -- General, Temporary Internet files -- Settings. Select "every visit to the page" where it says, "check for newer versions of stored pages". For Netscape users, select Edit -- Preferences -- Advanced then make sure you can accept cookies then double click on Advanced -- Cache, ensure it says "Every time" in the section "Document in Cache is compared to document on Network".

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Customer Service Request

Customers who have created an account, click here to log into your account and fill out a customer service request form. New visitors that have not yet created an account, send an email to customerservice@cigarbid.com.

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