I just got back from a local store and he told me he could not tell me when the next shipment of Opus would come in. Not that he knew and wouldn't tell it thatsthey don't know. When I asked him if thy ship he said everything but OPUS X. When I ask him why he said that authourized dealers could only sell in store. Not by phone or mail. Any one else heard of this? He did say he would call me when the next shipment comes in

He did recomeend the Padron 1964 Anniversayr series as an OPUS X replacement. I bought one at 11 bucks and it may just be an OPUS replacement. Heck of a lot cheaper to. I gotta get that OPUS first and compare

The fellow at the shop was following Fuente official policy. Fuente does not allow some of its "limited distribution" brands/blends to be sold via the internet or mailorder. That holds true for shops who purchase through official Fuente channels. You will find scalpers who, virtually, buy at retail themselves and sell these cigars at outrageous prices on the web. The reality is that if you develop a long term relationship with a shop that legitimately sells Opus at MSRP, they'll let you place an order over the phone and may ship them to you, provided you are a long standing regular customer. I assume Fuente maintains this policy to protect small brick and mortar merchants.

It's like being a member of a secret society... I've told people who are non-smokers about this and they're amazed! Many times, they won't even put them out! They're under the counter, and the only way you know they're there is "you're on the list". You're a friend of ours or a friend of mine... A made man. Then when they drop a dime to tell you the eagle has landed, you're limited to 2 per customer. And you'd better get there quick! It is truly a tribute to their marketing prowess.

ccbus - Your OPUS X quest is about to have a happy ending. Send me an email to

docrks at army dotcom

there is a store not too far from me (charlotte, nc area) that has opus fairly regularly. straight msrp, limit 2. ive smoked a handful of them and have to say im underwhelmed. if im smoking fuente id rather have a sungrown in the regular line. ymmv

Or a hemmingway masterpiece, or an on-yeah-hole, or, or, or,.... But I like the Opus too :o)

Way to go docrks!

Like most all smokes, Opus needs their humi time too. I'm never satisfied with a smoke right off the shelf. IMHO, cigars just need some humi time (min 3months) to begin to open up. Not to say I didn't enjoy them, it's just you'll enjoy them that much more the more age they acquire. I've ordered Opus mail order at Fuente suggested retail. They do it if they have them.

I smoked an Opus #4 I got from E-chick and it was a full-bodied masterpiece. Very enjoyable and it definitely had some age on it.

I agree with Robby. It's good to be part of a select group that gets access to the under/behind the counter stash. It's even better when there's a limit of 2 per person per day and they let you buy how ever many you want. Trouble is I've shuffled the Opus Humi so many times I lost track of the dates and some are over 2 years old. Like jd1 says they are better with age.

Barry

(way to go docrks)

Barry

ccbus (Going Twice)

Your Opus X is waiting !!

Need your snailer so I can send it out - drop me a line to docrks at army dotcom.

cccbus,

docrks is a good man.

I'd take him up on the offer!

...octo

Nice gesture docrks!!

Take him up on the offer ccbus!!

Strike three is coming shortly!! 😉

Funny how Fuente has a policy about in-store sales but does nothing regarding price gouging above MSRP.

EricWeiner --- the Fuente's DO have a very strict policy on the price goughing of their lines of cigars ... and it is not taken lightly when they are made aware of it. But, as you can imagine, it can sometimes be difficult to enforce.

Any retailer that participates in these practices, can lose their authorization to sell the Fuente lines.

All one has to do ... is report it to the local sales rep, and the problem will be taken care of in a very timely manner.

Slim,

What is considered an excessive mark-up??

How would one know what they are supposed to pay??

Low

I've paid $8 for 858 SG, $13 for Anejo #77 Shark, $14 for Untold story... is this excessive??

I've brought pricing gouging to the attention of the Fuentes in an email. They responded to the email stating they will look into it and for me to give them the name/address. It's two months later, and the pricing on that shops Fuente line is still $2-3/stick higher than their competitor that is closer to me. This particular shop is an authorized Fuente dealer because Fuente said so, yet I've see no changes in pricing. I don't go there any more unless I'm looking for something I'm willing to pay that price for. Short Stories for $6.50 is excessive. $14 for a Don Carlos #2 is excessive. Opus pricing at that store is the same type of markup. The only difference is that they will allow you to buy 2 sticks of every size on the counter. I'll believe Fuente pricing policy enforcement when I see it. This shop is a big Fuente mover too in that they always have more selection than anyone.

jd1 --- I don't know, but I don't consider $2-3/stick above MSRP as gouging ... and the shops are allowed a certain 'margin' of mark-up due to supply and demand.

Heck ... where do you live?

Out here in in the Republic of Kalifornia, I've paid around $7.35 and higher for a Short Story, mainly because of our 67% tobacco taxes. So, MSRP is pretty much in line ... before taxes.

There was also a shop out here that had them for $18.95 each ... and are now no longer an authorized Fuente dealer ( ... hehehe!), so I guess it depends on how big a 'gouge' they are going after.

Lowman --- I posted the Fuente and the OpusX MSRP link here about a half doezen times over the years ... but due to hard drive probelms, I had to reformat and I lost it.

... I'll see if I can find it in a search ...

Where do you live? I saw the 858SG's when I was in San Diego at Seaport Village (fancy-schmancy tourist trap) and they were selling for $6.95 each!

Slim,

I live in Jersey. The high taxes probably account for the higher prices. There aren't too many places in the area that carry an extensive selection of the "hard to find" Fuentes (SG, Opus). I don't mind paying a little more if is a cigar I am looking to smoke.

The Opus X range from $14 - $20 depending on which one. (ex. Dbl Cor - $19, X #2 - $17, etc.)

Low

You're right again Slim..I guess it depends on what Fuente considers gouging.

My wallet follows the better deal down the road at the shop that provides better pricing. Sure is tempting though to visit the "gougers" that usually have the Fuentes when the others are out.

There is no joy in Mudville....

cccbus has struck out !!!! 3 attempts to give away Opus X, sorry....

Irish Grad - rcvd your message - send your snailer - I will gladly change the fact that you have never tried an Opus X - welcome to the adventure !!!! docrks