I was going through my normal process of looking at my favorites this morning on Cigarbid when I got to the San Christobal selection and found that the "minimum" bid for a box of Elegencias was $167.00! ...and it has four days still to go.

When did Cigarbid start establishing minimum bids? Better yet, why did Cigarbid start minimum bids? And, to what extent is Cigarbid setting minimum bids?

Enquiring minds (and customers) want to know.
Mario

Minimum bids are for losers.

We have to adhere to Ashton's pricing policies when listing these cigars.

Minimum Advertised Price: A common, if insane, anti-consumer price fixing agreement between suppliers and retailers that you'd think would be illegal in any other so-called capitalist context.

Or, put another way; an even more insane way for an auction house to offer you the opportunity to START your bidding at retail and then pay even more for the opportunity to snipe cigars from your brothers for well above what you could buy them at other retail outlets

Somebody just noticed this ?

.
Actually "Minimum Advertised Price Policy" is a common misspelling of "Hahaha, Thanks For The Laugh, I'm Now Going To Forget Your Brand Exists And Only Buy Other Brands, Goodbye Forever!".

Understandable typo though, because they're right next to each other on the keyboard! 🇨🇮

Besides, Ashton has near-zero flavor (in my opinion and several long-time cigar pals' opinions) and they charge outrageous prices, so I couldn't care less about this because I/we never bought them anyway. Most AJ Fernandez sticks are tremendously better for a small fraction of the price.
.

I sent them an email and they replied the cigar maker has FORBID them from selling there brands at any old price. They have a set amount in which they are permitted to offer them. I think she said certain Ashton made brands.

🇨🇮

Is this "news"? Did I trip and fall into a weak time warp that only managed to send me back like 28 months?

Remember when gurka used to sell the beauty in b&m's for like $15 and cbid would sell them for $1?

Given, those were 2 different cigars with the same band, but cigar manufacturers with too much class to pull that crap don't want to see their cigars going for less on auction than they are worth... That tends to incentivize buyers not to pay full price anywhere else, thus funneling business away from the cigar makers other buyers as well as decreasing over all sales...

Say you run a hardware store and you want to sell yeti coolers... There's a good chance whoever sells you the coolers you're going to sell is going to tell you that you cannot sell the yeti coolers for cheaper than he sells the yeti coolers... I.e., you cannot pass your bulk discount on to individual sales...

Not uncommon amongst high end items and doesn't quite meet the threshold for price fixing... If you wanna know about real price fixing, ask me about the decade I spent in the beef industry...

#6 Right as usual. I could tell someone I'll represent them in a murder case for ten million dollars. That doesn't mean someone would pay it. (OK, anyone?)

I have to disagree on the Ashtons a little bit, however. I've long enjoyed the Heritage Puro Sol beli, and the VSG Illusion and Eclipse. Other than those, I'm with you.

By unfortunate coincidence, $3 is all my mother allows me to spend on a cigar. Rock beats scissors, scissors beat paper, mom beats snooty cigar makers.