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Kinda seems fishy...

humboldtflyer

humboldtflyer

ALONE...
Joined
May 24, 2007
Messages
597
Location
Phoenix, AZ
OK... so I live in a pretty small town... My one and only local cigar shop in the area has a decent selection but sometimes I find it lacking... So i go in there last night to get a bottle of scotch and take a walkthrough of there humidor to see if there is anything I want this time... I look at the top shelp and there are three boxes. They say "Cuban cigars- $18.00 each" They are Romeo and Julieta, Partagas and Macanudo... Seems pretty suspect to me that they would have them out for all to see like that. I have no way of telling if they were authentic of not because I have little or no knowledge on the subject... I did give them a quick look over and they all had triple caps and the Cuban stamp/seal thingy on the box. Thats all I have ever knew to look for...

So I humbly ask the guy at the cash register about them... (I know its high hopes of him giving me an honest answer in the first place, but I figured I would listen to his story.)

He said they were geniune but he couldn't give me any info as to how they got ahold of them... He said that two months earlier someone blew the whistle on the store over it and the ATF came in and questioned them... He said that they didn't really care about the onesy twosey sales and that they were after the "bigger fish"... and thay they were willing to turn a blind-eye in this circumstance.

Seems pretty fishy to me... any opinions?
 
lol
fishy_front.gif
indeed...

Don't fall for that bull.
 
Still think hes full of it. No way in hell is that a slap on the wrist offense.
 
humboldtflyer said:
Any other thoughts? I need ammo in my arsenal when I go back to talk to them again...
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I'm not sure what good any ammo would be against a guy who's pulled such a steaming load of bullcrap out of his ass. Personally, I wouldn't waste my breath (on him, I mean).

Wilkey
 
Ginseng said:
humboldtflyer said:
Any other thoughts? I need ammo in my arsenal when I go back to talk to them again...
Click to expand...
I'm not sure what good any ammo would be against a guy who's pulled such a steaming load of bullcrap out of his ass. Personally, I wouldn't waste my breath (on him, I mean).

Wilkey
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x2. Nor would it be an establishment I would ever go to again. Mail order would definitely take precedent over a guy like that, without a moment of thought.
 
Hey how far away are you from Sacramento? I would love to come over and check out that shop/

- Jason
 
It is bullshit. The only policing of tobacco the ATF does is making sure that taxes are paid on tobacco products. That's from the mouth of a friend, who happens to be an ATF agent (of many years).
 
this whole situation seems quite fishy to me as well. i'm relatively certain that most reputable tobacconists would not risk their reputation and being shut down for the benefit of a few sales on "cuban" cigars. i would no longer patronize that establishment.
 
jkim05 said:
this whole situation seems quite fishy to me as well. i'm relatively certain that most reputable tobacconists would not risk their reputation and being shut down for the benefit of a few sales on "cuban" cigars. i would no longer patronize that establishment.
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+1


Think about it. Anyone willing to pay $18 for one stick knows what they are looking for. Why would he need a big sign that essentially says to the casual smoker "I have contraband. Make sure you tell someone who could cause me a bunch of trouble?"

If nothing else, he would keep Habanos behind the counter or something and only sell to his better, more trustworthy customers that are smart enough to know a good thing and not ruin it - like the way established members safeguard their sources.

Now, if that tobacconist is willing to defraud his customers, maybe he sells improperly stored cigars, or his Padron Anniversarios are fake as well. Run. Don't walk.
 
Consigliere said:
humboldtflyer said:
I think I'll buy one just to get a closer look and inspection... :rolleyes:
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If you're flush, buy two and send one to Wilkey for NASA grade analysis. :D
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You know... I was thinking about that but didn't really want to bother him... I'm sure he's a busy man already... I have been doing some research myself and suprisingly they seem pretty legit. I'm no expert by any means and without the real deal to compare it with I really have no concrete evidence one way or another...
 
humboldtflyer said:
Consigliere said:
humboldtflyer said:
I think I'll buy one just to get a closer look and inspection... :rolleyes:
Click to expand...


If you're flush, buy two and send one to Wilkey for NASA grade analysis. :D
Click to expand...
You know... I was thinking about that but didn't really want to bother him... I'm sure he's a busy man already... I have been doing some research myself and suprisingly they seem pretty legit. I'm no expert by any means and without the real deal to compare it with I really have no concrete evidence one way or another...
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He's busy but, Wilkey lives for tha sort of thing. He would love nothing more to expose people who profiteer off of deception. And, to help a brother out in the process.

Take a digital camera in there and ask the vendor to take some photos. See if he gets nervous or, does no agree to it. If he does, get close ups of the cap, foot, and all of the band. If the quality is good, he can tell you from that if it's fake.
 
No need to throw good money after bad (cigars) in picking one up for me. Judging from your location, these are likely to be Mexican-sourced fakes. These are not the better smoking fakes out there so I'm guessing you'll be able to confirm our suspicions after a few puffs.

A close examination of the box would also provide some insight but I doubt he'd let you take a half dozen macro shots of the box code and seals.

If you are inclined to pick up one for smoking, might I suggest the Partagas? I was recently given some counterfeit bands and they are indistinguishable from the real thing. I'd like to gather more Partagas bands for comparison.

Wilkey
 
Is there any chance you happen to have any of those particular cigars at home already that you know are legit?

Maybe you could check into what exact cigars those are at the shop and post here to let us know. Sometimes spotting fakes is as easy as the fact that the purported cigars don't actually exist. Who knows, just for the sake of outing the vendor and making a fool of him in his own shop I'd send you one of each (real deal) of the fakes he's peddling if I happen to have them.

And of course, there's still the fact that he's committing a crime regardless of whether or not they're real. Selling fake cuban cigars is just as illegal as selling the real deal.
 
Gonz said:
Is there any chance you happen to have any of those particular cigars at home already that you know are legit?

Maybe you could check into what exact cigars those are at the shop and post here to let us know. Sometimes spotting fakes is as easy as the fact that the purported cigars don't actually exist. Who knows, just for the sake of outing the vendor and making a fool of him in his own shop I'd send you one of each (real deal) of the fakes he's peddling if I happen to have them.

And of course, there's still the fact that he's committing a crime regardless of whether or not they're real. Selling fake cuban cigars is just as illegal as selling the real deal.
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More specifically, selling fake Cuban cigars runs you afoul of U.S. trademark laws. Selling real Cubans, well, we know who that's likely to trigger a letter from.

Andy, I'd suggest that if he's going to do comparisons, we make sure he has the right camera equipment and guidance to help him document the situation.

Wilkey
 
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