Expert: James Yee - 7/9/2010

Question
I want to purchase cuban cigars from puro express, are they a genuine company that sells cuban cigars, or are they fake cigars as they are very cheap

Answer
Hi Julian,

Please note that I do not endorse any Cuban cigar mailorder website and will not refer, list or discuss them.  Please use Google to search various cigar message boards and forums and you will find reviews and feedback on Puro Express.  As you will notice, many reviews for this website are bad and many customers state that their cigars are not authentic.  I have not personally ordered from them so I can't confirm whether or not they're genuine.

When ordering Cuban cigars via mailorder, just remember that "if a deal sounds too good to be true, it most likely is".  Here are a few tips to help you avoid buying fakes:

- Know the Cigar prices in Cuba (google "Martymix" for Cuban cigar prices) and if the online retailer is selling their cigars for less than what you would pay in Cuba, the cigars are fake.
- If a mailorder company claims to receive their cigars from a supplier in another country "to pass the savings on to you", be suspicious.
- Find out where the company is located and find the Habanos SA distributor for that country.  There is only ONE official Habanos distributor for each country/region so if a retailer says they use another distributor, don't buy from them.  A list of worldwide distributors can be found at Habanos SA's official website (www.habanos.com).  You can also contact the distributor for that country to check the authenticity of the website you want to order from.
- If a company claims to receive their cigars from a Habanos distributor in another country or region, don't buy from them.  Habanos SA distributors cannot work with merchants outside of their distribution region and will not ship to merchants in other countries.
- You should only buy from Habanos SA-approved retailers or online merchants.  If a company says they are not affliated with Habanos SA, don't buy from them as their cigars are questionable.
- Email the retailer you want to order from with your questions or concerns.  If they don't respond back or it takes a long time to receive a response, don't buy from them.  Slow, poor, angry or defensive customer service means you'll have a hard time getting your money back if the cigars are fake.  Save all your emails from them and send them to Habanos SA or the authorized distributor for that region.
- Avoid retailers based in Costa Rica unless they're an official Habanos SA-approved retailer.  There's far too many counterfeit cigars coming from South America.
- Email Habanos SA and double check the retailer's authenticity with them.  If the merchant is well known for selling fakes, Habanos SA will definitely know about them.
- Don't pay by money order or other payment methods that does not have buyer's protection.  This will help in case you need to get your money back.

Hope this helps!

Regards,
James