Expert: James Yee - 8/17/2007

Question
QUESTION: James have you head of or know anything about this site. It looks real but one never knows, right
www.cigarone.com

ANSWER: Hi Jim,

I haven't ordered from that website before but I know a few people that have and they say that the company is genuine.  The company is located in Switzerland and claims to be supplied by Intertabak AG which is the Swiss distributor for Habanos SA.  

Just one thing, the company prefers to ship cigars without the original Cuban cigar box and bands but I think they'll ship the cigar bands separately to you and you can reapply them to the cigars.  (The cigars will be shipped in a plain box or possibly a non-Cuban cigar box.)  The flat rate shipping cost is pretty high.  I think it's about a $45 flat rate for 4 boxes so it doesn't matter if you order 1 box or 4, you'll still have to pay $45 for s&h.  According to the company, they ship by private courier and guarantee you'll receive your order.  They'll also take care of everything and send replacements if anything happens to your order while in transit.

Hope this answers your question. If you have any more questions, just ask.

Regards,
James

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I dont not like the sounds of that. What happens if they damage the wrapper when removing the label? They could crack it and not even know it until i start smoking it. I guess I can understand there reasons but its not their issue if the box gets stopped by customes is it? And if i'm buying a box of cigars I want the box.
jim

Answer
Hi Jim,

Cuban cigar mail-order companies normally remove the bands and box so that American buyers are guaranteed to receive the cigars through the mail.  This is done to protect the buyer as well as the companies themselves.  If the company shipped cigars with the original box and cigar bands, there’s a very good chance that the cigars will be confiscated (or purposely damaged) by Customs.  If this happened a lot, a reputable retailer could lose a lot of money and go out of business pretty quickly (especially if they offer to send you replacements at no additional charge each time your order is confiscated).  If the cigars have no Cuban markings whatsoever, Customs cannot confiscate the cigars.  They may suspect the cigars are illegal but they can’t do anything about it because there’s no proof that the cigars are Cuban.

Shipping cigars without the box or cigar bands is just the company’s way of making sure you receive your order on the first try without too many problems or hassles.

Yes, it’s also possible that the cigars can be damaged while the company is removing the bands.  There’s always a risk like this when ordering Cuban cigars online but most reputable companies are very careful about this and good enough to honour a replacement if your order is damaged either by them or while in transit.

Again, if you would like to keep the original box and have the cigars left intact and untouched, the best method is to buy Cuban cigars in person when visiting Cuba or another country such as Canada.  Buying in person would definitely give you more buyer protection and control over the quality of your cigars and how you receive them.

Hopes this answers your question.

Regards,
James