Best place to buy Illusiones 68?

[VirtualSmitty]

Originally Posted by bigloo

A couple of things:

1) Retailers should be allowed to gain business to survive. Selling the same $10 cigar in NY City and Middle-of-Nowhere Town is not fair.

Why not? For arguments sake, let's say i'm Pete Johnson. My Tatuaje cigars are the talk of the town right now and I want people to think of them as a super premium cigar along the likes of Davidoff. So to maintain that image I set price limitations for what retailers can charge. If they don't like it they don't have to buy it. I don't want people buying brown label tats for half price, if they want something cheaper I want them buying the white label tats. How is it fair if I allow a small shop to undercharge for my product when I have large volume accounts that play by the rules? Isn't that unfair to the people giving me the most business?

[bigloo]

Originally Posted by VirtualSmitty

Why not? For arguments sake, let's say i'm Pete Johnson. My Tatuaje cigars are the talk of the town right now and I want people to think of them as a super premium cigar along the likes of Davidoff. So to maintain that image I set price limitations for what retailers can charge. If they don't like it they don't have to buy it. I don't want people buying brown label tats for half price, if they want something cheaper I want them buying the white label tats. How is it fair if I allow a small shop to undercharge for my product when I have large volume accounts that play by the rules? Isn't that unfair to the people giving me the most business?

Smitty, I understand were you are coming from. I think the argument I have is the non-advertised price. You cannot sell the same level or luxury good in NYC as you can in other parts of the country. So it is one thing to have a MAP, but retailers should be allowed to sell at a level they can survive. Thats my main point.

[elderboy02]

Originally Posted by bigloo

Smitty, I understand were you are coming from. I think the argument I have is the non-advertised price. You cannot sell the same level or luxury good in NYC as you can in other parts of the country. So it is one thing to have a MAP, but retailers should be allowed to sell at a level they can survive. Thats my main point.

Exactly. I read in an interview somewhere where Pete Johnson said something like, If a retailer wants to sell his cigars to someone cheaper in the store, he didn't care as long as they advertised the high price online.

[GreekGodX]

Retailers should do what is in the best interest to them, and that is make their customer happy. Advertise the MSRP but if you decide you want to let some B/SOTL's buy at a lesser price that is fine IMO. The manufacturer gets his money up front, it is the B&M that has to deal with selling it to get profit. Why sell a cigar that isn't popular anymore at the same price when you know you could attract people by lowering the price. Basically the manufacturer is handcuffing the retailer unfairly.

[bigloo]

No finger pointing guys. I am sure no one here did anything out of spite, vengeance or anything else. If this falls into a finger pointing contest the real message of protect the great retailers falls through the cracks. Thats the only takeaway this thread should have, no scarlet letters.