Onlinehumidor.com

This article popped up recently:

[url=http://www.cigarjournal.co/index.php/us/component/content/article/2481-padronhelpstopcounterfeitcigars]http://www.cigarjournal.co/index.php/us/component/content/article/2481-padronhelpstopcounterfeitcigars[/url]

And now there are no Padrons available at the online auction sites.  Coincidence?  Everything I've received from the nicer, smaller auction site (cigarauctioneer) has appeared to be tip-top.

They did this years ago, in fact a large bust in NYC caused Padron to begin putting serial #'s on their sticks....  but these u posted are funny. Terrible 'imitation', not even close.    :lookatme:

Well, a little more info:

The reason that Padron cigars are no longer available at the online cigar auctions is because the company has imposed a "Minimum Advertised Price" (MAP) which is a technically legal, vertically imposed price-fixing scheme.

What is interesting is Fuente did the same thing about a year ago when those fake Opus Maduro and Don Carlos Anniversarios popped up.  Ostensibly, the MAP scheme is supposed to keep B&M shops competitive by ensuring that no one can get a good deal on Padron cigars from any primary vendor.  In reality, what this does is get the consumer used to paying MSRP for this brand.  It will undoubtedly hurt online vendor sales and, if a couple other influential manufacturers (such as Tatuaje, Illusione, and My Father) follow this paradigm, it could serve to cripple the online cigar auction sites.

I'm actually amazed that Padron and Fuente would do something like this in the face of possible wide-spread availability of Cuban cigars coming soon.  Rather than seeking a competitive edge price-wise (which these 2 manufacturers could certainly afford given decades of $ucce$$), they seem to be focused on making as much money as possible and pricing themselves off of many smokers' radars.

I, for one, would buy palettes of Havana PCs and Robustos before paying MSRP for one box of Padron.  The MAP scheme has already brought my Fuente purchases to near zero (I have made a few buys here).

Very well said. Agree

Good that is more for the rest of us then!  ;)