Cuban Fakes: They're getting better!!

[Simon Bolivar]

OK, am I the only one to think the cigars themselves look crap & not Cohiba standard or dehydrated but again, another good reason not to buy them. If you can't afford to buy a whole box of genuine Cohibas (& who can? I am in the oil business & I have never brought a whole box of Cohibas, probably the only brand that I smoke on a regular basis that I haven't brought a box of), buy half a dozen sticks instead. Or even one. One genuine articule has to be better than a box of fakes, that probalby won't draw well & are filled with crap.

[butternutsquashpie]

Thanks Tips and Ry

Thanks Tippexx that's what I mean.
Fake Cohiba Robustos in Cuba can be had for $30
real ones are about $300
The question I would ask myself is if I was going to sell them on craigslist to people 'who don't know any better', why would I make $50 profit when I could make $320.
Especially when everybody else is doing it. Why should I be the one to sell a real box?

i guess it's the same reason that people sell esplendidos for $100-400. beacuse most people who buy them actually think they're real cigars! whether they're buying in Cuba off the lifeguard or canada off some bloke behind a monitor. (well, fiiiiine, maybe not most. but some.) i sometimes thank some god that they don't charge too much because as the price becomes more realistic, people buying with limited knowledge of CCs will think it's a more legit idea. a quick google tells them esplendidos are $1000 and $400 seems much more realistic than $50. i mean that's at least what i think their logic is.

back in the days when i used to go on craigslist and inform people of their fake cigars (not anymore.. it's a lost cause that people just get angry at me for), i saw fake boxes go for $500 or so. and i really felt sorry for those who bought them...... that was just a fool's errand that yielded nothing but misery for me

[Moon Dancer]

Hehehe
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Ja,ja,ja

[MarkLondon]

Hehehe
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[Moon Dancer]

Had boxes with labels all over the place...
I don't understand your reference to labels breaking, whether they are Minsap, Duty or otherwise..
In almost 40 years I've never opened any type of cab or dress box without at least cutting the seals with a pen-knife or thumbnail or something...
How labels "break" has never been on my list of things to check.....
Old story yet again...if your dumb enough to buy from the classifieds, you probably won't get what your paying for....

Couldn’t agree more with Puff Scotty
Ask to see proof of original purchase or duty paid invoice! Helps to concentrate their minds

I’ve always brought my cigars from a guy whose uncle works in the glass lid section of that well known factory famous for individually made cigars

[Ryan]

It means selling a legit Cuban bought $300 box at 10% profit on CraigsList will pay for your in-flight drinks.

Selling a $30 street Johnny job for $330 will pay for the flight.

Thanks Tippexx that's what I mean.
Fake Cohiba Robustos in Cuba can be had for $30
real ones are about $300
The question I would ask myself is if I was going to sell them on craigslist to people 'who don't know any better', why would I make $50 profit when I could make $320.
Especially when everybody else is doing it. Why should I be the one to sell a real box?

[tippexx]

not sure what you mean ryan,

It means selling a legit Cuban bought $300 box at 10% profit on CraigsList will pay for your in-flight drinks.

Selling a $30 street Johnny job for $330 will pay for the flight.

[butternutsquashpie]

As a percentage of Cuban cigars sold, per unit not cost, Cohiba worldwide is about 10%
A $30 box of Cohiba robustos makes a lot more profit than a $300 box.

not sure what you mean ryan, could you explain what you mean by that??
are you talking about the amount of cohibas sold worldwide vs on 2nd hand stores? because that is indeed true. cubacigarwebsite.com has a nice breakdown on worldwide percentiles.

and indeed. the two BOTLs I know who post them up are just subsidising costs from their vacations by selling boxes to people who don't know much about cigars. sometimes for 2x the price. because they're still cheaper than the 3.5x price that the B&Ms charge us for. but he just the popular ones really, RASS, Boli BF, etc etc etc.
but you are right, normally, anything on craigslist that aren't the standard Cohiba, RYJ, MC, or Party marcas are worth a glance. remember a box of Punch DC'99 on craigslist once....... good times

[Ryan]

As a percentage of Cuban cigars sold, per unit not cost, Cohiba worldwide is about 10%
On Craigslist, eBay etc. what is it, 50%? More? Add Montecristo it must be > 80%
Cohiba and monte aren't any more popular in the reputable shops in Cuba than anywhere else in the world.
They are however much easier to get on the street in Havana than any other brands.
Fakers know that every tourist has heard of those brands.
If I saw a box of Romeo Exhibition No. 4, for example, on Craigslist, then I might take a look at them.
To me, somebody selling Cuban-bought Cohibas online, especially a Canadian due to the access they have to Cuba, almost certainly bought them in the first place to make a profit.
A $30 box of Cohiba robustos makes a lot more profit than a $300 box.

[cigarmo]

[QUOTE=butternutsquashpie;218370]

A box of Cohiba on Craigslist has a 99% chance of being fake/QUOTE]
Re: this. 99%, yes.
But i know two regular BOTLs of mine in Oakville (your equivalence of Reading-London) who use Craigslist to sell of their overflowing humidor stock. all with good providence and all with good experience who traverse cuba 2-3 times a year, always with great scenery and pictures


that's how i normally check nowadays. or just use the dollar bill sticker and type the code in.
this OTHER ad gratefully posted it as a regular picture which is nice: http://toronto.en.craigslist.ca/tor/clt/4303456774.html quick check on Sellos and they are indeed Cohiba Siglo II. just a tad too expensive for me at the moment

ok the box maybe real but the contents may be totally fake, it's the oldest scam going.
like most BOTL have said buy from unknown sources and there going to be fake.

[butternutsquashpie]

[QUOTE=Ryan;218367]A box of Cohiba on Craigslist has a 99% chance of being fake/QUOTE]
Re: this. 99%, yes.
But i know two regular BOTLs of mine in Oakville (your equivalence of Reading-London) who use Craigslist to sell of their overflowing humidor stock. all with good providence and all with good experience who traverse cuba 2-3 times a year, always with great scenery and pictures

if you're interested ask the seller for a picture of the bottom of the box or at least to tell you the factory code and date stamped on the bottom.

that's how i normally check nowadays. or just use the dollar bill sticker and type the code in.
this OTHER ad gratefully posted it as a regular picture which is nice: http://toronto.en.craigslist.ca/tor/clt/4303456774.html quick check on Sellos and they are indeed Cohiba Siglo II. just a tad too expensive for me at the moment

[Ryan]

A box of Cohiba on Craigslist has a 99% chance of being fake, I wouldn't pay $50 for it. Especially one with the Cuban Minsap sticker. I've seen a few of these on Facebook, they often have a EUN factory code with a recent date. Fake.
if you're interested ask the seller for a picture of the bottom of the box or at least to tell you the factory code and date stamped on the bottom.

[butternutsquashpie]

How can you judge colour from a photo without a real box sitting next to it for comparison..... There are simply too many variables (Camera, Monitor, Lighting etc. etc.) to make any kind of claim about colour without a direct comparison.

well at the risk of sounding like a numpty
well, cohiba boxes have their own special tinge that hits a receptor in your brain that makes me feel a certain way about them. maybe it's just the way the cohibas make me feel , or maybe it is something objective about the tinge. But it just seems off to me..

How labels "break" has never been on my list of things to check.....

not really "how labels break." but more: "how they're positioned". and in this case, they're one in the same. take a look at attached picture #2. a strip of the "Dollar Bill" sticker is attached to the top of the box when the lid is removed. that shouldn't be so!

And now, with this kind of fakery, i think you'll have to look *ahem* outside the box () in order to find errors with the fake boxes. this one is indeed much better crafted than those cohiba clam boxes that just never tried

[monkey66]

I think he is referring to the warranty lable being stuck along both axis, as apposed to the usual one.

Personally I have no interest in buying cigars from ebay/Craigslist etc. I want to know my sticks are real, and they have been stored correctly. Nearly impossible to tick both boxes on Ebay.

Believing one can spot fakes is no protection, we can all be fooled by really good fakes (some are visually perfect). Dont buy, you will never be happy with that box in your stash.

Buy less, buy better.

[Puff Scotty]

Had boxes with labels all over the place...
I don't understand your reference to labels breaking, whether they are Minsap, Duty or otherwise..
In almost 40 years I've never opened any type of cab or dress box without at least cutting the seals with a pen-knife or thumbnail or something...
How labels "break" has never been on my list of things to check.....
Old story yet again...if your dumb enough to buy from the classifieds, you probably won't get what your paying for....