Consumer Behavior/Purchase Decision

[CBL]

Like my fellow BOTL I am often torn between two or more boxes. As a student I don't have the funds to buy every box of cigars that catches my eye, as I imagine someone with kids and/or a mortgage can't either. Often I will come across a box that I feel I must obtain, one that haunts me in my dreams and one that has been mentally placed in the humidor long before money has changed hands. More often than not the box will only be there mentally as the window of purchase opportunity has quickly been closed.

Greed fuels the desire to fill my humidor way past it's capacity, fear of 'missing out' ignites a purchase when no purchase was meant to be made and price determents the speed of combustion.

When given the opportunity I will rush to the nearest internet source to gain info on the cigar worthy of my affection and to see what the masses have to say about it. Compare price, tasting notes, preferred boxcodes and other external influences and have that information marinate in the back of my mind. If I'm lucky I'll be able to try a single to convince myself that the acquisition of a box is something that can't be stopped, the stubborn mind cannot be convinced otherwise and an average cigar will be made out to be the worst in a good box.

The purchase will commence as the mind has been long made up. And nothing can stop this box from finding it's way into your humidor. Unless.... you see another box that is even harder to find, or one that is even more limited, maybe one that has a better reputation, or one that has that boxcode you've been looking for, it's the box that would be PSP worthy if Rob came across it in the Czar humidor, maybe it's just the cigar that has never let you down and your current stock is low.

This long winded intro has led me to the following questions:

- How many mental sidesteps do you take before welcoming a box into your home, how much are you influenced by external information?

- How often have you thought about buying a box for an immense amount of time, only to end up with another one right before you made the purchase?

And finally:

- What box(es) have you been chasing for years and years and years, come across on a number of different occasions but yet never had the chance to buy and for what reason? (financial, other cigar priorities or maybe even lack of space...)

I thought of these questions because I have been obsessed with a number of cigars ever since starting this great hobby. For years I wanted a box of Monty 4 Reserva's and after my old boss order a box for me as a bonus, the order was canceled because of Dutch customs issues.

I've come across the box many times but after gaining more experience, I realize there's so much more stuff out there I could get for that price that I would much rather have.

Also I've been chasing a box of ERDM Grandes de Espana ever since trying a couple in Cuba (the cigar was cheap and was sold in the hotel shop, so I could pick one up right before walking out the door) The cigar became something I had to have in 2009 when it was scheduled for deletion and I have considered the purchase of a box on several different occasions, but for some reason another purchase always stood in the way (The Connie line for example)

Right now I'm torn between 3 boxes of minutos/robustos to split with a friend that is starting to get into cigars, my latest attempt at scoring a box of Grandes de Espana or for some ridiculous reason a box of Bolivar Simones...... Which is ridiculous because I haven't smoked the f-ing thing ever! But for some reason I'm obsessed by it's reputation, it's limited availability and the fear of missing out on something special yet again (had singles of: Edmundo Dante, Montecristo Salomones and various long forgotten rare cigars slip through my fingers because at the time I didn't know how good they are/were/would be)

Please share your thought on the subject and I would love to know how previous situations influenced current purchases.

No need to comment on what I should buy though That's just an internal struggle going on right now

[Colt45]

fear of 'missing out' ignites a purchase when no purchase was meant to be.......

My outlook has become rather simplistic.....

I don't chase cigars - I just don't put them on that kind of pedestal, and will only acquire what I can afford. And while I've surely gone through

some of what you've mentioned, I've learned to no longer have that fear of missing out - something else will always come along.

[cigcars]

*If I can find it - a box of Punch Black Prince havanas because 1. The ones I tried were heavenly and delicious 2. As a discontinued item, I'd have to get a whole box to be on hand for me. 3. The price determined by seller would be matter of consideration too. If price were truly no object and do-able, I'd have a box of *Cohiba Gran Reservas *Montecristo Reserva No. 4's *Behike No. 56 and (again if located within my reach) *Ramon Allones Phoenician Anniversary RE's.

[LeafLover]

1) Read reviews

2) Ask around about the cigar

3) Put it on a mental list to buy

4) Buy a box

No angst in the matter. From my experience, the more I lust after cigars, or for any product for that matter, I become prone to making wrong or bad decisions about it.

Pretty methodical about it. May take a while to get to step 4 but I usually get there. And, if I'm just re-ordering something that I've bought before, then it just sits in the qeue until its in first position.

[Puros Y Vino]

I've followed two tracks.

Track A: Blind Buy.

Research what many BOTL's consider to be exellent cigars in terms of price, quality and consistency and then buy a box blindly (or 3/5 pack).

Track B: Sample and contemplate.

Buy samplers of things I want to try, whether or not other BOTL's recommend it or because it just interests me. Take tasting notes and then decide on what I want. Once I have had a few examples of a certain cigar I decide on whether I want to buy a box or not.

For the most part, I've chased vitolas. I go for larger or longer cigars that take >1hr to smoke. I get so few opportunities to smoke, that when I do, I'm going to give it my complete attention. I've had two "quickie" smokes. A Trini Reyes and a Siglo I. I really enjoyed neither due to time constraints. So I vowed to not smoke a cigar for the sake of it because I had a moment between things.

Some examples of my tracks.

Track A.

Bought a box of Monte 4's because they're "iconic". No regrets except for about 1/4of the sticks being plugged or hard draw.

Bolivar Gold Medals. Loved the way they look, many kinds words in reviews on them. Bought a box. No regrets.

Cohiba Maduro 5 Genios. I liked the concept of the aged wrappers. Nice vitola too. 10ct boxes were readily available. No regrets.

Oliva Series O Perfectos. Love the vitola. Great looking cigars. But not very exciting. So I pass them by and pass them around to friends looking to try a cigar. Regret buying a box.

Cohiba Lanceros. Bought a five pack from Duty free. Now want to grab a box or two.

Track B.

H Upmann Mag 50. Had two from samplers. Loved them so much, ended up buying 50 of them.

Monte 2. Had 3 out of 5. One which only one was enjoyable. Not looking to pick up a box anytime soon.

Siglo II. Bought a five pack. Enjoyed 4 of them. Now looking to grab a box.

I can see where you're coming from. When I started smoking cigars I told myself I wouldn't own more than 20 sticks and I'd not indulge too often. That plan failed miserably. I have about 400 cigars across four humidors.

[shrink]

Just accept that you're mentally ill. Once you get past that, the rest is easy.

If you can find boxes of Grandes des Espana, or Boli Simones, don't hesitate. Go into debt. Rob a convenience store. Get 'em.

[Habanakane21]

I don't think that hard when I'm buying cigars. When I get low I buy them. I don't read reviews or CA. At this point I know what I like and I stick to it.

[Firewiz25]

I buy what I like and stick to those. If I try something new that is good I usually give it another chance (single) then pull the trigger on a box. Usually I shop by cost and availablity.

[Turrbo]

Interesting topic.

Here's what I base purchases off of..

1. Ring Gauge - I'm a 48+ size. I know a lot of people here are long and skinny folks, sorry.

2. Length - I don't care, I figure length only comes in play when I have to consider the amount of time I have to enjoy a cigar.

3. Brand - Read this forum, you'll notice who you agree and disagree with very quickly. Then based off of who you agree with try what they are trying. Maybe even send them a PM and see what they like.

4. QTY - Buy samplers, then if you like what you smoked buy a box.

5. Notes - Take notes. Find flavors that you like or don't like and build off of that. I have an iphone with a notes app. I have pages of notes on there that I refer to each time I want a smoke.

6. Mood - In my opinion you need to have mood cigars. These are cigars that you want to either mourn with or celebrate with. These are either strong happy notes (flavors that you itch for, mine are coffee, toffee, dried fruit), or notes that put you into thought (mine are spice, nutmeg, pepper)

7. gamble - Many times a box of 25 will only produce 15 good cigars. that's okay, that's part of the fun. If you won every time you put your money on black it would get boring after a while... okay bad example...

In the end cigars are not for the struggling. I hate to sound like a prick, but the facts are the facts. However you mentioned that you're a student, that means you're busting your ass to become something. And there's no better way to reward yourself after busting your ass than to treat yourself to something you like.

So I'm going to end this long winded post on a challenge.

1. What type of student are you?

2. Where are you located?

3. Do you have a test or project due soon?

If you're in the same country as I am (for shipping reasons) and you get an "A" or 90% and above on your next project and you can prove it to me (scan results as a response to this post). I'll send you a celebration cigar.

Deal?

[Turrbo]

Woops just realized you're not in the same country... soo...

I'll pay for and send you a cigar via Cigar-Czar

[CBL]

It's not really about how much you think about it, it's more that imagine you have a short list in your mind, there are 5 boxes on there you need/want to buy in the coming weeks/months (probably your 5 favorite cigars), but all of a sudden another box hits your radar and all the previous preparation is thrown out the window and you go with that box. I'd love to hear what influences such behavior.

I'd imagine it might be a review on this site, or even a picture from live in the humidor. Maybe it's a cigar you've forgotten about or had no hopes of finding again.

It's not restricted to discontinued or RE/LEs nor is it an impulse buy, it's just a purchase that wasn't planned or expected.

Like in my example, I've never thought of the Bolivar Simones, nor did I expect to find them in Taiwan. I've never had any intention of chasing even a single one yet when I saw the box at the LCDH in Taipei, I was instantly reminded of all the positive feedback on this site and I remembered reading they were hard to come by (something that sadly makes cigars a little more interesting) and in an instant this box was added to my mental wish list.

And like Leaflover said, over thinking things usually ends in bad results. I am extremely weary of hyping things up as in most cases they disappoint me completely (I seem to be one of the only people that had a shitty P1 after scoring the worlds various airports in 2009 looking for a jar)

Thats why such a "surprise" purchase is usually a very welcome and non-regretted addition to my collection.

[Puros Y Vino]

If you're in the same country as I am (for shipping reasons) and you get an "A" or 90% and above on your next project and you can prove it to me (scan results as a response to this post). I'll send you a celebration cigar.

Deal?

Very classy move Turrbo. Goes to show. Cigar smokers are some of the nicest folks around.

[Habanakane21]

I don't think that hard when I'm buying cigars. When I get low I buy them. I don't read reviews or CA. At this point I know what I like and I stick to it.

I should say I do read reviews, but I normally don't let reviews get me excited to buy or else I'd be broke!

[CBL]

So I'm going to end this long winded post on a challenge.

1. What type of student are you?

2. Where are you located?

3. Do you have a test or project due soon?

If you're in the same country as I am (for shipping reasons) and you get an "A" or 90% and above on your next project and you can prove it to me (scan results as a response to this post). I'll send you a celebration cigar.

Deal?

Wow that's extremely generous! I hope I'm not painting a wrong picture here because I'm already living way beyond my means

But if I get a project that I believe would justify such generosity I'll post it here!

BTW. I'm an Advertising student, that's why I'm interested in consumer behavior and the psychology behind purchase decisions

And on a side note I completely agree on your point about moods, I am a firm believer that cigars capture and/or enhance a moment, my favorite cigars are basically my favorite moments in my young adult life, I'm transferred to a moment in time when I think back to a great cigar chosen in the right setting on a perfect occasion. I even have some boxes to commemorate certain events in my life or to celebrate upcoming events.

Other cigars I just smoke 'cause they're tasty

[coneatty]

This is a great topic, CBL. Sometimes, I'll go on the internet to buy a particular box of cigars, and then end up buying a totally different vitola and brand. I know there's probably some thought process leading to the surprise decision prior to hitting the "Buy Now" button, but I lack the discipline or inclination to ponder too much...After all, this is supposed to be relaxing and fun. It is also one hell of an addiction for me. It is almost a lesson in learning to harness one's desires... for another smoke as good as the one last year...for one as good as described by so and so on the FOH... for that discontinued box that you'll never get again... What a game. Ain't it grand?

[CanuckSARTech]

I don't think. I just buy. Sort of.

But I always pay the piper later on, be it to Visa, my bank account, my other "fun" money for the month/year, or to the Mrs.

[dicko]

Great thread CBL!

I'm hearing you as well, I'm a student also and while income is low, so is your overheads (no paying for kids, no mortgage etc).

As far as my buying psychology, well for singles/samplers/small packs I go purely off recommendation. I see someone really enjoyed a certain cigar say in the Daily Smoke thread or in reviews I think "i'll give that a try". I'll try all shapes and sizes.

As an FOH'er said above, I have found certain members who's tastes I feel are similar to mine.

For boxes, I am far more rational, I have the income and storage only for 2-3 boxes at a time. It's an economical consideration. A want bang for buck. I want a convenient size and a 'trusted' flavour profile. For me, that's partagas shorts, bolivar PC/CJ, dip 4's and RASS/SCC.

An interesting recent example was me buying a box of RA Superiores. There was little news about them but they had the right price, the right size and being RA, a flavour profile I knew I would like. That was my only 'impulse' buy box yet.

I wish I had the money for Cohiba's and 898's. One day I hope I will.

So far though, I'll stick with my Party shorts and the occasional big cohiba as a single.

[aes8]

This long winded intro has led me to the following questions:

- How many mental sidesteps do you take before welcoming a box into your home, how much are you influenced by external information?

- How often have you thought about buying a box for an immense amount of time, only to end up with another one right before you made the purchase?

And finally:

- What box(es) have you been chasing for years and years and years, come across on a number of different occasions but yet never had the chance to buy and for what reason? (financial, other cigar priorities or maybe even lack of space...)

Great post and questions.

I think almost none of us can afford whatever we want whenever we want therefore we are all forced to do some "math" on some certain level. More on the math in a minute.

I will take this opportunity to say that I feel now is a very difficult time (financial and space challenges for me) to be accumulating a cigar base for long term aging (assuming that you prefer to smoked aged cigars and you want to age your own). There have been so many deletions of classic regular production cigars that if you are new or have not formed an inventory base to age you are looking at some significant challenges that might result in you missing some very reasonable priced future classic cigars that you had a chance to lock up. First if you not familiar with all the lines you need to identify what is worthy to acquire and age. That can be very subjective to personal taste. For example you might be just discovering how fabulous the Parti Connie line is or the ERDM GdE, or many of the Coronas (Hoyos and Partis) that have gone by the wayside since 2006. I won't even mention the RA898 of 2002.

To further complicate the issue of deciding what to purchase and build a base in are all these opportunity's for RE and LE. As much as most of the RE's and LE has disappointed me there have been some home runs. Who wouldn't love to be sitting on a few boxes of Edmundo Dante Conde 109s or 2003 Cohiba DC EL's? Of course these new issues cigars are significantly more costly than those boxes that have been discontinued.

Hence now comes the math. Some of the variables that come into my equation on what box to pull the trigger on include:

1. Personal Taste (should be No.1 on everybody's list)

2. Price

3. Availability

4. Do I own this yet

5. 3rd Party reviews

6. Collectivity

7. Re-saleability (especially if I have not been able to try this viola yet)

I am always making this calculations every time I pull the trigger on a box. All of these parameters come into play when I am "chasing" that lucrative box of cigars.

For example I am unable to pull the trigger on a box of CGR due to the price while I can still purchase multiple boxes of Parti Connie 1/2/3 and GdE. Maybe when the availability of the Partis and GdE goes to 0 then the equation will tip in the favor of purchasing a box of the CGR, but until then I just can't do it.Call it mental side stepping but I have had the CGR queued up a few times but just couldn't do it. I don't have a specific equation that equals a "buy". I just know what feels right. I guess that is all mental math.

I'll be doing that math after I sample two the 08 Boli China Armonies RE.

Lastly I'm always chasing the RA898

[Fuzz]

Real easy for me. Like all things that tempt me, if the urge to open my wallet is greater than my ability to keep it shut, I buy. If I somehow do succeed in keeping my wallet shut, I send an email to Lise and she just charges it to my card.

[samb]

I base purchases on price and review, as many do. I look for something in my price range, then when I find a couple of boxes, I get info on them and try to make the most out of which cigar will be best. I also allow my self an allowance each paycheck; if Im really eager to get a box, I can go with something cheap after one allowance, or I can save it for a box I really want, but there is extreme will involved, and its not always easy.

[CBL]

Thanks aes9, great post! I agree with the 7 variables you mentioned, I follow most of them as well although it has never crossed my mind to resell a box as I have yet to come across a box that I hated in my humidor, nor would I ever buy a box as an investment.

Like you, I was/am chasing the Connaisseur line, luckily I was able to get all 3 boxes last year and now when I come across a good looking box, I might pick up a couple of singles, but the itch of taking another box home is gone.

But the money spend on those 3 boxes was originally set aside for other cigars, but when I came across them I just had to have them. Same with the ERDM GE I mentioned, that money was supposed to be spend on some Party Shorts and some other minutos or robustos to become my snack cigars, but how can you risk such beautiful cigar staying in the shop for much longer?

I'll keep my eyes open for the RA898 for you

[ronin]

My outlook has become rather simplistic.....

I don't chase cigars - I just don't put them on that kind of pedestal, and will only acquire what I can afford. And while I've surely gone through

some of what you've mentioned, I've learned to no longer have that fear of missing out - something else will always come along.

+1 I know what I like after 20 years of smoking Cuban Cigars. The only thing I am chasing now are Rob's custom rolled to see if they are as good as he and Ken say they are.

[aes8]

Thanks aes9, great post! I agree with the 7 variables you mentioned, I follow most of them as well although it has never crossed my mind to resell a box as I have yet to come across a box that I hated in my humidor, nor would I ever buy a box as an investment.

Like you, I was/am chasing the Connoisseur line, luckily I was able to get all 3 boxes last year and now when I come across a good looking box, I might pick up a couple of singles, but the itch of taking another box home is gone.

But the money spend on those 3 boxes was originally set aside for other cigars, but when I came across them I just had to have them. Same with the ERDM GE I mentioned, that money was supposed to be spend on some Party Shorts and some other minutos or robustos to become my snack cigars, but how can you risk such beautiful cigar staying in the shop for much longer?

I'll keep my eyes open for the RA898 for you

Thanks

The main reason I resell cigars is because I could not get my hands on a single to try them before buying a box. However I usually have a hard rule about not buying boxes unless I try singles. The exceptions being low priced boxes, that are easily moved i.e. Punch Coronas, HdM DC, Epis, etc. That rules has served me very well especially with SEVERAL REs and LEs, some Trinis, and some of the lighter Hoyos.

I was also able to score one each of the Connie line as well as GdE. Looks like we will be the cool dudes smoking fantastic, aged, out of production cigars that we bought for a song as compared to current prices of the latest and greatest overpriced, rare sticks. If some of those are new issues are home runs at least we should be in a position to make a trade that has a low cost base to us in order to test the water and start the investigation process all over again.

PLEASE contact me if you find RA898. Currently I am taking Rob's opinion to heart regarding the recent Part 898's, Mag50s, and Sir Winnie's and socking some away. I also love the recent production of the PLPC, Shorts and HUPC. I will also be stocking up on Dip No.4 if my vendor every gets them back.

[CBL]

I finally tried a Party 898 '08 during chinese new year and it was delicious! Hope to score a box some day, I have a 10-count from '03 that I found in Cuba in 2008 and it was sealed when i bought it. The bloom and smell was something I haven't encountered since. It's the pride of my humidor and I'm a little intimidated to smoke it But I'm planning on smoking one after graduating!

One of the best cigars I've smoked was a Sir Winnie (boxcode unknown, new band) and I bought a pretty expensive box of '02's shortly afterwards, but it was pretty bland and mild as opposed to the newer one I had which was an explosion of sweet spices! I have another single of recent production that I hope to try one of these days that hopefully will get my love for this churchill going again.

Tried a couple of Mag50's but never really got the hype, really wanted to like this cigar but just didn't I even passed on 5 singles of the 2005 LE release because I just couldn't get excited about it.

I found a shop that sells singles of Dip 4's and 5's so I'll be sure to try some soon, the No. 2 was one of the best pyramids I've smoked!

I'd love a cab of the PLPC but I'm still not convinced after trying a single, rather have a humidor filled with Shorts

[CanuckSARTech]

...I will also be stocking up on Dip No.4 if my vendor every gets them back.

If you need a lead on those, if your first option doesn't work out, let me know - I can perhaps provide you with a lead that Rob and others vouched for, for me to use, and I have some great Dip 4's in hand now. Ordered a few boxes to try out, and am ordering more still. PM me if you wish for further on that.

Cheers.