OLH Changes: Have we got this about right?

[El Presidente]

Earlier in the year I asked for feedback on the On Line Humidor (OLH) going forward. We received plenty of advice and I appreciate it immensely. 

To revisit, our OLH locker will be full before long.  The reason being is:

1. Members holding less than the minimum number of boxes (3). They will put 3 in and take 1 or 2 out leaving the balance. 
2. Members not removing boxes. Boxes will go in but not out in any realistic volume.  
3. Inactive member lockers. Lockers holding significant amount of boxes where the member has let them sit as a defacto home humidor with no activity (in or out) for many years. 

My proposed changes commencing 2017 are as follows:

 

________________________________________________________________________________________

 

3   Box minimum at all times. New OLH users have 45 days to reach their minimum or the locker contents will be shipped and the locker closed with no further locker participation possible.

60   Box locker maximum.

5     Box Movement (in or out) during the course of a calendar year 1^st  January  to 1^st January annually.

 

________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

• ·       Where lockers have less than 3 boxes, the remaining boxes will all be shipped to you in January 2017.

• ·       5 box movement combined minimum  (in or out) will commence on the 1^st of January 2017

• ·       The 60 box maximum locker rule will come into effect the 1^st of July 2017. That will provide you plenty of time to make arrangements. If you think you will be stuck, please contact me well in advance and we will seek to make another individual arrangement with yourself.
• ·       Should you wish, we will offer the sale of locker stock (or part locker) to FOH members via a LFTH (Live from the humidor) sales service or via our normal 24:24 (dependent on volume). The guidelines for this are as follows:

 

•   The stock must have a minimum of 3 years box age on it.
•   You can determine a realistic price or we will recommend a market price.
•   We will negotiate a reasonable % and shipping cost while providing the shipping guarantee and cover the international banking transfer    costs of  funds to your bank account.
•    You can e-mail myself to discuss. All discussions are confidential.
•    Outside of sale via the LFTH or 24:24 service, we will not ship your stock to third parties. They will be shipped to yourself.

 

So in effect. 

1.       a minimum of 3 boxes in your locker at any time.  

2.       a 5 box movement in or out of your locker during the course of a calendar year (January to January).  

3.       There will be a 60 box locker maximum.

4.      There will be a service for sale of boxes via LFTH or 24:24 that you may wish to move. The process is to contact myself with what you are thinking of moving.  

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

OLH is a valuable member service that has been well accepted. Some changes need to be made in order that it can continue in the manner in that it was envisioned which is a system that allows the medium term aging of stock before they are taken home.  A system that all members have a chance of participating in should they wish.  With no changes, new members would be excluded from OLH come 2017. 

Let me know if I have got the above guidelines just about right. You can suggest some alternatives but I will rule out locker fees or any other hard line approach to achieve the outcome we seek.  Nothing yet is set in stone but it will be by the end of this month. Nothing will come into play until 2017. 

Whatever the final changes, they will not suit everybody and I understand that. Let's see if we can accommodate 95% of members who use the service and be in a position to offer it to new members in the years to come. 

Cheers

Rob 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Habana Mike]

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me.

Appreciate you arriving at a solution that should meet the needs of current holders while keeping the service available to all.

[LordAnubis]

For me personally I do not turn through stock enough to go through the 5 box movement in a calendar year, but it is a fair rule for you to continue the brilliant service you provide

[HarveyBoulevard]

Sounds like a well thought out plan.  Now I need a plan

[miurajus]

I agree.  The highlights being again, a remarkable accommodation at no cost to us.

The only suggestion I would like to propose, is a change from 5 boxes to 5 "shipments"?  I am under the assumption that the limit is to control stocking trips to lockers (all purchases shipping is paid for in full at time of purchase as I understand it) for employees.  If they will be at your locker, I would imagine it wouldn't be much longer to grab another box or two.

Would this be possible?

[skalls]

Looks fair to me.

[Bohn007]

I have not taken advantage of this service yet but can see that the time is not far off as to when I will. The rules seem fair that are proposed

[MaxG]

A Clarification:  a member can only add/ship 5 boxes per year,  or is it a net five movement?   

 

 

[fabes]

58 minutes ago, Habana Mike said:

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me.

Appreciate you arriving at a solution that should meet the needs of current holders while keeping the service available to all.

I agree with Mike. Perfectly reasonable and quite fair for the service provided. A combined 5 in/out per year seems like a solid option to keep the active users active. 

[Bohn007]

5 minutes ago, MaxG said:

A Clarification:  a member can only add/ship 5 boxes per year,  or is it a net five movement?   

 

 

So only 5 boxes maximum added to the locker per year and at least 5 out per year? 

[MaxG]

Or 10 in, 5 out for a net 5. Just asking. Can't believe you can only add 5 boxes per year. 

 

 

[MahDooRow]

1 hour ago, El Presidente said:

My proposed changes commencing 2017 are as follows:

3   Box minimum at all times. New OLH users have 45 days to reach their minimum or the locker contents will be shipped and the locker closed with no further locker participation possible.

60   Box locker maximum.

5     Box Movement (in or out) during the course of a calendar year 1^st  January  to 1^st January annually

________________________________________________________________________________________________

·       Where lockers have less than 3 boxes, the remaining boxes will all be shipped to you in January 2017.

       ·       5 box movement combined minimum  (in or out) will commence on the 1^st of January 2017

       ·       The 60 box maximum locker rule will come into effect the 1^st of July 2017. That will provide you plenty of time to make arrangements. If you think you will be stuck, please      contact me well in advance and we will seek to make another individual arrangement with yourself.

      ·       Should you wish, we will offer the sale of locker stock (or part locker) to FOH members via a LFTH (Live from the humidor) sales service or via our normal 24:24                        (dependent on volume).

 So in effect. 

       1.       a minimum of 3 boxes in your locker at any time.  

       2.       a 5 box movement in or out of your locker during the course of a calendar year (January to January).  

       3.       There will be a 60 box locker maximum.

 4.      There will be a service for sale of boxes via LFTH or 24:24 that you may wish to move. The process is to contact myself with what you are thinking of moving.  

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Rob:  A point of clarification regarding annual box movement... Is the new rule for a movement of 5 boxes (in/out) within a calendar year a minimum or a maximum?  I assume from your 2nd reference to box movement this is a minimum requirement.  Thanks.

[El Presidente]

4 minutes ago, MahDooRow said:

Rob:  A point of clarification regarding annual box movement... Is the new rule for a movement of 5 boxes (in/out) within a calendar year a minimum or a maximum?  I assume from your 2nd reference to box movement this is a minimum requirement.  Thanks.

Minimum requirement. Just to enforce some boxes moving. 

[MahDooRow]

Just now, El Presidente said:

Minimum requirement. Just to enforce some boxes moving. 

Got it, thanks!

[miurajus]

Thanks @El Presidente for clarifying & @MahDooRow for highlighting.

I'm straight now.  Much appreciated broskis!

[El Presidente]

6 minutes ago, MaxG said:

Or 10 in, 5 out for a net 5. Just asking. Can't believe you can only add 5 boxes per year. 

 

 

Again, the minimum in /out is 5 in a calendar year. You can move as many in as long as you don't go over the maximum boxes of 60 and keep a minimum of 3. In case of going over the maximum, bring some home or sell the ones you don't want through LFTH/24;24. 

[subport]

4 hours ago, Habana Mike said:

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me.

Appreciate you arriving at a solution that should meet the needs of current holders while keeping the service available to all.

This ^

[Jimmy_jack]

I don't currently have a stocked OLH but was planning on starting. I think the new rules make sense. But, FFS...people have 60 boxes??? Amazing. I wish to reach that level one day.

[Mattb82]

Was thinking the same thing @Jimmy_jackI'm running behind and need to catch up on box count 

[santela]

1 hour ago, Jimmy_jack said:

I don't currently have a stocked OLH but was planning on starting. I think the new rules make sense. But, FFS...people have 60 boxes??? Amazing. I wish to reach that level one day.

I wouldn't be surprised if people have a couple hundred. Some serious cigar maniacs lurking around here.

I only have around 25-30 boxes plus a couple dozen at home and I feel they're gonna last me a decade. Dunno how some people will ever get through their boxes.

Rob, the rules seem very fair. As a user of OLH I appreciate you keeping it free of charge.

Cheers

[DBNInc]

Since you're providing this extremely valuable service for FREE, I can't see how anyone would/should argue your terms.

That being said, thank you for offering the OLH at all!

[Sunsmoke]

Sounds good to me. Really appreciate the amazing service! 

[billh1]

Thanks Rob for providing this service, you are much appreciated.

[RijkdeGooier]

Thank you Rob for your continuing service. It is much appreciated.

Let me recap the 5 box movement to see if I understand it correctly.

1. Buy 5 and let them enter into OLH - criteria met

2. Have 10 in OLH and ship 5 out - criteria met

3. Any combination of in/out that adds up to 5 - criteria met

Is this correct? 

[foursite12]

Rob, if I recall one of the issues you raised when this subject came up earlier was unclaimed contents/loss of contact.  This may be somewhat removed from the changes you are suggesting, but do you currently require secondary contact/beneficiary info?