cgbgjr

I haven't seen a post that covers this in much detail, so I am offering
my views. I am confident this will not skew future bidding because it
seems no two people around here agree about anything. ;-)
--------
L=Number of Lots up for bid at one time
R=Retail price at Cigars International (CI) or anywhere else
B=Winning Bid
Optimization=Minimizing B/R ratio that wins.
--------
Avoid--Cao, Fuente, Padron--other big names. These have B/R ratios that
often exceed 1.0.
Avoid--Robusto, Rothschild vitolas. Highest B/R ratio of all sizes.
Avoid--Lots with Maduro in the title. Higher B/R than others.
Avoid--CI's top ten sellers from their web page. High B/R for obvious
reasons.
--------
Best Strategies:

(1) L greater than 2 is best scenario.
Bid early and on one lot using autobid. Set max at your acceptable B/R.
This works well because it reduces the probability that one or two high
bidders will make you lose and their high bids will not raise your
autobid unless all lots have identical (or higher) bids by others.
Being early with autobid means you are first in line at any price and
will win at the lowest possible price.
(2) L of 1 or 2 is where you should not use autobid. Pick your B/R and
bid it and don't look again until the auction is over. Anything can
happen on these but if you use autobid there is too high a likelihood
that your highest autobid is needed. Don't look at it again because you
do not want to get into a bidding war.
(3) Bidding on Multiple Lots. Don't autobid. If you do one equal bid
will force
up your multiple so it increases likelihood you go to maximum autobid.
Pick one price early and don't look back.
(4) Bidding late. Identify low B/R with L greater than 2. Do not bid
on all lots because that permits original bidder or bidders to begin
bidding war. Autobid for one lot is optimal here.
-----
Shipping Tips
--Boxes have lowest shipping cost per cigar. Bid on them if you know
you like them.
--Use weekly billing to minimize shipping cost per cigar.
--Bunch purchases so you bid one week, then stay away from the site on
other weeks (good luck on that one ;-) ).
------
Learning Tip
--Bid 1.00 or very low (less than .3) B/R on one lot. You will have to
bid early to do this. You will almost always lose but will have record
of winning bids in your "Bids Lost" list.
------
nada yadda yadda and human nature is inherently unpredictable so these
strategies, while optimal over the long run, cannot assure optimal
results on any given bid....
-----
I think cigarbid when used properly is great for trying new sticks and
I think there are some excellent values there. I currently have a
favorite never reviewed here that is dirt cheap and seems to be below
the radar of other bidders. It will cost you a bunch of Cubans to find
out what it is. ;-)

skyhawkxp

On Fri, 1 Oct 2004 05:59:34 -0400, cgbgjr@webtv.net (cgbg jr) opined:


Thanks for the insights!


As do I. As is Yahoo auctions.

I currently have a


Sorry, all of my Cuban's were destroyed in one of Cigar Baron's
catastophies....IIRC, it was the great wall-a-dor fire of 2003. <vbg>
--
SkyhawkXP
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shaxbeard

This consistently amazes me. I see bids all the time that exceed the
retail price on other sites. Sometimes I see bids on 5-packs that
exceed the cost per stick at my local retailer, who is usually pricy to
begin with. I just wonder what the heck those bidders are thinking.

Rob

cgbgjr

local >retailer, who is usually pricy to begin >with. I just wonder what
the heck those >bidders are thinking.

I recently saw some really hilarious bids on the regular Ashtons.
Somebody forgot to tell those poor folks that all Ashtons are not VSGs.

james

LOL! Those are quite entertaining to watch, aren't they? You gotta
love those people... Cbid makes a bundle and us careful ones can
usually get some great deals. :-)

-James

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bigdog002

With a little patience I can get several of my favorite cigars for 1/2
CI's regular price, sometimes even less. I love Cbid.

Bigdog002 (CA'04)

bigdog002

Well thanks for nothing then

cgbgjr

I can tell you one other cigar that I have loaded up on at CBid that I
really love--and that is the Puck line.

These were recommended by Padronman in 2003 (Thank you Padronman, thank
you google. :-) )

I just had one today, and it was a wonderful reminder that they have all
lived up to Padronman's favorable reviews. Great stuff at a great
price.
Construction, burn, interesting taste, plenty of strength to keep your
interest--and I have averaged about a buck a stick at CBId for a variety
of vitolas.

imho they would be an excellent value even at CI's retail price.

james

I'm right there with ya, Bigdog. Although, I do have to admit that I
overpaid on Cbid once, and once only. It was a 5 pack of Padron
1926's and I just HAD to have them. ;-)

-James

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dhannes

I hadn't notice...I like these two sizes, but do seem to get better deals on coronas.


I agree...its amazing how many bids come in at the last minute (or hour).
Also, I often bid on 2 lots, hoping to win just one.


I don't think you can put in two bids at once, unless you create another account.

This is a definite...but then I find...

....that I bid on other lots to spread out the S/H charges, e.g. $4.95 for a
$5 five-pack is more per stick than $5.45 for 2 $5 5-packs.


It is funny how prices will change once people know what they
like...Sportsman's Reserves used to go for $5-$7; now they usually are at $1
for the first few days.

I'm at the point where I only will try a new one if I can get it for $3-$5
per 5-pack.

One other note: Samplers seem to be less popular than 5-packs, at least at
the beginning.

Also...I like to close out a dollar amount, e.g. if there are 5 lots
starting at $1, and someone has bid on 2 of them, I'll usually bid on the
other 3, forcing the next bidder to go to at least $3...I usually will match
with the autobid, so, hopefully, bidders will realize that both $1 bidders
are using autobid, and that no bid for $3 will win (since both bids for all
lots will automatically adjust), and that they have to go at least $5, or
whatever the next level is, to win...doesn't work all that often, however.

D