There are a few things you should be aware of when purchasing through auction type sites. The first two are important information that I think everyone should be aware of and the second two are my opinion.

Shipping

The first is to pay attention to shipping policies. Most sites allow you to select if you want items you won to ship immediately or if you want items to ship on a specific day of the week. Where this comes into play is if you win multiple items in the same week and you are using the ship immediately option, which most sites select for you as the default, you will be paying the full shipping cost on each item. If you use the weekly shipping option and win multiple items during the week, these items will ship together and you will pay a reduced combined shipping cost. Lots of people get caught by this when they first start using these sites. Hopefully this saves you a few bucks which you can in turn use to buy more sticks.

Auction Style

The second important item to know is to make sure you determine what the auction is for and the style of auction. There are times where the auction is for a single cigar or a 5 pack, but the auction picture shows a full box.

The reverse can be true as well, so read the details carefully to know what you are bidding on. Also, the type of auction is important to know. Some types allow you to bid the top amount you would be willing to pay and it will keep bidding for you up to that amount. Another style takes the amount you give and sets that as your actual bid right away. There are different strategies to be used with these different styles, so be sure that you know which type of auction you are entering a bid for.

Item Value

Thirdly, know the value of what you are bidding on or how valuable it is to you. Many times you will see auctions where the bid price goes above what the cost of the item is elsewhere. There’s really no need to pay more for something than you have to. The only reasons I can figure that people bid so high are that they don’t know what the value of the item is or they get caught up in the bidding process and just want to win. Do your research, find out what the item goes for elsewhere and know what your bidding limit should be. There are times where items may not be available elsewhere and you have to bid higher than what the suggested retail price is to be able to win it. I totally get that situation, but very rarely is that the case. Here is a valuable resource that actually tracks CigarBid auctions and tells you average, good, and bad prices for a specific item.

The last piece of advice that I’d like to share on this topic is to be careful. Auctions can be high energy events and people can sometimes get caught up in the process. Sometimes you get caught up by bidding more for something than you should and sometimes people just buy more than they should. Know what your cigar budget is and stick to it. I’ve heard many instances where people have over extended themselves and gotten into trouble with their credit card companies or even a possibly worse situation, with their significant other.

Happy bidding!

Tips and Tricks: Buying cigars through the auction sites