Well that went well.....LFTH


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2 hours ago, braveheart655 said:

Just wanted to check what kind of boxes were put to sale and for some reason, I don't feel surprised that things turned out this way :) I mean, we all know Rob is no technical genius :P 

As someone who took couple of years break from the forum, I was actually sad to see that LFTH/LFTW was gone. The allure of such a sales method was to be able to see exactly which box you are getting (It even helped the members who are/can not buy from Rob to see the quality of certain box codes). As far as I can see, the current 24:24/24:72 sales do not provide buyers with the same choice. Even though you are getting a good box either way from Rob, you no longer have the liberty to choose what you really want. Fx: a PE box for daily smokes, a PSP box for aging etc. 

Customer is always right but obviously this forum is simply not that kind of place. The way I see it, Rob & the team are doing their best to keep up with the growing demand while trying the keep the product quality up. On the other hand, I'd love to see a method akin to LFTH/LFTW of the olden days but where you wouldn't have to rush and know EXACTLY which box you are getting. An impossible dream I guess...

I preface my comments with this: In no way shape or form am I commenting on the way Rob does his job, Nothing pisses me off more than when people tell me how the highway building business should go when they have never worked a day in it. The business model here is pure genius--plain and simple. Rob sells a reasonable amount of a unique product (GRADED boxes of great cigars. GFL getting most online vendors to even open the damn box to check for mold) on a first come first serve basis that most everybody has a decent shot of obtaining in the 24:24. 

   One of the hardest things to do in retail is to generate a sense of urgency. Short term sales and limited quantity ("as supplies last etc.") are probably the top two ways of doing this.  The 24:24 and LFTH do this with aplomb. The difference I see is the quantity of the product sold. You generate "X" demand with the sale but are making "y" on only one box. The cost of generating demand could very easily exceed the money made on one box of y.  To me, much of the generated demand seems to go to waste as there is simply not enough boxes to go around.  It appears that individual and rare boxes would be better sold in an auction-like setting if they are not available in a reasonable quantity.  This is why I thought the LFTH offer in this case was a nice offer. I do not know Rob's business at all but I think it's safe to say that it's a lot of work to put one of these on. At some point, the law of diminishing returns kicks in. For example, I would have to think long and hard about doing night traffic control inspection again even at a doubled salary--It is a GIANT pain, aggravating and dangerous as all get out. I'm not sure there is a price I would be willing to do it gain for. Rob and the crew I am sure worked hard and worried like old ladies to put this event on only have it not go well. I feel I have no right to criticize.  

All of this, of course, is Rob's decision to make--not mine. I certainly appreciate the effort to do a solid for a buddy and would not bitch at the opportunity (as small as it may be) to buy an aged box of anything from a vendor who has earned my trust. I would gladly pay (a certain online vendor with notoriously high prices for aged boxes) those prices to Rob because I WANT to give him my business AND because he inspects the boxes. I love the 24:24. 5 days a week I am online at the sale times waiting and BS'ing with people who like what I like. It truly is a "watering hole." I have yet to miss a box I really wanted. I have had to wait, sure but that is a 1st world problem to have. 

 

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Yep....we managed to crash the site. 6000 attempted views in 30 minutes will do it  Sorry about that. I should have foreseen it. At one stage we had 600 people refreshing every few seconds. 

Just went to see Di and the team.  ......they were pissing themselves laughing. "Nice one Einstein" was the one of the nicer comments     

Let me guess, Ken with his newly reformed moderator status now runs the Czar IT department... -The Pig

2 hours ago, Hurltim said:

I preface my comments with this: In no way shape or form am I commenting on the way Rob does his job, Nothing pisses me off more than when people tell me how the highway building business should go when they have never worked a day in it. The business model here is pure genius--plain and simple. Rob sells a reasonable amount of a unique product (GRADED boxes of great cigars. GFL getting most online vendors to even open the damn box to check for mold) on a first come first serve basis that most everybody has a decent shot of obtaining in the 24:24. 

   One of the hardest things to do in retail is to generate a sense of urgency. Short term sales and limited quantity ("as supplies last etc.") are probably the top two ways of doing this.  The 24:24 and LFTH do this with aplomb. The difference I see is the quantity of the product sold. You generate "X" demand with the sale but are making "y" on only one box. The cost of generating demand could very easily exceed the money made on one box of y.  To me, much of the generated demand seems to go to waste as there is simply not enough boxes to go around.  It appears that individual and rare boxes would be better sold in an auction-like setting if they are not available in a reasonable quantity.  This is why I thought the LFTH offer in this case was a nice offer. I do not know Rob's business at all but I think it's safe to say that it's a lot of work to put one of these on. At some point, the law of diminishing returns kicks in. For example, I would have to think long and hard about doing night traffic control inspection again even at a doubled salary--It is a GIANT pain, aggravating and dangerous as all get out. I'm not sure there is a price I would be willing to do it gain for. Rob and the crew I am sure worked hard and worried like old ladies to put this event on only have it not go well. I feel I have no right to criticize.  

All of this, of course, is Rob's decision to make--not mine. I certainly appreciate the effort to do a solid for a buddy and would not bitch at the opportunity (as small as it may be) to buy an aged box of anything from a vendor who has earned my trust. I would gladly pay (a certain online vendor with notoriously high prices for aged boxes) those prices to Rob because I WANT to give him my business AND because he inspects the boxes. I love the 24:24. 5 days a week I am online at the sale times waiting and BS'ing with people who like what I like. It truly is a "watering hole." I have yet to miss a box I really wanted. I have had to wait, sure but that is a 1st world problem to have. 

 

All valid points ^.  An auction would likely create less strain on the web site and may yield higher prices for the boxes sold (which is to the benefit of the seller and to Rob in the form of his commission).  However, auctions can also go the other way so why risk it?  My guess is that Rob was trying to balance the costs and benefits for all parties involved (including the buyers) at his own expense.  In short, Rob was willing to put in the add'l work to host the LFTH event to keep prices at fair market value, to sell all boxes in one clean shot, and to make it fun for the forum.  Based on the pre-event comments I got the impression that previous LFTH were quite successful.  Anyway, poo poo happens.  Hopefully today's plan works out better.  We'll find out in a few hours.  Good luck to all! :)       

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All valid points ^.  An auction would likely create less strain on the web site and may yield higher prices for the boxes sold (which is to the benefit of the seller and to Rob in the form of his commission).  However, auctions can also go the other way so why risk it?  My guess is that Rob was trying to balance the costs and benefits for all parties involved (including the buyers) at his own expense.  In short, Rob was willing to put in the add'l work to host the LFTH event to keep prices at fair market value, to sell all boxes in one clean shot, and to make it fun for the forum.  Based on the pre-event comments I got the impression that previous LFTH were quite successful.  Anyway, poo poo happens.  Hopefully today's plan works out better.  We'll find out in a few hours.  Good luck to all!        


Very true. I am certainly not advocating an auction it just seems to me to be the best way to handle rare and unique boxes of limited quantity. What the hell do I know...lol!
I don't think I have bought a single thing via online auctions come to think of it.
Live horse auctions on the other hand...

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

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