Ebay Humidors

**Krautle87** · 06-15-2005, 09:58 PM

Hello all, new to the forum. It seems theres alot of humidors on ebay for very low prices, no reserves ect. They all look very nice and say they have the Spanish cedar in them. Whats the difference between these humidors being listed at $5 and selling for $30, and those in stores for $150+? A few that I have seen on ebay look exactly like ones in stores. Are humidors put on ebay any good?

EDIT: As I was browsing I came across the seller ''robustohumidors.'' he has 50 pages of positive feedback. Anybody have any experiances dealing with him?

**CoventryCat86** · 06-15-2005, 10:15 PM

I'd say the ones on eBay are just as good as the ones in other places for five times as much.

Personally if I were you, skip the small humidor, do not pass "GO" do not collect $200.00 and go straight to a "coolerdor"

It's a heck of a lot cheaper, use beads for humidification (which are far more reliable) and you can start buying cigars by the box instead of just singles.

**Bkcloud114** · 06-15-2005, 10:30 PM

That is horrible advice CC...... I took that advice from guys like you and now have a cooler full of cigars because I now have the room.....

j/k..... Bill's advice is right on the money..... skip the humi and go straight to a cooler. I actually wasted money on my first humi..... now I ahve a 54 Qt igloo cooler and will probably need a bigger one by the end of the summer

**CoventryCat86** · 06-15-2005, 10:41 PM

Originally Posted by Bkcloud114

That is horrible advice CC...... I took that advice from guys like you and now have a cooler full of cigars because I now have the room.....

j/k..... Bill's advice is right on the money..... skip the humi and go straight to a cooler. I actually wasted money on my first humi..... now I ahve a 54 Qt igloo cooler and will probably need a bigger one by the end of the summer

LMAO @ Tommy!!

I just had to add my third coolerdor a couple of months ago. It's a slippery slope Tommy, there's no hope, don't try and resists, just let go, all is well

**jaewing** · 06-15-2005, 10:50 PM

Economically speaking CCat is correct. However, if you are like me and enjoy the look and sophistication of a nice humidore then go ahead and get a humi. If ebay is not to your liking try CheapHumidors.com I bought one and the service, shipping and quality are great. Also . . . get bigger than you think you need. I got a 125 stick humi thinking . . . "I will never have that many cigars"

Buy wa I wrong about that and I am out of room DOH!

**CoventryCat86** · 06-15-2005, 10:58 PM

jaewing makes an excellent point. I think I've heard that great deals can be found onBargain Humidors as well.

I have two small desktop humis that I started off with but I do not use anymore. One was an old one that my father bought in the 1950's that I lined with Spanish Cedar and upgraded the humidification device in and added a hygrometer. The second one I won in a raffle at a cigar dinner in 1998. It listed for $100.00 at the time but that was in the peak of the cigar boom when everything was overpriced.

I suppose if I had a respectable job with a nice office, a nice desktop humi would be nice there but alas, I am just a poor loser with no job.................(I'm taking a course on Cigar Mooching 101 taught by professor PB

)

I also think that if I had a nice house with nice furniture, I would want a nice humi but that is not me. I live in an old run down house that I can barely afford (How's my mooch angle working here, any of youse guys buying it yet?

)

**Krautle87** · 06-15-2005, 11:16 PM

Thanks for the help. I'm currently looking at one of the 125ct humis on ebay. Personally I would rather get a nice looking humidor that I can put on a table and look important

I may try out the coolidor idea though for the sake of cost effeciency. Is the coolidor easier to put together/maintain? Can cigars ''age'' in a coolidor?

**Cigar Jack** · 06-15-2005, 11:28 PM

I got the Gettysburg from http://www.bargainhumidors.com and I really like it. I got it when he had a Seconds of them. It is now full... :)

I also got a CAO Italia Humidor that I am in the process of filling up. (I won it, no way in hell would I pay that much for a humidor that size no matter how beautiful it is)

**CoventryCat86** · 06-16-2005, 12:34 AM

Originally Posted by Krautle87

Thanks for the help. I'm currently looking at one of the 125ct humis on ebay. Personally I would rather get a nice looking humidor that I can put on a table and look important

I may try out the coolidor idea though for the sake of cost effeciency. Is the coolidor easier to put together/maintain? Can cigars ''age'' in a coolidor?

Cigars will age in a coolerdor just fine. I'd offer that they'd probably age better in a coolerdor since the variations in humidity in a coolerdor with a reliable humidification scheme (beads) is better than just about anything else.

As far as putting one together, some people like to "line" them with Spainsh Cedar which I think is unnecessary. Just store your cigars in wooden boxes in the cooler which will retain moisture and give you the pleasant aroma that most people like.

In may case, "putting one together" is only a matter of buying a cooler and a half pound of beads and using an el cheapo analog hygrometer. Since the beads are essentialy fool proof, you only rely on the hygrometer to let you know when you need to add a little water to the beads. When you see the humidity level start to drop, you know it's time to add water because when they are adequately charged, the humidity will never change. You might get suckered into thinking your hygrometer is stuck on 65%

**Roham** · 06-16-2005, 01:31 AM

Originally Posted by Krautle87

Hello all, new to the forum. It seems theres alot of humidors on ebay for very low prices, no reserves ect. They all look very nice and say they have the Spanish cedar in them. Whats the difference between these humidors being listed at $5 and selling for $30, and those in stores for $150+? A few that I have seen on ebay look exactly like ones in stores. Are humidors put on ebay any good?

I would get a nice one from ebay for sure. And when you start buying boxes you can keep them in a coolidor in the closet and fill up your desktop humidor from there

**PuffTheMagicDragon** · 06-16-2005, 09:33 AM

I think the ONLY disadvantage to buying online is not being able to actually see and inspect the item you are buying. However, if the place you are buying from has a good reputation, this really should be no problem. The money you will save will go a long way in starting up your collection of smokes. I also like the idea of having a nice looking humidor to store singles in and they are nice to look at. However, when the time comes for me to start buying boxes, it will be coolidor all the way.

**MMAB** · 06-17-2005, 10:39 PM

1. Made in China, usually (and there's nothing wrong with that)

2. Usually made totally of spanish cedar with a photo-laminate of some hardwood. What is a photo-laminate? Basically, a picture of a hardwood that is laminated to the cedar surface then coated with polyurethane for a good gloss. This type is fine, works great provided that it is put together well and offers an incredible looking humidor at a very low cost.

3. Some cheap humidors are made of composite materials which are basically compressed wood or paper fibers. Particle board, masonite, etc. with a photo-laminate on the surface and then lined with cedar. These are usually the ones you want to stay away from. SOME cheaper fiberboard materials often warp and don't provide a good seal.

Many dealers will tell you that a humidor has a beautiful hardwood "finish". That usually means a photo-laminate. Again, that's OK but it's not a REAL hardwood outer box.

Check out the links to eBay below. These are examples of totally solid cedar humidors with a photo-laminate. Again, there is nothing wrong with these. But note how they say "finish" when reffering to the exterior instead of reffering to it as solid walnut or oak or what-have-you with a cedar lining.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...187752638&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...186334491&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...185709381&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...186988936&rd=1

You can see that the exposed edges (where you see the thickness of the wood) of the lid and bottom are the same wood as the cedar "lining". So the humidor is solid cedar throughout not just lined with cedar.

Again, any of these examples above would most likely make fine humidors. Just be wary of anyone who won't show the inside of a humidor or any offer that seems to good to be true. They usually are.

This next link shows a solid mahogany humidor with a true lining of cedar. You can see that the humidor box was first made of mahogany then the interior was lined with cedar. Of course I'm taking the word of the dealer that the shell IS solid mahogany. But it looks legit and he's got good feedback.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...186451461&rd=1

The majority of humidors on eBay seem to be OK from what I've seen lately. Just look closely and check out what other buyers have said about the vendors and their products and make sure you can return an item if you aren't satisfied with it.

Disclaimer - MMAB has no affiliation with any of the sellers whose auctions have been used for example on this post or any other post that may link to this post. The opinions expressed here are MMAB's own personal opinions and by no means are intended to support or discredit any vendor or their product or eBay and are used solely for the purpose of example only.

Taxes, title and registraion additional. Prices and special offers are subject to change. Mileage listings are estimates and are not necessarily accurate odometer readings. Some vehicle information and vehicle pricing may be unintentionally missing or inaccurate. This medication may cause nausea, temporary paralysis, jaundice, impetigo, pregnancy, anal warts, hyper-thyroidism, impaired vision, inability to speak, Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis and pink-eye. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery while under the influence of this medication. Some people while undergoing treatment with this medication have developed a taste for Englebert Humperdinck. If you should experience this side effect seek medical attention immediately.

**Krautle87** · 06-17-2005, 11:06 PM

Wow thats alot of info. You seem quite knowlegeable. I think the ones I was looking at were the all cedar with the wooden coating. I just bought a 25 ct travel humidor from my local shop. For the price I paid I prolly couldve gotten a decent 150ct one off the bay. But I'm still not buying boxes and I only smoke 3 or 4 times a week. So this will do for now. I've got it started, I soaked the inside and have wet paper towels sitting in it on a bag. I got an analog hydrometer but I may end up just getting a digital, it seems much simpler, I can barely read a analog clock let alone a hydrometer

Anyways, how long should I wait before putting cigars in it? The instructions say overnight, and the tobbaccanist said a day was fine, but I've heard it takes a week. Any other things I should know starting out?

**MMAB** · 06-18-2005, 05:58 PM

I'd give it a week to stabilize. If you put the cigars in early the humidor will suck a lot of the moisture out of them.

Have fun and good smokes to ya!

**Dmitri** · 07-19-2005, 12:00 AM

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...ory=11675&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...ory=11675&rd=1

What do you guys think of these two? They both say that it is "lined with spanish cedar." Would that be sufficient or would I want something that is more like spanish cedar lined with an exterior?

I found one that is identical to one of the above at http://www.cheaphumidors.com/Merchan...NITUREHUMIDORS

**MMAB** · 07-19-2005, 03:59 PM

Hi Dimitri

The two humidors you show from eBay are fine from what I can see. They are SOLID cedar with a rosewood burl FINISH. By finish they mean a photo laminate. It's actually a picture of rosewood burl grain laminated to the surface of the cedar. THAT'S OK. The majority of humidors you see today are made the same way.

If it were a real rosewood burl outer box lined with spanish cedar you'd have to pay about two thousand dollars if not more for a humidor like that.

As I said in my older posting, using photo laminates over solid cedar makes for a very affordable and a very attractive humidor.

Go for it!

Although.......the one with the fancy folding trays? Stay away from that one. I bet you that the hinges in it are just brass plated steel and over time the humidity in the humidor is going to make them look like crap. Between the two, I would pick the one with the legs.

I've heard some good things about CheapHumidors.com. They seem to have a lot of good deals. But check around for a little while before you make up your mind.