Quote Originally Posted by Shelby07 View Post
There's no doubt about it. They are paying for the licensing of the logo and the name recognition.

Over the Xmas holidays I helped out a friend who woks for Brunswick. We sold billiard balls for a particular price. We also had billiard balls with NFL, MLB and NBA team logos available. Exact same product... double the price.

Keep in mind that the retailer's markup is usually a percentage of their cost, not a fixed dollar amount. So if a box of cigars costs a retailer $50 and his markup is 100%, he'll sell that box for $100. However, if the same box comes in with a well known logo and the licensing fee is an additional $25, then his cost goes up to $75 and he sells them for $150 -- $25 more than the licensing fee.
Well, I guess I have to decide if I want to pay for cigars that are good not great and a nice glowing box in case the power goes out and I cant find the right stick.