Buying a humidor is one of the best first steps you can take as someone new to cigar collecting. By purchasing a humidor, not only do you get the most from the cigars you buy, but humidor ownership also represents your willingness to learn more about the culture of cigars and cigar smoking.
Because the truth is, smoking cigars is just one aspect of the hobby. Learning about processes, discovering how different cigars are made, and, in general, curating better smoking experiences all contribute to the overall enjoyment.
It starts with the humidor.
And for many of us, the first place we look to purchase is on Amazon. Whether you’re a Prime member or not, the convenience of Amazon shopping gives you a good lay of the land when it comes to humidors and reviews–not to mention the trustworthy shipping estimates and follow-through. So if you’re shopping for humidors on Amazon, here’s what you need to know.
The Humidors on Amazon
You’ll find a vast selection of humidors, humidor accessories, and cigar-related products on Amazon. Many vendors distribute their products through Amazon to extend their reach to customers across the world or to geographic locations beyond their operations. So you’ll see a somewhat unbiased assortment of brands and humidors, with many featuring a wealth of helpful customer reviews.
Form Follows Function
With price, aesthetic, and brand name competing for your attention, remember your choice of which humidor to buy should be based on functionality. What do you need from your humidor? Size, effectiveness, and quality should dictate your decision. And they offer more than the allure of the best-looking, most affordable options you see on the first page of Amazon search results.
For example, do you require a desktop humidor that can fit 25 cigars? Or a humidor cigar cabinet that can hold hundreds of cigars?
For function, we recommend three key elements for every humidor:
- A built-in hygrometer
- Inlay made from Spanish cedar
- A reliable humidor humidifier.
Read the Reviews
Product reviews are a great equalizer for products on Amazon, especially when dealing with a product like humidors that have a large contributing audience. The more reviews, the better the pool of customer experiences to pull from.
A word of advice: evaluate reviews for credibility. Many reviews, favorable and negative, reveal the author’s inexperience or lack of knowledge. And you shouldn’t trust the opinion of someone who doesn’t know the product.
For example, if a negative review makes it obvious the user wasn’t using the product as intended–pouring tap water into their humidor, say–don’t value that rating.
Rank Humidors for Sale
Organize your criteria, weigh them by importance, and rank the humidors you’re considering. In the end, you should have several options in your price range, that can hold your collection of cigars, and that have received trusted positive reviews.
Buying Direct vs Amazon
For cigars and cigar products like humidors and accessories, Amazon isn’t always the best choice. And many consumers avoid purchasing products from Amazon that they could buy directly from the vendor instead. Some items to consider when deciding where to buy:
Physical Cigar Shops
There’s a certain aspect to visiting your local cigar shop that can’t be replaced by the convenience of shopping online. While an in-person visit isn’t necessary every time, it’s a great opportunity to put your nose to a few selections and inspect the look and feel of humidors, torch lighters, or other cigar accessories.
Perhaps the most valuable element of visiting your local shop is speaking with the experts there. They know the industry, have experience using the products they sell, and will generally provide an unbiased opinion.
Vendor
When buying from a trustworthy vendor for your cigar products, you get peace of mind knowing your purchases will be of the highest quality. That’s why it’s important to evaluate any vendor where you purchase cigars and accessories: are their products of high quality and does the vendor demonstrate industry credibility?
When you find a trusted vendor, buying directly can include advantages like access to new products before they’re available on Amazon, or special offers and discounts. For example, Case Elegance subscribers receive information on products through a weekly newsletter.
Shipping
Shipping is an important, recognized feature included with purchasing from Amazon as a Prime member. And it’s a value that can be tough to compete with. For same-day shipping or urgent shipping needs, Amazon Prime is hard to argue with, but always compare against quotes from the vendor or seller.
Bundled Orders
On a shipping note, if you’re buying cigars, humidors, or cigar accessories from multiple brands and vendors, bundled orders from Amazon can ship under one shipping cost, which saves you considerable money.
Used
Unique to buying from Amazon, you can buy some humidor models new or used. For those on a budget, this gives you a few more options, especially with humidors that, sold as new, are outside your budget. But be cautious with used humidors: humidor seasoning is important, and over time a poorly maintained humidor will diminish in quality.
