Thoughts on the tin society?

TaylorJDutton

Hey all, i saw a post on twitter for the tin society so i decided to check out the website.  As i navigated, i found myself scratching my head, does anyone else think it seems a tad overpriced? maybe my understanding of what they're offering is skewed.  

ghostsofpompeii

@TaylorJDutton I'm not on Twitter or Facebook so I'm not sure what the tin society is? Can you give a brief explanation, and what it is they are offering?

Charles

@ghostsofpompeii - The Tin Society is a premium monthly subscription for pipe tobacco enthusiasts to grow in knowledge and enjoyment of pipe tobacco smoking.  Their website is:  https://tinsociety.com/home/

Memberships are $20, $30, & $50 per month. They send out premium Missouri Meerschaum corn cob pipes on a quarterly basis every March, June, September and December. In the in between months they include handy accessories that every pipe smoker needs.  Probably filters for the cobs or pipe cleaners.  The monthly tobacco quantity is between 1-oz to 4-ozs., depending on your membership price point you chose. 

@TaylorJDutton - Seems overpriced to me as well.  For those prices $240, $360, & $600 per year respectively, you can purchase a brand new Peterson or Dunhill pipe, not to mention the amount of tobacco you can purchase for yourself.  Premium Missouri Meerschaum corn cob pipes cost on average about $8 and last for many many years if you care for them.  I have my first one that I bought over forty years ago and it is still a great smoker.  

judandhispipe

I just looked at their page - you would also get  tobacco.
The question really is - is it worth money to you to have a selection of blends for you that someone else might be suggesting? Yeah, for the same amount of money you might be able to get more, yourself - but is the convenience factor, and the suggestions, worth it to you? I'm not going to jump on it, but I can see how it might be useful to a noobie who doesn't mind spending a little money for assistance in getting established in the hobby.

PhilosoPiper

@TaylorJDutto, for me the Tin Society really all boils down to a cost benefit analysis. Is it better to pay the subscription to get samples of several blends or pay full price for tins of tobacco only to find that you don't like them? I think the best value that they offer is the $23.00/mo, you would be hard pressed to purchase 4 tins of quality tobacco for 25 dollars or less. The purpose of the subscription isn't to stock up on old favorites, rather to sample, keeping that in mind. I think that it could definitely be worth it.

I think this service is especially beneficial for those who do not live near a quality tobaconnist. 

TaylorJDutton

I appreciate the input, i agree that for someone who isn’t already taking time to purchase tins, it could definitely be a good source of tobacco and tools. Maybe i seem hesitant because i tend to like anything i smoke, so purchasing a whole tin usually works out for me in the long run. And @Charles , I’m with you on the whole Dunhill thing, not that I’m going to use that money on a Dunhill necessarily, but I’m looking at the cost for a year and i think that’s what deters me   Thanks again yall

daveinlax

You can't blame a guy for trying but it's amazing how many guys are trying to make money as part of the hobby. Just listing a few pipes and tobacco's on eBay to make a couple bucks to buy more pipes is more work than I want to do. 

mseddon

I checked it out. While you do get 4 samples of tobacco, they are 1/2 ounce samples, very small, for a total of two ounces for a minimum of $23 bucks and an occasional cheap cob and a few cheap accessories. Depending on the tins, in most cases, I could buy 2-3 whole tins for that amount. I decided that was just too rich for my blood. Plus, you don't get to choose what samples you get. Plus, I've been pretty successful at trading tins of tobacco that weren't really to my taste for ones that are. Plus, I have the luxury of the Austin Pipe Club, where twice monthly I can sample tobaccos for a total of $10/year. So, IMHO it isn't worth it. It might be, though as @PhilosoPiper says, for those with no access to a B&M shop and/or a pipe club.

TaylorJDutton

I’ve heard, thanks to csr, that people in Washington have very high taxes on tobacco, I’m not sure if this applies to online shopping, but hey, could be a good option for them to sample tobacco at a huge discount to their normal prices. 

daveinlax

"I’ve heard, thanks to csr, that people in Washington have very high taxes on tobacco, I’m not sure if this applies to online shopping, but hey, could be a good option for them to sample tobacco at a huge discount to their normal prices."
Yeah it might be.
The issue with WA is that they collect state taxes from out of state mail order sellers and most don't want to deal with the hassle. Other than I think Maryland other states don't go to the trouble, yet.

 I didn't take a lot of time looking over The Tin Society and I'm not sure but I have a feeling this might be a guy reselling tobacco from a .com retailer out of his (or his mom's) basement and not a licensed tobacco dealer.   

Woodsman

One of the best places to learn new to you tobaccos is go to a pipe club meeting or gathering, almost everyone there is offering their new or favorite tobacco to try and they'll gladly steer you toward a favorite blend. 

TaylorJDutton

@Woodsman drives community as well! I need to find a local pipe club, if not I’ll have to drive to whichever is closest. @daveinlax I’m not sure about that, so i don’t want to assume anything, but i suppose someone could do that. It’s a good idea all in all, just not my cup of tea i don’t think. I love researching my tobacco before i purchased. It’s all part of the game. The beautiful glorious game 

thebadgerpiper

I don't use the Tin Society, but as a service, I think it's a neat idea. It isn't for everyone, but I think it's a fun way to try blends that you might not think to pick up. Like others have said, it's a bit out of my price range, but it's a cool program.