“How would I go about selling my cigar collection?” is one of the most common questions collectors ask, usually once a humidor has outgrown its owner’s smoking. The answer is the same whether the collection is worth $2,000 or $200,000. Only the best route changes.
1. Work out what you have
List each box: the brand, the vitola, how many cigars it holds, and whether it’s sealed or opened. Note how the cigars have been stored and for how long. Then photograph the box fronts and the box bottoms, where the codes are stamped. Our guide on photographing cigar boxes shows which shots matter.
2. Set realistic expectations
What you paid, or what a shop charges today, isn’t what the collection will sell for. Anyone who buys a collection to resell needs a margin, and condition, storage and provenance all move the number. Rare, aged and limited-edition boxes can hold or grow their value. Everyday boxes that have been opened usually sell for less than their retail price.
3. Choose how to sell
- A specialist cigar buyer: one review, one offer for the collection, one handover. Simplest, and the sale stays private.
- An auction house: worth considering for rare boxes. Expect seller’s fees, and a sale on the auction’s calendar.
- Other collectors: can bring the highest price per box, but takes the most effort. Many forums and online communities, Reddit included, don’t allow tobacco sales, and the rules on selling tobacco privately vary from place to place.
Our guide where can I sell my cigar collection? compares these in more detail.
Selling a collection worth around $2,000
At this size, auctions rarely make sense once fees are taken out, and selling box by box to strangers is a lot of work for the money. Selling the whole collection to one buyer is usually the most practical route. Send the list and photos, and ask for one offer covering everything.
4. Check you can sell
Make sure the cigars are yours to sell, or that you have authority to sell them, for example as an executor. And check where the cigars are: whether a buyer can lawfully buy them depends on the rules there.
5. Compare the offer, then decide
A good buyer explains how they reached their number and doesn’t pressure you. If you’d like us to look at your collection, tell us what you have. There’s no obligation.
Have cigars to sell?
Tell us what you have. We’ll review it and tell you plainly whether it fits what we buy. There’s no obligation.
Submit your cigar inventory