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[moki]

Updated: 12/3/2008 to fix the product links

Here are some helpful tips for shipping cigars, and links for ordering the shipping materials you'll need.

1) Priority mail packages

The USPS lets you order priority mail, express mail, global priority mail, boxes and mailers online -- for free. They ship the boxes, envelopes, etc. to you, you pay nothing.

Click here to visit the USPS.com store

Most priority mail box sizes will no longer be available at your local post office; the only place you'll be able to get them is ordering them online from the link above.

2) Packing your cigars

The most important things you can do to prevent cigars from being damaged in shipment is to ensure that they are:

-- Padded to avoid damage if they are knocked around
-- In a sealed, air-tight bag to keep them properly humidified
-- Tightly packed inside of the padded package, so they cannot hit each other during shipment

The latter is most important for cigars that are not in cellophane, as cigars banging loose against each other inside of a padded package can still suffer from wrapper damage. You may even want to put cigars that lack cellophane in individual cigar baggies for extra wrapper protection.

Chiswick has some great shipping materials -- I believe I've found the perfect thing for shipping 1-7 cigars in:

Prod. No.: 693578 -- 6"x8" Reclosable Bubble Cushioning Bags

What's great about it is 1) It's a sealable bag, 2) It's padded, 3) It fits perfectly into the "video cassette" sized Priority Mail packages, no additional padding needed

So to ship a few cigars out -- a bomb, trade, whatever -- you just open the bag, drop the cigars in, pop it into the priority mail container, and ship it. Takes a lot of the hassle out of sending cigars out.

A box of 50 of the 6" x 8" ones cost about $40 -- so it's about 80 cents per mailer -- not bad, especially considering they can be re-used for years.

Just make sure to pad the cigars in the package to prevent them from banging into each other if the bag is not snugly full. This is especially important for cigars that lack cellophane, because wrapper tobacco is notoriously delicate.

3) Shipping your package

The USPS lets you calculate your shipping costs, and print out a pre-paid label online:

USPS.com shipping labels

4) Tracking your package

If you use the delivery confirmation you (and your recipient) can track your package online:

USPS.com delivery confirmation tracking

If you're sending anything of value, you should also insure the package. This will require that someone signs for the package when delivery is attempted. In the event your package is lost, make sure you have your original receipts for the contents, or the USPS will tell you that you're out of luck.