Retailer Trust Index
Founding edition — October 2026. Built from pooled public consumer evidence: Trustpilot, BBB records, Reviews.io, Knoji, complaint boards, enthusiast press, and community reputation. Where evidence is thin, we say so instead of guessing. Full pillar scores publish with the first quarterly re-score; the tiers below already follow the Standard, including its automatic Do Not Recommend.
Approved — meets the standard
| Retailer | Status | The evidence |
|---|
| Cigar Page | Approved |
Consumer ratings 4.8/5 (122 reviews) and 4.5/5 (469 ratings) across rating platforms. Known frictions: occasional promo-period shipping delays and inventory discrepancies. A benchmark for honest deal pricing. |
| Neptune Cigar | Approved |
4.8/5 pooled consumer ratings; 4.86/5 across its own store reviews. Selling online since 1999. Only recurring friction found: loyalty-points redemption quirks. |
| Best Cigar Prices | Approved |
BBB Accredited with an A+ grade; 4.8/5 and 4.1/5 across consumer rating platforms. Price-match guarantee; 35-day returns. |
| Smoke Inn | Approved Limited data |
Top pick of enthusiast press and community reputation; no Trustpilot or BBB profile exists, so confidence rests on community consensus. Disclosed policies to know: 15% restocking fee, 6% fee to cancel before shipping. |
Caution — read the flag before you order
| Retailer | Status | The evidence |
|---|
| Famous Smoke Shop | Caution |
Consumers rate the product experience well (4.5–4.8/5), but its BBB grade is D− and it is not BBB-accredited, after failing to respond to multiple complaints. If an order goes wrong, expect to fight alone — pay by credit card. |
| BnB Tobacco | Caution Limited data |
Thin but positive-leaning evidence (4.0/5, 66 ratings). No horror stories found. Start with a small test order. |
| Cigora | Caution |
Mixed evidence (3.8–4.7/5 across platforms). Operates adjacent to an STG storefront brand — watch the checkout carefully for add-on programs. |
| Gotham Cigars | Caution Limited data |
2.11/5 across a small set of reviews: cigars shipped dry without humidification, paid express shipping taking a week or more, a 20% restocking fee. |
| The Cigar Store | Caution No ratings found |
No consumer ratings found on any pooled source — nothing negative, and no track record either. Its prices are signals only until a reputation exists. |
| GT Cigars | Caution No ratings found |
No consumer ratings found anywhere. The new online arm of a Tampa retailer and wholesaler. Signal-only, like the above. |
| I Heart Cigars | Caution No ratings found |
No ratings found on any pooled source. Signal-only. |
Below the bar
| Retailer | Status | The evidence |
|---|
| Cigars International | Do Not Recommend |
Trustpilot 1.6★ across 192 reviews. Recurring reports of a surprise monthly "rewards" charge added at checkout, billing continuing after cancellation (in one report, $300+), club cigars arriving stale, and orders cancelled without explanation. The surprise-billing pattern triggers the Standard's automatic Do Not Recommend. See the $14.95 charge. |
| Thompson Cigar | Do Not Recommend |
Across 250+ reviews on one platform, only 6% of customers recommend it. Unauthorized ~$14.95/month program charges with refunds refused, orders stuck in processing, charge–refund–charge cycles, prepaid club deposits described as non-refundable. Same Do Not Recommend. |
| Cigars.com | Do Not Recommend |
A storefront of the same parent group as Cigars International and Thompson, with the same surprise-program reports. A different logo does not change the evidence. |
| JR Cigar | Below the bar |
Trustpilot 1.7★; BBB grade D+. Dried-out cigars, slow shipping, unhelpful service, returns accepted only unopened. |
| Mike's Cigars | Below the bar |
Trustpilot 2.7★; BBB grade C−. Orders reported not arriving, service unreachable, refunds obtained only through card disputes; cancellation and restocking fees up to 50%. |
How to read this index. A BBB grade measures how a company handles complaints, not product quality — we weigh it as service evidence, nothing more. Coupon-site ratings are softer evidence and are never the sole basis for a tier. Retailers can submit factual corrections at any time; corrections that check out are made and logged publicly. What no retailer can do is pay to change a tier.
The full methodology →