CigarBid

What CigarBid does

CigarBid.com is a privately held, US-based online auction platform operating out of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, that has run continuously since 1998. The company provides a 24/7 live auction marketplace targeting adult cigar enthusiasts and collectors, offering competitive bidding across multiple auction formats — Classic timed auctions, Free Fall (falling-price) auctions, QuickBuy (fixed-price), and Quick-ies — as well as recurring Power Hour events. Its catalog spans 4,637+ active listings across 761+ cigar brands including Oliva, Rocky Patel, CAO, Alec Bradley, Diesel, ACID, and Partagas, organized by Singles, 5-Packs, Boxes, and Samplers, with adjacent merchandise (humidors, lighters, cutters) and Pipes & Pipe Tobacco categories.

The platform's underlying technology is a proprietary auction engine with features including lot watching, bidding history, outbid notifications, and personal account dashboards (My Lots). A user community forum supports discussion, trades, and content posts. Distribution is exclusively direct-to-consumer via cigarbid.com, with no physical retail or third-party channels. Marketing is conducted through email specials, SMS text alerts, Facebook, Twitter, and organic search.

CigarBid generates revenue via transaction fees on each auction lot won and on QuickBuy fixed-price purchases. Customer concentration is on a long tail of individual adult consumers, with no disclosed enterprise or B2B accounts. Keith Meier is Founder & CEO and Damir Yuldashev is President & COO; the company has no disclosed parent, no institutional funding, and no headcount or revenue figures available in the source material.

Name

CigarBid

Legal name

CigarBid.com

Website

https://cigarbid.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Short description

CigarBid is a privately held, US-based online auction platform operating since 1998 that runs 24/7 live cigar auctions across multiple formats (Classic, Free Fall, QuickBuy, Power Hour) for adult consumers, with 4,600+ active listings from 761+ cigar brands plus accessories and pipe tobacco.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bethlehem

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Auction Transaction Fees: Revenue is generated through auction-based transactions where customers bid on and purchase cigars, accessories, and related products. The auction model allows prices to be determined by competitive bidding, with the company earning revenue on each successful transaction. Additional revenue comes from QuickBuy fixed-price purchases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CigarBid operates a 24/7 online auction platform where adult consumers bid on cigars, cigar samplers, humidors, lighters, cutters, pipe tobacco, and smoking pipes. The platform supports multiple auction formats — Classic timed auctions, Free Fall (falling-price), QuickBuy (fixed-price), Quick-ies (rapid), and weekly Power Hour events — across more than 4,600 active listings and 761+ cigar brands, with revenue earned on each successful transaction.

Product overview

CigarBid operates as America's #1 online cigar auction platform offering a unified marketplace where users participate in live 24/7 auctions across multiple formats. The core platform supports Classic Auctions (standard timed bidding), Free Fall Auctions (falling price dynamics), QuickBuy (fixed-price option), and Quick-ies (fast-paced auctions). Products are sold across several categories including Singles, 5-Packs, Boxes, and Samplers, along with Merchandise (humidors, accessories) and Pipes & Pipe Tobacco. The platform features a user account system with My Lots dashboard for tracking bids, Lot Watch for monitoring interest, and a community Forum for discussions. Power Hour events provide weekly specialty auction opportunities. The platform hosts over 4,600+ active listings across 761+ cigar brands including Oliva, Rocky Patel, CAO, Alec Bradley, and Diesel, positioning itself as a comprehensive auction marketplace for premium tobacco products rather than a single-product offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CigarBid Online Auction Platform Core 24/7 online cigar auction platform where adult consumers (21+) bid on cigars, humidors, lighters, cutters, pipe tobacco, and smoking pipes across more than 4,600 active listings and 761+ cigar brands, with revenue earned on each successful transaction.
• Classic Auctions Standard timed auction format with 3,711 active listings where users compete by placing bids to win cigars and cigar-related products at auction-determined prices.
• Free Fall Auctions

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• CigarAuctioneer: CigarAuctioneer is another dedicated online cigar auction platform, operating its own bidding engine and seller marketplace for premium cigars. It is the closest direct competitor to CigarBid in the online cigar auction category, competing for the same enthusiast bidders and cigar seller supply.
• Cigars International: Cigars International is one of the largest online cigar retailers in the US, offering a deep catalog of premium and boutique cigars direct-to-consumer. It competes with CigarBid for the same value-seeking premium cigar buyer and increasingly offers promotional/deal-driven mechanics that overlap with CigarBid's auction-and-discount positioning.
• Famous Smoke Shop: Famous Smoke Shop is a long-running online and mail-order cigar retailer based in Pennsylvania, with a broad catalog of premium cigars, accessories, and humidors. It is a direct peer in online cigar commerce, appealing to CigarBid's same buyer demographic of adult cigar enthusiasts seeking value and variety.
• JR Cigars: JR Cigars is one of the largest online cigar retailers and wholesalers globally, offering extensive brand coverage and frequent discount-driven promotions targeting enthusiast buyers. It is a direct peer to CigarBid in the online premium cigar commerce category and overlaps significantly on target customer and product range.
• PipesAndCigars.com (Pipes & Cigars): PipesAndCigars.com is a US-based online retailer of premium cigars, pipes, and pipe tobacco, offering deep brand selection and direct-to-consumer shipping. It directly competes with CigarBid on cigars and pipes-and-tobacco, targeting an overlapping enthusiast buyer.
• Smokingpipes.com: Smokingpipes.com is a specialty online retailer focused on pipes and pipe tobacco with significant cigar coverage, known for curated product selection and a strong enthusiast community. It overlaps with CigarBid's pipes-and-tobacco category and adjacent cigar offering, and shares the same adult hobbyist buyer.
• Iwan Ries & Co. Iwan Ries & Co. is a historic Chicago-based cigar and tobacco retailer combining a brick-and-mortar tobacconist with online mail-order sales of premium cigars, pipes, and accessories. It is comparable to CigarBid as an established enthusiast-focused cigar retailer with multi-channel direct-to-consumer distribution.

Broad incumbents

• Thompson Cigar: Thompson Cigar is a long-established legacy cigar retailer operating both catalog and online channels with broad brand coverage and discount-driven merchandising. It is a broad incumbent in online cigar commerce with overlapping target customers to CigarBid, though it does not specialize in the auction format.
• Cigar.com (Davidoff): Cigar.com is a Davidoff-affiliated online cigar retailer offering premium and boutique brands direct to consumers. It is a broad incumbent in the same online cigar retail category as CigarBid, overlapping on premium product lines and adult enthusiast buyers, but without a dedicated auction engine.
• eBay: eBay is the largest generalist online auction and marketplace platform, hosting extensive listings of cigars, humidors, and tobacco accessories from third-party sellers. It serves as a broad incumbent alternative auction venue with overlapping seller and buyer activity in the cigar hobbyist space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Cigar_Bid
• Facebookfacebook.com/CigarBid

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CigarBid