FAQ
Common questions about ordering, shipping, age verification, and returns. If yours isn't here, email us at contact@21cigars.com — we answer within one business day.
Age and verification
How old do I have to be?
21. Federal law sets 21 as the minimum age to buy tobacco products anywhere in the United States. Every order is age-verified, and every delivery requires an adult signature.
How does age verification work?
When you click Verify age and check out in your cart, you'll confirm your date of birth. Your details are then checked against public records by AgeChecker.Net, an independent verification service, when you place your order.
Most customers clear in a few seconds. If verification doesn't pass, your order won't ship and anything charged is refunded in full — we'll email you first so you can correct your details.
More on our Age Verification page.
Do I have to upload a photo ID?
Usually not. If public records can't confirm you, you'll be asked to submit a government-issued photo ID — the same thing you'd hand across the counter at a tobacconist. It takes about ten to thirty seconds to process.
Once you've verified with an ID, you generally won't be asked again as long as you use the same name, address, and date of birth.
Why did my verification fail?
Almost always one of these:
- Your date of birth doesn't match your ID exactly — even if both are well over 21. This is the most common cause by far.
- The name doesn't match your order — nicknames, maiden names, and missing middle initials all trip it.
- Part of the ID is covered or blurry — name, date of birth, and expiration all need to be readable.
Fix the detail and try again, or email us and we'll help.
Is my ID stored anywhere?
We never receive or store images of your ID. We get back only a pass/fail result, a timestamp, and a reference number.
AgeChecker states that photo IDs are not stored by default and are deleted once verification completes. They do retain your name, date of birth, and address so you can be verified without an ID next time. See their FAQ and our Privacy Policy.
Shipping and delivery
Where do you ship?
Anywhere in the United States except Utah, Hawaii, South Dakota, and Delaware, which we can't currently serve because of state tobacco regulations.
We ship via UPS to street addresses only — no P.O. Boxes, no APO/FPO, no U.S. territories. UPS doesn't deliver tobacco to those.
Do you ship internationally?
No. United States only.
What does shipping cost?
$15 flat on orders under $200, free on orders $200 and over. Adult signature service is included in both.
How long does it take?
Orders process in 1–2 business days and typically arrive 2–5 business days after that, depending on where you are. You'll get tracking by email when it ships.
During hot summer months we may hold a shipment briefly rather than let cigars sit in a trailer over a weekend. If we do, we'll tell you.
Do I have to be home to sign?
Someone 21 or older does. UPS won't leave a tobacco shipment at the door under any circumstances, and there's no waiver.
It doesn't have to be you — any adult 21+ with ID can sign. If nobody's home during the day, the easiest fix is redirecting the package to a UPS Access Point and picking it up there.
UPS tries three times. After that the package comes back to us.
I'm in California. Why did you call me?
California's STAKE Act requires us to confirm your order by phone after 5:00 PM Pacific before we ship. It's a legal requirement, not a sales call. Please make sure the number on your order is one you'll answer, or your shipment will be delayed.
Orders and payment
What payment methods do you take?
Credit and debit cards, and bitcoin — on-chain and Lightning — through our own self-hosted BTCPay Server.
On-chain payments settle directly to a wallet we control, with no processor in between. Lightning payments route through Strike, which provides our Lightning liquidity and is a custodial service, so those do pass through a third party before reaching us. If you'd rather avoid that, pay on-chain.
Can I cancel or change my order?
Within 24 hours of placing it, yes — email us with your order number. After that, or once we've packed it, we'll try to recall the shipment but can't promise it.
How do bitcoin refunds work?
You get the same number of sats back that you sent. We don't adjust for price movement in either direction.
Refunds go out as a BTCPay claim link emailed to you — you open it, enter your own receiving address, and claim the payment. We never handle your address by hand. USD store credit is available instead if you'd rather.
Do you sell wholesale?
Not yet. We're retail-only at the moment. If you run a lounge or shop and want to carry us, email us and we'll be in touch when that changes.
Returns and problems
Can I return my cigars?
Cigars can't be returned for change of mind — they're perishable and we have no way to verify how they've been stored once they leave us.
If they arrive damaged, defective, or wrong, that's covered. Contact us within 7 days of delivery.
What about accessories?
Ashtrays and other accessories have a 30-day window for damage or defects, and unopened items can be returned within 14 days if you change your mind. Return shipping is on you for change-of-mind returns.
My order arrived damaged. What do I do?
Email contact@21cigars.com with the subject line Claim – Order #[your number] and include:
- Photos of the outer box and shipping label
- Photos of the inner packaging
- Photos of the damaged items
- A photo of everything that was in the box
We answer within one business day. If approved, you choose between a replacement, store credit, or a refund to your original payment method.
Don't ship cigars back to us — photos are enough, and consumers generally aren't permitted to ship tobacco. Same for broken glass or ceramic: photograph it, then dispose of it safely.
Full details in our Return and Refund Policy.
Nobody was home and my package went back to UPS
Email us. We can reship it for the cost of shipping. If we don't hear from you within 14 days of it landing back here, we'll refund the order less the actual shipping we paid both ways. No restocking fee.
About our cigars
Where are they made?
Hand-rolled in Miami, Florida, at a boutique factory in Little Havana, by Cuban-trained torcedores using premium imported leaf.
Are these Cuban cigars?
No. We don't sell Cuban cigars or anything containing Cuban tobacco. Our cigars are made in Miami — the Little Havana connection is about where our factory is and who rolls for us, not where the tobacco comes from.
Do you sell singles?
Not at launch. Our cigars come in 4 and 5-count packs. Larger formats are coming as we grow.
Why does one cigar look different from the next?
Because they're made by hand from natural leaf. Color, veining, wrapper texture, draw, and burn vary from cigar to cigar and box to box. That's normal for premium handmade cigars and isn't a defect — it's what separates them from machine-made product.
Still stuck?
contact@21cigars.com — we answer within one business day.
(813) 336-2066 — Monday to Friday, 9–5 Central.