Frequently Asked Questions


Why is Iwan Ries & Co. now requiring adult signatures for California Tobacco Deliveries?

I can't figure out how to navigate your new site.

What is Iwan Ries & Co.'s Return Policy?

Do you ship Internationally?

When can I expect my order?

What are Cigar Bonus Coupons?

Do you buy "Estate Pipes?"

Can I pay for my purchase with a Check or Money Order?

Do I have to pay taxes on my order?

I saw a pipe last week that I liked, and now I can't find it. Where did it go?

I saw a pipe in your store, now I can't find it online!

How does the Temporarily Out Of Stock Email Notification work?

What is a Dunhill Group Size?

On some pipes you list sizes as 0! What gives?

What are your store hours?

Where is your store located?

Where can I smoke in Chicago?

Is there any way to rid a room of smoke smells?

I broke my pipe stem! Can you send me a new one?

What is the Iwan Ries & Co. Privacy Policy?


Why is Iwan Ries & Co. now requiring adult signatures for California Tobacco Deliveries?

California introduced in 2019 and 2020 Senate Bill CA SB-39 Tobacco Products to require adult signatures for Iwan Ries premium tobacco product deliveries into California according to (CA SB-39 Tobacco products).


I can't figure out how to navigate your new site.

Our new site does rely on the latest gadgets for the internet. We do recommend that you update your browser to the latest version to fully experience all the new features. That being said, the new site works a lot like the old site. While we have added new drop down menus, you can still simply click the "Pipes" button, for example, to see a full listing without all the drop down navigation. We've tried to make it even easier for you to find the exact pipe or cigar you are looking for with our new Advanced Search feature. From here you can search our entire inventory to find exactly the shape, finish or style you are looking for. You can find a shape chart here.(back to top)


What is Iwan Ries & Co.'s Return Policy?

For over 150 years, we have done our best to provide the highest quality customer service. To that end, we try and make returns and exchanges as painless as possible. If you are not happy, let us know and we will try our best to rectify the situation.

Accessories: If you are not 100% satisfied with any non-tobacco product that was purchased from Iwan Ries & Co. you may return it in original condition within 30 days of purchase for full credit or refund.

Pipes: If you are not 100% satisfied with any pipe purchased from Iwan Ries & Co., please return it within 30 days un-smoked, for exchange, credit or refund. Pipes are guaranteed against manufacturer defect, Burnouts for example, for one year from date of purchase. Pipes are not guaranteed against stem breakage or misuse. Any customer who returns 3 pipes within a six month period may be required to pay a restocking fee for all subsequent pipe returns.

Cigars: If you are not 100% satisfied with any cigars purchased from Iwan Ries & Co. after you have tried one (1) you may return them within 15 days for full credit or refund. If you smoke more than one (1) cigar and decide to return the balance, your refund or exchange value will be reduced by the value of the number of cigars not being returned. Returns accepted only with original cellophane wrappers intact on all cigars.

Xikar Accessories: Xikar provides a Lifetime Warranty on most of their products, including their lighters and cutters. If you have any issues with a Xikar product, simply contact us and we will arrange for an exchange of the item.

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Do you ship Internationally?

Yes, we ship anywhere in the world that allows the importation of tobacco products. We mark international packages as containing the specific description of your order and state the cost of the item on the customs documentation. Currently, we are not able to describe the contents in any other way. Be aware, we will not falsify customs declarations. Any customs or import duties are levied once the package reaches your country. All fees and duties imposed by foreign governments are the responsibility of the customer. Additional charges for customs clearance will be borne by the recipient, as we have no control over these charges and cannot predict what they may be. Customs policies vary widely from country to country; you may want to contact your local Customs office for further information. Please be familiar with the laws and policies inside your country. We cannot be held responsible for items confiscated, destroyed or damaged by any customs department. All responsibility for shipments outside the United States lies with the customer. We ship International packages twice a week, so there may be a delay between when your order is placed and when it leaves our warehouse. Time in transit depends on various factors, but usually ranges from five days to four weeks. It can take longer due to customs processing and carrier service within your country.

We currently cannot ship tobacco products to the following countries:
(this list is subject to change without notice, as foreign policies change):

  • Belarus
  • Belgium
  • Belize
  • Bolivia
  • Brazil
  • Cambodia
  • China
  • Ecuador
  • Gabon
  • Greece
  • Iceland
  • Indonesia
  • Iran - Islamic Republic Of
  • Lebanon
  • Maldives
  • Malta
  • Mauritania
  • Mexico
  • New Caledonia
  • Peru
  • Portugal
  • Romania
  • Sri Lanka
  • Ukraine
  • Vietnam
  • Wallis and Futuna
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When can I expect my order?

We ship Moday through Friday by 5:00 pm CST. If your order is placed before 3:00 pm CST it will usually ship the same day. We offer you the choice of your preferred shipper: UPS, Fed Ex or USPS. Live rates are pulled from the carrier's webpage to ours, to ensure accurate shipping rates. Time in transit depends on the method chosen. (back to top)


What are Cigar Bonus Coupons? Collect 12, Get FREE Cigars!

Whenever you purchase a box or tin of cigars, we will send you a Cigar Bonus Coupon. Or if you prefer, we can keep your coupons for you. Once you've Collected 12, your Bonus Coupons can be redeemed for free goods. The dollar amount is determined by the average of the 12 coupons. Use your Bonus Coupons to purchase a box of cigars, a new pipe, a humidor... anything we carry! They are easy to use, once you have 12, either send them in, or come by the store. Effectively, this represents an additional 8% in savings. (back to top)


Do you buy "Estate Pipes?"

We are always interested in purchasing high quality estate pipes (previously owned and smoked pipes). For more information, please contact Chuck Levi at chuck@iwanries.com. (back to top)


Can I pay for my purchase with a Check or Money Order?

Yes. At the Payment Options page, you can click the "Pay By Check or Money Order" option. This option essentially creates a hold in our system. We will hold your merchandise for two weeks, while we wait for payment. Once payment is received, we will ship the order to you. If payment is not recieved within the two week window, your order will be cancelled and the items will be placed back into stock. To ensure timely delivery, we do still recommend the use of a credit card. (back to top)


Do I have to pay taxes on my order?

Illinois Residents will be charged the state tobacco tax (13%) and sales tax (9.5%). The state tobacco tax in Illinois is 18%, we absorb 5%. Out of state residents are not charged any tax on mail order. (back to top)


I saw a pipe last week that I liked, and now I can't find it. Where did it go?

We try our best to keep our website up to date. Many pipes featured on our site are unique, one-of-a-kind pieces. Once they are sold, we remove them from the site. (back to top)


I saw a pipe in your store, now I can't find it online!

We have thousands of pipes in stock, and only a fraction of that makes it online. If you don't see what you are looking for online, give us a call or send an email and we'll help you find exactly what you are looking for. (back to top)


How does the Temporarily Out Of Stock Email Notification work?

Our new system allows for this pretty cool feature. When we are out of stock on an item, you can request a notification. When we get that item back in stock, you will instantly receive an email and a link to that product. Sometimes something is only out of stock for a few days, sometimes a lot longer. Either way, when we get it back in our warehouse, we'll let you know. (back to top)


What is a Dunhill Group Size?

Dunhill classifies their pipe bowls with a "Group Number" ranging between 1 and 6. 1 is the smallest, 6 is a rather large pipe. There is, even within Dunhill, some variance, however, Dunhill Group sizes work as a nice short hand for bowl sizes. A Straight Billiard Group 5 is typically 1 7/8 to 2 inches tall, for example. (back to top)


On some pipes you list sizes as 0! What gives?

You asked us to give sizes on all of our pipes, and we are working toward that goal. Every day we measure a few more pipes and add that information into the database. As you've probably noticed, we've got a pretty big inventory, and it takes time to measure everything. Bear with us, we'll get there, we promise. If there is a pipe you are interested in, give us a call or email, we will be happy to provide the measurements for you. (back to top)


What are your store hours?

We are open Monday through Friday from 9:00am to 5:30pm CST. Saturdays we are open 9:00am to 5:00pm. We are closed on Sundays. (back to top) Our Lounge is open Monday through Saturday from 9:00am to 10:00pm, and on Sundays from 11:00am to 6:00pm.


Where is your store located?

We are located in Chicago, Illinois, right in the heart of Jeweler's Row: 19 S. Wabash Ave. Chicago, IL 60603 (in between Madison and Monroe). We're on the second floor of the historic landmark Iwan Ries Building built by Adler and Sullivan. We've been told we're a little hard to find, call us the hidden gem of Jeweler's Row.

Directions to our store:

Via Public Transportation:

Blue Line: Monroe Stop, 2 and a half blocks East.
Red Line: Monroe Stop, 1 and a half blocks East.
Brown, Green, Orange, Pink, & Purple Lines: Madison/Wabash Stop, right outside our door.

Driving Directions:

From the west: Take I290 east (becomes Congress) to Michigan Ave. Go north (left) on Michigan to Madison. Go one block to Wabash and take a left.
From the south: Take I94 West. Take exit 51B (Washington St) east to Wabash. Turn Right (south) to 19 S. Wabash (on the left)
From Ohare: Take I90 east to I94 west exit 51B (Washington St) east to Wabash. Turn Right (south) to 19 S. Wabash (on the left)
From the North: Take I94 west exit 51B (Washington St) east to Wabash. Turn Right (south) to 19 S. Wabash (on the left)

For more detailed directions click here.

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Where can I smoke in Chicago?

Sadly, there aren't very many places left. We offer two smoking lounges in our store. We have a free lounge located inside the store, and the more exclusive and better appointed Iwan Ries Lounge. Admittance is $15 for a day pass (a yearly membership is only $750). The Iwan Ries Lounge is also open until 10:00 pm most nights. When the weather is nice, you can also smoke outside. There are quite a few restaurants and lounges with outside smoking areas.(back to top)


Is there any way to rid a room of smoke smells?

We have two products that work very well at eliminating the smell of smoke in a room. The Lightning Air utilizes both Ionization and Ozone to remove the smell from the room. Lampe Berger is a natural air purifier that uses a process of catalytic conversion to eliminate the bacteria that cause odor. Both work very well and are used by our employees in their own homes. (back to top)


I broke my pipe stem! Can you send me a new one?

Stems are custom cut to fit the pipe. There are not many pipe repairmen in the world these days, so they can get backed up easily, and it frequently takes up to six months or more. The cost is typically $20.00 for a new vulcanite stem and $25.00 for lucite, although occassionally additional work (a band to strengthen the shank, for example) is required, which will alter the price. There is no warranty on pipe repairs.(back to top)


Iwan Ries & Co. Privacy Policy

This privacy notice discloses the privacy practices for Iwan Ries & Co.  This privacy notice applies solely to information collected by this web site.  It will notify you of the following:

  1. What personally identifiable information is collected from you through the web site, how it is used and with whom it may be shared.
  2. What choices are available to you regarding the use of your data.  
  3. The security procedures in place to protect the misuse of your information. 
  4. How you can correct any inaccuracies in the information.
Information Collection, Use, and Sharing

We are the sole owners of the information collected on this site. We only have access to information that you voluntarily give us via email or other direct contact from you.  We will not sell or rent this information to anyone.

We will use your information to respond to you, regarding the reason you contacted us.  We will not share your information with any third party outside of our organization, other than as necessary to fulfill your request, e.g. to ship an order.

Unless you ask us not to, we may contact you via email in the future to tell you about specials, new products or services, or changes to this privacy policy.

Your Access to and Control Over Information
You may opt out of any future contacts from us at any time.  You can do the following at any time by contacting us via the email address or phone number given on our website:

  1. See what data we have about you, if any.
  2. Change/correct any data we have about you.
  3. Have us delete any data we have about you.
  4. Express any concern you have about our use of your data.

Security

We take precautions to protect your information.  When you submit sensitive information via the website, your information is protected both online and offline.

Wherever we collect sensitive information (such as credit card data), that information is encrypted and transmitted to us in a secure way.  You can verify this by looking for a closed lock icon at the bottom of your web browser, or looking for "http" at the beginning of the address of the web page.

While we use encryption to protect sensitive information transmitted online, we also protect your information offline. Only employees who need the information to perform a specific job (for example, billing or customer service) are granted access to personally identifiable information.  The computers/servers in which we store personally identifiable information are kept in a secure environment.

Registration

In order to use this website, a user must first complete the registration form.  During registration a user is required to give certain information (such as name and email address).  This information is used to contact you about the products/services on our site in which you have expressed interest. 

Orders

We request information from you on our order form.  To buy from us, you must provide contact information (like name and shipping address) and financial information (like credit card number, expiration date).  This information is used for billing purposes and to fill your orders.  If we have trouble processing an order, we'll use this information to contact you.

Links

This web site contains links to other sites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the content or privacy practices of such other sites.  We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of any other site that collects personally identifiable information.

If you feel that we are not abiding by this privacy policy, you should contact us immediately via telephone at 800-621-1457, 312-372-1306 or via email at iwanries@att.net.
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