Cost Per Cigarette: How Carton Pricing Actually Works
Quick answer: Cartons are $45 each for 1 to 20, $40 for 21 to 49, and $30 at 50 or more of the same product. Since every carton holds 200 cigarettes, that is 22.5 cents, 20 cents and 15 cents per cigarette. Tiers count per product line, not across your whole cart.
What does a cigarette actually cost per stick?
Dividing the carton price by 200 gives you the only number that makes different order sizes comparable.
| Cartons of one product | Per carton | Per cigarette | Total at that quantity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $45 | 22.5 cents | $45 |
| 10 | $45 | 22.5 cents | $450 |
| 20 | $45 | 22.5 cents | $900 |
| 21 | $40 | 20 cents | $840 |
| 49 | $40 | 20 cents | $1,960 |
| 50 (1 case) | $30 | 15 cents | $1,500 |
| Crush, any quantity | $65 | 32.5 cents | varies |
Read down the total column and you will notice something the per carton column hides: the totals do not increase monotonically. That is the whole point of this page.
Why 21 cartons costs less than 20
Twenty cartons at $45 is $900. Twenty-one cartons at $40 is $840. You pay $60 less and receive 200 more cigarettes.
This happens because the tier price applies retroactively to the entire line, not just to the cartons above the threshold. Crossing from 20 to 21 does not discount one carton, it re-prices all 21. Any order sitting at 19 or 20 cartons of a single product is leaving money on the table.
Why 50 cartons costs less than 49
The same mechanic, larger effect. Forty-nine cartons at $40 is $1,960. Fifty cartons at $30 is $1,500. The fiftieth carton takes $460 off the bill.
If you are planning an order anywhere in the forties, the honest advice is to either go to 50 or drop back to a size that suits you and accept the $40 tier. Landing on 46, 47, 48 or 49 is the worst place on the whole curve.
Tiers count per product, not per cart
This is the detail that catches people out. The quantity that determines your tier is the number of cartons of one product line, not the total number of cartons in your basket.
Fifty cartons split across five different brands is five lots of ten, so every carton is priced at $45 and the total is $2,250. Fifty cartons of one product is $1,500. Same number of cigarettes, $750 apart. Concentrating on one line is what unlocks the lower tiers, so pick the one you actually smoke: Canadian Fulls or Canadian Lights.
If your priority is the lowest possible price, concentrate the order. If your priority is variety, that is a legitimate choice, but it is worth knowing what it costs so you are choosing it deliberately.
Where Crush sits
Crush flavoured cartons are $65 regardless of quantity, and they sit entirely outside the tier system. Buying 50 Crush cartons does not reach $30, and Crush cartons in your cart do not count toward reaching a tier on anything else.
If cost per cigarette is your main criterion, Crush is the wrong choice at 32.5 cents a stick against 15 cents for a case of a standard line. That is a real trade and worth stating plainly rather than burying.
What shipping does to the maths
Shipping is a flat $25 per order anywhere in Canada, charged once no matter how many cartons are in it. Because it does not scale with quantity, it lands hardest on small orders: $25 on a two carton order adds 6.25 cents per cigarette, while the same $25 on a 20 carton order adds 0.6 cents.
Orders of $450 or more ship free. At the base price that is exactly 10 cartons, which makes 10 a natural target for a single product order.
Stacking the welcome code
A first order gets 20 percent off with code WELCOME20, and it applies on top of the tier price your quantity has already earned rather than instead of it. It is limited to first orders only, so it is worth using on a larger order rather than a trial one, if you already know which product you want.
Our picks:
- Lowest cost per cigarette: 50 cartons of one product at 15 cents a stick. Canadian Fulls – from $45 a carton.
- Best value without a full case: 21 cartons at 20 cents a stick. Canadian Lights – from $45 a carton.
- Cheapest route to free shipping: 10 cartons of one product at $450.
- Just trying us: two cartons meets the minimum at $90 plus $25 shipping.
- Buying flavoured: Canadian Crush Cherry – $65 a carton at 32.5 cents a stick, no volume discount.
Frequently asked questions
How does carton pricing work at Absolute Smokes?
Price per carton drops with quantity of the same product: $45 for 1 to 20 cartons, $40 for 21 to 49, and $30 at 50 or more. The lower price applies to every carton in that line, not just the ones above the threshold.
What is the cheapest a carton gets?
$30 per carton, which requires 50 cartons of the same product. That works out to 15 cents per cigarette.
Does the discount apply across different products?
No. Tiers are counted per product line. Fifty cartons split across five different products stays at the $45 price, while 50 cartons of one product reaches $30.
Are Crush flavoured cartons included in the tiers?
No. Crush cartons are $65 at any quantity and do not count toward reaching a tier on other products.
Is it cheaper to buy 21 cartons than 20?
Yes. Twenty cartons at $45 is $900, and 21 cartons at $40 is $840. The extra carton lowers the total by $60.
Is it cheaper to buy 50 cartons than 49?
Yes, substantially. Forty-nine cartons at $40 is $1,960, and 50 cartons at $30 is $1,500. Crossing into case pricing saves $460.
When does shipping become free?
At $450 or more, which is 10 cartons at the base price. Below that, shipping is a flat $25 per order regardless of quantity.
Can I combine the tier price with the welcome code?
Yes. WELCOME20 takes 20 percent off a first order and applies on top of whatever tier price your quantity has already earned.
Is there a limit on how many cartons I can order?
Non-Crush products are capped at 80 cartons each per order as a fraud control. Larger orders can be arranged by contacting us directly.
Do prices change with the season or run out?
The tiers above are standing prices, not a promotion with an end date. If they change, this page is updated and the date at the top changes with it.
Why is there a two item minimum?
Checkout requires at least 2 non-Crush items. It is a standing rule of the store rather than a promotion, and you can mix different products to meet it.
Work out your own order
Every product is a king size carton of 200 on the tiers above.
Concentrate your order on one line to reach the lower tiers: Canadian Fulls – from $45 a carton or Canadian Lights – from $45 a carton. Dispatched in 24 to 48 hours, Canada-wide, in discreet packaging. Flat $25 shipping, free at $450 and over.
Related reading: how many cigarettes are in a carton, paying by Interac e-Transfer, and our lights range.