Select Smokes vs North Nation Smokes: 2026 Comparison & Alternative Guide
When you search “Select Smokes” online, you’ll find a Canadian cigarette retailer with a 20% intro code, a refer-a-friend program, and a focused tobacco catalogue. It’s a credible operator. The more useful question is this: is the value still there on your fifth order, or only on your first? That’s where Select Smokes and North Nation Smokes diverge — and where the real comparison lives.
This isn’t a “which one is good” page. Both are legitimate stores. It’s a “which one is the better long-term choice” page, and on that question, North Nation Smokes wins for most buyers.
The 60-second answer
Select Smokes is built around customer acquisition. Their headline offers — 20% off your first order with code SELECT20, plus a “give $40, get $40” referral credit — are designed to win that first carton. The catalogue is focused on cigarettes (light on vapes, pouches, and cigars). They market themselves as “the only authorized online retailer” for certain brands, which sounds technical but isn’t really verifiable.
North Nation Smokes is built for the order after the discount expires. No first-order hook, no exclusivity marketing — just transparent flat pricing on a curated premium lineup of native cigarette brands chosen for repeat-buyer consistency. Canadian Crush as the flagship, with Pop N Smoke, BB Cigarettes, DuMont, and other top-tier native brands behind it. If you’re going to buy cartons every month for the next two years, that’s the more honest math.
If you want the cheapest possible first order, Select Smokes’ intro code wins on day one. If you want the lowest average price across twelve months of cartons — and that’s most carton buyers — North Nation Smokes is the better choice.
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Canadian – Light (King Size)
Price range: $6.00 through $50.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Canadian – Classics Original (King Size)
Price range: $6.00 through $50.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Canadian – Classics Silver (King Size)
Price range: $6.00 through $50.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Canadian – Full Flavour (King Size)
Price range: $6.00 through $50.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Canadian – Ultra Light (King Size)
Price range: $6.00 through $50.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Canadian – Menthol (King Size)
Price range: $6.00 through $50.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
BB – Lights (King Size)
Price range: $6.00 through $50.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Rolled Gold – Full Flavour (King Size)
Price range: $6.00 through $50.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Side-by-side: Select Smokes vs North Nation Smokes
| Select Smokes | North Nation Smokes | |
|---|---|---|
| Business model | Cigarettes-led with first-order hooks and referral mechanics | Curated premium native cigarette retailer |
| Pricing approach | First-order intro discount (20% off SELECT20), full price thereafter | Flat transparent pricing — same price, every order |
| Referral structure | $40 give / $40 get in-store credit | Built for value, not loyalty math |
| Catalogue strategy | Cigarette-focused; limited vapes/pouches | Curated lineup deep on premium native flagships |
| Hero brand depth | Canadian Classics and a broader mid-tier mix | Canadian Crush, Pop N Smoke, BB Cigarettes, DuMont — deep stock |
| Exclusivity claims | “Only authorized online retailer in Canada” — marketing language | Product carries the case; no exclusivity claims |
| Returning-customer value | Carton price jumps ~25% after first-order discount expires | Order ten costs the same per carton as order one |
| Age verification | Required at delivery (19+) | Required at delivery (19+), fully TVPA compliant |
| Best for | One-off shoppers using the intro code | Repeat carton buyers prioritising consistency |
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Canadian – Light (King Size)
Price range: $6.00 through $50.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Canadian – Classics Original (King Size)
Price range: $6.00 through $50.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Canadian – Classics Silver (King Size)
Price range: $6.00 through $50.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Canadian – Full Flavour (King Size)
Price range: $6.00 through $50.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Canadian – Ultra Light (King Size)
Price range: $6.00 through $50.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Canadian – Menthol (King Size)
Price range: $6.00 through $50.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
BB – Lights (King Size)
Price range: $6.00 through $50.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Rolled Gold – Full Flavour (King Size)
Price range: $6.00 through $50.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Where Select Smokes earns its place
There are real reasons Select Smokes has built a customer base:
- The first-order math works. 20% off a $55 carton is $11 in your pocket. For a buyer trying multiple stores to find a home, that lowers the cost of the experiment.
- The referral program is generous on paper. $40-give / $40-get is one of the larger referral offers in the Canadian online cigarette market. If you have friends who buy, you can stack credit quickly.
- Focused catalogue. They don’t try to sell you vapes, cigars, pouches, and accessories. If you only smoke cigarettes, the storefront is faster to navigate.
We’re not interested in pretending Select Smokes is a poor option. For a one-off purchase with the intro code, it’s a fine choice. The question is whether you are that buyer.
Where North Nation Smokes is the better fit
Three patterns where North Nation Smokes is the stronger long-term choice:
1. Your second order should cost what your first order cost
The Select Smokes pricing model has a built-in step-up: a discounted carton on order one becomes a full-price carton on order two. That’s a 25% jump for the same product. Most buyers don’t notice because the carton-vs-carton number is normalised over time. But over a year of monthly orders, the cost of the intro discount is paid back several times over.
North Nation Smokes runs flat-price transparent pricing — the price you pay on order one is the price you pay on order ten. That’s not a promotional strategy; it’s just honest pricing. For carton buyers who reorder regularly, that’s the better deal.
2. “Only authorized online retailer” is a marketing claim, not an exclusivity
Select Smokes’ homepage advertises that they’re “the only authorized online retailer in Canada” for the brands they carry. That’s the kind of phrase that sounds technical without being verifiable — most Canadian native cigarette brands are distributed through multiple online retailers, and that’s part of why pricing across the category is fairly tight. North Nation Smokes doesn’t make exclusivity claims because we don’t need to: the case is the product, not the marketing.
3. Brand depth matters when stock disappears
A focused cigarette catalogue is good. A focused catalogue with consistent stock on the actual hero brands is better. North Nation Smokes is built around a small, identifiable premium lineup — Canadian Crush as the flagship, Pop N Smoke, BB Cigarettes, DuMont, and other top-tier native brands — and sourcing is deep on those specifically. If your brand is in our lineup, it’s almost always in stock; if it’s not, we’d rather be honest about that than push you to a substitute.
The first-order trap: how to actually compare value
When you compare Select Smokes to North Nation Smokes, ignore the intro code. It’s noise on a single-order timeline. Instead, look at:
- Per-carton price after the discount expires. What does the same carton cost on order #2, #5, #10?
- Returning-customer pricing. Are there meaningful discounts past your first order — or only at the front door?
- Shipping costs at the order size you actually place. A free-shipping threshold above your typical order is irrelevant; you’re paying for shipping every time.
- Out-of-stock rate on your specific brand. Catalogue size doesn’t tell you whether the SKU you want is reliably available.
A simple test: pull up the same brand and pack size on both sites, then ignore the strikethrough price and compare the price without the intro code. That’s your actual long-term cost.
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Canadian – Light (King Size)
Price range: $6.00 through $50.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Canadian – Classics Original (King Size)
Price range: $6.00 through $50.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Canadian – Classics Silver (King Size)
Price range: $6.00 through $50.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Canadian – Full Flavour (King Size)
Price range: $6.00 through $50.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Canadian – Ultra Light (King Size)
Price range: $6.00 through $50.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Canadian – Menthol (King Size)
Price range: $6.00 through $50.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
BB – Lights (King Size)
Price range: $6.00 through $50.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Rolled Gold – Full Flavour (King Size)
Price range: $6.00 through $50.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Shipping & delivery
Both stores ship Canada-wide via Canada Post Xpresspost, and both comply with the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act’s requirement for Proof-of-Age verification at delivery (19+, or your provincial legal age). For most provinces, delivery times are functionally identical — both stores are constrained by Canada Post’s processing, not their own logistics. Atlantic provinces and the territories add a few days regardless of which store you choose.
Payment & checkout
Select Smokes accepts e-transfer as the primary payment method, which is typical for online tobacco retailers in Canada. North Nation Smokes uses the same standard. If you’re new to ordering tobacco online, e-transfer is straightforward once you’ve done it once — it’s the same flow as sending an Interac transfer to a contractor or a friend. Don’t let the payment method drive your decision; it’s a 30-second skill to learn.
Verdict by buyer type
| If you are… | The better fit is… |
|---|---|
| Trying an online cigarette store for the first time as a one-off | Either — use the Select Smokes intro code if it’s your one and only order |
| Planning to buy cartons monthly for a year | North Nation Smokes |
| Stacking referral credit with friends | Select Smokes |
| Focused on premium native brands (Canadian Crush, Pop N Smoke, BB, DuMont) | North Nation Smokes |
| Shopping by price-per-carton across stores | Compare post-discount prices side by side |
| Wanting transparent, flat pricing without promo math | North Nation Smokes |
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Canadian – Light (King Size)
Price range: $6.00 through $50.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Canadian – Classics Original (King Size)
Price range: $6.00 through $50.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Canadian – Classics Silver (King Size)
Price range: $6.00 through $50.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Canadian – Full Flavour (King Size)
Price range: $6.00 through $50.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Canadian – Ultra Light (King Size)
Price range: $6.00 through $50.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Canadian – Menthol (King Size)
Price range: $6.00 through $50.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
BB – Lights (King Size)
Price range: $6.00 through $50.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Rolled Gold – Full Flavour (King Size)
Price range: $6.00 through $50.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Frequently asked questions
Is Select Smokes a legitimate online cigarette retailer in Canada?
Yes. Select Smokes is an established Canadian online tobacco retailer with hundreds of reviews across Trustpilot and Reviews.io. The legitimacy question isn’t really the right question — the more useful one is whether their first-order-discount model gives you the best value over the long run.
What’s the catch with the 20% off Select Smokes code?
It’s a standard first-order discount, applicable on your initial order only. The catch isn’t anything sneaky — it’s that the carton price you see at checkout is the discounted price, and order two onward will be roughly 25% higher than what you paid first.
Is North Nation Smokes better than Select Smokes?
For repeat buyers — yes. North Nation Smokes runs flat transparent pricing and goes deep on premium native flagships like Canadian Crush, Pop N Smoke, BB Cigarettes, and DuMont. Select Smokes’ value proposition is concentrated in the first order; ours holds steady across every order.
Do both stores carry the same cigarette brands?
There’s overlap on widely-distributed Canadian native cigarette brands, but the depth varies. Select Smokes focuses on Canadian Classics and a broader cigarette-led mix; North Nation Smokes’ depth is on premium native lineups including Canadian Crush, Pop N Smoke, BB Cigarettes, and DuMont.
Is shipping faster from Select Smokes or North Nation Smokes?
Both use Canada Post Xpresspost with similar windows for most provinces. The faster store on any given week is whichever one processed your order earlier in the day — neither has a structural shipping speed advantage.
Can I use the Select Smokes refer-a-friend program if I buy from North Nation Smokes too?
Yes. Nothing about shopping at North Nation Smokes prevents you from using Select Smokes’ referral program or vice versa. Many regular smokers maintain accounts at multiple stores so they can shop based on stock on a given week.
Why doesn’t North Nation Smokes have a 20% off intro code?
Because the price you see is the price you pay — on every order. We’d rather price honestly than mark up to mark down. If the math works on order one, it works on every order after.