So, now that we have a problem, let's try to fix it.
Hi, I'm Kit, the writer at the center of all the controversy in this thread.
This was originally supposed to be a product review. The first problem that I run into on that is the fact that product reviews are intended to review either a single brand and model of a device, or a series of such. Some product reviews can easily contain objective data. This PDA has a faster processor than this other PDA. There is such a HUGE variety in this market, with various interchangeable parts of differing qualities, that it's exceptionally difficult to find who makes what.
Toss in the fact that the main manufacturing is being done by companies overseas and it all becomes that much more complicated. I found no way to contact Sailebao or Ruyan directly to request information for example.
Also, as a minor note, the income from a given article in most news sources allows for approximately two to four total hours dedicated to the creation of that article at most. I wish that were not the case, but this economy is killing everybody. The fact that I am not just drop and ignoring the article indicates that I actually have interest in this entire situation beyond that of getting paid for the article.
So, given "Do a review", I need to acquire test product for review on zero budget or find a way to test it without directly acquiring the product (Like the Allio). I get a huge number of roadblocks thrown up in my direction as well. There are retailers galore, but they are all selling the same items. A product review is not about the retailer, it's about the product, so normally it's related to the manufacturer and retailer-agnostic.
In the case of electronic cigarettes though, a lot of data that I found is that the fail rate directly from the manufacturers is relatively high and thus the retailer ends up having a huge influence on the result of the end product. Then cartridges, eJuice, and differences in accessories that are actually otherwise identical make for even more complication.
That left me stuck with NJoy and SmokingEverywhere as being "Brand Names" and everybody else just reselling another brand that I cannot get in touch with the manufacturer of.
NJoy was quite happy to field all my questions and give me their side of the story.
Another company (of the two... I still can't call out names in an article as a general rule. That's why you always see "Such and such did not return our request for comments".) transferred me all over the place, left me on full voicemail, and repeatedly informed me about different people who would call me back at specific times but never did.
So, I agree that NJoy is pricey compared to others. I agree that SE is even more pricey. But given that the other retail sources I found are effectively importing product directly from a manufacturer in China that I was unable to contact and then performing varying degrees of value-addition and markup, I'm left in a bind. I can only report on the data I have.
Since the posting of the article, I've actually had a retailer from the UK offer to help me out on a followup. The information may be useful, and hopefully will result in enough data to write a followup with all the information that should be out there. Beyond that, think from the aspect of doing a product review and type "e-cigarette" into Google. Maybe then you can see why this is such a troubling issue.
I also wouldn't be completely honest if I didn't point out that along with the "Quit or Die" style fanatics on the opposing side, there are also a number of fanatics on the supporting side. If you want a good, unbiased article written, the writer needs the information to write it. Then that all gets sorted through and if you look at the information on e-cigs, you'll notice that a lot of it gets thrown out.
So, since this was originally supposed to be a product review, but all of the more reasonably priced retailers are reselling somebody else's product with value addition, combined with an inability to contact the actual manufacturers directly with any semblance of ease... are people prepared to have this go mainstream and deal with questions from both sides of the discussion? Are any other retailers, suppliers, or distributors intending to work to place these objects in brick and mortar retail stores? Is it going to become as easy to buy as walking down to your local Kwikee Mart, or is it going to remain in the shadowed recesses of must-know internet-only*?
I found two companies working to put product in the hands of people in person and on site. There are accusations out there that other retailers are "work from home/back of the car" resellers of another brand with naught but an internet presence. There is the fact that one of the two companies mentioned above seems to be more shady than any accusations against any of the small business folks. Even within the community itself, some of the most lauded retailers still get slammed by small groups or individuals and I've seen a good bit of infighting.
I can't play favorites, nor can I list off every single potential source for the devices. I don't think any person here can deny that there is a huge combination of reliable and unreliable, small, medium, and large, shady and responsible sources. When you have reliable small sources, and shady large sources, it makes things even more of a minefield.
Addressing some points:
- Shipping 2-5 weeks: "Direct from manufacturer". 10-25 business days to receive the item from China. Five business days per week. Please remember that almost all retailers will claim worst case shipping times, but that is what I have to go by when giving official numbers.
- Manufacturers: How many of the web sites out there are actually manufacturers as opposed to retailers? I get a strong impression that very few if any first tier manufacturers are actually even interested in the US. I see a lot of people importing the devices because the manufacturer will sell to whoever hands them money.
- Parts: If you have a standard device made by a Chinese company, but a cart made locally in the US, who gets credit if the cart lasts longer or works better than a cart used in a different model standard device? Who actually MAKES the eJuice? What differences exist between combinations of juice and devices? Mix and match or brand name all the way?
So, like I said: Maybe now that folks have missed the first train, I can get some proper information for a possible second one.
* Local folks have not heard of them. They are very interested, but unwilling to go online to buy it due to trust issues with "new things".