Authentic Joyetech eGo C versus knock off eG C - Prices

[CheeMiss]

I have no idea where to post this, but from what I have been seeing during my extensive research for the best prices is that there are a lot of knockoff e-Go C's being sold for very close to the cost of the new Authentic joyetech ego C kit, which I have found for $79.99 or slightly higher. That goes pretty much for all the eGo models too.

This is outrageous, given that theses kits are made in China and sell anywhere from $10-$25 (or less in some cases) per kit for a minimum order of 10 kits.

Knockoff kits should not be selling for such outrageous profit margins. Case in point, the eGo T, when the atty's, which cost a fortune, barely last several days before they die.

I think it's time for us to unite and expose this knockoff e-cig extortion racket for what it is.
A "Outrageous Price Gouging" of the unsuspecting buyers.

There are many vapers on a very tight budget, who started vapping for health reasons. It's not right that people are being taken advantage of. Perhaps the moderators could start a "Knockoff" sticky, so that we can post the sellers that are "price gouging" with these cheap knockoffs.

It's one thing to want to save money and by a "cheaply priced" knockoff, at least we know what we are getting. It's completely another story when we think we are getting an Authentic joyetech eGo, pay a higher price for it, only to find that we have a poor quality knockoff in our hands. That is just plain wrong!!! The word "extortion" comes to mind.

After all, sellers have very little overhead compared to retail stores. There is no justification for "price gouging" other than plain greed!

Knockoffs should NOT be selling for top dollar!!!

 

[Toronnah]

What do you consider a fair margin?

 

[CheeMiss]

@Toronnah,

When an Authentic joyetech ego C is selling for $79.99 do you actually feel that it is fair that the FAKE is selling for $69.99 or up?

You tell me, is that fair? Especially when the FAKES cost about $5.00 or less wholesale.
Fair to me would be $30.00 for a FAKE. That's plenty of mark up for a product that does not do the job of an authentic model.

Fakes DO NOT deserve top dollar!

 

[Toronnah]

It's very fair.

Firstly, please do understand the phrase "price gouging". I see no gouging at all.

Vaping is not a mandatory activity. It's existence does not impact whether you live or die. There are so many suppliers you can't even count them all. Thirdly, each supplier has options.

You have so much choice, it's ridiculous. You don't like the price, vote with your wallet and shop elsewhere. To call suppliers names because they are trying to make money is very myopic.

 

[Cokeybill]

Go to Joyetech home page. Look up the price of their products. Jot down what their products are. Batts, Attys etc and copy, paste the pics. Then you will know an original Joyetech. If it's not the same, it's a clone. Want to buy a clone? Look for the cheapest seller and don't expect to get the quality for the price. And best of all, do not complain of a poor performing product. You knew it and paid for it. Now the buyer can buy an original.

 

[CheeMiss]

Perhaps you should read the below comment by Governa, in another thread called:
Exploding eGo-T battery:
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...0-exploding-ego-t-battery-13.html#post5301996

comment by Governa,
I trust the seller 100%. That's why I didn't mention them, to avoid misunderstandings.

But as a consumer I do find it confusing to have the same product branded in many different ways, all supposedly from the same source. Small eGo-T logo, big eGo-T logo, eGo-T™ logo with the ™ mark, eGo-T logo with no ™ mark, no eGo-T logo whatsoever, etc.

On top of that when people report exploding batteries then of course I do worry and I want to make sure the products I buy were properly QA'd, especially when I am paying a premium.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Case in point. Governa "THINKS" she is buying Authentic ego T. As do many hundreds of thousands of people all over the world.
It's this misconception that allows sellers to fix their prices comparatively to one another! To suggest that there are cheaper sellers is "wishful thinking". They all seem to be competitive within a few dollars of each other in their retail "gouge" for the FAKE models, which I stress again, the buyers are not aware are FAKE.

The knockoff or Fake industry is 'HUGE'. Authentic companies are trying their best to educate consumers & change their logos. But it's still hard to tell the difference. Especially when it comes to buying off the internet. Take the Ugg Boots for instance. They & another company have changed their label, so that it shines a certain way when tilted in the light.
Any fake company can add a TM to the words eGo.

I myself have written to Joyetech recently asking them if so & so is a Authentic seller, in the event their list is not updated.
I have not heard anything back from them. That was 3 days ago.

To suggest, caveat emptor is wrong as well, bcos the sellers are part of this forum & should be up front about their products.
They should clearly state on their web site that their products are knockoffs, fake, or a copy of the authentic version.
And their prices should reflect the cost of a copy and not the cost of an Authentic product.

No seller is selling copies at a cheaper cost, and there in lays the problem. Hence the term "PRICE GOUGING".

 

[swedishfish]

Joye sets their prices and a supplier or re-seller can't sell below that price.

 

[CheeMiss]

@swedishfish

Thank you, I have been informed of that on a few threads. But that still does not help in the case of knockoffs selling for the same or very near the same price, does it? (check out the comment made by Governa, in my comment above.) Is she/he or isn't she/he paying for and getting the real thing?

The only way to stop this is to spread the word & help us all stay more informed.

The way I look at it, if we have to pay $69 - $79 for a knockoff, then we should be ordering DIRECT from a China manufacturer, placing a minimum order for 10 kits at $10 or less per kit (in some places). It's much cheaper that way for all of us & we get many more extra parts to make up for the parts that don't work.

Now that I finally know that authentic suppliers are listed on the Joyetech website, I will look at only purchasing from those listed.

I better check out the Janty web site to see if they too list their Authorized sellers.

 

[Sweeney Todd]

You're free to order knockoffs from China, yes. Talk to some suppliers, find out what that involves -- markup is more than just a profit off raw materials.

Not that I would buy either a genuine Ego or a knockoff when I can get KGOs from hoosierecigsupply.com for $43. I don't know how Brent does it, but it's impressive.

 

[CheeMiss]

@Sweeney Todd

Thank you for the heads up. See, this is what I mean. A seller that marks up his products at a reasonable price.
The KGO model that you speak of has fillers. Two of us have lung problems and we were ecstatic when the ego T came out.
No fillers. And now the ego C, again no fillers, just a tank that we fill with our own juice.

I wonder if this seller has anything like the Tank version but without the nasty atty problem that the ego T models have.
Do you know if he has the new ego C tank & atty system? I have no problem buying from a seller that does not "price gouge".
The cartomizers also have fillers that some people actually smell burning. We don't want those either.

 

[Sweeney Todd]

If I was in your situation, I'd get some CE2 clearomizers. They contain no filler. (I'm not a fan of the Ego-T tank system, although the batteries are fine.) Not sure where the best place is to get them.

 

[chaos-7]

In a free market economy price is set at what the market will bear. There is no gouging.

 

[CheeMiss]

@chaos-7

Hi Chaos, I am in Real Estate. I sell new construction homes & condos. In a hot market we raise the prices to what the market will bear, even tho the product does not justify it. YES IT IS "PRICE GOUGING"! I know marketing. End of story!

 

[martinc]

I wouldnt say they are fake,but mostly rebranded.

Plenty of evidences,people have gutted them.

 

[CheeMiss]

@Sweeney Todd

Thank you for the heads up on the CE2 clearomizers. I have no idea where to get them either? I will try and find them.
I agree that the ego fake batteries are great. I am concerned about the exploding ones. Were they fake? Are the chargers made to our North American safety regulations along with the batteries??? These are the important questions
that need to be answered. Herein where the problem lays. Sellers looking for deals with China manufacturers do pretty much all their homework via the internet, since flying out to China is such a costly undertaking.

So yes, they & we can be fooled. Anyone can write anything on a piece of paper. But has anyone INSPECTED the manufacturing premises to ensure that these Fake manufacturers are actually complying with USA & Canadian safety standards!!!???

 

[CheeMiss]

@martinc

Hi Martinc, the operative word in your reply is "mostly", which clearly supports "not all". So yes, we do have to be diligent in exposing the fact that NOT ALL are rebranded. And that is where the problem lays. Who do we trust to manufacture their products according to USA & Canadian safety standards???

 

[martinc]

Yeah,and dont forget,people dont always tell the whole story

Those bad specs chargers,were they bought from a local reseller,or brought direct from China?

Indeed if they were bought from a reseller,he might have had a good dose of wake the frak up!

And this is why I trust my dear resellers,they are vapors like you and me and are actually testing and using their own products,so much that when new stuff comes in,they feels compelled to try it 1st,not just shove into inventory and wait for sales!

 

[CheeMiss]

@martinc

You make two very good points!
And from what I understand from the other thread re: explosive batts, the person did state she/he trusted her seller & she/he even took pics of the batts & posted them.

Sometimes the seller is lackadaisical & simply buys into the manufacturers promise of his product meeting our North American standards of safety, rather than going that extra mile to ensure all is in fact true. The seller must ask for manufacturing "specs" & not just accept some stamp on the user manual.

 

[Toronnah]

@chaos-7

Hi Chaos, I am in Real Estate. I sell new construction homes & condos. In a hot market we raise the prices to what the market will bear, even tho the product does not justify it. YES IT IS "PRICE GOUGING"! I know marketing. End of story!

Apparently, you do not understand it very well. You have contradicted yourself. High demand equals higher prices. End of story. Vaping, like real estate, is not a necessity of life. You will not starve, freeze or otherwise die if you don't buy a house 200 sq ft larger.

You really need to read a book on economics. What you consider high prices does not constitute price gouging.

Again, all you are doing is name calling of suppliers. People whom offer a product at a price. Take it or leave it. No gouging at all.


Here's an idea. Name the suppliers you think are price gouging. That way, when they see your name on an order, they can exercise their right to not sell to you. In the meantime, the rest of us that see no issue will continue to participate in a free market economy and buy into that capitalist dream.


FYI, real estate agent fees are price gouging. Never met a real estate agent that didn't rip off a seller or misrepresent a property to a buyer just to make a buck.


Does feel good to have your profession insulted, does it?

 

[CheeMiss]

You really need to read a book on economics. What you consider high prices does not constitute price gouging.

Toronnah, WTF does reading a book have to do with the reality of "Price Gouging"? Seriously what!!!???

If our builders, car manufacturers or anyone selling any item, wants to create a FALSE supply and demand, they will use what ever means possible. And the best way to do that is "Hype". I should know, I was crowned "Queen of Hype" back in the 80's.

Now, are you trying to tell me that reading a book on economics is going to determine what I have to do to create that "hype". I should say not!!! Until you work in that industry, then all you have to bring to the table is talk & books, which does not bring in the big bucks.......talk to people in that line of work. Show them your economics books and they will laugh you out of the business.

Getting back to the actual reality of true costs. For the sake of argument, lets continue to use housing. The true value of a house is clearly written on the Tax Assessment roll. Just bcos a person wants to "OVER PAY" for a property during a bidding war, does NOT mean that a bank will finance the purchase. Why? Bcos that is NOT the true value of the property. A bank appraiser is sent out to evaluate the property. The buyer has to have a heft down payment to make that "bidding war property" dream a reality. The banks will not lend monies over & above the "true value" of the property, no matter how much more the buyers are prepared to pay. The buyers need to increase their down payment.

I'm sorry, but I am not expressing myself very well right now. My mind is on two important issues. My friends daughter, whom I have known since she was 3 yrs old, has FINALLY been diagnosed with a very rare disorder. Only 70 people on the planet suffer from Mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalopathy (MNGIE). Cristina's body is starving her to death!
And I just returned from hospital tests for my own health issues. I have a lot on my plate right now & my brains are on numb mode, and I sound very unprofessional right now, yet I still have to find a "safe & poly filler free" ecig for my 87 yr old mom & myself due to our poor lungs. If you don't mind, I no longer wish to debate the issue of "price gouging" of e-cigs, that sell for under $5.00 wholesale and are being sold for $70+ dollars retail. It's price gouging.....plain & simple. $30 - $40. is a reasonable mark-up for them.

Maybe you can help: Cristina has been on our local news yesterday & today. The only thing that can help us save Cristina's life is a bone marrow transplant. Pls read Cristina's story in link below and pass to all you know. For Cristina's sake.
Thank you!

Helping Cristina - A Canadian - US - Italian Bone Marrow Donor Drive