To say hi from Ibarra Ecuador and supplier question

[expat42451]

Hi to all here on the forum. I have been vaping for about 1 year. Although I am from the US I live in Ibarra Ecuador.

To get supplied with liquid here is not a problem. However tanks, coils and batteries are a nightmare. Lots of the tank and battery manufacturers are being ripped off here by cheap imitation tanks and boxes.

Aside from learning more what I am hoping is to find a shop in the US or elsewhere that will be willing to sell me tanks, coils and batteries and be able to UPS them to where I live. Wont be big orders, only occasionally and paid for from my US credit card with a valid US address.

Many thanks for the expertise and advice given others here. I have been reading the posts for a while.

Regards from Ecuador
Expat42451

 

[anavidfan]

Hello, expat42451.

I was born in Guayaquil, but have been here over 50 years, (was under 5 when I moved here)

All I know about shipping things to Ecuador is that all my relatives have courier services that deliver from Miami to there. Its not cheap, but not un reasonable if you expect to actually get things there.

You could purchase everything while in the US like many of them do, but then you have to "know" someone when going back in at customs/ airport or else they either take it, steal it, or tax you.

I dont know if its like that in all of Ecuador, but from I hear from my Dad and he hears from his brothers and family there its very corrupt and its all in who you know or pay to transport necessities.

I would look into a courier service with a good reputation to get your packages to you once the arrive in Ecuador.

Its a beautiful place with such a diverse environment. Guayaquil is very corrupt, probably more so than the rest of the country. Ibarra is up high in the Andes, close to Quito but everything has to go through the ports.

As far as Miami retailers or online stores, I would imagine with so many Ecuadorians living there they must have "connections" on selling and shipping.

 

[expat42451]

Anavidfan
Many thanks for the kind reply. Ecuador is a beautiful and interesting country. I have been here for 3 years and still have a lot more exploring to do. I only wish I could find a place for vape supplies.

Regards
Expat

 

[BrotherBob]

Hi to all here on the forum. I have been vaping for about 1 year. Although I am from the US I live in Ibarra Ecuador.
To get supplied with liquid here is not a problem. However tanks, coils and batteries are a nightmare. Lots of the tank and battery manufacturers are being ripped off here by cheap imitation tanks and boxes.
Aside from learning more what I am hoping is to find a shop in the US or elsewhere that will be willing to sell me tanks, coils and batteries and be able to UPS them to where I live. Wont be big orders, only occasionally and paid for from my US credit card with a valid US address.
Many thanks for the expertise and advice given others here. I have been reading the posts for a while.
Regards from Ecuador
Expat42451

Welcome and glad you joined. Best of luck with your quest. If UPS,DSL etc. flies in to Ecuador that may be a good place to trace back to your area.
Might like to check these suppliers:
Forum Suppliers | E-Cigarette Forum

 

[expat42451]

Brother Bob
Thanks for the welcome and recommendations. We have FedEx, DHL and UPS here so gettining stuff here while costly, is possible.I contacted one vape shop in the US last week--they said due to increasing health regulations on vaping, sending anything to a foreign country was a nightmare due to the increased paperwork because of the export and they were not interested in dealing with foreign customers. If true, I can understand their concerns. I can occasionally get tanks and modboxes here at almost double the price I would pay in the US. Things like coils forget it. Decent 18650 batteries, no. Only the blue plastic covered Chinese imitations that last for 2 hits from a modbox and then they are flat. Interesting place to live.

I am going to look at the suppliers list but if what I was told was true then I dont have much ope of being able to buy anything from a US supplier but we will see.

Again kind thanks for the welcome and recommendations.

Expat

 

[halfempty]

I remembered seeing the title of this thread a few days ago. Yesterday I stumbled upon an Ecuador expat forum while looking for something not remotely related. Still not sure how I wound up there, but the info might help you.

There was talk of a courier service in the US that you could mail stuff to, and they would handle all the paperwork and customs stuff to deliver it to Ecuador. That way you could use a US address for vendors to ship the items you want. Hope it helps.

http://www.expatexchange.com/expat/index.cfm?frmid=202&tpcid=3353225

 

[Smoke_too_much]

Hi Expat & welcome
I'm Cdn and living in Suriname. There are no vape shops here at all. I get everything I need over the web, normally from the US and shipped to Miami to a freight forwarder who puts it on an airplane to Suriname. My address includes the customs broker's name and that of my clearing agent. It adds cost depending on size & weight but say a tank in an average sized box in a shipping envelope might cost an extra $10 to $20 shipping cost and an extra week to get to me. If your company uses a customs clearing agent I'd start by enquiring there and they should have a freight forwarder they know and can connect you with.
Good luck with it.