Are Premium Juice Vendors Taking Advantage of us?

[cathouse]

I think the answer is a clear yes, but I'd love to hear what you all think. I truly want to be wrong.

I just had a dreadful experience with my favorite premium vendor...let's call them Feather's Feavenly. You would think that paying $40 for 100mil of juice would get you customer service along with it. But I'm finding that many of these places give the same service as you would get from a pharmaceutical company. And much in the same way- we need them more than they need us, and they seem to know it. I'm just starting to realize how backward this dynamic is.

I know there are exceptions to this, and are some good and caring vendors out there; but then we go to the price. Can these prices really be justified? I'm starting to see why people make the switch to DIY.

Does anyone else get this constant feeling that they have us over a barrel and are taking advantage of our need for juice? I for one, do.

Guess I've been lucky so far in my new vaping adventures (haven't tried Feather's), but I do know that episodes like this really sux and can be so dang frustrating. I'm just wondering if you've posted about your experience in the "FF" forum here. At least from what I've read in couple of other places (Halo & Nicoticket), once the company higher-ups get involved in any type of dispute -- customers generally seem to come out on top, with product replacement and/or retraining for the customer service person who created the problems in the first place.

 

[duc916]

My point is its a craft. It's something that is in demand. Look at the bigger picture, It was a comparison.
Brewing beer isn't that hard dude. I could make a Pliny the elder clone.

Of course you do. I'm sure it tastes every bit as good as the real thing.

 

[DeathBYzombieZ]

Of course you do. I'm sure it tastes every bit as good as the real thing.

of course you do? Lol that doesn't even make sense. Of course I do what? You probably don't know the first thing about brewing beer, do you?

 

[Moaufan]

Sure they are!

 

[zoiDman]

Are Premium Juice Vendors Taking Advantage of us?

No. No they are Not.

Because in a Market where there are Multiple sources of Product, buyers are Free to buy from another Source if they so Choose.

 

[Moonbogg]

Most juice vendors' stuff tastes like gasoline. Good juice is hard to come by, or else it would cost $20/120ml from all vendors. Maybe I am wrong though. I have never done DIY, but I will give it a shot, and I will do it right now. Tell me exactly what to buy, right this second, and I will go buy it right now. I will make the juice like you tell me and I will report my honest opinion. If I like it, I'll love you forever. If I don't, well, then I guess I can keep spending lots of money on juice.

I'm serious. Tell me what to buy right now. Make it easy though. No high concentration nic or anything, just ready to go 12mg base will be fine and tell me some flavors to buy.

 

[swaycleveland]

Perceived value. Your perception has changed. Due to what factor? Has the taste diminished. price increased? example... I can go out to with the guys to a bar. pay 3.75 a beer hang out have a good time. Or invite the guys over for beers pay 8.00 for a 6 pack and have a good time. Or Diy and make my own beer and have a good time. Anyone of those can be a great value and a lot of fun. That bar you went to, did you have to wait long for beer was the food good was the music too loud. All these play a factor in your perceived value. So on your joose, xxx amount is too much because of what factor? One 30ml bottle cost 5.00 ( nice round number) in material. should they charge you 1.00 for profit? how do they pay Joe? Because the next problem is Joe needs to feed his family and 10.00per hour aint gonna cut it.
so now you have a 20.00 bottle of juice. it goes on and on.. Bottom line Your perception has changed NOT the joose.

 

[Redhotchewy]

This is one of the biggest sticking points to me about the customer and vendor relationship in this industry. Everyone wants the best customer service, and a well tested product where all the lab results are posted for everyone to see. AND....they also want it to be cheap. Well unless you want your juice from china or another heavy industry country that is an unlikely scenario. It costs a lot of money to make juice from start to finish. DIY'ers you understand how long it takes to make a juice you like. How many samples you have to make before you find the perfect one. I know it takes me a while for my DIY stuff to get to where I want it. Now imagine you are a company. You have buy samples from all the flavor companies, pay someone to play with the juice all day long (someone you trust with good taste and skills for mixing and keeping things clean AKA a well paid employee) then you have to negotiate whole sale, finalize recipes, produce, ship and if you have stores pay to keep them open and operating all the time with well stocked well steeped E-Liquid. Nevermind the testing of the juice which is a whole other bear of a problem. Then, at the end of the day you feel cheated by the price. Fair enough you have a right to feel that way but consider the aspects of how that juice made it to your hands. The margins of industry are a lot tighter then you imagine. I know in my field people think it's free to make stuff and we just rake in the profits. But that is not the case. Insurances have to be paid, there's payroll, time off, bills, production costs, mistakes and compensation. It adds up quickly on the business side before a price point is considered. Not to say some people aren't taking advantage but you certainly can't expect everything when the industry is so young.

 

[Hill]

Short answer: Yes, yes they are.

 

[AndriaD]

I never did find a vendor juice worthy of an ADV ... It wasn't until I practised with DIY did I find my ADVs.

The biggest game changer for me was VapersTek nicotine ... well worth 2.5x the average nicotine price.

Super clean tasting nic = super tasty eJuice

I like VapersTek nicotine too... the THROAT HIT NICOTINE! Don't have to add so much Flash to a recipe, to get throat hit!

Because I consider a juice with no TH as just unvapable. Sure it may taste good... but it's not finished! If there's no TH, there's no satisfaction.

And I agree that juice makers are gouging us, and I kinda understand why: a) with pre-made juice, you're paying not just for ingredients and packaging, but also for the expertise to make a really good juice, and b) they understand that probably 50% of whoever tries their juice and likes it, is going to eventually wind up DIYing, so they have to get while the gettings good -- just like B&M shops have to gouge on hardware, because once a vaper discovers buying online, that customer is GONE -- they have to get their money while they can!

Andria

 

[Vapey_McVape]

No they are not. Most premium 15mls sold in b&m are sold to the b&m for 4-7 dollars. Now the b&m can mark that up to whatever their little hearts desire.

 

[anendeloflorien]

I think some juice makers are taking advantage of the market as it stands and over-charging for their products. Not all by any means, look at 5 Pawns and the manufacturing processes they use, they're doing full extractions in house on almost all of their flavor ingredients. I have no problem treating myself to a (very) occasional $15-20 bottle of their juice when I can find it, it's worth it!

That being said, I've paid $15-20 for 15ml of "premium" juice from other companies that tasted like they took the crap they sell at gas stations added some turpentine and put it in a fancy bottle.

 

[lilmisscntbwrong]

I personally really like Mushroom vapes Great flavor great taste great pricing and awsome customer service!! If I ask for extra flavor or a different mix ratio or nic lvl I just add it to the notes and no extra charges. $17.98 for 120mls plus he has 20% off sales all the time

 

[lilmisscntbwrong]

I like your banner

 

[Mazinny]

Yeah, a few days ago, I would have grabbed people by the shoulders and shook them, telling them how great their juice is (My ADV is their Blueberry). But after my experience with their customer service today, I am voting with my wallet and giving them another dime again. This is just a racket, and it's so depressing. I might have to put some serious time and effort into learning DIY; I'm just not sure there is another answer.

Would you care to expound on your customer service experience ? Have you brought up the issue in the vendor thread and given them a chance to respond ? I am not saying your problem is not legit and that they weren't at fault, but a little more detail would be welcome before you attempt to sully the reputation of a well established registered ECF vendor with a legion of fans, the vast majority of whom rave about their customer service.

As to your overall question, no i don't think so. You can not be taken advantage of ( more than once anyway ) if you don't let it happen. As vapers we have a tremendous amount of choice ranging from DIY ( as low as 4 cents a ml ) to budget vendors like MBV, Vape Wild, ITC etc... all the way to so-called high end boutique vendors that charge close to a $ 1 per ml.

 

[DeathBYzombieZ]

I think some juice makers are taking advantage of the market as it stands and over-charging for their products. Not all by any means, look at 5 Pawns and the manufacturing processes they use, they're doing full extractions in house on almost all of their flavor ingredients. I have no problem treating myself to a (very) occasional $15-20 bottle of their juice when I can find it, it's worth it!

That being said, I've paid $15-20 for 15ml of "premium" juice from other companies that tasted like they took the crap they sell at gas stations added some turpentine and put it in a fancy bottle.

$20 for 15ml????

 

[Wolfenstark]

Well I don't know what it costs the companies to make their liquids.
It does cost me for DIY a lot lot less. Yeah all things are not equal but the end result for me either way is some liquid.

There is a lot of companies selling liquid and you can make it yourself , so trying to take advantage is not going to get many results.
Sure some people may try your liquid but they're not going to be a repeat customer if they don't like it.

Pricing well you have too many people who feel less of themselves if money is an obstacle to them buying something. So people like that will pay more than an item is worth.
Also can make comparisons , but again some people think its ok to pay a lot more for a juice just because its good and a previous cheaper juice they had was very bad.

So say $10 juice was yuck and $30 juice was good , that doesn't mean the $30 juice was a good price it just means the $10 juice was not worth it.

 

[Vapey_McVape]

Everyone needs to take into account the r&d hours these guys put in, they are running a business and most likely employing multiple people... I honestly don't have a problem with how much most places charge for juice. The bulk overhead for these guys isn't the purchasing of ingredients for their products but the time it takes to figure out what tastes good, and to put the ingredients together. Its essentially comparing growing your own tobacco vs. purchasing a pack of cigarettes from a store.. or buying pouches of ryo vs. packs
You can buy a lb of tobacco from 12-33 dollars online.. that makes 453 cigarettes, thats 22 1/2 packs for the price you would spend on 2-6 packs.

 

[duc916]

of course you do? Lol that doesn't even make sense. Of course I do what? You probably don't know the first thing about brewing beer, do you?

Are you Siri? Read the context.

 

[UnclePsyko]

Rolygate posted a sticky yesterday that gives a break-down of the cost of starting and running a e-liquid business... eye opener!

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...w-members-dont-post-about-business-ideas.html

DIY juice is far more cost effective, but we don't have to adhere to the strict standards and testing that legitimate vendors do.
Having said that, yeah, some are charging a bit over the top regardless...