Is it legal to open up an electronic cigarette store in the U.S.? Sounds like a huge business oppurtunity to me! E-cigs are booming and theres millions of smokers who will be switching soon.. The only place I have ever heard about e-cigs or seen them sold are the smoking everywhere kiosks at the mall.. Very odd..
E-Cig Store
- Thread starter Abram_J
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Assuming that it was, by the time that you get your store open, the FDA might ban them. I hope not...but it's probable enough that it stopped me from becoming a supplier. Do a quick search for "fda ban" on the forum and you'll find a few thousand posts that might change your mind 
The road ahead could be pretty rough for resellers of e-cigs. There's lots of talk about them right now. And the news media has latched on to them as well. Nobody in the media wants to come out and say that they are better then smoking traditional cigarettes. So every story that I've seen has always mentioned more then a couple of times that "e-cigarettes may not be safe".
And these are just the stories that I've ran across or have been linked to from this site. Some lady in bowling alley told my GF that she saw a story that said "e-cigs will ruin your throat".
As for all the smokers switching to e-cigs... Well, some just won't be able to do it. They will have the idea churning somewhere in the back of their head that they are not smoking a real cigarette. And it will bother them. Others will get frustrated when something goes wrong. Smokers are used to finding a lighter, their pack of cigarettes, and smoking. Some won't want to be bothered with cleaning the atomizer, re-filling carts, charging batteries. And that is just the bare minimum that needs to be done. Others will get frustrated when an atomizer dies on them. Or a battery goes dead in the middle of a work day or outing.
Then there's the FDA and our government. I think the only thing that has stopped e-cigs from being banned already is the fact that some of our lawmakers have had experience with them.
In my opinion I think that right now we are in a tug of war against very loud and vocal anti-smoking groups and a few people in a position of power in our government that knows that what the anti-smoking group is spewing is garbage.
And even when the smoke clears over the issue and e-cigs doesn't get banned. Selling them could still only be allowed by a select few major vendors.
I'm not looking to discourge anyone from becoming a reseller. However I think it's important for people to know what they're getting into.
And these are just the stories that I've ran across or have been linked to from this site. Some lady in bowling alley told my GF that she saw a story that said "e-cigs will ruin your throat".
As for all the smokers switching to e-cigs... Well, some just won't be able to do it. They will have the idea churning somewhere in the back of their head that they are not smoking a real cigarette. And it will bother them. Others will get frustrated when something goes wrong. Smokers are used to finding a lighter, their pack of cigarettes, and smoking. Some won't want to be bothered with cleaning the atomizer, re-filling carts, charging batteries. And that is just the bare minimum that needs to be done. Others will get frustrated when an atomizer dies on them. Or a battery goes dead in the middle of a work day or outing.
Then there's the FDA and our government. I think the only thing that has stopped e-cigs from being banned already is the fact that some of our lawmakers have had experience with them.
In my opinion I think that right now we are in a tug of war against very loud and vocal anti-smoking groups and a few people in a position of power in our government that knows that what the anti-smoking group is spewing is garbage.
And even when the smoke clears over the issue and e-cigs doesn't get banned. Selling them could still only be allowed by a select few major vendors.
I'm not looking to discourge anyone from becoming a reseller. However I think it's important for people to know what they're getting into.
If you are interested in becoming a supplier/reseller, one thing to take into consideration are the fair warnings we have all been given by the WHO and the FDA. Do not, under any circumstances make any claims that give the FDA THE RIGHT to make your life difficult. Stay away from "safe", "quit" and "health". Do not use ANY derivatives of the words either. This includes and is not limited to your sales staff, your marketing materials, your website, your packaging, your manual, anything! They can even refer to the manufacturers website (the name on your importation slips) to determine what the intended use of the product is. So picking your manufacturer is an extremely important task in itself.
If you choose to do importation on your own, make sure you utilize the internet and do your research first. If you want to minimize your risk, find a trusted supplier who you jive with and see if they are willing to sell you stuff at a discount. Unfortunately right now, supply and demand are not equal to each other as the manufacturers (not the suppliers) are having a hard time keeping up.
These are not meant to scare you, they are meant as reality. We have been at this for two years and have learned much on the way. If you are really interested, keep doing your research and see if this is right for you. As a supplier who will hopefully be trusted in the industry some day, you do accept a certain level of responsibility and will be expected to maintain a voice at a level consistent with FDA rulings, Lawyers and you will need to be prepared to front any dissent against the ecigs including a ban.
But by all means, there is a LOAD of business out there for everyone so if you can do it, do it. And if you do take the big leap, the AECSM (Association of Electronic Cigarette Suppliers and Manufacturers) is off to a great start and looking for more qualified members. PM me if you get to that point.
If you choose to do importation on your own, make sure you utilize the internet and do your research first. If you want to minimize your risk, find a trusted supplier who you jive with and see if they are willing to sell you stuff at a discount. Unfortunately right now, supply and demand are not equal to each other as the manufacturers (not the suppliers) are having a hard time keeping up.
These are not meant to scare you, they are meant as reality. We have been at this for two years and have learned much on the way. If you are really interested, keep doing your research and see if this is right for you. As a supplier who will hopefully be trusted in the industry some day, you do accept a certain level of responsibility and will be expected to maintain a voice at a level consistent with FDA rulings, Lawyers and you will need to be prepared to front any dissent against the ecigs including a ban.
But by all means, there is a LOAD of business out there for everyone so if you can do it, do it. And if you do take the big leap, the AECSM (Association of Electronic Cigarette Suppliers and Manufacturers) is off to a great start and looking for more qualified members. PM me if you get to that point.
Lacey, I am currently in the process of ramping up a personal vaporizer store and would love to hear about the AECSM.
As you are still a member, I cannot PM you first, but if you PM me, I will be happy to give you the details!
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