Flea Markets

[GIMike]

Has anybody run into any sellers at flea markets yet? I ran into one. Selling the cheap knock offs like what you can get at gas stations. He was telling people all the lies that people who sell that junk tend to do. 1 cartridge is the same as 1 pack, batteries will last 8 - 12 hours, etc etc. I asked him how sure he was that it would last so long, and of course he knew it was a fact because he used it every day. I asked him how many mahs his batteries had, and of course he then played dumb. I looked at the package, saw that it said they were 160 mah batteries, and laughed out loud right there in front of everybody. He wasn't too happy with me....

**Oops, meant to put this in general e-cig discussion, my bad**

 

[Phroge]

As the saying goes, "Let the buyer beware"

Unfortunately sellers like this are only out for a profit and usually end up giving the whole industry a bad name. On the bright side, there are a select few of the customers that will realize that there must be something better. They do some research. And wind up here at ECF where they can gain the knowledge they need.

 

[luceblueboy]

I ran into a couple at a massive flea market near cincinnati. all acted like they had the exclusive best ecig for a crazy price. I asked about the liquid and they said you can only find 24mg and because it's chinese it's hard to get. Only one actually had American made Halo but he was selling for $1 ml. That's a $10 profit for every one he sells. It's all a bunch of bull

 

[GIMike]

Makes ya wonder if sometimes they're just as clueless as the people who buy from them....

 

[Red Dog]

How much was he trying to sell them for? I'm sure it wasn't as bad as those mall kiosk guys trying to sell KR808D-1 kits for $150. I sat down near one of them once and pulled out my Precise and started vaping. It wasn't long before the people he was talking to asked me about it, and I happily showed them what they could get for a few dollars more. He didn't seem too happy about it...

 

[GIMike]

I don't remember his prices offhand, but I know they weren't very much. It was the same kinda cheap kit you get at gas stations/tobacco shops for $20. He was charging around that.

I stopped at one of the kiosks once. The guy kept trying to one-up me on how his kit was better than my ego. His last defense was that even though the batteries only last a few hours, it comes with a PCC that charges enough batteries to last all day. When I told him that my 900 mah ego battery lasts me more than 1 day without recharging, he walked away

 

[Eddie.Willers]

Talking of flea markets - and excuse for me hijacking the thread - but I am thinking of selling PV hardware and juices at Fleamarkets around Houston in the near future.

Does anyone know how I can get a list of possible venues (please, don't say 'JFGI' - I tried and it didn't come up with much).

 

[GIMike]

No problem on the thread jacking. I think flea markets would be an ideal place for an honest vendor who can't afford their own brick/mortar store to sell his/her e-cig stuff. As long as they weren't trying to rip people off and lie about the facts like I saw. I would say your best bet would be to check out the local craigslist and newspaper classifieds. Other than that, maybe try some public media places like radio stations/tv stations who might have info on local shopping.

 

[studio52]

Im surprised that there arent very many people selling quality ecig products at flea markets...

 

[GIMike]

I completely agree. You'd think all the people who we order from who may or may not have a brick and mortar would still go out to the flea markets. Would be awesome to see maybe a hardware seller and a juice seller in booths next to each other, selling off each others products. I could see this really helping out the vaping world by getting the great products out to those who may not have found them otherwise. Even if they sellers didn't make enough at the flea markets to cover the costs of being there, handing out business cards while getting the idea into people's heads may make it worthwhile. An idea that you don't see from many sellers at Flea Markets. Download the review videos of your product to a laptop, hook it up to a flat screen TV and play the videos while you sell. I never see that at flea markets. Might make your booth stand out

 

[Bardolf Blaze]

There is one near me, in Richwood, KY, that has the same ego clone batteries that MadVapes has on clearance for under $10. Their sign says Joye eGo for something like $25. They also have chinese liquid at prices you would expect on US made stuff. Such garbage!

 

[studio52]

I completely agree. You'd think all the people who we order from who may or may not have a brick and mortar would still go out to the flea markets. Would be awesome to see maybe a hardware seller and a juice seller in booths next to each other, selling off each others products. I could see this really helping out the vaping world by getting the great products out to those who may not have found them otherwise. Even if they sellers didn't make enough at the flea markets to cover the costs of being there, handing out business cards while getting the idea into people's heads may make it worthwhile. An idea that you don't see from many sellers at Flea Markets. Download the review videos of your product to a laptop, hook it up to a flat screen TV and play the videos while you sell. I never see that at flea markets. Might make your booth stand out

Absolutely...That would make a booth POP..and with good products, like Ego kits, instead of the crap you see at gas stations and Tobac shops, people would get educated to what vaping is all about a lot quicker.

 

[GIMike]

Absolutely...That would make a booth POP..and with good products, like Ego kits, instead of the crap you see at gas stations and Tobac shops, people would get educated to what vaping is all about a lot quicker.

But sadly, I don't think we'll see any of our favorite distributers going to their local flea markets any time soon. Probably easier to sit in an air conditioned office and only fill online orders.