Well in the country I do live there's absolutely no local shops, so for me buying online is the only possible option. That said, I would like to go to a shop to see new stuff, to talk about vaping, to taste some new juices and, well, to be able to actually be part of a local vaping community. I really would pay some extra bucks for that privilege, certainly. My current vaping experience (first one was in 2012, and didn't go well) began in a local store in Berlin, and I really miss that store and the guys and girls who works there. Buying online can be cheaper, but I believe the extra bucks asked in a local store worth the experience I had there.
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A lot of brick and mortar stores are having a difficult time staying in business. Not just vape shops.
What I miss are the vape meets. so much fun and chance to try out new things, win some, make new friends and get juice samples. They were usually put on by our local b&m shops. I haven't been to one in years, back when WA state decided to ban indoor vaping and treat it just like smoking. They couldn't hold the meets in any public building after that.
I’ve been attempting to train my local vape shop. It’s working sort of. I got them to start checking their batteries for counterfeits. I have hopes.
Wish ya luck. From the outset too great a proportion of so called vape shops have had a consumables mentality…take the profit while you can. An expectation that there'll always be the next "buyer" and the delusion of a never ending expanse of new offerings. Then again I've encountered some fine resellers across the country. They are becoming rare.
The hope for our (domestic) vape industry I still believe has always been the original vape/juice bar model with one distinct expectation…that owner/operators promote user knowledge in open systems and the expertise of those preferring to rebuild. I'm sad to say that's not an opinion that's been broadly shared within the retail trade. Increasingly less so today with a philosophical return now to simplistic earlier base technologies.
The FDA has targeted the first and the trade has been largely indifferent to the latter.
Again, good luck.
They were good....there were a couple in my area like 8 years ago and its something I wont ever forget. At the time, being new to vaping, it was really cool...I vaped myself silly with all the juices that were brought in and seeing everyone's devices was super cool...I remember seeing my first provari and thinking , omg! When I went to the next meet, I had one to show off...if they still had them now, and I'm not sure, I dont think I could handle it with all the clouds and sucking...I dont care how people vape, as long as they aren't smoking, but all that dtl sucking sound would drive me bananas tbh
Don't forget, though...most online vape stores are, in fact, brick and mortar stores as well. In somebody's neighborhood.
Brick and mortar shops for me are a last resort to get juice, otherwise it's all online. I got started in a B&M with an mvp2 and nautilus, provari.. found ECF, found good online sources and haven't turned back. B&M's seems to me very good for the beginners to get your feet wet and on the right path, which is getting off cigarettes. Whatever works, and online works for me.
Some are. I'm not sure I'd say "most". Some web stores just have storage/shipping facilities without any store front. And some are just drop shippers that take orders and the merchandise is stored and shipped by another company.
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As someone who can't drive, and who has trouble getting around in any case, online ordering has been a lifesaver for me. I can't drive around looking for the best deals, etc, on anything, not just vape equipment. I even have my groceries delivered.
Ironically, while I can get pretty much anything I need for vaping delivered to my door, it's illegal to have cigarettes delivered.
Another thing to remember is, most of the sellers on eBay (and many of those on Amazon), are small businesses that don't have the capital to open a b&m. For them, online selling is the only option. I buy my batteries from a guy in a neighboring state that has a very small operation, indeed.
I know that I wouldn't be able to have a store at all, if not for my website and my shop on Reverb. I probably would never have sold any more guitars than that first custom order. Online, I've sold over a hundred.
electrostring.com
Remember when you buy online that the sellers range from guys like me to Wal Mart.
Ironically, while I can get pretty much anything I need for vaping delivered to my door, it's illegal to have cigarettes delivered.
Another thing to remember is, most of the sellers on eBay (and many of those on Amazon), are small businesses that don't have the capital to open a b&m. For them, online selling is the only option. I buy my batteries from a guy in a neighboring state that has a very small operation, indeed.
I know that I wouldn't be able to have a store at all, if not for my website and my shop on Reverb. I probably would never have sold any more guitars than that first custom order. Online, I've sold over a hundred.
electrostring.com
Remember when you buy online that the sellers range from guys like me to Wal Mart.
Weird that over seas the prices is so much more in the local b&m stores, in south africa we have 2 vape shops in the mall and the juice is the same price as online, only thing is its 2 small kiosk so a very small selection but if i am out of juice i can buy from them IF they have what i smoke ( they are in a mall so no tasters ), their hardware is about 10$ more expensive than online.
I usually just buy online for a better selection.
And nic strength cost the same from 0mg to 18mg ..
And funny enough it's more expensive to vape than to smoke in South Africa, a packet of marlboro cost R40, in today's exchange rate that is about 3 usd where a 60ml cost R250 that is about 18 usd ...
With that said whe have tobacco farms in the north and also zimbabwe and mosambiek that are right next to us ...
Cheaper to smoke this side than vape but can you really put a price on your health, i couldn't
I usually just buy online for a better selection.
And nic strength cost the same from 0mg to 18mg ..
And funny enough it's more expensive to vape than to smoke in South Africa, a packet of marlboro cost R40, in today's exchange rate that is about 3 usd where a 60ml cost R250 that is about 18 usd ...
With that said whe have tobacco farms in the north and also zimbabwe and mosambiek that are right next to us ...
Cheaper to smoke this side than vape but can you really put a price on your health, i couldn't
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The attempt I think is to force people to buy from gas stations rather than B&M because online is not where someone starts.
Another thing I find odd is the B&M vape shops that that also have an online presence that charge significantly more for items at their shop than they do for the same item online. And these are not drop shipped items, they ship out of the same facility. So when I see a price on an item online and they just happen to be close to me and I decide to drop by to see the item I find they want to charge me 20% higher for the in-store purchase. Since they didn't have the lowest price online and they are wanting me to order online to get their best price, I generally go to someplace else online to get a better price and the original shop lost the sale. And that better online price is usually from an online only store with a smaller overhead, so their prices are generally lower, but if the B&M shop is competing in that market space (and there pricing structure of shop vs. online makes online a better choice) then that is the risk they decided to take.
The good news for me is I got to see the item at their shop. The bad news for them is they didn't get the sale. They have a right to run their business anyway they like, and I'm OK with that, but at some point it becomes counter productive to the business.
With ejuice and coils this is not so much of an issue for B&Ms since customers need these consumables to continue vaping. Customers will pay high prices for these items if they are out or low on either, and ejuice and coils are the bread and butter of any vape shop since that is the basis of repeat sales with high profit margins that the business needs for future viability. But the hardware sales are an important adjunct to this in that many vapers make impulse purchases of hardware while they are there unless the shop is a little too aggressive on their higher pricing. What vaper can resist the shiny new thing in the showcase if the shop "guru" says it's awesome and it comes in various colors? As long as the price is reasonable enough for an impulse purchase.
The good news for me is I got to see the item at their shop. The bad news for them is they didn't get the sale. They have a right to run their business anyway they like, and I'm OK with that, but at some point it becomes counter productive to the business.
With ejuice and coils this is not so much of an issue for B&Ms since customers need these consumables to continue vaping. Customers will pay high prices for these items if they are out or low on either, and ejuice and coils are the bread and butter of any vape shop since that is the basis of repeat sales with high profit margins that the business needs for future viability. But the hardware sales are an important adjunct to this in that many vapers make impulse purchases of hardware while they are there unless the shop is a little too aggressive on their higher pricing. What vaper can resist the shiny new thing in the showcase if the shop "guru" says it's awesome and it comes in various colors? As long as the price is reasonable enough for an impulse purchase.
I'd rather see 10's of thousands of 'em selling authentic and new production rather than mail order. The fact that one can inspect or even sample the performance, quality, fit or compatibility to other gear is well worth the price differentials. Can't help but wonder whether we'd have seen the intrusive assault on us as consumers by gov had B&M's flourished and proliferated with our greater and determined support. The box house internet model has served the industry well but at what sacrifice to sustainability and to us. Sometimes the bill comes due for the intangible.
Good luck.
I get and appreciate your point. The ability to touch and feel a product before purchase has tangible value for the consumer. But for me, only to a point. As I've said, I'm more than willing to pay a reasonable premium at a B&M shop for that reason and others. But since we're talking purchasing from a B&M or online it is assumed both have the product so there's nothing preventing me from seeing and evaluating the product in person and then buying online (even from the same retailer online if it's cheaper). The difference at that point becomes how much is the premium, do I feel the price increase reasonable, and am I willing to pay it. And I guess there's no one answer to that. I can say that there is a level of price increase for me that that will eclipse my loyalty to the shop or the desire to help them grow.
BTW, this has never been an issue with the good shop in my area. They have never exceeded the manufacturers suggested price on anything that I have seen (although they are often right at that price point, which I'm fine with) which apparently has left them enough profit to keep the best and biggest shop in the area. They have also been in business longer than any of the others, so maybe there is method to their madness of keeping a reasonable profit margin.
It's been years since I last stepped into a B&M vape shop.
I visited them a few times in the very beginning, when I first began vaping, but I had a couple of bad experiences and the prices weren't exactly cheap, so I've been getting all of my stuff, hardware, juice, coils, everything 100% online these past years.
I also choose to trust myself instead of getting any advice from any salespeople. I prefer to take my time and do my own research, find out what I want to buy, and I'll just order it. If I'm unhappy with anything, then the only person I have to blame is myself, and I'm fine with that, because I've been happy with most of the vape related purchases I've made, including hardware.
I visited them a few times in the very beginning, when I first began vaping, but I had a couple of bad experiences and the prices weren't exactly cheap, so I've been getting all of my stuff, hardware, juice, coils, everything 100% online these past years.
I also choose to trust myself instead of getting any advice from any salespeople. I prefer to take my time and do my own research, find out what I want to buy, and I'll just order it. If I'm unhappy with anything, then the only person I have to blame is myself, and I'm fine with that, because I've been happy with most of the vape related purchases I've made, including hardware.
Get that and I can't help but agree. But don't misconstrue my desire to support retail as any particular devotion or sense of obligation. It's actually quite selfish from a consumer standpoint. Haven't you ever found a shoe that ever fit you just right? Then you understand the need for continuity. Sometimes you just can't put a price on things.
Good luck.
Get that and I can't help but agree. But don't misconstrue my desire to support retail as any particular devotion or sense of obligation. It's actually quite selfish from a consumer standpoint. Haven't you ever found a shoe that ever fit you just right? Then you understand the need for continuity. Sometimes you just can't put a price on things.
Good luck.
I can see a certain use case for that response. Like if a particularly gorgeous and very vape knowledgeable sales woman was there that might eclipse my disgust at what I consider egregious sales prices
. That would certainly be a value add that could sway opinion. I still might not buy anything, but I might choose to frequent the shop from time to time. Selfishness definitely has a role in the decision making process.On a more serious note... the social aspect of being around other vapers and talking vape stuff is another good reason to choose a shop to visit even knowing the exorbitant pricing structure. Vaping with others, at least for me, is interesting and rewarding on it's own merits. So point well made @MacTechVpr . There are valid reasons, besides price, to frequent vape shops.
I can see a certain use case for that response. Like if a particularly gorgeous and very vape knowledgeable sales woman was there that might eclipse my disgust at what I consider egregious sales prices
On a more serious note... the social aspect of being around other vapers and talking vape stuff is another good reason to choose a shop to visit even knowing the exorbitant pricing structure. Vaping with others, at least for me, is interesting and rewarding on it's own merits. So point well made @MacTechVpr . There are valid reasons, besides price, to frequent vape shops.
You make a good point as well. I've often said gals make the best rebuilders.
Good luck.
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