Location, location, location..

[RedForeman]

It seems like the majority of the PV and juice suppliers don't mention their location anywhere on their website. Not even in the "about us" or "shipping" sections of their websites. I understand people running a small business out of their homes wishing to remain anonymous, to a degree. I'm sure they'd tell you if you contacted them, but who's going to waste time for that?

First and foremost, when shopping on the internet I tend to avoid anonymous vendors. Do a Google shopping search for any item and you'll find a handful of low prices that take you to a sketchy looking website that nearly always contains no contact info. For a few bucks more, I can go to a known quantity and feel safer with the transaction.

Also, I'll often choose a more local vendor in order to get faster or more predictable shipping (especially when via USPS). Other times if I'm not in a big hurry or am getting a great value I will not.

What are your thoughts? Would you care to know what vendors are closer to you without the hassle of trial and error?

 

[Caddyman]

i havent had a problem finding contact info for suppliers and the ones i have dealt with are super fast with shipping

 

[BlueMoods]

Did you click the "Contact Us" links? I have yet to find one that does not offer at least a mailing address and a email address, most also provide a phone number. I do agree that if they did not provide at least two of the three, I would not buy from them.

As with anything eles it is buyer beware, check the info, check the return policy, shipping, security of the checkout, etc BEFORE you buy.

 

[PoliticallyIncorrect]

You're right, of course. Most of the vendors aren't upfront about where they'll be shipping from--even the reputable-looking sites. When I've done a little digging, however, I've been able to track them down; generally, I can at least find a phone number and trace the area code. If not, I'll search this forum for someone that's done business with them. They'll usually be able to tell me not only what the return address on their package was, but how things went business-wise.

 

[Caddyman]

a domain whois takes a few seconds and tells a lot. (some domains are private though, but not many)

WHOIS Lookup and Domain Name Search | DomainTools.com

example
Cloudsofvapor.com - Clouds Of Vapor Clouds of Vapor
http://whois.domaintools.com/greatlakesvapor.com

 

[PoliticallyIncorrect]

DomainTools.com duly bookmarked...

 

[RedForeman]

No doubt that you can figure it out with a little digging, either through a whois or other breadcrumbs you might find like a phone contact or whatnot. I'm just pointing out that I usually won't waste the time to figure it out unless I have some good reason (like positive forum referrals) that compels me to use a particular vendor.

I bought my eGo from a vendor that is highly regarded within this forum and took a leap of faith on that. They came through, and of course with the return address I now know where they're at. However, there is nothing on their site that suggests where they are shipping from. The only hint prior to the shipping notification was the timestamp on my receipt was one hour back so at least it looked like somewhere in the Central time zone. Somewhere between Texas and Minnesota so I had 2-3 day US Mail service to look forward to. Not bad as west coast mail can take up to a week. I got the package in 2 days - woohoo!!

I don't care to know their exact street address or even their phone number, but it would be nice to have something in the site naming at least what state they're in. For example, if I'm deciding between a Florida company and another in California on a similar or the same item, I'll pay a little bit more within reason and use the Florida guy. I'll either get my stuff the next day or the day after.

 

[scinsc]

I agree with you RedForeman. I have also found some don't let you know where their juice is made or what it is made from, PG or VG. If I have to dig around to find that information I'm moving on.

 

[Pav]

I bought my eGo from a vendor that is highly regarded within this forum and took a leap of faith on that. They came through, and of course with the return address I now know where they're at. However, there is nothing on their site that suggests where they are shipping from.

There's your best resource right there. I always check the vendors reps here on ECF before I buy. Haven't been burned yet. And you can always ask in the subforum where they're located. Some are pretty open about where they're at, and some vapers even go for a visit. I've seen that with V4L and in Vapornine you can see a thread about the relocation of the warehouse facilities to Ohio.

I do agree, it would be nice to have the info on the main website though.

 

[sassycher1964]

I have noticed myself that a great deal of Vendors do not share there information. I recently placed an order with a company and it took me 3 days to get the tracking number to see where my order was. I should have checked them out before using them. Going cheap is not always the way to go!!

 

[Top Hat]

Agree 100% with OP. Some vendors will not show shipping costs until you give Credit Card info, or make it hard to find.

 

[ShibariFae]

if I can't find contact info for any sort of online store I don't buy anything from it, and I don't search very hard.

if they don't want to be contacted for sales, why would they want to be contacted for support?

 

[Lazerrred]

i havent had a problem finding contact info for suppliers and the ones i have dealt with are super fast with shipping

+1 on above and do research on this forum. Oh, and Caddyman the whois domain is pretty trick. Thanks

 

[banjo]

I don't worry about it too much, since I only deal with ECF suppliers, and I've had no problems..........

 

[lujin4]

banjo I am with you on that. ECF suppliers are the only way to go.