Ahhhh, yes and no, old friend....
(donning my supplier hat) Is this on straight?
I supply over 300 tobacco retailers and they shun e-liquid like the plague... We offer three flavors of Dekang, and many carry it -
but it just doesn't sell... As unpopular as the concept may be with many users, most US suppliers are small businesses just like millions of other mom and pops.
In order to sell to tobacco retailers, I urge them NOT to exploit prices for kits. Most of our retailers sell 510 kits for under $60. Considering the cost of storefronts, insurance, payroll, (etc.) IMHO it really is a fair compromise. Where they make their profit is on charging $4.95 for a 10-pack (costing $2.25) in carts.
- New users don't get screwed on kits.
- Retailers are encouraged to push e-cigs in their stores.
- Carts are still less than half the cost of analogs.
If you are reading this post, you are part of the 5-10% representation of e-cig users (who are active in e-cig forums, and) who have dedicated the time and effort to learn how to use e-liquid.
All I am saying, is that there is a HUGE populace who have little or no interest in dripping - and they are the ones who are keeping the prefilled cart market going. It isn't a matter of not knowing about dripping - it's that the convenience and cost factor of buying prefilled carts is more a selling point than the cost savings of dealing with e-liquid.
Color Webby a prefilled cart user. Even if I didn't own the company, at $2.00/pack, I'd buy carts all day long.