Ok, I just feel like ranting!

[DoomsDay]

I know I probably shouldn't but I am going to say that over the last month or so, there have been things I have wanted to purchase for my vaping pleasure and they just aren't available.

Im not going to mention any company or private names but there have been a few mods that I have been dieing to get and they are never available. Now, its bad enough that either stock is low or demand is so high that they can't keep up, but what really just urks the crap outta me is to see reviewers getting items for free, that I am wanting and more than willing to pay for, but I can't, because they are never available. Or when people are holding back stock for events that I can't get to. I know, I know, I am probably being petty but I can't help it, Dang it, there is stuff I want and while I actually have the money, I want to get it. I know these companies will probably never see this but I just had to get it off my chest! I got money, you make items that I want, how about we work out a deal!

 

[hairball]

I can understand where you're coming from. Have you contacted the vendor/vendors to see if there is a waiting list or a pre-order? You might give it a shot. At worst, they will tell you no. Sorry for your frustrations. I think we have all been there at some point in time.

 

[Stevew443]

I used to have the same rants when I was a pipe smoker. I was unable to make it to the big shows, but my favorite pipe carvers would make special pipes only for the big shows and refuse to let anyone see them unless they attended the show. Once the show was over, these carvers would offer them to the rest of us, but I always refused to purchase. If they did not think I was important enough consider before the show, then I would refuse to even look at their leftovers that the "important" people did not think was worthy of purchasing.
Sometimes living in the sticks is not a good thing.

 

[LeAnn]

Most suppliers have a waiting list you can get on or a notify me when available, I just try not to run out of anything that I love, so I can wait, I know it can be frustrating but if these products are in such demand at least you know that they are good and that we have alot more vapers coming on board and that is a good thing!

 

[Levitas]

I'd imagine one of two reasonings behind vendors inability to keep popular mods in stock

1. They just don't have the resources/man power to mass produce the said product
or
2. They're smart - they know that this is a business and like any business, a popular product that is sold sparingly makes them a whole helluva lot of $ - of course one could say, 'Well if they kept the product stocked, they'd make more money.' Which could be true (then of course refer to reasoning #1), but if that were the case - and they did have an entire warehouse full of product - would as many people line up to buy it immediately knowing full well that it'll be there whenever they desire to buy it?

Supply and demand - Then again, for the most part I believe it's reasoning #1.

 

[Moonflame]

I think the main thing with mods is that most of them are made by 1-2 man shops. I got a Monkeyboxx a few weeks ago and it was well worth the 2 weeks I waited for Tom to make it. He says it can be up to 21 days, but it's usually faster. The great thing is that it's all custom made to whatever options you choose. I like the idea that mine is one of a kind. I picked the wood, the inlay, and the engraving and he did a beautiful job. It's nice to have something that vapes like a champ and is a piece of art at the same time .

 

[unsure]

Well its hard to respond when your not specific but I understand your not wanting to name names. Like several have said here already that these mods are not made in some huge factory in China or anything but often some backroom workshop plus the building process sometimes sending parts out to be manufactored. I have heard the same type comments about my favorite mod and seen 90 soldout within 30-45 mins. Really think about it....no marketing strategy going on here. If it were possible a billion could be made and sold they would be....

 

[swedishfish]

Now I'm going to go crazy trying to guess what what it is. Thanks a lot.

 

[Levitas]

Now I'm going to go crazy trying to guess what what it is. Thanks a lot.

Honestly, for most suppliers I believe their intentions are pure and to only provide a great product as best and fast as they can. But, it's almost naive to believe that some companies if not all wouldn't implement strategical selling methods to get their product out the door. They love what they're doing, they love giving the public a great product but bottomline, they're a business.

That doesn't mean I'm saying they're behind the scenes rubbing their hands together sayin, "Haha! We've got them now! In the palm of our hands by only selling 'x' amount of units at a time bwa ha ha." That's just silly. But with any business, it is what it is, business. Money to be made, bills to be paid and enjoying the ride along the way.

I still remain vigilant on the belief that most companies simply cannot mass produce their product but I am aware that even those companies use marketing strategies to make due.

 

[Steeldragon]

I would also like to add that with the new laws and taxes that were added recently, a lot of people have switched over to e-cigs and vaping. The industry has exploded this year. A lot of the old vendors that were lucky to sell maybe 2 or 3 items a week are now selling over a hundred a week. Just look how many new members you see on the forums. The first orders that were made during Chinese New Year were not enough to meed the demand. The second order was still cautious. We are now still seeing a larger order from these vendors. You also have to add with this political climate. The vendors are also worried about shipments being seized. Can you imagine $20,000 out of your bank account being seized. A small business can't afford that type of loss. I have to admit I would be cautious too. We log on to the forums each days and see states who want to make it illegal to utilize e-cigs. thank you

 

[swedishfish]

Honestly, for most suppliers I believe their intentions are pure and to only provide a great product as best and fast as they can. But, it's almost naive to believe that some companies if not all wouldn't implement strategical selling methods to get their product out the door. They love what they're doing, they love giving the public a great product but bottomline, they're a business.

That doesn't mean I'm saying they're behind the scenes rubbing their hands together sayin, "Haha! We've got them now! In the palm of our hands by only selling 'x' amount of units at a time bwa ha ha." That's just silly. But with any business, it is what it is, business. Money to be made, bills to be paid and enjoying the ride along the way.

I still remain vigilant on the belief that most companies simply cannot mass produce their product but I am aware that even those companies use marketing strategies to make due.

I don't know- it got three likes. It must have happened to at least three other people. I like that new 'like' feature.

 

[keyzygirl]

Sometimes you just have to wait like the rest of us.

 

[DoomsDay]

Honestly, for most suppliers I believe their intentions are pure and to only provide a great product as best and fast as they can. But, it's almost naive to believe that some companies if not all wouldn't implement strategical selling methods to get their product out the door. They love what they're doing, they love giving the public a great product but bottomline, they're a business.

That doesn't mean I'm saying they're behind the scenes rubbing their hands together sayin, "Haha! We've got them now! In the palm of our hands by only selling 'x' amount of units at a time bwa ha ha." That's just silly. But with any business, it is what it is, business. Money to be made, bills to be paid and enjoying the ride along the way.

I still remain vigilant on the belief that most companies simply cannot mass produce their product but I am aware that even those companies use marketing strategies to make due.

See, Its not so much that they may be 1 or 2 man shops. That is not the issue. Its that they have a product that I want to buy, but its never available and then all of a sudden I start seeing review videos of them and the reviewers got them free of charge. I already know I want it, I don't need to see others flashing it around in my face. Oh look what I got free in the mail today! It feels like I am getting slapped in the face and told you are not worthy, you are not part of the elite. It just feels wrong to me.

 

[Levitas]

See, Its not so much that they may be 1 or 2 man shops. That is not the issue. Its that they have a product that I want to buy, but its never available and then all of a sudden I start seeing review videos of them and the reviewers got them free of charge. I already know I want it, I don't need to see others flashing it around in my face. Oh look what I got free in the mail today! It feels like I am getting slapped in the face and told you are not worthy, you are not part of the elite. It just feels wrong to me.

Oh I understand, sorry for my rant. Sometimes when I get started, I don't stop, lol!

I too do find myself to be slightly jealous when reviewers get some free stuff BUT! Wouldn't you think that the suppliers know that people like you and me (customers) are going to watch it? Therefore they know by giving away one of their products to get free advertising that it will most likely inspire more sales. It's simple business and I understand why they do it. Unfortunately, this causes some reviewers to take a slightly biased turn towards reviewing the product (not always! but sometimes).

I do find myself watching reviews and the person would be like "So & so just sent me this and here it is!" and I would think to myself, 'Man that looks so cool' with a slight twinge of jealousy but I also appreciate being able to see the unit in action before making my decision to purchase it or not. So it's win/lose. I understand where you're coming from for sure.

 

[Levitas]

I don't know- it got three likes. It must have happened to at least three other people. I like that new 'like' feature.

What happened? I don't understand?

 

[AnaCat]

I completely understand what you're saying. There's a mod I'd really like to get, and they're never in stock when I'm ready to get one (that alert me when available feature on their site does not work), and I see so many threads by people who already have one (or six - lol). It drives me crazy. It's just jealousy on my part, I know. I'm too slow to get to the site. I just sometimes wish the really popular mod makers would once in a while say "new customers only for this batch," 'ya know? I know I'll get one someday...

I'm happy with what I have, and since I couldn't get my mod, I'm getting kits and juice for three family members. I always think that everything happens for a reason, and maybe the reason I didn't get what I want was because I'm supposed to help others right now. It's not the end of the world.

 

[Moonflame]

The new customers only thing once in a while would be a good thing for modders who do batch postings to consider. If they're posting a batch every 2 weeks, making one week out of 3 or so only for new customers couldn't hurt, especially if they said that any that weren't snapped up by new customers would be sold to existing customers after a certain amount of time.

 

[six]

A good place to look for mods that are otherwise unavailable is the classifieds section of this forum. If someone isn't already selling what you are looking for, you can post a WB (want to buy).

 

[DoomsDay]

Oh I understand, sorry for my rant. Sometimes when I get started, I don't stop, lol!

I too do find myself to be slightly jealous when reviewers get some free stuff BUT! Wouldn't you think that the suppliers know that people like you and me (customers) are going to watch it? Therefore they know by giving away one of their products to get free advertising that it will most likely inspire more sales. It's simple business and I understand why they do it. Unfortunately, this causes some reviewers to take a slightly biased turn towards reviewing the product (not always! but sometimes).

I do find myself watching reviews and the person would be like "So & so just sent me this and here it is!" and I would think to myself, 'Man that looks so cool' with a slight twinge of jealousy but I also appreciate being able to see the unit in action before making my decision to purchase it or not. So it's win/lose. I understand where you're coming from for sure.

Well, my issue with many of these is that the mods are already so popular that they can't keep up with demand. So do they really need to send these things out for free to reviewers? Sadly to say it is starting to have the opposite effect for me. Every time I see some reviewer saying this was sent to them for free so they can review it, actually is pissing me off and starting to turn me off to the products I want. Frankly, I feel that is starting to fall under the poor customer service area. See, I dont really feel like I am jealous because somebody got an item I was wanting. Its more about me feeling these companies are making poor choices and that I am not important to them. This is the feeling that I am getting more and more and it really does make it harder for me to want to support the smaller businesses.

 

[Levitas]

I'm sorry you feel that way. Really though, giving away one product to a reviewer isn't really going decrease your chances that greatly to obtaining a product. Persistance and vigilance are two virtues to obtain what you want. I don't really know what you come to expect from these guys but sometimes to alleviate any course feelings towards a company, you really have to empathize. Picture yourself as a small business - and you have a widely popular product but feel that you might want some more publicity, so you give one off to a popular reviewer. You do this because it's ultimately good for your company, getting your name out there. Surely you're not doing it to step on the little guys and rub it in their faces that the one person (reviewer) not only got the product that's so hard to get but got it for free.

I do agree that I would love to see these companies expand and fill their shelves and availability for their products but I wouldn't look at it as them not caring about you, I don't really know how they could show that they do? Once again, I am sorry that you feel neglected from it all.