I'm new to vaping. I started with cigalikes. When I needed cartomizers, I had to look for online vendors, as I live a two or three hour drive from the nearest B&M source. I found two online vendors that served me well in terms of price and quality for what I wanted as a raw beginner: themagicmist and easy vapors.
I quickly outgrew the cigalikes, and based on what I learned from more experienced people in these forums, I placed an order with fasttech. It's been sitting in a Hong Kong post office facility for a couple of weeks. It may arrive here some day, or not.
That was, in an odd way, a good thing for me. I needed batteries, tanks, juice. I expected to pay more with domestic suppliers, in return for the expectations that (1) I would actually receive what I ordered before next year, and (2) if there were a problem, I could resolve it by e-mail or telephone with a relatively local person.
I came back to the forums for more education.
I ordered Kanger Protank IIs from SmokTek.com. All arrived in 2 days, in perfect working order. The price was a few dollars higher than fasttech's price, but the lower fasttech price does me no good when the box is sitting many thousands of miles away. I did some quick price comparisons with other vendors before placing the order. I have no complaints. I'm happy with the vendor and the products.
I ordered some juice from AzureVaping.com. It arrived, exactly as ordered, in two days. The price was good, and the juices I've tried so far are pleasing. They will improve with some steeping time. No complaints. Good value and good service.
Yesterday I ordered a Vision Spinner from aquavaporcig.com. I'll have it in two days. The price was good. Notifications of order status were immediate and clear. No complaints.
Yesterday I ordered some juices from juice-e-vapes. The customer service, including messages from the owner, have been first rate. I should have the juices in two days. I look forward to trying them. Prices were just fine. Not as cheap, or as delayed, as fasttech, but I'm more concerned with value than cost.
The nearest walmart is, in terms of travel cost, about 15 dollars per round-trip from my home. If I factor that in, and my time, I'm not too enthused with buying a commodity item at a buck or two less from them. They don't treat their employees very nicely. End of discussioin for me.
The initial post suggests that online vendors are ripping us off. I respectfully disagreee with that premise. I'm comfortable that I'm getting good products at reasonable prices when I do a little shopping and take advantage of the good advice available on the forum.
