Ordering e-liquid

[quirky]

Just a few general thoughts on ordering liquids.

First of all the fact that bottles arrive leaking or completely empty suggests that the bottles have been shipped over full. This is probably a move made to be generous. However, liquids shipped by air are subjected to air pressure much higher than when they are filled. The liquid expands and seeps through the seal and can even cause the lids to completely blow.

The obvious solution is to fill the bottles only to within 1 cm or more of the top. But I wonder if e-cig will do this at the purchasers request? Bigger bottles would help.

By the way, safety seals would not help in the least with this problem.

 

[Klaue]

As far as I remember, TropicalBob's Liquids spilled too and he diddn't choose air delivery. Using Occam's razor, I'd say they just diddn't close the bottles very good.

 

[trog100]

i have had two three 50 ml bottle orders from e-cig.. the first one before the shipping ban and by express.. the outside of the bottles were wet i put this down to the airplane de-pressurization.. no real problem for me.. the contents arrived in a large bag with the bottles bubble wrapped inside.. i would say well packed.. they went thru UK customs without a problem.. less than a week from order to me getting them..

my second 150 ml order just nipped in before the ban.. e-cig shipped them china air registered parcel.. the bottles were bubble wrapped and in a small box.. no large bag this time.. the box looked like it had been used as a football.. he he.. but the bottles were dry and undamaged.. the order took just under two weeks to arrive.. no problems..

as to the lie on the package.. well its a normal kinda chinese shipping trick.. "sample" for cheap orders it works and probably saves many people time.. straight thru customs without any work..

however if the customer is unlucky and customs do their one in a (read unknown number) open the package trick.. problems will or might occur..

quite clearly customs dont mess with every small package that passes thru the terminal.. luckily they dont have the man power..

shipping poison which is what e-liquid is.. is gonna cause future problems for e smokers who order from china.. my 150 ml order is enough to kill 20 people.. think about it.. what would customs do if e-cig told the whole truth..

and what would the department of home security do in this paranoid world.. he he he he

off to gitmo cos u are an e smoker..

i hope my 400 dollar "sample" pipe order sneaks thru UK customs.. i really dont fancy paying 80 dollars import duty.. and the paper work involved.. fingers crossed..

trog

 

[Solarist]

I just received my first order of e-liquid from e-cig, and overall, I have to say I am happy with the order and rather shocked at the shipping time. It was not a large order (5 8ml vials and 1 10ml container) however all of them arrived completely dry with no spillage. The 8ml containers were all in boxes with the flavor marked on the box; the 10ml container had a sticker on it with the flavor. They were all well wrapped in bubble wrap. No problems at all. Now for the part that shocked me - I received shipping confirmation on Thursday that the package had shipped - and come Saturday, the USPS truck pulled up to my house with the order! Three days from China to the US via the cheapest shipping method available (normal Chinese post - however it appeared they shipped with "EMS" - not sure if that is some name utilized by the Chinese post or if they just "upped" the shipping method). The paperwork declared it to be an "atomizer", which by the EMS tracking website delayed the package in customs for just a minute.

 

[trog100]

I just received my first order of e-liquid from e-cig, and overall, I have to say I am happy with the order and rather shocked at the shipping time. It was not a large order (5 8ml vials and 1 10ml container) however all of them arrived completely dry with no spillage. The 8ml containers were all in boxes with the flavor marked on the box; the 10ml container had a sticker on it with the flavor. They were all well wrapped in bubble wrap. No problems at all. Now for the part that shocked me - I received shipping confirmation on Thursday that the package had shipped - and come Saturday, the USPS truck pulled up to my house with the order! Three days from China to the US via the cheapest shipping method available (normal Chinese post - however it appeared they shipped with "EMS" - not sure if that is some name utilized by the Chinese post or if they just "upped" the shipping method). The paperwork declared it to be an "atomizer", which by the EMS tracking website delayed the package in customs for just a minute.

EMS is the chinese express company.. its normally the 23 dollar option the same as the other express options.. very quick thow..

my last liquid said nebulizer on the package.. i dont think they dare call it liquid..

nice to know they will still ship 50 ml even if in several smaller bottles.. perhaps normal china post is the same as the express option "some times"..

trog

 

[TropicalBob]

Let's just say that U.S. Customs, at least, is now aware that E-Cig shipments can have false invoices. There's a massive thread on this forum about the troubles with Customs. I ended up having to not only provide a list of ordered contents, but a complete chemical breakdown of the E-Liquid itself. Which I did. I spent four weeks going back and forth with FedEx and Customs. There's another whole thread here about the "lying" that saves import duties. It's called theft by many, but some seem to think it's okay 'cause "everyone does it".

A bad thing about my last shipment (not the one Customs opened) is that liquid in the little 4ml bottles leaked everywhere and dissolved the red marks made on the vials to indicate what flavor each is. I had no way to tell vanilla from menthol -- and, no, they don't smell all that different.

As for spilled liquid shorting me on content, well ...if you put a buck into a machine and it gave you a third of a Coke, you'd be a bit unhappy, right? I was.

 

[quirky]

Ugh international shipping is a nightmare. I used to ship paper and paper goods as part of my job. The worst part was that my boss always wanted me to under-declare the value. This is a huge problem because, according to US law the person who signs the customs declarations and commercial invoice is legally responsible for the shipment. I explained this and was told to do it anyway basically "shut up". I did not feel like I should be in the hot seat just because my boss was a crook. (These shipments were upwards of $100,000). In any case I refused to sign the shipments and made her do it every time.

Sorry - getting off topic.

I wish there was a US supplier of the good stuff.

 

[NerdyCinderella]

Quirky, I don't think you were off topic. I thought your info was helpful and interesting.

TropicalBob, can you link to those topics on "Customs" and "Lying?"

 

[TropicalBob]

This is Customs link in Law and the E-Cigarette: http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/phpBB3/customs-t236.html

And this is about lying on invoices (this whole thread stunned me, as you can tell as you read it):
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/phpBB3/customs-penalty-from-e-cig-com-t213.html

 

[trog100]

the UK customs can and do at times behave like a bunch of pirates.. as a UK smoker i get ripped off big time by UK tobacco taxes.. as member of the EU i am entitled to buy my goods from anywhere in the EU as long as tax is paid at source.. Belgium cigs cost 25% of UK cigs.. if as i am entitled to i attempt to ship in my families cigs from Belgium not a bad idea when twenty cigs in the UK cost twelve dollars.. the customs will in essence "confiscate" them and call me a smuggler..

the fact i am not does not matter.. i would not under any circumstances get my property back.. its hard to be honest when dealing with crooks.. even government sponsored ones..

if i attempt to physically travel to Belgium to buy my cigs i am likely to have them taken off me by customs on the way back.. the UK dosnt want to lower their excessive tobacco taxes and will use any method to make sure they dont have to.. including the "confiscation" of peoples legitimate properly..

sadly we live in a crooked world.. lying is the order of the day.. our leaders being the biggest perpetrators of the art.. i have used the word "confiscation" in a loose sense.. there is a better one..

this is politcial sorry.. but so are the customs and their activities..

another reason for me becoming an e smoker.. but no way is my government going to let me be one for long.. it will get banned or taxed out of existence.. they have too much to lose by permitting it.. safer alternative or not..

trog