G'Day Zach ... I must point out that I dont get my e-cig stuff thru e-bay LOL ( however I do believe the company I am dealing with does sell there as well
)
I can agree entirely with the distributor points you bring up, but it appears the dilemma we face here in Aus is local sellers who sell you exactly the same product as a Chinese one , who have markups thru the roof. I think the major problem is simply that e-smoking hasn't become in Aust , what it has in the UK or the USA, ie a clientbase that is large enough to provide an adequate living without marking up to the max. Hopefully that will change as time goes on.
A bit of simple maths for everyone concerned ... the manufacturer of 90% of the worlds e-liqiud retails a 1.2 litre bottle of e-liquid for US$92 ( minimum purchase of 2 bottlesand the shipping of this one bottle worldwide tops out at US$86 or so.. for some reason Czechoslovakia costs heaps more at $US$117 but USA UK AUS etc is all around 75-85 ) so thats US$ 270 for the equivalent of 80 bottles shipped to your door... That's US$3.38per 30 ml !!!
So add to this packaging ( a glass bottle say, that retails for US$ 83 for 330) which works out at an additional $0.25, and you can see what markups I am talking about, I am all for people making a living, but it seems to me that e-smoking while it remains a "hobby industry" in countries like Aus and maybe the US and UK commands retail prices that do not reflect the investment in pure monetary terms ( it may well reflect the time and effort of running a small sideline business)
I noticed earlier on, Packaday ordered a bulk shipment from the manufacturer to the Aussies , This I am sure he would back up was an enormous logistical task , I have been there done that with other non e-cig stuff from china, but it would have shown those who took part, the actual cost of e-smoking, not the retail cost.
A distributor is simply someone who does this for a living rather than helping individuals out , and as such is entitled to a profit, but let us again do some maths, a retail for 30 ml of $30 for the initial investment of bulk e-liquid (2.4 litres @ $270 shipped) yields the distributor $2400... a profit of $2130 or around 800%
I will point out I am NOT retailer bashing here, I fully agree everyone is entitled to a return on their efforts, and I know running a specialist business such as we are involved in requires sacrifice of time and effort and resources, maybe retailers are simply trying to stay afloat with the small client base they have and are doing us all a favour by doing the work of importation for us !!!
I simply hope that as the client base expands , the savings are passed on and we eventually start paying something a little closer to the wholesale prices
All of my ranting above can be balanced that here in Aus, my smoking was costing me over $AU 12 a day and as such e-smoking IS much cheaper even at distributors prices, it could be ridiculously cheaper if prices landed where closer to prices available for importation.
( Practical note , all figures above are my own rantings and could be wrong LOL I also have not taken into account any duties or taxes imposed by any countries, for the reason that a private operator in Aus can import goods up to the value of $AU1000 ( excepting alcohol or tobacco products)without being slugged for duty etc .
I DO BELIEVE RETAILERS ARE TO BE REWARDED FOR THEIR EFFORTS I guess we are paying huge amounts as it is at a hobby business level rather than a higher level)
