Peeved about my local vape shop

[K_Tech]

I'm not gonna defend or denounce what a shopkeeper does with pricing, I'll just say that the consumers will vote with their wallets. You can't teach everyone to be a smart shopper, and you can't tell a business owner that he's overcharging - you can only NOT shop there, and tell your friends.

 

[jclay1192]

Hey guys. So here I am 3 weeks ago, looking to get a nice setup for my birthday present, right? I figure a hundred bucks shuld get me and my fiancee set up with plenty of juice and a couple ego style kits. Since I was really not sure where to start, I ventured over to the only vape house in town to get set up. Well to my surprise....they had a ton of stuff buuuuut....seemed REAL pricey.
Immediately I was like, you know I could find this stuff online for a LITTLE cheaper.

Boy was I wrong . Headed home and hopped online to shop around. Found Evod starter kits were about 35 bucks....huh?! The vape shop wanted $89.99 for a frikin Evod starter kit with no juice included.

Now trust me, I own a business and understand profit margins. But when you get Evods at wholesale for probably 20-25 bucks TOPS....you cannot and should not hawk them off to unsuspecting smokers who dont know any better and are trying to make a life saving decision for 300% profit!!! Am I out of line here? An iTaste SVD for 225? Whaaaaa?!?! Protank I for $34.95?!?

Not to mention a 5ml bottle of juice is 6 bux. And its more like 4mil in reality. Being a resourceful and internet savvy individual certainly allows me to bypass these places, but MOST average joe smokers arent going to spend countless hours researching and shopping around like I did. So they dont know any better and get ripped off big time on a product they know nothing about which may or may not work for them. Im sorry but it really peeves me. $12 for a 10mil of cheap import Chinese boring flavors?! Heck no! I just ordered 80 mil from Ahlusion for 45 bucks! Man...


Point here is...vendors: please do not manipulate and skew prices for a profit! That should be illegal.

Vapers: please DO shop around and find better prices if something is off.

Too bad its the only shop in the area . O well, vape mail here i come!

i only go to B&M for juice as its the same price as online... without the shipping. (sometimes even have bins of liquid on sale) aand my vape shop is darkish so all their juices that sit are actually steeping in a way ;D.. 2 month old monkey cream? Can't beat it !

plus since B&M take fivestar rewards card around here.. I've already acquired enough points for my first free e-juice bottle ;D

 

[HDVaper]

This is EXACTLY the reason I do ALL my shopping online!! I got hosed the same way when I bought my first eGo starter kit from my local vape shop. I left the store with 2 eGo 650 batteries, 2 el cheapo clearomizers, a 10ml bottle of e-liquid, a case and a charger...total cost was $85.00 and I was a pleased as punch. That's the price you pay for being a new vaper and they count on that when you get held up on your initial buy. It wasn't long before I realized what fool I was and I never went back.

A fair profit should be expected but NOT highway robbery!! I have no sympathy for shops the charge exorbitant prices, overhead be damned!! If they get any repeat business it's a miracle as far as I'm concerned.

 

[dimo]

I guess I'm lucky. I go to several local vape shops and prices are very reasonable. By me they all have online stores to supplement their business (which I'm sure helps a ton to keep prices low) and offer identical prices for both retail and online stores.

My favorite vape shop sells 20ml bottles of juice for $9, the SVD (device only) for $60 and protank II for $20. Very reasonable for a B&M.

I agree with OP those prices are ridiculous and I wouldn't spend a dime in there.

 

[Cearamm]

Awesome feedback on this topic. I think its a very relevant issue that people have clearly experienced.


My town dynamics are a bit unique. I live in an oil boom town in western texas. The boom has been blowing up our town with cash. High school dropouts run to the oilfield at 17 and rake in 60-100K no problem. The easy money drew 100 thousand people for work in the past 2-4 years. So our town is now overflowing with money and customers. I can see in my minds eye how many dollars his place rakes in, because any time i go for juice(waiting on juice mail), theres a line out the door. Everytime.


So yea they are predatory and making a killing. They def have the customer volume to reduce prices, and thefact they dont is even more sickening. You literally cant even taste juices becus all of their 15 tester batts are already in use.

If i wanted to open shop and undercut the heck out of them, it wouldbe easy. But i dont feel like it so ill keep supporting great online vendors who also own BM shops .

I agree that to stay competitive and to supplement ur sales, your BM shop needs a web based sales arm. This is the internet age.

Ahlusion, VapeDojo and many others do this and succeed.

In response to Yelp, i will certainly post a negative and honest review on there. People need to know they have better options.

I wasted $150 on faulty Blu gear, so maybe everyone goes thru this price raping when they start out. It sucks and isnt right and people will catch on and smell the bull...

Until then il support shops who have ideals, morals, and use the best possible ingredients in their juice.

 

[CommaHolly]

If you have a vape shop, you need to make money fast, because the competition is moving in fast.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only one around who doesn't own a shop, sell ejuice, or do YouTube reviews.

nope,,,,I don't either,,,,

although I DO provide free juice DIY for my daughters and their spouses/SO's

 

[mechanus]

You know, every time I see *anything* marked up, I always ask what's the warranty. If something breaks, will that store cover me? If they tell me there's no warranty, then that's a rub against the grain. But if they say they will cover parts & labor or replace it or have a decent sounding policy, I'll take it into consideration.

 

[VapieDan]

My black Friday experience. Itaste svd $99.00 but shop offered 25% off for the day. JohnsonCreek 15ml $15.95. You want to support the local people but just can't justify it. Sad.

 

[TheJakeBailey]

Here is my take on it. I live in Austin, and if I had to make a guess, there are probably 20-30 B&M's in the area. In the last two weeks or so alone, I have seen or heard about at least 5 I didn't know about. That doesn't include stores that carry vape stuff, but isn't their main source of income. This is vape only shops. About half of these, I weeded out just based on the online reviews at places like yelp. Of the other half, i have been to most, out of curiosity if nothing else. Of those, there are three that I go to regularly.

Those three have "reasonable pricing," and I bought my vvvw/3, my first MVP2, and my Zmax there. (all on sale, or they would have been toooo high.) I also buy the occasional tank, drip tip, or other misc. Of my juice, I would say it's about 50/50 online and B&M.

I will spend a reasonable amount more to buy locally and support the shops that I feel are worthy of that support. (Note, the reasonable) Heck, I was at one of them for two hours yesterday just jawing with the owner who greets me by name every time I come in. We talk product, the industry, and just life in general. she knows my girlfriends name, what we do for work, my other hobbies etc. Other than ECF, I don't have many vaping friends, and NONE that have turned it into a hobby, and not just a way to quit smoking. My girlfriend is happy I'm not smoking, and she TRY's to listen to my ramblings, but I know deep down that she doesn't give a hang about the differences between a single coil carto and a dual, or why I really want a VTR or a Provari. I CAN talk about these things with Mel over at Amp.

I kind of look at it like a bar. I can buy the same booze and mix it at home for way cheaper, but I don't get the atmosphere. I don't view it as paying for overhead, I view it as paying a little more to keep my comfortable vape lounge around to hang out in.

In addition, I see the way the GOOD shops handle customers. You think it's bad on here???? watch about 20 customers in a row come in and ask why something tastes funny, (you haven't changed the coil in two weeks) or something broke, (you dropped it) or why your husbands battery thingy that goes on the other thingy that he smokes with is doing the thing that it used to do, but he couldn't come in because he's at work. I see these customers get handled with care and patience, and that helps ALL of us. The more people that quit smoking and start vaping, the more powerful we become as body. that is worth me paying a bit more when it makes sense.

I still buy a LOT of stuff online. I know what prices are give and take, and I'll look for the best deal. I don't go to shops that have crappy product, exorbitant prices, or are obviously just in it to make a quick buck from people who don't know better. I save my money for the ones who deserve it, and I figure the rest will get thinned out.

Long winded! lol

 

[Baldr]

You mentioned that they are the only vape shop in the area. That's why they can get away with those prices. As soon as someone else opens a vape shop, the prices will come down. At least, that's how it's worked here.

Here in Dallas, there are a lot of vape shops, and at most of them, the prices are not a lot higher than online pricing. They can't be making much profit on the hardware, but the big markup for vape shops is in the juice. And that works out well, because juice is the one thing most vapers really end up buying over and over. (That and cartomizers or atomizers.) Other than atomizers, I hardly ever buy hardware. I already have everything I need. But I go through a lot of juice, and I usually buy it locally because the prices aren't much different than online, but it lets me support the locals.

I do order things online (at least, I did back when I was buying hardware, and likely will when I buy hardware again.) But I like having local shops. If something happened and I needed something right away, the local shops can help. Mail order means a delay waiting on it to be delivered. And it's nice to see the new "stuff" in person and ask questions. That's worth a few extra bucks.

Yes, they charge a little more. They have to, because they have more expenses compared to an online shop run out of a garage.

When I first started vaping, there was only one vape shop that I knew about near me. Using ECF, I had a pretty good idea what I wanted, and I had priced the stuff online. The local store did charge a little more, but it wasn't that much more, and having someone to show me the basics and answer questions was very helpful. Well worth it, IMO.

I can understand if you want to save every dime and order online. But don't complain that not everyone makes that same choice.

 

[moondragon]

I made my first purchase at a local B&M shop, and while later I did find that I could have gotten a better deal online, the mark-up at the local B&M wasn't unreasonable. That being said, though, I doubt if I would have even given e-cigs a try if I hadn't gone into a B&M where there was an actual person to talk with, who could show me the various devices, let me try a couple, and let me try different juice flavors to see which one I liked and suggest a good starting nic level. When I was using ego's, cartos or clearos, it was also nice to know that there was a local place where I could get something if I needed it right away. There was one flavor they sold which I liked a lot and continued to buy from them for quite awhile, but the lowest nic level they carried it in was 12, and after I had gone down to 6, I got tired of having to always dilute it, so stopped getting it. (However, as I basically got twice the amount after diluting it, it did make it very reasonable price wise) Currently I am making my own liquid, but if I was to go back to, or want to supplement what I make with 'ready-made' I would prefer going to a B&M where I could try out samples of flavors before buying.

I have referred new vapers to them, but with the caveat that it is more expensive than buying online, but there are some benefits, especially when starting out brand new and not knowing anything about the hardware available or how to use it or what juice flavor(s) and what strength might be best. If nothing else, a new person can see and touch the hardware, and then know what they want to shop for and order online.

 

[mikewill45]

I just ordered 80 mil from Ahlusion for 45 bucks! Man...
!

I make my own juice for about 6 cents per ml. Even once you include incidentals I suspect it's less than 8 cents per ml. So for 45 bucks I can make about 550 ml.

 

[HDVaper]

Here is my take on it. I live in Austin, and if I had to make a guess, there are probably 20-30 B&M's in the area. In the last two weeks or so alone, I have seen or heard about at least 5 I didn't know about. That doesn't include stores that carry vape stuff, but isn't their main source of income. This is vape only shops. About half of these, I weeded out just based on the online reviews at places like yelp. Of the other half, i have been to most, out of curiosity if nothing else. Of those, there are three that I go to regularly.

Those three have "reasonable pricing," and I bought my vvvw/3, my first MVP2, and my Zmax there. (all on sale, or they would have been toooo high.) I also buy the occasional tank, drip tip, or other misc. Of my juice, I would say it's about 50/50 online and B&M.

I will spend a reasonable amount more to buy locally and support the shops that I feel are worthy of that support. (Note, the reasonable) Heck, I was at one of them for two hours yesterday just jawing with the owner who greets me by name every time I come in. We talk product, the industry, and just life in general. she knows my girlfriends name, what we do for work, my other hobbies etc. Other than ECF, I don't have many vaping friends, and NONE that have turned it into a hobby, and not just a way to quit smoking. My girlfriend is happy I'm not smoking, and she TRY's to listen to my ramblings, but I know deep down that she doesn't give a hang about the differences between a single coil carto and a dual, or why I really want a VTR or a Provari. I CAN talk about these things with Mel over at Amp.

I kind of look at it like a bar. I can buy the same booze and mix it at home for way cheaper, but I don't get the atmosphere. I don't view it as paying for overhead, I view it as paying a little more to keep my comfortable vape lounge around to hang out in.

In addition, I see the way the GOOD shops handle customers. You think it's bad on here???? watch about 20 customers in a row come in and ask why something tastes funny, (you haven't changed the coil in two weeks) or something broke, (you dropped it) or why your husbands battery thingy that goes on the other thingy that he smokes with is doing the thing that it used to do, but he couldn't come in because he's at work. I see these customers get handled with care and patience, and that helps ALL of us. The more people that quit smoking and start vaping, the more powerful we become as body. that is worth me paying a bit more when it makes sense.

I still buy a LOT of stuff online. I know what prices are give and take, and I'll look for the best deal. I don't go to shops that have crappy product, exorbitant prices, or are obviously just in it to make a quick buck from people who don't know better. I save my money for the ones who deserve it, and I figure the rest will get thinned out.

Long winded! lol

Great post! I wish we had a store like that around here!!

 

[chrisj3982]

Wow, 2 of my local b&m shops are really good and fair priced. The third is one of these type places, sell everything from cigalikes to higher end pvs, but they spank uneducated beginner vapers (they got me when I moved from cigalike to pv, $115 for an igo4 starter kit, no juice included). I went to the other 2 to see if their prices were comparable, and to my surprise I could have gotten the same setup basically for about $40, 2 batteries, 2 tanks and a touch charger.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[azsfcsh]

Went to a popular local hookah/vapor lounge/shop for my first purchase of a mod because of all the friends on Facebook saying how awesome of a place it was... Ended up with a couple of juices, a tank, and the kit to a no-name clone of a clone chrome lavatube that I found online for $25 after searching tons of pages of chinese clones that all look similar. Wouldn't have care so much if I hadn't spent just over $140 for it all. It hadn't been 4 days of very careful use and the flimsy thing snapped in half... Luckily I got a refund and there are plenty of other vapor stores around that have a way better reputation. Just have to do your own research first before buying.

 

[Cearamm]

Well guys since posting this thread a new vape shop has just opened up in town, their prices are better and have a larger selection. Thats capitalism for yeh

 

[airframer]

There's several vape shops around here. A couple are reasonably priced, and I have no trouble giving them my money even with a little markup (heck, the last one showed me how to prime/setup a carto tank). However, there is a store here with close to a 300% markup on items, particularly consumables, which is what I usually look buy locally in the first place. Meh.

 

[seahawkin]

Its a tough one. I am willing to pay more for great service. I don't go to Walmart because I want to support local businesses that treat their employees well. Now with all that said, great service includes not being ripped off.