Can you say a little about the pricing of stuff over there? I was surprised to find that the prices I see for ejuice, etc. aren't that much lower than US prices. Can people afford that? Is vaping an upper middle class thing there?
What does a high end mech mod cost in the PI?
Prices for ejuice used to be quite high, that I had to take the DIY route just after buying my first three bottles. But now it's getting cheaper, with more and more people selling the stuff. When I started, the common price for a 10ml bottle was PHP 250 ( 1 dollar= 43 Philippine peso) and the cheapest around PHP 150; now, I see bottles priced as low as 30 something pesos each. Market forces at play. So yeah, people can afford juice here. It's a very Pinoy trait to get around financial constraints.
I can't say vaping is an upper middle-class thing here, though as always, the richer folks are the ones who can afford Provari's and Poldiacs and the like. Also, many PVs that are considered "high-end" are locally-made, what with the likes of J2P, Pat of Chiefvapers, Edz, Grand Vapor, etc. Does that mean such products are more accessible? Probably. At the very least, such PVs are easier to find and purchase here. The prices of high-quality locally-made mechs range from PHP 3,500 to less than 10,000.
I don't know the prices overseas, but judging from what I've read on ECF, Pinoy mechs (as well as attys) enjoy a great reputation among vapers in the US as well as other countries. I'm just not sure if they're considered high-end.