Why is everything so expensive?

[SaintDynamicz]

So recently I've been just getting a few items to ensure my safety when charging my batteries and also getting some safer batterers themselves. After I bought 2 batteries and a battery charger I found myself paying $75... That seems a bit expensive for a battery and a charger.

It's not just that though, it's almost every aspect about vaping that is costly. Ejuice sells for $5 per 10ml bottle, when I make and sell my own to my friends for $2.50 and still make a profit. I've been wondering for the longest time why that is.
I love vaping and almost every aspect of it, but why so expensive. It makes vaping a bank breaking hobby that I just can't seem to afford as of late.
What astonishes me the most though is the prices of RDA's. Where some mods are priced around $100, some I can see worth it, but an RDA? The thing that you have to build your own coils and wick yourself? Hell that's a good amount of work and even after all that I still can't vape on it unless I would have spent another $100 or so on a mod.

What do you guys think about the prices you have to pay. Would be interesting to see how others see this.

 

[SolRayz]

Oh don't worry, its about to get even more expensive, once the FDA gets there way.

 

[bluecat]

I spend 30 bucks a month on vaping related items. Some months I spend nothing. It does not have to be a bank breaking hobby.

2 reasons

One reason is because they can. It is an emerging market and people are trying to bleed it dry and others recoup investment costs.


The second is the idea many former smokers have that if I spent 2500 a year on smoking I can spend the same on vaping. While that is their choice, I feel it is a cop out.

As a consumer you have the right/obligation to spend with your pocket. Do so as you choose. Search around, you can find deals or clones. Yealiq will get you 100mls of liquid (if you use the steals) for 10.00. Mt Baker vapor will get you 8 bucks for 30 mls. You can also spend 30 bucks for liquid in a fancy shaped bottle with some skulls and flames on it with some strange name.

 

[wrath186]

I think that with the current cost of cigarettes and the impact it was making on my health, what I pay in supplies for vaping is a fraction of the costs associated with healthcare.

 

[SaintDynamicz]

Oh don't worry, its about to get even more expensive, once the FDA gets there way.

Yea unfortunately, that's why I'm willing to spend the big bucks in these times. Might as well stock up before it all comes crashing down. Probably going to get a few mods and RDA's and maybe an another tank and small eGo style battery for going out and about.

 

[Despraci]

Well Sony VTC5's are $11 a piece or average. A good Nitecore D4 charge is $30. So for $75 I could get a 4 bay charger and about 4 batteries that should last a year or more and will be safe to use with anything my little heart desires. I used to spend $13 a day just for smokes, so this is a minor expense if you were like me and a heavy smoker.

e-liquids... My ADV are $.25 - .$35 for the ones I use all day, every day. Now I do try others once in a while that might be a little more and my premium juice I use as a treat and not every day is $.52 a ml when I buy it in bulk. That's the most expensive my juice gets. But being an ex chain smoker, I am not a chain vaper, hence why I try to use more economical juices to use throughout the day as I sit at my desk writing computer code.

And I agree with you about the RDA, mods and devices. They can be a little expensive, but again... not even close to what I was spending on smokes, coffee, snacks and gas to run to the store every day to get my cancer sticks.

In all... my spending is slowing down. I am happy with my mod and RBA \ RDA selection. Everything works as I want it to. Happy with my coils, wick, tools. I have spare parts for spare parts and then some. So my biggest expense now is juice and items that you can consider disposable. At today's current cost, it's still cheaper then smoking for me, and I love it and want to do it, rather then "HAVE" to do it because I was addicted.

 

[Despraci]

Yea unfortunately, that's why I'm willing to spend the big bucks in these times. Might as well stock up before it all comes crashing down. Probably going to get a few mods and RDA's and maybe an another tank and small eGo style battery for going out and about.

Nice things for me... if the FDA does regulate the industry and I do have to go DIY. I know mechanist and I have plenty of contacts outside the US that could get me the hard to find nicotine base. I do not want to DIY, I am happy paying people a fair amount for the work they do. I got too much else going on in my life to really let this hobby consume any more time then it already does, even if I would save more money.

 

[GMayberry]

Decent RDA clone: $20
100' roll of Kanthal: $7 (each coil *might use 2" including your scraps)
Bag of organic cotton balls for wicking: $2.50 @ CVS (will probably last several years)
Total investment: $29.50 (we can just say $32 give or take after taxes)

Pack of smokes: around $4 $32/$4(one pack a day)= 8 days and your investment is paid for.

Not sure why you *need to spend $100 on a mod to use an RDA, some people use RDAs on Ego style batteries.

 

[SaintDynamicz]

That's a very good point, although I never was a chain smoker as I started a 16 and kept going till I was 18 when I finally could walk into a gas station and buy an ecig. Since then I have been much healthier and found something that I love doing as well, but being 19, its very costly.

 

[Equilibrium]

IMO... Unless you're spending the big bucks on the authentic mods and RBA's/RDA's on a regular basis then it's not all that expensive. Cheeper that buying smokes at least.

 

[Topwater Elvis]

For me vaping is far less expensive than what I used to spend on 2.5 packs a day.
$75 for 2 batteries & charger sounds outrageously expensive to me.

I'd find a better place to shop.

 

[searcher]

I've got everything I need plus enough stuff to last for years for next to nothing thanks to Fasttech. Will order a gallon of 100mg this month from stateside and another few mechs and vw kicks from FT.

 

[SolRayz]

If you look at my sig...there is no way I've spent $7000+ in the last two years on anything vaping related. For me it's been a big win.

 

[skoony]

here in Minnesota a pack of smokes will set you back $7.50 to $9.00 +. when i quit i was at 2 packs a day +. after equipment and maintenance costs i figure i am paying roughly 33 cents to an equivalent pack of smokes in juice. thats at the retail level. thats based on 22 drops = 1 pack of smokes and $20.00 for a 30 ml bottle. from what i've seen posted this is an approximate average. could be a little more or a little less.
regards
mike

 

[k702]

That's a very good point, although I never was a chain smoker as I started a 16 and kept going till I was 18 when I finally could walk into a gas station and buy an ecig. Since then I have been much healthier and found something that I love doing as well, but being 19, its very costly.

yeah, it's been said, but you really gotta think in terms of relativity. How much would you have spent on smokes?

The juice is like anything else, if you want to do it yourself it's normally cheaper. Rollies were always a fraction of the cost of a pre rolled but you had to roll them yourself.

 

[SaintDynamicz]

here in Minnesota a pack of smokes will set you back $7.50 to $9.00 +. when i quit i was at 2 packs a day +. after equipment and maintenance costs i figure i am paying roughly 33 cents to an equivalent pack of smokes in juice. thats at the retail level. thats based on 22 drops = 1 pack of smokes and $20.00 for a 30 ml bottle. from what i've seen posted this is an approximate average. could be a little more or a little less.
regards
mike

That's true. It's far less expensive than smoking, but for a 19yo in college everything is on the expensive side I guess haha.

 

[TamiP]

Nice things for me... if the FDA does regulate the industry and I do have to go DIY. I know mechanist and I have plenty of contacts outside the US that could get me the hard to find nicotine base. I do not want to DIY, I am happy paying people a fair amount for the work they do. I got too much else going on in my life to really let this hobby consume any more time then it already does, even if I would save more money.

While that sounds like a comfortable cushion... I'd like to see how your friends are going to "drug mule" that nic through customs.

 

[Stringplucker]

It's a conspiracy involving BT, BP, and nicotine producers, as well as the Chinese to keep the poor and inner city people from vaping...didn't you guys get the memo?

 

[AzPlumber]

I suspect if you were selling e-liquid and paying for the rent, electricity, insurance, advertising, labels, bottles and taxes you would understand why it cost much more than you can DIY.

 

[Equilibrium]

I suspect if you were selling e-liquid and paying for the rent, electricity, insurance, advertising, labels, bottles and taxes you would understand why it cost much more than you can DIY.

Yep... DIY has no overhead.