They're not "far below" retail value. It's an ok deal to try new vendors one might not be familiar with but it's not a steal. Let's not get carried away here.
As 12mg is the most popular level for smokers who quit a year ago or less, I agree it's "ridiculous" to only offer 6 and 18.
My first box. For the liquids that are not sold in the same sizes as what's in the box, we'll divide the price to match the lower volume (which is less than what they would cost if the size was sold). We're also going to ignore any shipping costs, as obviously ordering from a dozen vendors would raise the overall shipping significantly versus the one shipping fee from zample, and shipping varies from location to location. You could have also picked these flavors up at a B&M.
G2 Vapor - Vazilla $11 (30ml/2)
Alpha Vape - Miss White $11 (30ml/2)
503 - Apple Pie $12.50
Clever Vape - Nirvana $9
Potion Vape - More Plum $10.95
Alpha Vape - Manchu $11 (30ml/2)
503 - Sarsaparilla $12.50
Golden Drops - Strawberry Daiquiri Can't find a price for this one, lets leave it out of the total.
Johnson Creek Red Oak - Island $3.32 (15ml/3)
Roar Vapor - Love Potion $3.25 (11ml/2)
Totally Wicked - Patriot Range $4 (10ml/2)
Rocket Fuel Vapes - Harley's Blend Tobacco $3.25 (10ml/2)
Mt Baker Vapor - Hawk Sauce $4 (15ml/1.5)
Total Cost: $92.52
Keep in mind this value would be higher if the vendors offered these size bottles because they would cost more than the reduced value of the larger size.
ZampleBox Cost: $40 (now it's $45)
Now some of the numbers are a little off because the correct bottle sizes are not available. Let's say shipping costs $10 from Zample. That brings the golden box to $55, a little more than half of our $92.52 total. $55 WITH shipping. Now add the cost of your gas and or shipping from multiple vendors to the $92.52 and see how much it goes up. Now if you are going to get all of these flavors you would either need to order them in bigger bottles or get sampler packs if the vendor offers them, then you're spending more money to sample the same set of flavors.
It is one huge deal, do the math.