Vape shops are still a pretty niche market that doesn’t do as much sales as a hardware store or a clothing store. But the benefits and perks that come with vaping can never be overstated. Vaping as a tool to quit smoking, has helped millions of smokers quit smoking. It is also maintained that vaping is 90% safer than cigarettes.
Vape shopping is something that takes a lot of time, especially for those who are new to vaping. The selection of flavour, the selection of the device, and the matching of coil with the device, all of these factors make vape shopping a time extensive task. But it is not as time-intensive as you think, especially if you know what you want or have done your research. Especially, when it comes to online vape stores. Online vape stores have tremendously made vape shopping easier for users.
In this blog, we will discuss how online shopping works and how you can make the most out of it.
B&M Vape Stores Vs Online Vape Stores
Brick and Mortar or B&M stores are convenient and helpful to shop with, if you are completely new to vaping, and haven’t purchased your first vape gears or vape supplies yet. Buying in-store is more immediate and you can go there directly if an issue arises. You’re also supporting your local community which is nice. You can also ask as many questions as you have and usually get some good answers if the shop is good.
On the downside, some can be a little shady or not good. Their prices are also more expensive since they have a higher overhead. Brick-and-mortar stores steer you into buying products with the highest margins sometimes. Furthermore, the reason that brick-and-mortar or B&M stores have astronomically high markups these days is the taxes levied on them, along with leases, staff salaries, retail charges, shelf space, operating costs etc.
Online vape stores, on the other hand, have lower prices due to lower margins, and they save you a lot of footwork if you don’t have a vape store near your place. They usually have a really vast inventory, which allows you to browse through thousands of products on their web pages. Furthermore, one of the upsides of online vape shopping is the numerous deals and discounts that are offered on bulk purchases.
Why Do Brick-And-Mortar Stores Have Higher Prices and Tax Rates?
When it comes to vape supplies prices, especially in a country like the US, the problem is there is no way to bake the prices in the products since all states have a different excise tax. Online shopping is way easier for people who are living in a country with fewer restrictions on the vape industry. But in the US, it’s quite difficult. The best way to shop online now in the US would be to make sure that whatever vendor you are buying from online is in your same state. For example, if you are in CA, find a CA online vendor. That way they already covered the excise tax and don’t pass it on to you.
Unfortunately for the other states, it’s impossible to bake into the price because all the excise taxes are different. We are in a horrible position and it’s all becoming extremely costly for the business and consumer. The only real way to shop online nowadays is to buy in bulk, take advantage of the website’s “free shipping” threshold, and ship it to a state with low or no excise tax. You could also get a “digital mailbox” in another state and then have them forwarded to you. You would avoid the high excise taxes and be able to buy vape juice online, etc. In the end, the number of loopholes adults have to jump through now to still be able to have access to their life-saving harm-reduction products is just a fine example of where people are at in a country like the US.
What Are the Benefits of Online Vape Stores?
Online vape shops come with a lot of benefits, some of which are stated below:
The Wide Range of Choices
If you are purchasing your vape supplies online, you will have plenty of choices to choose from. You can scroll guilt-free on the website of a vape store, and it is way better than physically strolling and picking out an e-liquid from the shelf of a B&M store. The flavours and brands are all listed along with their ingredients and other specifications. You can also turn on email notifications for items that are listed as out of stock.
Discounts and Sales
One of the biggest advantages of online vape stores is the numerous discounts and sales they offer to their customers. A lot of vape stores offer discounts on bulk purchases of e-liquid and there are always sales happening on occasion of holidays, black Fridays, thanksgiving etc.
Cost-Effectiveness
Online stores are way more cost-effective than B&M stores due to a variety of factors. First, as we have mentioned online stores have lower margins than B&M stores. Second, their mark-up is 50% or less, whereas the mark-up of B&M stores is usually 60-100%. Online stores also save you the legwork in that you don’t have to drive extensively to reach a physical store, and rather get your vape supplies delivered to your doorstep at a much cheaper rate.
Access to Product Reviews and Customer Support
With online shopping, you get access to thousands of customer reviews. You can also discuss any of the potential flavour you want to purchase on Reddit, and get recommendations from the Reddit community. You can also reach out to the customer support team of the vape shop in order to get your queries or complaints resolved. With just the use of your fingertips, you can make all the right vaping decisions you need to level up your vaping game.
Final Note
We hope this blog gives an overview of what it’s like to shop online for your vape supplies to facilitate informed vape shopping. There are a plethora of online vape stores in the market that ship internationally as well. You may find all the information about the stores and the respective regulations they follow on their website. Happy vape shopping!
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