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Huge price difference?

Murray_B

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Hello All, I always want to support local business if possible. Local hobby store, Mom and Pop hardware store, etc. But I also don't want to get screwed in the process. Does anyone else find big differences in online pricing versus in store?

Greg

Items at my local shops usually do cost more, Greg. Not long ago I purchased a Samsung 25R and when I checked it the cell had the correct Samsung spider at the top and the correct marking on the bottom rim of the can. Many cells purchased online have a label with the correct markings but are not 25Rs with a 25 Amp power rating at all. They are just cheap cells with a 10 Amp maximum current rating with a copy of a 25R label. The fake cells can explode and cause injury. Will the $6 saved cover the reconstructive surgery?

It is the same for mods. If it looks like an iStick but wasn't made by iSmoka then what the heck is it really? Is the cell they used correct for power capability? Is the charge controller a good one and is it matched to the cell? So you can buy a fake for half the price but is it worth the risk?

What I am paying the local shop to do is sell me the genuine article with a minimum of fuss and bother. That is worth every penny I pay for it.
 

Gregjl

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Items at my local shops usually do cost more, Greg. Not long ago I purchased a Samsung 25R and when I checked it the cell had the correct Samsung spider at the top and the correct marking on the bottom rim of the can. Many cells purchased online have a label with the correct markings but are not 25Rs with a 25 Amp power rating at all. They are just cheap cells with a 10 Amp maximum current rating with a copy of a 25R label. The fake cells can explode and cause injury. Will the $6 saved cover the reconstructive surgery?

It is the same for mods. If it looks like an iStick but wasn't made by iSmoka then what the heck is it really? Is the cell they used correct for power capability? Is the charge controller a good one and is it matched to the cell? So you can buy a fake for half the price but is it worth the risk?

What I am paying the local shop to do is sell me the genuine article with a minimum of fuss and bother. That is worth every penny I pay for it.
Fast forward to today and I realize it's not that bad and I just bought another mod (a tempest) from a shop with a tank (tfv8) the tank was $40, that's fair. Same price everywhere and no shipping. And didn't have to wonder if I got beat by customs.
 

Vaperizor

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Just as a for instance though, I ordered what I thought was another kanger top evod from eBay and figured I paid too much for the first one but when I got it ( the eBay back up mod) it was the size of a sharper marker. So half the price but half the size too.

Don't buy from eBay just to be safe. Anyways online shops are usually 50% cheaper then a vape store I paid 50$ for an eleaf istick pico I could have gotten for 25$ I love to support local shops and all but their is no way I'll ever buy from a vape stores unless it was something I really needed and couldn't wait to have it shipped. Stuff like cotton bacon maybe wire if I'm desperate I'll get from Vape stores every now and then I guess.
 

SnapDragon NY

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Don't buy from eBay just to be safe. Anyways online shops are usually 50% cheaper then a vape store I paid 50$ for an eleaf istick pico I could have gotten for 25$ I love to support local shops and all but their is no way I'll ever buy from a vape stores unless it was something I really needed and couldn't wait to have it shipped. Stuff like cotton bacon maybe wire if I'm desperate I'll get from Vape stores every now and then I guess.
I usually buy everything online- I started out in a Vape shop but quickly learned about great online shops with better pricing a larger selection, many have super fast shipping also! I just make sure to order things before I need them, like coils and eliquids and when they have a great sale- to stock up!
I do not use Ebay or Amazon for any ecig supplies!
B&M shops are great(maybe) for the Newbie and trying some eliquids or the cotton and wire buy, but I will never buy supplies from them again- to walk into a cloudy shop with skater boys hanging out and I was bothering the help by asking questions in getting started- I figured out right away to watch You Tube, join forums like this and order online!
 

ChrisL

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I personally think Ebay is a great alternative for some vape gear. Most prices include shipping, and I have never had an issue with vendors. I always check customer feedback and ask questions from sellers if needed. When you use your credit card, you have recourse to full money back guarantees. Much faster shipping than from China.
 

GreyArea

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Bigger issue for me is on a service and selection level.

Looking for my first rig (MTL, but wanted something with more power than an Evod or Ego), I tried to keep my business local, but gave up after three shops. It was all Aliens and Cloud Beasts, a few JUULs, mech mods and RDAs. At each shop, the kid behind the counter tried talking me into a sub-ohm setup - guy at one shop told me that what I was looking for was "pretend vaping," and that real vapers used a mech mod with an RDA. Finally caved and ordered what I was looking for online, with some help from these forums.

More recently, went to grab a pack of coils for a Nautilus and got a variation of the "not a real vaping tank" line, and a suggestion to buy the new Cloud Beast Prince instead. Thanks for playing, kid - I'll let you go back to vaping with your buds; sorry for the interruption.

That's not to say they're all like that; I've been to a few local shops where the staff has been friendly, helpful, knowledgeable, etc. Selection is still an issue, but I understand that not many B&Ms are going to be able to stock the sort of variety an online retailer can manage.
 
Hello All, I always want to support local business if possible. Local hobby store, Mom and Pop hardware store, etc. But I also don't want to get screwed in the process. Does anyone else find big differences in online pricing versus in store?

Greg
yes there is most if not all the time a cheaper place online to buy.
 

Big Bair

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Sorry, Late to the party. I have found that the experience of the employees ( or lack there of) will determine the true value of my purchases. I sometimes go to a local B&M just to chat up the employees. You know, like a face to face version of VU. Recently I have been giving as much information as I am getting. Does this mean I should get discounts?
 

choderfett

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Buying online is usually cheaper since there is no overhead (OH) mark up like stores have. However you have to factor in the time for you to actually receive your purchase. Some places use carriers that are slower than snails! once they send it out they have no control on time.
You save a buck or two but end up waiting a lifetime.
 

nadalama

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Yes, I'm late to the party as well, but about vape stores - I'm an old gal, an ex-smoker of 39 years, and I'm not a cloud-chaser. I find that the few stores I've visited really do cater to the younger folks who want sub-ohm and great big clouds, 3 mg juice, and 200w box mods. And all that sweet juice, omg. So I order my stuff online, usually after it's on clearance, so I get $70 kits for half price. Just the other day I got my first sub-ohm tank, a Youde Zephyrus, for $6.95 from Coval Vapes, and a pack of 0.3 coils for it for $4.95. I'm cheap.

My son just spent $75 on some KangerTech POS that has BUILT-IN BATTERIES. Some salesperson really got hold of him.
 

nadalama

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Choderfett - sometimes it feels like a lifetime, doesn't it? I'm still waiting on a Kabuki clone that I ordered on Feb 5 from FT. It looked like it was about to go out the door, then went back into a "Processing" status. THEN FT went on holiday for the New Year! Come to find out just the other day, it's out of stock, and I have no idea when it might actually ship.

I'd be more impatient, but I can't find these clones anywhere else, and I can't afford the HoH real deal (although I have warned DH that I'll be saving my pennies for one, so it's on my list).

But yeah, still waiting...
 

choderfett

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Choderfett - sometimes it feels like a lifetime, doesn't it? I'm still waiting on a Kabuki clone that I ordered on Feb 5 from FT. It looked like it was about to go out the door, then went back into a "Processing" status. THEN FT went on holiday for the New Year! Come to find out just the other day, it's out of stock, and I have no idea when it might actually ship.

I'd be more impatient, but I can't find these clones anywhere else, and I can't afford the HoH real deal (although I have warned DH that I'll be saving my pennies for one, so it's on my list).

But yeah, still waiting...
Hehe yeah. But part of life is exercising patience.
FastTech for me was decent.. should be arriving soon!
 

PoppaVic

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Others have noted the overhead issues of lease, taxes, advertising, employees, feds, etc - versus the online pages, warehouse, buttmonkeys for S&R. But, there are several huge issues with B&M',s:
  1. I don't care about your tats and piercing - Grandparents and parents likely won't either.
  2. If the feds are not going to allow you to have a taste-bar cum Lounge, you better be able to really, really explain your juice flavors - and make them affordable. (Better yet, consider Sample Packs which encompass the flavors in small portions, at a reasonable price).
  3. They are not ACO, ACE, or Sears - and this means that they can't save money with commissary-trucks and purchasing power.
  4. They better quickly learn they are a service industry - and that means salesdrones that are cleancut, attentive, polite, knowledgeable and willing. The flip side here is: you can't just hire your bf/gf/so & pay min-wage. You need to pay them for experience and continuing-education, (as it were).
  5. This leads to: provide good advice; good products; and even provide Special Orders thru faster channels than we can do alone at FT, Gearbest, etc.
  6. This also means they need to respect warranties, returns, and the usual Customer Service with a smile.
I'd say, based on my experiences with 3 of the shops in the area - and at least one is a Chain: they haven't got a damned clue. Apparently they are just ways for rich idiots to own a biz and a clubhouse.
 

GreyArea

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At this point, I've tried a dozen shops in four metros. I've had exactly two good customer service experiences (at Vapors in Champaign, IL and at Robot Vapes in Saint-Henri, Montreal, QC - both had hardware selections spanning the whole gamut of basic to advanced in both the MTL and sub-ohm categories, with personnel who seemed to know what each of the products they sold were suited for. The rest of the shops I've visited seem more like the clubhouses PoppaVic describes - going in frequently feels like you're interrupting someone's social hour, and the product knowledge seems limited to whatever it is that the employee prefers in their own vaping.

If there wasn't so much regulatory uncertainty right now, I'd seriously consider opening a shop myself - entirely too many vape "lounges" around, and not enough proper shops.
 

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