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Vape shop pushing expired juice?

DIYMixer

Member For 1 Year
Hey fellow vapers. I recently purchased 2 bottles of juice from a local vape shop. When I got home I realized they both were older than their “best by date.” One of them is 13 months past and one is 9 months. I stopped in the next day and asked the owner about the dates and he said “Vape juice is good for at least 1 1/2 years past the date.” Obviously, I’m a little suspicious. Of course, I don’t expect juice to all of the sudden go bad the second the clock ticks midnight on the best by date, but I suspect he’s pushing old juice that maybe he shouldn’t. Any thoughts?
Thanks!
 

MyMagicMist

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Any thoughts?

I think it'll be as it's always been, a buyer beware market.

If you were cognizant of the expiry dates prior to purchase & still purchased, on you. You obviously didn't seem too concerned though as you waited until after getting home to look at the product. That is still on you.

Should the seller be selling it? That's a subjective rabbit hole. Juice can last quite a while. Not saying it cannot go bad. yet when that happens is open to all kinds of factors. It's still up to the buyer/consumer to make that discernment.

Bought it and think it's bad, dispose of it properly, responsibly. If you still want to use it, do that if you want. Would suggest you apply the food advice, if in doubt, throw it out. That seems about the most common sense approach.

You likely were not asking for such a thought, I'd wager. Oh well you get what you get.
 

Vape Fan

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imo
I don't think the onus would be on us to see a date.
The shop shouldn't be selling juice that's going bad, date or no date.
You didn't say how it tasted, so assuming ok?
But if you let them know the juice tasted old and they brushed it off then bad on them.
 

MyMagicMist

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The shop shouldn't be selling juice that's going bad, date or no date.

That's a fair point. At the same time do you not check for cracked eggs when you buy eggs from a supermarket? If you're diabetic do you not check ingredients, labeling values before buying foods?

Can see the argument from both sides. A shop ought not sell juice that's gone bad. Yet if they set out soon expiring juice marked "all sales final" and you buy juice then find it's past expiry date that is on you. Shops are usually ran as limited liability places, meaning they only need to act in good faith and make best efforts.

Maybe you just catch the last bottle of Grumpy Grape on a shelf that's six months old. The clerk rings it up telling you they're knocking off 75%. Maybe you ought to look and see why?

Worked in enough restaurants to know, ...

"The customer is always right, ... until their not."

You offer a product under heat lamps, the customer takes product on estimated time under lamp. Sometimes that's two minutes, other times two hours. Don't want the risk? Don't buy. And yes, well aware there are a lot of MTO (made to order) places. Again, you want that, you go shop that.

That lose business? Maybe a small percentage. It's not enough to "upset" anything though. Customer still gets what they want regardless. "Ah, impulse buy on some cheap juice. Yay!"
 
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Countrypami

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Here's what I think... first let me say that juice does not "go bad" per say, as in spoiled and will be harmful to vape. But rather loses it's quality of flavor after everything blends together and sits for so long.

My rule of thumb has always been... plastic - 1 year, glass/pet - 2 years. However, I do have juice in my collection that is well over 2 years old and I'm still vaping it. I've always gone by the mixed date, not any estimated good by date.

I think what it really comes down to is the quality of the ingredients in that individual juice. If they used high quality ingredients, it'll stay good longer. Especially if stored in glass or pet and stored in a cool dark place. I have juice in glass bottles that is already 2 years old and it hasn't darkened one bit.

Bottom line... No, the shop should NOT be selling juice that's past it's date. However, was this a bargain/discounted sale or did they charge you full price for it?
 

Vape Fan

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That's a fair point. At the same time do you not check for cracked eggs when you buy eggs from a supermarket?
Yep. I also check milk's date, but if I don't - get it home and see its past (or spoiled) the store will make it right if they want me back. Eggs, milk, juice - back to onus. I think that mostly the expectation is that the seller makes sure things are as they should be.
 

SteveS45

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E-Liquid does go bad once opened and also if a few years old. You can tell by the color because the Nicotine Oxides. VG/PG and Flavors normally do not go bad I have flavors that are years old and VG/PG kept out of direct sunlight will last for a very very long time.

Just my opinion based on personal experience. Your own results may vary.
 

MyMagicMist

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back to onus.

Fine. *pots up a cacti and places a naming label on its pot reading ... * "Onus" It can be Onus' fault, then. Excuse me need to go find Dave for now.

What I'm saying is I can see how onus could fall to either shop or customer. Difficult to call each case by case. For most anything else we can agree customers usually examine goods before buying. What is different here? That's my question.

Ultimately though not bickering over it. As is clear it can go to either side, split it down the middle then.
 
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DIYMixer

Member For 1 Year
Thanks for all the info. I didn’t actually try to return it. I stopped in the next day for something else and mentioned the dates to the owner (who, so far, has been the most helpful shop employee I’ve met to date). If I made a big deal to return it I believe he most likely would. I probably won’t because I’d like to maintain a good relationship with the store. Instead, for future purchases I think I’ll ask them to find me a bottle that’s in date before I buy. If they say anything about how dates don’t matter I’ll likely say “I understand, but I’d still prefer a juice within the date.” If they act annoyed about that then I’ll find a new shop. The problem with knowing whether the juice tastes as it should, or is the right color, is that I’m trying many of these liquids for the first time. Some good juice tastes funky to me anyway. One of the juices tastes great to me, the other is darker with some staining on the inside bottom. It tastes off to me, but like I said, I don’t know what it’s supposed to taste like. The other primary concern for me is nicotine degradation. I vape primarily for nicotine delivery and secondly for flavor. My girlfriend will tell you I’m a stickler for avoiding oxidation 😆 I’m constantly asking her to close lids completely on anything from supplements to cooking oil. Ingesting oxidized cooking oils isn’t ideal and is known to cause inflammation. I can’t help but extrapolate that inhaling oxidized nicotine might not hurt you measurably, but probably should be avoided. This is a long way of saying I’m going to find a way to get fresher juice. In the meantime, thank you all for the information and personal experiences with past date juice. I’ll definitely be finishing the first bottle 💨 🤘
 

Jimi

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This is a double edged sword. Yes I agree that buyer should be aware, I don't think anyone reads more labels than I do, that I know anyway, but if the shop was on the up and up they should just take the loss and write it off. The shops around here, where I live, are all responsible up and up businesses
 

VapeOn1960

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First... you should have looked for a date when buying the. Second (unless sold with a huge discount) I feel the shop did you bad. Unopened juice should last well if kept away from higher temps and/or light... who really knows how it was stored (heat would be the worst offender) Flavor will degrade and nicotine will oxidize (however, being unopened helps) None of this should be a health concern but then also you might never know if you like a juice or not if it's old. Hey... lesson learned (be more aware next time) It's hard times for us (vapers) and for shops. You supported them so they will hopefully stay in business (hopefully they appreciate that) Wait a minute... reminds me of a line from a movie (Shawshank Redemption) "hope is a dangerous thing in a place like this" (or should I say "times like these")
 

VapeOn1960

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When I first started vaping, bought cheap bottles of unflavored 18 mg juice (Zig-Zag brand) I just needed nic (got me from a pack a day down to 5 a day) Couldn't find it anymore so went to a smoke/vape shop and they guy could tell I was clueless. Most of the juices were 12 mg or less... then he found a small bottle of 18 mg that just said "fruit". I said fine. Noticed it was dusty but tried it anyway. Don't know if it was really old or just crap juice but it tasted like laundry detergent... tossed it out ( lesson learned) Started ordering juice online (back when you could get tons of different brands/flavors) Thank god I do DIY now (hint hint)
One juice I still buy at shops is Naked POG (passionfruit/orange/guava) It's too sweet and a bit strong (but I love the flavor) I just add some DIY cream and dilute it. It's a very popular brand, well stocked and always fresh (I can get two 60 ml bottles for $30... not bad for a local shop) How much did you pay... what size bottles?
 

DIYMixer

Member For 1 Year
I paid around $17 after tax for each 60ml bottle. One of them was Naked Melon (menthol). I put menthol in parentheses because it’s written very small on the bottle and I didn’t even realize it was menthol when I bought it. Thank goodness I didn’t notice because I probably wouldn’t have bought it. I’ve never fully enjoyed a menthol before. They’re usually way too minty or icy for my tastes. But this melon is REALY good, like almost too good. Sweet, but not cloying and the menthol is so mild it’s almost not there. I absolutely love it. I hope the non expired juice tastes just as good 😆 If not I’ll just let it steep past the date 😉 I’ll have to check out that POG next..
 

VapeOn1960

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Actually, I have PUR butter mint and tried it with many different fruits... I liked it best with melon (sounds like you found a good one) POG is great (just very strong and sweet like most pre-made juices)
 

MyMagicMist

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Seems unflavored is my ADV staple. Oh, every now & then might toss in few drops of flavoring. Prefer the unflavored though. I'm simple.
 

walton

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its a bummer but no different to anything else. in tasmania if you buy a bag of potting miz, if you look on the bag it says that slow acting ingreadiants that can last for 3 months are mixed in. firstle they buy them from melbourne who make up the mixes, store them for a week then ship them to the docks for delivery to tasmania. another week till large get them, then unpack them. deliver to seller who does the same thing, the crap is usless by the time you get it. given the situation with e juice, this nis what will happen when our supplies are out of business and we are buying from the black market. so then can we blame fda for putting us at risk?
it is one of the reasons i make 90% of my own juice so that i know what and how much is in the juice.

(mind you i just had an epic fail, i made a juice you could only use to clean your toilet with!!!) it would have to be the worst tasting crap ever made!!
 
Hey fellow vapers. I recently purchased 2 bottles of juice from a local vape shop. When I got home I realized they both were older than their “best by date.” One of them is 13 months past and one is 9 months. I stopped in the next day and asked the owner about the dates and he said “Vape juice is good for at least 1 1/2 years past the date.” Obviously, I’m a little suspicious. Of course, I don’t expect juice to all of the sudden go bad the second the clock ticks midnight on the best by date, but I suspect he’s pushing old juice that maybe he shouldn’t. Any thoughts?
Thanks!
There are many variables when it comes to e-juice expiring. NET tobaccos get better with time as long as high quality VG/PG is used. I used to buy from John's Creek before they went out of business. I really enjoyed their ejuices but if the sit around for a year or two they were awful, they all tasted the same...awful. And on the same, this week I just found a few bottles of juice from naturally-extracted-tobacco.com that were mixed in 2017 and they are amazing!!!!
So, from my experience, NET ejuices get better with age, but fruit flavored e-juices lose their flavor over time. I have been mixing my own ejuices for myself and a few friends. I can assure you that NET ejuices are OK when just mixed, but are substancially better after 60 days of seeping in a dark place. A couple of my friends like fruit flavored e-juices and they love them just after mixing them.
Another variable is imitation flavorings, or natural flavorings. Very few options when it comes to natural flavorings, but they are out there.
Imitation flavors change over time.
And another variable is the quality of the VG or PG being used. It seems especially important for PG (only my experiences).
I buy my PG/VG from only one site that I have been very pleased with. Now that I have learned the hard way (wasted time &money) Personally, I test any new VG/PG by tasting it without any concentrate or flavorings or nicotine in a clean tank with a new coil & cotton. I purchased a liter of PG that was ruining every juice I mixed and that's with only 20% PG, so I tested it without any flavorings and it tasted like I was vaping a perfume even though the PG had no smell or taste. And it seems that lower quality VG tastes lake puffing on hay.
 

walton

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Thanks for all the info. I didn’t actually try to return it. I stopped in the next day for something else and mentioned the dates to the owner (who, so far, has been the most helpful shop employee I’ve met to date). If I made a big deal to return it I believe he most likely would. I probably won’t because I’d like to maintain a good relationship with the store. Instead, for future purchases I think I’ll ask them to find me a bottle that’s in date before I buy. If they say anything about how dates don’t matter I’ll likely say “I understand, but I’d still prefer a juice within the date.” If they act annoyed about that then I’ll find a new shop. The problem with knowing whether the juice tastes as it should, or is the right color, is that I’m trying many of these liquids for the first time. Some good juice tastes funky to me anyway. One of the juices tastes great to me, the other is darker with some staining on the inside bottom. It tastes off to me, but like I said, I don’t know what it’s supposed to taste like. The other primary concern for me is nicotine degradation. I vape primarily for nicotine delivery and secondly for flavor. My girlfriend will tell you I’m a stickler for avoiding oxidation 😆 I’m constantly asking her to close lids completely on anything from supplements to cooking oil. Ingesting oxidized cooking oils isn’t ideal and is known to cause inflammation. I can’t help but extrapolate that inhaling oxidized nicotine might not hurt you measurably, but probably should be avoided. This is a long way of saying I’m going to find a way to get fresher juice. In the meantime, thank you all for the information and personal experiences with past date juice. I’ll definitely be finishing the first bottle 💨 🤘
i stated following you when you first joined us and you sais you were new to vaping, given your title, i think you should be ready to start "DIY mixing" i prefer to make my own or mix recipes from various sites, its far far cheaper, its good fun, you can alter to suit your own taste,you can copy a clone, and if you want your mix to taste like a store bought one, you simply add a shit load of sweetner. next time you suck on a store bought flavour, lick your lips and see how much sugar/sweetner is in it. and for starting, mix without adding nicotine or sweetner. dont go above 15% flavour except when making a solo tasting juice. $2-3 bucks for 60ml is not bad.
trying everything in vaping gives you a good kick. even though my last mix gave me a kick in nuts!...it was gross lol (i might give it to this pest who keeps asking for freebies lol)

enjoy vaping buddy and have a laugh when you see somebody handing over notes to buy cancer sticks so that they can stink. and get brown fingers.
 

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