Vaping gear can be bought over the counter at a physical shop, but online sellers are often the cheaper route. The catch is that the cheapest store is not automatically a good one. The checks below help you judge an online vape store before you hand over any money.
Compare several stores
One analysis put the count of vape shops in the US at more than 10,500, and online sellers now number in the thousands too. With that many options, the only way to land a quality product at a sensible cost is to set a few companies side by side rather than buying from the first result.
Read the shipping, returns and warranty terms
- Confirm the store delivers to your country before anything else.
- Look at what delivery costs. A strong deal can be cancelled out by a heavy shipping charge.
- Find the refund policy, check that it is clearly written, and read it ahead of your order.
- Good stores back some products with a warranty. Read its terms and conditions so there are no surprises later.
See how you can reach them
You are relying on the seller’s expertise, so you need to know someone will answer when something goes wrong. Signs of real customer service include:
- An email address that works
- A phone number to call
- Live chat for questions and advice
Weigh the reviews, on the site and off it
Better stores display customer reviews and ratings, and these tell you what buyers made of both the products and the service, including how support treated them. Read them with some caution, though: a company controls its own website and can filter out everything but the praise.
For that reason, look beyond the store’s pages. A shop only earns trust once other people have tried and tested it, and forums are where you get a more candid account. Places to ask include:
- ECF
- Vaping Underground
Trust your gut
A messy, disorganized site is a warning sign. So are offers that look too good to be true. When something about a store feels off, walk away and buy your vape supplies elsewhere.
Putting it together
Buying online is convenient and sometimes costs less than a trip to a shop. Run through these checks first and you are far more likely to end up with a product you are happy with. They apply to any seller, ejuice.deals included.