Federal officials are seizing more shipments of unauthorized electronic cigarettes at U.S. ports, but thousands of new flavored products continue pouring into the country from China, according to government and industry data reviewed by The Associated Press.
The figures underscore the chaotic state of the nation’s $7 billion vaping market and raise questions about how the U.S. government can stop the flow of fruit-flavored disposable e-cigarettes used by 1 in 10 American teens and adolescents.
More than 11,500 unique vaping products are being sold in U.S. stores, up 27% from 9,000 products in June, according to tightly held industry data from analytics firm Circana.
My tri-town area has 32 smoke shops for under 50,000 people. It’s strange.
These aren’t even smoke shops from what I can tell. They don’t advertise tobacco at all. Just e-cigs, vapes, CBD and delta-x, vapes being the biggest advertising point on their signage. But yeah, 32 is even crazier.
In this town, most the 18 are along one road too. Granted, it’s the main north/south artery in town, but it still doesn’t make much sense, especially since it’s perpendicular to the interstate, meaning they’re not trying to catch people pulling off the road who need vape juice or whatever.
I’m in the unique position of being one of those smoke shop owners. We don’t deal in any nicotine, though we did sell those “ELF bars” for a few short months just trying out the market.
I want no part in selling nicotine after that experience, the customers are an entirely different breed. It’s actually quite easy making a business out here based on trust and transparency; I only source from 3 well known companies that use third party testing, and I LOVE educating people about the different forms of THC found in cannabis.
If we didn’t do anything special to distinguish us, we would have failed like the last 50 smoke shops around the area.
Interesting, so you sell nicotine-free vape juice? Is that what these other stores that aren’t advertising tobacco doing too?
Nope, any vape stuff I sell is now only cannabis CBD/THC related. No nicotine, no flavored nothingness, everything must be purchased by 21+ years of age. (Pennsylvania). Those box vape mod kits and vape juice shit take up so much shelf space that I can’t justify trying to compete with all the other stores that DO sell that stuff. I stay in my lane and offer the best deals on what I know.
So it just boils down to those products being on a shelf don’t make as much money as THC vape products on the same shelf. So much less, that I probably would have to downsize other inventories
Oh wow, interesting. I wonder if that’s what they’re doing and they just can’t advertise on the signage that they’re selling THC products?