The eJuices.co team is dedicated to helping your business succeed and getting the latest alternative nicotine products in the hands of your customers. One of the biggest blows to the vape industry is the United States Postal Service (USPS) ending vape shipping as of October 21, 2021.
The final rule was published in the Federal Register and took immediate effect as of that date, although the legislation banning USPS from shipping vape products passed as part of the PACT Act back in March 2021. (To see if your state has excise taxes, click here. To see more information on the PACT Act, click here.)
The Immediate Effects of Ending Vape Mail
The most immediate effect of this ban will be on online retailers who will have to use private courier services to ship vape products directly to consumers. National courier services such as FedEx, DHL, and UPS have generally ended vape shipping, which will affect the logistics of vape shipping significantly. While many online platforms will pass the increased shipping costs to the consumers, it is unknown as of this writing how much prices will go up if one chooses to buy online.
This will also make it more difficult for those living in rural areas to receive their vaping products. Unless local courier services cover your area, it may be necessary for those in rural areas to go to their nearest vape shop. Unfortunately, this may be a big distance for some customers. The USPS was the fastest way to get vape products into the hands of customers, but now the industry must look elsewhere to provide the same quickness and service that the USPS previously provided.
What Can I Do To Help?
If you own a local vape shop, look into other ways to support your customer base and their product needs. You can also create your own rewards program (i.e. $100 in purchases earns you 100 reward points) if you would like to encourage your customers to purchase in store due to the current uncertainty of shipping vape products. As of this writing, the coverage area of private courier services that do ship vape products is unknown and constantly shifting, whereas the coverage of USPS was near-universal. For example, some couriers might expand into new areas or pull out of certain areas based on demand.
As a business owner, you have increased leverage when you advocate on behalf of your customers. You can always take action and write to your elected officials with your concerns, and share your customers’ stories with them. Next year is an important election year that might even further affect the vaping industry. You can help advocate for your customers and the industry in general by being active on social media and keeping abreast of the latest happenings in the vaping industry.
What This Means For Your Business
While consumers may be paying more for vape products in the short term due to the unavailability of USPS as a shipping method, there are measures you can take to help customers retain access to their favorite vaping products, whether it be vape juice or vape hardware.
You can always look into diversifying your product lines to include vape brands that you have not offered in the past, or add new categories like CBD. Many vaping companies also produce CBD products. Our friends over at CBD.co sell CBD products, including CBD gummies, tinctures, capsules, and other forms of CBD. You can poll your customers to gauge their interest in CBD products.
That’s all for this edition of State of Vape. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, you can always contact your eJuices.co account manager or sales representative. We’re looking forward to speaking with you and helping your business succeed.