Selling Safe Vapes: A Guide For Retailers

With Trading Standards across the UK issuing harsh fines and initiating raids on stores which are selling illegal vape devices – now is the time to freshen up your knowledge and avoid selling fake vapes.

Refresh Your Memory on Age of Sales

First of all, let’s remind ourselves that a person must be 18 years or older to vape within the UK. It is entirely reasonable to ask for ID during the sale. In fact, you ought to ask for ID if there is any doubt in your mind over the age of the purchaser. Otherwise, you could be subject to a spot test run by your local police service and fined.

A good rule for this is to use a Challenge 25 approach. ID everyone who you are unsure of – even if they are thirty.

Offer Recycling for Old Vape Devices

Although not a legal obligation, vape stores should offer an in-house service wherein customers can drop in old vapes so you can take them to the local recycling plant. This is part and parcel of providing good customer service.

Recycling vape devices eliminates much of the stigma surrounding the environmental impact of disposable vape devices. It is about accountability. If you contribute to the mess, you owe it to your clients to help clean it up.

This service benefits you, too, since passing vape users will pop in to use the recycling facility and potentially buy more of your stock.

Know The Legislation

Familiarising yourself with the current legislation on vape devices will help you spot those devices which do not conform.

Key points to look out for when you buy vape devices are:

• The UK government caps tank capacities at 2ml.
• Vape juice should be no more than 20mg per 10ml in strength.
• 2ml translates to 600 puffs using current technology (May 2024).
• Check with the MHRA that a brand has registered their vapes with the UK government if you are still unsure of the quality or branding.

You can read more on vaping legislation courtesy of the UK government website.

Spot the Fakes

Learning how to spot fake vapes could also save you from trading standard’s raids and investigations. It is not unheard of that you might buy a cheaper version of a current brand and think you got a bargain. The truth could be far more sinister, however.

Newly emerging fake vape manufacturers have taken to copying the marketing used by big brand names. This leads to there being a ‘real’ version of the product, and a ‘fake’ version of the product. If you think it is too good to be true, then it probably is.

You can learn more about how to spot a fake vape in our previous articles. Looking at branding closely, checking for errors, and raising concerns if there are any quality issues, are three good places to start.

Refer Your Clients

Lastly, and as a professional courtesy, you should refer your clients to other local stores, should you not have what they need. For example, if you are a convenience store owner who sells a limited supply of vapes and vape juices, then you can refer your customers elsewhere.

If your customers are looking for great deals on vaping products, from coils and tanks to batteries and new vape kits, let VapeDirect.com help. We have a full selection of vape juice flavours and every type of device your clients could need. Bonus if you are in the Milton Keynes area, where your customers can enjoy free same day delivery if they place orders of £10 or more before 3pm.