Is Your Local Vape Shop Closing Its Doors?

Local vape shops have a lot to deal with these days. With the FDA meddling with the vaping industry the future of vaping as we know it is still uncertain. It’s hard to see any part of the vaping revolution being constrained to the point that they may not be able to help people any longer. This seems to be more and more the case, with vape shops taking the brunt of new FDA regulations that are official as of August 8th.

If you are new to vaping or have yet to hear, the FDA took over a year to draft the deeming regulations on the vape industry. Ever since they were finalized last October there has been a war of words on what this impact will mean to vaping. The new FDA regulations mean to place vapor products in the tobacco category, but there will still be extra hoops to jump through.

A major change is coming and has already impacted vape shops being able to stock a wide range of products, as well as being able to help their customers. Any new product will now have to go through an application process with the FDA, which is estimated to cost about a half a million dollars. That’s for each product too, meaning each flavor and each nicotine level. While Big Tobacco vape brands will have no problem footing the bill, smaller brands will.

This includes many of the e-liquid vendors that local vape shops rely on. They’ll need to have many applications in place for the different flavors they carry, and that is a large amount of capital to come up with.

For vape shops, this is a time of great uncertainty. There’s going to be a lot of pressure to maintain their product line and service to their customers while facing obstacles with the FDA. Several vape shops have already gone out of business due to lack of resources.

Customers are also worried that vape shops won’t be able to help them the way they used to. This means they won’t be permitted to aid customers with rebuilding coils, teaching them how to build coils, or helping them troubleshoot their devices.

As of yet, we don’t know how things will end up playing out. Existing products have been given a three-year allowance for remaining on the shelves while they are being put through the FDA regulatory gauntlet. Many have decided it’s not worth it. If vape shop owners begin reeling from lack of inventory and extra expenses, it could mean a real tightening in the vaping industry.

What we may end up seeing is a return to online shops that can cater to the need of vapers. Online shops have really kicked off the expansion for e-cigs, with vape shops coming in later to provide another avenue for consumers to have the opportunity to check out vaping. A migration back to online shops is a very real scenario.

The good thing is there are many ecig brands and online shops that will be able to fill the needs of vapers during this time. Due to less overhead and more inventory space, online shops are able to provide great products at great prices. Surely, vape shops add their own element, but online shops have been in the game longer and will be ready to step in and aid these customers.

Either way, we’ll be watching how this plays out. The electronic cigarette industry is in for some changes. Let’s just hope they end up being for the better for consumers like you, and consumers like us too.