Many buyers are interested in wholesaling vapes from China, the manufacturing hub for vaping and e-cigarette devices worldwide. Most of them wonder whether it’s safe to buy vapes from Alibaba, how to find and partner with the right supplier for safe and affordable wholesale, etc.
This blog addresses these frequently asked questions, helping you import vapes from China with ease. Keep reading to gain valuable insights.
What is China's e-cigarette policy?
Policies regarding e-cigarettes vary among countries around the world. In November 2019, China’s government enacted laws to prohibit the sale of e-cigarettes on domestic e-commerce platforms and to prohibit the sale of e-cigarettes to minors.
And on October 1, 2022, the Chinese government published regulatory policies to ban the sale of all fruit-flavored e-cigarettes, except for tobacco-flavored vapes. These regulations are aimed at protecting children from the harm of smoking.
Why is it difficult to find e-cigarette suppliers?
In the case of online sourcing
Some people are quite clever, searching for vapes in 1688. However, they find nothing at all. There are suppliers available when searching for “electronic cigarettes” (no results if using “vape”) on Alibaba. But 90% of them are trading companies, not real factories. It’s hard to tell if suppliers are reliable. Made in China is similar to Alibaba.
As for AliExpress and DHgate, both are suitable for importers who are purchasing several vapes for personal use.
In the case of offline sourcing
About 90% of e-cigarettes worldwide are manufactured in Shenzhen, China’s Silicon Valley for its top producers of electronics. You can find all the parts involved in the production of e-cigarettes here, from the design of appearance to the core components such as batteries and electronic circuits.
But even if you come to Shenzhen, you will have no clue. Because vaping suppliers, either big or small, are scattered in various buildings in the Bao’an district. There is no concentrated e-cigarette industrial park here.
Moreover, there are no words “electronic cigarette” in the suppliers’ company names, which might lead you to mistake them for technology or trade companies. When entering an office building, you’ll discover most e-cigarette companies do not have any signs or logos out of caution. It’s difficult even for Chinese businesses to find e-cigarette suppliers here.
Can you wholesale vapes from Alibaba safely？
When sourcing suppliers for electronic cigarettes–high-value and special products–on Alibaba, you are likely to get scammed. Some of these suppliers have only one or two people and may not have as much knowledge about electronic cigarettes and certification standards as you do.
Driven by interests, some suppliers take risks selling counterfeit products that resemble popular vape brands, which might be mixed with bulk orders of genuine brands. Besides that, some may provide fake product certifications, claiming their vapes meet specific safety and quality standards when they do not. These will result in your products being seized by customs and barred from entering your target market, as well as potential infringement risks.
Additionally, some suppliers may send you high-quality vape samples but deliver inferior products in the actual order. For example, they may use low-quality insulation paint on the heating coil, which could pose a danger if it seeps into the e-liquid.
Last but not least, only with strong evidence can you get a refund from Alibaba. The dispute resolution process can drain your energy and time. Sometimes it can take an additional 30 days of back-and-forth communication, affecting the normal sales of your products. Not to mention, there is a possibility that you may not get refunded as expected.
JingSourcing vs. Alibaba: which one has your back?
As buyers, you need to be extremely careful when looking for vaping suppliers on Alibaba. It’s like finding a life partner that requires sufficient communication and a comprehensive understanding. However, to be honest, it’s really difficult to tell if they are good or bad until you start working together. That’s where JingSourcing can help.
Our vaping suppliers have all passed strict factory audits.
Working with Jingsourcing, you don’t have to worry about being scammed. Because we visit and inspect the factories in Shenzhen, examining their geographical location, plant size, factory scale, and corresponding legal qualifications.
We also check the appearance and texture of the vapes they produce, as well as the quality of the e-liquid and vaporization equipment used. Another key checking point is how factories manage vaping quality and control safety risks, such as unsafe ingredient additions, e-liquid leaks, and inferior batteries.
So far, we have integrated many Shenzhen vape factory resources into our database, all of which have passed our factory audit and have collaborated with us multiple times. Therefore, you can rest assured when using Jingsourcing.
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We are experienced in vape customization.
So far, we have received and dealt with many vape-related inquiries. Common customization options are printing logos and patterns as well as custom vape packaging. These are simpler and more affordable in comparison with developing new vapes from scratch. We can also provide high customization services if needed.
We will first get your custom vaping details accurately and select appropriate factories from our database. Collect e-cigarette samples from factories and send them to you for comparison. For any further modification, we will communicate with the vaping factory and ensure 100% fulfillment of your custom e-cigarette specifications and requirements.
Our quote is at least 25% cheaper than Alibaba's.
The specific price will depend on the type of vaping product (e.g. disposable, rechargeable) and detailed requirements. You can use this case as a reference: for a vape pen retailing at $30-$40, the production cost is around $6-$8 per piece when ordering 1,000 pieces. For disposable products, the cost is around $2 per piece.
If mold opening is involved, the cost will not be low, at least $10,000.
The order quantity is friendly to small businesses with custom needs.
E-cigarettes are special products, unlike general daily consumer products like T-shirts that are easy to find suppliers to fulfill your custom small order. E-cigarette compliance requirements and testing certification are much more complicated. It’s common to see factories require a large MOQ, usually over 5,000/style. If you just customize several hundred pieces like 700, they will reject you. Becuase it is time-consuming and troublesome, with no profit to be gained.
We can help you. Our MOQ is suitable for small and medium businesses. For example, we’ve helped one client to source 6 flavors of disposable vapes and 500 pieces per flavor with customized logo printing.
If your custom vaping project involves mold opening, then the recommended MOQ would be 5,000/style or more because anywhere below that might not be very cost-effective.
We know vape compliance and certification requirements.
For imported vapes, it’s a must to comply with government policies and target market rules.
In the USA, electronic cigarettes are subject to FDA regulation and must be approved by PMTA before being imported for commercial purposes. Also, you must have a permit issued by TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau).
Moreover, FCC certification, CPSC certification, and UL safety certification are required. The UL8139 test report certificate for electronic cigarettes is also required if sold on Amazon in the US. Additionally, bear in mind that there are state regulations for e-cigarettes in the US.
In the EU, electronic cigarette products must undergo notification and disclosure 6 months prior to entering the market for sale, as required by TPD (Tobacco Product Directive). E-cigarette tanks are restricted to a maximum capacity of 2ml, and nicotine concentration should not exceed 20mg/ml. In addition, it is mandatory to have the CE mark and WEEE label, compliant with RoHS and REACH, EMC Directive, etc.
The UK requirements are similar to the EU. But there are 2 points you should know.
- Must be notified by MHRA, as e-cigarettes are regulated as medicinal products.
- Require e-cigarettes to have UKCA certification, which replaces CE marking.
Our forwarders for vape shipping have a wealth of experience.
Electronic cigarettes are sensitive products in international transportation due to the involvement of lithium batteries and flammable liquids. Currently, different countries have varying degrees of restrictions on this item. Therefore, electronic cigarettes need to be shipped through specialized channels.
We can offer effective shipping solutions based on long-term cooperated freight forwarders, who have arranged many batches of vape shipments to the USA, EU, UK, etc. They can prepare necessary documents like MSDS for e-liquids.
Moreover, they have established reliable postal and specialized shipping line networks, and work with brokers who have strong customs clearance capabilities in the destination country. This makes the whole shipping process smoother and shortens the shipping time.
This site is mostly a walk-through for the entire info you needed about this and didn’t know who to ask. Glimpse right here, and you’ll positively uncover it.
Hi,
I’m looking for more information about your services as I’m going to start a vaping online shop, where Im looking for different prands in high quality and comply with EU standards “TPD”. And sure in profitable price.
Market location will be Romania.
Hi, you can submit the ticket directly to contact us. Our customer support will assist you as soon as possible.