The basics of setting up a vape shop?

[IrishHobo]

So it's been on my mind for quite a while now about the thought of opening a shop in my town which supplies authentic, high quality vape related products and juices. I first thought of it when I went into one of two shops and there was nothing but cheap 900mah egos and CE4 kits for £20 and a plethora of rank factory made juices selling at the same price point as some of the popular online "gourmet" juice. With more and more people vaping in town everyday and both shops doing amazingly surely there would be an opening for another which supplies better products and a similar price point.

Having never even thought of doing something like this before but having a fairly well rounded knowledge of vaping as a whole I would like to think, if I could source them efficiently, that I could stock products that would absolutely fly off the shelves considering the crap sold elsewhere.

To anyone who has done this or has any knowledge on the subject what would be the first step to take into finding out more on the subject.

Stu

 

[Vicious]

So it's been on my mind for quite a while now about the thought of opening a shop in my town which supplies authentic, high quality vape related products and juices. I first thought of it when I went into one of two shops and there was nothing but cheap 900mah egos and CE4 kits for £20 and a plethora of rank factory made juices selling at the same price point as some of the popular online "gourmet" juice. With more and more people vaping in town everyday and both shops doing amazingly surely there would be an opening for another which supplies better products and a similar price point.

Having never even thought of doing something like this before but having a fairly well rounded knowledge of vaping as a whole I would like to think, if I could source them efficiently, that I could stock products that would absolutely fly off the shelves considering the crap sold elsewhere.

To anyone who has done this or has any knowledge on the subject what would be the first step to take into finding out more on the subject.

Stu

Investment would be the first thing, a website is almost always a must for product stock, wholesale products would also be up there, wouldn't be too easy



Sent from my iPhone using Planet of the Vapes

 

[EssexBoy]

I have had exactly the same thought. My issue has always been the "not knowing" of what the government will do in relation to the regulation of ecigs. The last thing you'd want is to invest time and money only for Mr Cameron to shaft you.


Sent from my iPhone using Planet of the Vapes

 

[Vicious]

I have had exactly the same thought. My issue has always been the "not knowing" of what the government will do in relation to the regulation of ecigs. The last thing you'd want is to invest time and money only for Mr Cameron to shaft you.


Sent from my iPhone using Planet of the Vapes

Save your stock, sell them online, with nothing leading back to you, profit!


Sent from my iPhone using Planet of the Vapes

 

[Mawsley]

1. Branding is everything.

2. Ignore that, customer service is everything.

3. Shit, no, remembering to keep receipts and put away money to pay the tax is everything.

4. It's a fuck sight harder work than it first seems.

5. You will learn to hate the public.

6. And love them.

Startups | Small business advice, business ideas for UK start-ups

Small Business UK - Advice & support for small businesses, from government grants to Legal & HR guides

Friends and family can be a great help and a total pain in the arse - but start-up funds are critical...as is a well-considered marketing plan. Accounts can be done by accountants.

If you feel you can offer something no one else does then go for it, if you feel you can do what others already do but make a go of it then go for it.

However it pans out, good luck

 

[Peeej]

The problem, as I see it, is threefold.

1. Market saturation, there are so many suppliers of kit and juice out there now that it is going to be difficult in the future to support so many, some will have to go to the wall. I think B&M shops will be hit particularly hard as online businesses already have the major share, particularly for the originals market.

2. The originals market is very small compared to the clone market size. While there maybe more profit in originals there are considerably less people who will buy them, you maybe able to sell a couple of original bits a week but you'll need to make more to support the B&M costs. The other thing I have noticed is that the most sought after originals are only sold by a small number of people, for example the Plume Veil, only available from one source in this country, the Kayfun 4 & Squape R again a single UK supplier. To break into this market which TBH is where it money is is going to be difficult.

3. Cash, to have enough stock to fill up even a small shop with original gear you are going to need to invest a lot of cash or find a maker who is willing to give you credit.

Sadly, personally, I think you may have missed the boat.

 

[Berbers]

All of the above plus know your shit, people need vendors who know what they're talking about.

Also do not ignore the ego/ce4 market, its your bread and butter and will generate more profit than the high end stuff

 

[EssexBoy]

Also do not ignore the ego/ce4 market, its your bread and butter and will generate more profit than the high end stuff

Agree!! Look at all these vendors buying cheap starter kits for under a fiver and selling them on for £25!!



Sent from my iPhone using Planet of the Vapes

 

[Diche]

The biggest profit is in selling cheap and nasty egos, the profit margin is large and you guarantee yourself repeat business when the damn things break.

 

[Tubbyengineer]

+1 on what daveX says.

Considering the state of the market currently You will need an online presence, A B&M site would need to be reasonably priced but accesible to customers - So not in pedestrianised areas or areas with little or no parking, advertising is a must but most of all you need to get your product mix right.
Aim for a good stock of starter type gear - so Ego's and CE4's with a few of the popular cheaper mods like MVP2 & Istick plus a range of basic juices, I know lots of people use online stores for rebuildable supplies but a B&M with those is pretty rare so a range of Kanthal, Wicking & small tools like precision screwdriver sets would be handy, once you've got a regular turnover you can then experiment with adding cloned mods and some of the original mechs then move onto to higher end gear once you're really going.
A final thing to consider is to open at times suited to your customers if you go down the B&M route, lots of people simply cant get to the average vape shop because it's closed by the time they finish work so early and or late opening will get you extra footfall, as will Tasting events and other promotional activities. There's a lot to think of and even more to do, it won't be easy but it could well be worth it...