If you’re in the process of starting a vape shop, finding a source for products is one of the first challenges that you’ll need to tackle. That means you’ll need to find a good wholesaler. The wholesale side of the vaping industry is extremely competitive, so you have plenty of choices – but you don’t necessarily want to strike up a relationship with whatever company appears first in the search results. If you’re looking for the best vape wholesaler, here’s what you need to know first.

Always Confirm Authenticity Before Buying

Before you order vapes from any wholesaler, you need to be absolutely certain about the authenticity of its products. Major vape wholesalers like Shefa Distribution only obtain their vapes from the original manufacturers or from official distributors, which guarantees that you won’t end up with fake vapes in your shop.

Fake vapes are potentially dangerous for consumers, and they can damage your vape shop’s reputation. They’re also more common than you might think. In 2021 and 2022, vape manufacturer Elf Bar collaborated with local law enforcement agencies to seize more than 2 million counterfeit devices. Vaping is substantially more popular now than it was then, which means that fake vapes are likely more common than ever.

You might think that you can potentially get around this issue by ordering wholesale vapes from an overseas supplier in China, but that’s where the fake vapes originate from. If you’re not careful, you could end up getting counterfeit goods anyway – and that’s if you receive your shipment at all. You’re much more likely to get a good result if you order from a domestic wholesaler with authentic vapes that have already cleared customs.

Some Wholesalers Have High Minimum Order Quantities

Wholesalers obviously charge significantly less than retailers for their products. They make up for that by selling in high volumes and by managing a few large accounts instead of many small ones. Because of how this system works, a vape wholesaler will always have a minimum amount of products required in order to place an order. Wholesalers don’t want to sell individual devices.

The good news is that many vape businesses are small local shops that don’t have the budgets to buy hundreds of units every month. Most vape wholesalers are set up to accommodate this requirement, but some aren’t. Make sure that you know the ordering terms before choosing a wholesaler.

A True Wholesaler Always Requires a Business License

Before you order from any wholesaler, you need to make sure that you’ve reached the appropriate stage in your vape shop’s development. A true wholesaler will always require you to provide a reseller license, which is a permit from your state that allows you to buy inventory tax-free and collect sales tax when you resell those items. You may also need to provide a tobacco seller’s license if your state requires it. If you don’t have those things yet, you’ll need to obtain them before you can order products from a vape wholesaler.

As you look for a place to source inventory for your vape shop, you’ll probably encounter some websites that have “wholesale” in their names but don’t require you to provide a business license in order to place an order. Any seller that doesn’t ask you to provide the relevant information is a retailer – not a true wholesaler – and is simply using “wholesale” in its name to indicate that it has low prices.

Compare Shipping Costs Before Choosing a Vape Wholesaler

You’ll obviously want to compare product costs when evaluating potential wholesalers, but the comparisons shouldn’t end there because you’ll also need to pay a shipping fee. Some wholesalers charge by weight, and others may charge a flat-rate shipping fee. Some may waive the shipping fee entirely if your order meets a certain minimum amount. You’ll need to know the details before committing to a wholesaler because a high shipping fee can negate low product prices.

Confirm Whether You’re Buying Individual Devices or Full Cases

Before you order from a vape wholesaler, you need to know the exact quantity of vapes that you’re buying. That’s important for price comparisons, and it’s also crucial for inventory planning because you need to ensure that what you’re getting actually fits your requirements.

Some wholesalers may allow you to buy individual vapes, which makes it possible for you to mix and match flavors. That can be good if you have a smaller vape shop and don’t want to buy too many units of a particular flavor at a time. It’s more common for wholesalers to offer vapes in retail cases – also known as bricks – which contain five vapes each.

Don’t Pay a Monthly Membership Fee

Most vape wholesalers charge no membership fees and will accept orders from any business owner or representative who provides the required documentation. You may encounter a wholesaler, though, that charges a monthly or yearly fee for membership. If you find a wholesaler that charges a membership fee, you should compare its prices to the competition very carefully before committing. You should also evaluate your vape shop’s needs.

If you pay a membership fee to buy from a vape wholesaler, you’re essentially forced to buy a minimum volume of products every month to make up the difference. If you don’t actually need that quantity, you’re spending more than you should. In most cases, it’s not worthwhile to pay a fee to buy from a wholesaler unless your sales volumes are very high.

Look for Reliable Inventory

If your vape shop has been in business for a while, you know what your customers’ favorite devices and flavors are and need a regular supply of those products. Since you’ll be buying those products regularly, you need to choose a wholesaler that almost always has them in stock. If you have some time to evaluate different wholesalers before choosing one, it’s a good idea to monitor stock levels and confirm that the products you need to buy are consistently available. The best wholesalers have reliable supply chains, and that’s helped to get them where they are.