Top 7 Things You Should Ask Your Wholesale Vape Supplier Before Choosing Them

Choosing the right vape wholesale supply source is a key factor in running a successful vape store. This step will define many important details going forward, so make sure you ask yourself important questions before making a long-term decision.

Of course:

It’s not likely that you’ll have to commit to a single supplier from the get-go, but it would be a swell deal to find a supplier you like for the long term from the start. So why not ask yourself all the questions you need answered?

The following are a few key elements and questions you may want to consider before starting a business relationship with wholesale vape suppliers.

Company History

The vape industry is relatively new, which means that experience is in short supply. You might want to ask your supplier, “How long have you been in business?”, so that you can ensure you’re going with the right business partner. At the end of the day, knowledge of the industry, regardless of how new it is, will go a long way.

You’ll also want to dive into where the products your supplier offers are coming from. Sourcing products from certain locations can be riskier than others, especially when it comes to e-juices and other consumables.

Is Your Vape Wholesale Supplier Also a Manufacturer?

This question could be answered as part of your company history research, however, we consider it important enough to have its own section because it opens up an avenue for an entire set of questions of its own.

For instance:

You’ll want to ask if there is a product development team doing the design and production of the supplier's brand. On top of that, it wouldn’t hurt to know how often new models are released, especially if you’re planning on purchasing the supplier’s brand. As an example, at VapeRanger not only do we sell wholesale vape products, but we also sell our own brand of vape disposables called Well Versed.

Knowing if the supplier is also a manufacturer may help you stumble upon a new brand you weren’t expecting or also know if your supplier is trying to sell you on their own brand.

Where Is the Vape Wholesale Supplier Located?

This is an extremely important question to ask. Knowing where your supplier is located will allow you to figure out if the supplier can be trusted, the degree of quality that products in your order have, or even estimate how long it will take for an order to arrive, regardless of what the supplier is promising as an ETA.

What Products & Brands Does the Supplier Carry?

The first thing you’re likely to look into is the brands and products your supplier offers. How many brands does the supplier carry? Are these trustworthy brands? What product types do you find in the product lineup?

Once you’ve answered these questions, you’ll know if this is a supplier that can satisfy your clients’ needs or not.

How Often Does the Supplier Update Their Stock?

Having a supplier that constantly updates their product stock means that the chances of your vape shop running out of stock will be lowered. This is a particularly important but also difficult question to answer. Not every supplier will have the answer for this, even more so when it’s a supplier like VapeRanger that carries over 270 brands. With this in mind, it could be easier to get an answer to this question for a specific brand or product.

Customer Service Must-Knows

There are many questions that you should be looking to answer regarding of customer service. Because of this, we’ve decided to include them here as a checklist:

• What are the payment terms?
• What are the shipping terms?
• Are there any subscription programs?
• Does the supplier provide a shipment tracking number?
• Will you have an assigned sales or customer service representative?
• Are the supplier’s customer service agents vape experts?
• Does the supplier have a regulatory team to help solve any legal questions?
• Does the retailer provide marketing and promotional resources (i.e. materials)?
• Are there any client testimonials you can refer to?

Review Supplier Pricing Strategy

Wholesale pricing ensures that you’re getting a better deal for bulk vape purchases. However, a better price always comes with a few underlying requirements like the minimum order quantity (MOQ). Some wholesale catalogs require a minimum number of products to be ordered to grant you wholesale pricing.

Other suppliers might not advertise their wholesale products as much as VapeRanger does, so it’s always a good idea to ask whether your supplier of choice has a wholesale catalog or not.

Once you’ve made sure you can have access to wholesale pricing, it’s also important to ask if the supplier can provide a suggested retail price (MSRP) and if they have a minimum advertised price (MAP) policy. This way you’ll be able to plan ahead on how much you’ll be able to ask in your store for each product.

Conclusion

Finding a vape wholesale supplier that complies with all the necessary requirements of a vape store like yours can be challenging. So it’s worth having a list of questions to ask before you go into business with a new supplier to make sure you are not embarking on an unfruitful business relationship.