It really is ridiculous. I think most vape shop owners are ok with some type of regulation that makes sense. Something that benefits the consumer, keeps things safe and ensures everyone stays above board. (Especially with some of the basement mixing that was going on). But we are mixing in an ISO certified clean room, in a multi-million dollar facility. Vapor Talk has always gone above and beyond the call of duty to ensure our customers are informed about our products. Each Black Label product page in the VT store has analysis sheets uploaded. (Certifying they are free of nasties) We are open and honest about what's in our products so that adult consumers can make an educated decision to purchase our products. (Which is more than can be said about a lot of these fly by night liquid "manufactures")
The EU released TPD. It's strict regulation, with stringent rules in place to protect children (drip rate limits, child safety caps etc) and a clear set of guidelines for companies. Most owners agree, the rules are a headache, but they make sense. They have government studies showing e-cigarettes are safer than traditional tobacco (they don't shy away from that) and at a cost that would set us back by about 25,000 grand for our entire line of liquids, I can't help but shake my head. That legislation makes sense. Most current vape companies could handle that kind of regulation. If they're new, a decent business loan would cover the costs and they'd recover quickly. There's also no cutoff and it's ok to introduce new flavors/devices so long as they follow the TPD guidelines. (Which while difficult, is doable by any business) It's just frustrating.
We've got investors willing to back TPD no problem. They were ok with PMTA until informed that there is no guarantee of passing, even if everything is done by the book. That is what makes absolutely no sense to me. I was talking to a major manufacturing company in the US (They product a good chunk of liquids that are then relabeled for sale) and asked how bad PMTA is going to affect the US market. He said, in his opinion, 95% or greater will likely close their doors if things remain the same. Many online retailers would be limited to selling a few brands that managed to make it through PMTA. But even that makes little sense as most of those PMTA approved companies are going to sell directly on their own websites. Kanger, JoyeTech, Aspire etc are not going to PMTA their entire lines of hardware due to the asinine costs involved. Anyway, I'm ranting.
Over the coming weeks, most of my meetings/phone calls will revolve around PMTA. I'll keep everyone in the forum in the loop. We will do everything in our power to stay operational in the US.