kelli Posted June 27, 2014 Posted June 27, 2014 i have never been an elitist or "juice snob". i have always found juices that were good that were reasonably priced. but some of these "premium" vendors charge a dollar and up per ml of juice. to me, that is just ridamndiculous. i can make my own juice for less than a nickel per ml. and i think it's as good or better than most others i have tasted. or maybe i just don't have sophisticated tastes. but do i care? not.
Richstag Posted June 27, 2014 Posted June 27, 2014 You know I spoke to you about juice. Profit is not a dirty word though. Its like this in every hobby. There will be the affordable, the great deals, the diamonds in the rough, the elite and worth it, then the point where returns diminish. Of course there will always be DIY folks like you really getting the most. I found the best way is to avoid the ones that rub me the wrong way and go on happy with what I have. Christopher 1
bcartervol98 Posted June 27, 2014 Posted June 27, 2014 I pay 45 cents per ml for what I consider a top of the line liquid. I wouldnt pay much more than that in todays market. After they get finished with taxation I might but $1 per ml is a tad high on the ridiculousness scale.
mcquinn Posted June 27, 2014 Posted June 27, 2014 You kids are spoiled back in the day we paid more than a $1.00 per ml for Dekang and loved it. Was just the thing after milking the cows and walking 5 mile to school. The cost for this stuff has really come down with the proliferation of vendors . Christopher, Joshuab3687 and joe2003 3
Richstag Posted June 28, 2014 Posted June 28, 2014 Yeah, and that's a good thing that should be embraced. I know my 93 year old granny doesn't want to go back to her old home without AC... and so on.
kelli Posted June 28, 2014 Author Posted June 28, 2014 You kids are spoiled back in the day we paid more than a $1.00 per ml for Dekang and loved it. Was just the thing after milking the cows and walking 5 mile to school. The cost for this stuff has really come down with the proliferation of vendors . was it uphill both ways?
kelli Posted June 28, 2014 Author Posted June 28, 2014 You know I spoke to you about juice. Profit is not a dirty word though. Its like this in every hobby. There will be the affordable, the great deals, the diamonds in the rough, the elite and worth it, then the point where returns diminish. Of course there will always be DIY folks like you really getting the most. I found the best way is to avoid the ones that rub me the wrong way and go on happy with what I have. to be clear, i don't begrudge people for charging whatever they can get, nor people paying outrageous prices if they are ok with it. but i have seen what the actual cost to make the stuff is, and it's cheap. and granted, there is a talent involved in coming up with recipes, formulations and concoctions for which compensation is merited. but still, the basic ingredients are very inexpensive, especially in bulk.
Tam Posted June 28, 2014 Posted June 28, 2014 Just like anything and everything else in vaping, what can be considered to be "outrageous prices" is also...subjective. Take Five Pawns' juices as one example. They sell a 30 ml bottle for $27.50. That's nearly a buck a ml. I don't mind paying that at all because I really enjoy their Queenside flavor. Now, if I didn't want to pay that and decided to DIY, the start up cost to me to buy all the supplies and safety equipment in order to do it right, the ingredients that I waste on trial and error in order to get the same flavor...but most of all the sheer amount of time it would take... I don't know about you but that kind of time I don't have. I also don't want to put that much effort into something that I have no interest in (making my own juices). Therefore, that price? It's a pittance as far as I'm concerned. I'm paying for much more than just the ingredients. I'm paying for convenience. I'm paying for my time, which to me is worth more than the mere $27.50 a bottle. It's up to each individual what they want to pay and what they deem worthwhile...or not. If you want to DIY, go for it. Me? I prefer to find my favorite flavors and pay the vendor what I feel it is worth, the price(s) the market will bear. Since these companies are successfully selling their product, I'd say the market is bearing their price(s) just fine. And that's just my two cents. Maddrocx and Compenstine 2
Earthling789 Posted June 28, 2014 Posted June 28, 2014 My favorite flavors run ~$0.40 per ml... and I'm okay with that. Some of my cheaper flavors, like my sour-apple are dirt-cheap, at less than a quarter/ml... and I love getting stuff on sale! I agree, DIY can be cheaper in the long-run, but I don't have the time (or space, or money) to set up my "chemistry-set", LOL. Now, if/when the gov't gets control and starts popping on taxes and regulatory fees that make my juices $1.50/ml or higher... I may look into DIY, as long as the base-ingredients allow me to make my own for what I'm paying today, up to half the cost of retail, pre-blended juices.
Richstag Posted June 28, 2014 Posted June 28, 2014 Yeah, my shop sells my favorites at 0.50$ a ml. I think it's pretty good for the convenience. I drive up there to get it and the guys are very helpful. So I give them 90 percent of my business. Love2VapeDaily 1
bcartervol98 Posted June 28, 2014 Posted June 28, 2014 (edited) It shouldnt be that surprising given the local rip artists at the B&Ms get $69 for twist batteries and $25 for KPT 2s and $35 for KPT 3s. I actually had a guy in my service department pay $49.99 for an Aspire Nautilus that looks to me like a knock off. In the South (and maybe elsewhere but certainly here) people have a distrust of the internet and ordering things online and the B&Ms here prey on that. Its why they get 0 of my business. If the market bears it then go for it. Some businesses have a "volume" model and some have a "niche" market and are craftsmen. I think they deserve to get whatever they can for their product. With that said, if Fuzion all of a sudden went to $1 per ml for my one flavor I have vaped for months and months I would pay it lol. Edited June 28, 2014 by bcartervol98
Richstag Posted June 28, 2014 Posted June 28, 2014 I'm lucky my b+m sells all products at or below the best Internet vendors. That's another reason I like them. They don't gouge on the products. Although, I never buy products from them because they never have what I want in stock. Love2VapeDaily 1
Earthling789 Posted June 28, 2014 Posted June 28, 2014 I've got two B&M's within 20 miles... the closest one has genuine articles in the case, but what they sell you are clones, especially in batteries and MT3/EVOD tanks. They also sell Ce4's @ $4.99 each (or $7.99 per pair), and Kanger coils @ $2.99 each... so that should tell you a lot about them! Their cheapest juices are $7.99 for 10ml bottles, and $15.99 for 30ml bottles. Their starter-kits are $40 for ONE 900mAh (clone) battery, ONE Ce4, charger (no wall adapter), case and a "free" 10ml bottle of juice. The saddest part is that there are ALWAYS people in there buying stuff... The other shop is a little drive, but they sell local juices, as well as major-brands, and a decent selection of designers... all at very reasonable prices, compared to ordering, shipping, and waiting for things to arrive. They are a tiny bit high on their equipment... some things are a buck or two more, some are 100% mark-up. But, I bought my MVP from them for $40, which is less than I could find it online, with the exception of eBay.
kelli Posted June 28, 2014 Author Posted June 28, 2014 (edited) i was scared to death to try DIY because i thought it was so complicated and involved. but it's really not. i bought a 50 ml graduated cylinder and a couple pipettes, and some latex gloves. that's all the equipment i need. it takes me maybe a half hour to make 100 ml of juice, which lasts me more than a couple weeks. i can buy about 1000 ml (qt) of each PG and VG for less than $30. that's about 1.5 cents per ml before flavoring and unflavored nic. i would love to be able to support vape shops in my area, but i have a limited budget. i still buy a couple pre-made juices that i love and haven't been able to duplicate. i am really not here to argue about what anyone should pay for juice or anything else. just want to let people who are on a budget know that there are alternatives. Edited June 28, 2014 by kelli
bcartervol98 Posted June 28, 2014 Posted June 28, 2014 (edited) i was scared to death to try DIY because i thought it was so complicated and involved. but it's really not. i bought a 50 ml graduated cylinder and a couple pipettes, and some latex gloves. that's all the equipment i need. it takes me maybe a half hour to make 100 ml of juice, which lasts me more than a couple weeks. i can buy about 1000 ml (qt) of each PG and VG for less than $30. that's about 1.5 cents per ml before flavoring and unflavored nic. i would love to be able to support vape shops in my area, but i have a limited budget. i still buy a couple pre-made juices that i love and haven't been able to duplicate. i am really not here to argue about what anyone should pay for juice or anything else. just want to let people who are on a budget know that there are alternatives. I totally understood the point you were trying to make for what its worth. Its like anything tangible, it is only worth what the consumer is willing to pay for it. That goes for homes, cars, boats....whatever. You can have an appraisal of X amount of dollars or whatever but until someone is pen in hand ready to sign the contract...is it worth it? That is up to each individual to understand and in todays liquid marked to me $1 per ml + is a bit steep but each person has to decide what is right for them. I have tried liquids of all costs along the spectrum from the nasty ELiquidMarket stuff all the way to the higher end and there is a HUGE difference. I hate to classify anything by cost, and will never do DIY, but there is definitely a difference in the quality of the liquids I have tried based on price. All the cheaper liquids like Mt Baker, ECBlends, Dekang etc.... have a certain taste they all share. Not sure if it is cheaper base or cheaper flavorings or what. I never get that taste that I do not like from Fuzion, Fadora, 5 Pawns, just off the top of my head to name a few. I did not really like any of the 5 Pawns so I will not pay it just because it is not for me. I pay $110 for 250ml about every other month of my ADV and that is a good deal for me. Edited June 28, 2014 by bcartervol98
kelli Posted June 28, 2014 Author Posted June 28, 2014 bc. and i am sure that is a LOT less than you were spending on stinkies every other month. so good for you!
jasonculp Posted June 29, 2014 Posted June 29, 2014 I have looked into making my own. I am just picky about the flavors I have now and am really unsure if I can replicate them. I am sure it is going to take months to get my taste back correct, so until then, I guess I will buy them locally. I like the people and products of the local B&M, but it is extremely expensive compared to online. I understand how hard it is to make a decent living in a small business, so I try to support them as much as I can comfortably. They are handy, I can run down the street and pick up a $5.00 coil to last until my 5 pack comes in from the vapor talk store. I am trying to buy all of my equipment online and my juice locally. I really don't know if it is a sound plan, but it makes me feel good.
grailhunter78 Posted June 29, 2014 Posted June 29, 2014 Been vaping suicide bunny mothers milk all day today. Pretty expensive imo. Wanted to try it because I hear how great it is. Not that impressed I've had much better. Love2VapeDaily 1
mikelove Posted June 29, 2014 Posted June 29, 2014 Just got done buying Five Pawns Castle Long Reserve $37.50 for 30ml but its so good
Tam Posted June 29, 2014 Posted June 29, 2014 Just got done buying Five Pawns Castle Long Reserve $37.50 for 30ml but its so good Wow. Where did you order from that they raised the price by $10 a bottle...or was that a typo?
Earthling789 Posted June 29, 2014 Posted June 29, 2014 Just got done buying Five Pawns Castle Long Reserve $37.50 for 30ml but its so good And I thought $22 for 30ml of Mad Alchemist's Dragons' Breath was high-priced!
Tam Posted June 29, 2014 Posted June 29, 2014 Just got done buying Five Pawns Castle Long Reserve $37.50 for 30ml but its so good Ah, just went to their site. Castle Long Reserve is a special specialty flavor of theirs. Holy cow, but that's steep! Is it really that good?
mikelove Posted June 29, 2014 Posted June 29, 2014 Ah, just went to their site. Castle Long Reserve is a special specialty flavor of theirs. Holy cow, but that's steep! Is it really that good? Oh yes
mikelove Posted June 30, 2014 Posted June 30, 2014 I have never tried the reserve but I love the regular castle long
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