Bryan123456
Achiever
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2012
- Messages
- 2,383
I have just been through a big review of flavours and I have just been investigating bulk buys. It has been quite a revelation and posed me the question - how much?
How much do my home made eliquids curently cost me?
Raw material costs.
The costs of the raw materials I use (all additives and base) vary as follows.
My most expensive eliquid £1.75 per 10 ml
My least expensive eliquid £1.09 per 10 ml
Bottle &rudimentary label Costs
30p
Contribution to postal charges
I have to pay postage on everything that I get, the above costs don't include those
30p
Wastage, washing, cleaning and replacement of mixing kit
There's waste, spillages, cleaning materials, hot water, replacement of syringes, testing atomizers etc.
20p
Contribution to R&D
That sounds awfully posh, but, I wouldn't be making the vapes I am now without some trials and I will continue to trial new flavours and there will be waste in that process - of the new flavours in trial and error, frankenjuices and concentrates that I will never use again
20p
Sub total of added costs
I am adding a nice round quid to the cost of each 10ml.
Grand totals
Most expensive £2.75 per 10 ml
Least expensive £2.09 per 10 ml
The missing links
What's missing in this is the cost of my time. AND - if I were a commercial vendor I'd be using Food safety quality facilities, dealing with COSH, dealing with VAT, paying insurances, paying rent and commercial council tax have marketing and administration cost etc etc and have to make a profit to survive. On the up side, I'd be buying in bulk.
My conclusions
Some top of the range commercially available ready to vape juices are good value for money when you take the above into consideration. When you look at some of the simpler ready to go vapes - like vanilla or strawberry or apple - some vendors, particularly if their vape quality isn't as good as the home brew, are taking the pee.
How I can save money
My youngest son calls me his 'vape dealer'. And I feel a bit like that, there's a steady flow of 'stuff' to people. Sadly, there's no steady flow of money back. In fact there is no flow of money back. But, it's mainly family and I am happy with that.
Son2, who is the newest vaper (now joined by the ex trouble n strife as a regular vaper) has carefully washed all bottles, including sample ones, and given them back. Why are there so few empty bottles in my box? Because son 1 and his g/f and their mates have not returned one single bottle.
Retail Prices, Bottles
I did a quick recce of some sites I buy bottles from, and here's the costs per bottle (pre any discount and postage) and this is what I have been paying:
30 ml 35.2p
20 ml 29.0p
12 ml 26.5p
10 ml 31.6p
5 ml 26.0p
3ml bottles
One vendor also kindly sent me 10 empty rubber topped 3 ml dripping bottles. Beautiful little glass bottles. I know at retail these were expensive I didn't know how expensive. Horrendously so. But, they are perfect for dripping and for popping in my pocket and 3ml is a great quantity to go out with.
I gave 3 to my son and generously, one to go with the atomizer and drip tip I donated to the ex trouble n strife. I don't feel bad about this 'generosity' - boy merits attention, getting the best out of his new kit, flavours and vaping. The ex - has been kind and generous herself at times and - wasn't vaping. The gift and boys donation to her of the 10ml sample of Eden I'd given him (far too weak and 'girly' for his robust tastes) got her back into vaping after an abortive start with Voldermort and one of his vanilla vapes. I digress, I apologize for this digression. The point is no one else is getting these valued little vials.
30 ml bottles
Meanwhile, bottles. If this exercise has taught me anything, it is to pay a little more attention to bottles. So - the one way traffic to son1 and his merry band will be made in 30ml bottles. This cuts the costs of me being their 'dealer'.
5ml bottles
5ml bottles will stay at home for use in prediluted concentrates and for 'split' sampling - where I make up eg 12 ml of a known base and all its common elements, divide this into 3 different 5ml bottles and add differing tiny amounts of other concentrates to the 3 separate bottles to develop new flavours.
10 ml bottles
10 ml bottles - I will buy no more. OK it is a handy size and for vape that's not being devoured, a good one - but the 12ml bottles are so much cheaper.
Here endethe ye ramble
How much do my home made eliquids curently cost me?
Raw material costs.
The costs of the raw materials I use (all additives and base) vary as follows.
My most expensive eliquid £1.75 per 10 ml
My least expensive eliquid £1.09 per 10 ml
Bottle &rudimentary label Costs
30p
Contribution to postal charges
I have to pay postage on everything that I get, the above costs don't include those
30p
Wastage, washing, cleaning and replacement of mixing kit
There's waste, spillages, cleaning materials, hot water, replacement of syringes, testing atomizers etc.
20p
Contribution to R&D
That sounds awfully posh, but, I wouldn't be making the vapes I am now without some trials and I will continue to trial new flavours and there will be waste in that process - of the new flavours in trial and error, frankenjuices and concentrates that I will never use again
20p
Sub total of added costs
I am adding a nice round quid to the cost of each 10ml.
Grand totals
Most expensive £2.75 per 10 ml
Least expensive £2.09 per 10 ml
The missing links
What's missing in this is the cost of my time. AND - if I were a commercial vendor I'd be using Food safety quality facilities, dealing with COSH, dealing with VAT, paying insurances, paying rent and commercial council tax have marketing and administration cost etc etc and have to make a profit to survive. On the up side, I'd be buying in bulk.
My conclusions
Some top of the range commercially available ready to vape juices are good value for money when you take the above into consideration. When you look at some of the simpler ready to go vapes - like vanilla or strawberry or apple - some vendors, particularly if their vape quality isn't as good as the home brew, are taking the pee.
How I can save money
My youngest son calls me his 'vape dealer'. And I feel a bit like that, there's a steady flow of 'stuff' to people. Sadly, there's no steady flow of money back. In fact there is no flow of money back. But, it's mainly family and I am happy with that.
Son2, who is the newest vaper (now joined by the ex trouble n strife as a regular vaper) has carefully washed all bottles, including sample ones, and given them back. Why are there so few empty bottles in my box? Because son 1 and his g/f and their mates have not returned one single bottle.
Retail Prices, Bottles
I did a quick recce of some sites I buy bottles from, and here's the costs per bottle (pre any discount and postage) and this is what I have been paying:
30 ml 35.2p
20 ml 29.0p
12 ml 26.5p
10 ml 31.6p
5 ml 26.0p
3ml bottles
One vendor also kindly sent me 10 empty rubber topped 3 ml dripping bottles. Beautiful little glass bottles. I know at retail these were expensive I didn't know how expensive. Horrendously so. But, they are perfect for dripping and for popping in my pocket and 3ml is a great quantity to go out with.
I gave 3 to my son and generously, one to go with the atomizer and drip tip I donated to the ex trouble n strife. I don't feel bad about this 'generosity' - boy merits attention, getting the best out of his new kit, flavours and vaping. The ex - has been kind and generous herself at times and - wasn't vaping. The gift and boys donation to her of the 10ml sample of Eden I'd given him (far too weak and 'girly' for his robust tastes) got her back into vaping after an abortive start with Voldermort and one of his vanilla vapes. I digress, I apologize for this digression. The point is no one else is getting these valued little vials.
30 ml bottles
Meanwhile, bottles. If this exercise has taught me anything, it is to pay a little more attention to bottles. So - the one way traffic to son1 and his merry band will be made in 30ml bottles. This cuts the costs of me being their 'dealer'.
5ml bottles
5ml bottles will stay at home for use in prediluted concentrates and for 'split' sampling - where I make up eg 12 ml of a known base and all its common elements, divide this into 3 different 5ml bottles and add differing tiny amounts of other concentrates to the 3 separate bottles to develop new flavours.
10 ml bottles
10 ml bottles - I will buy no more. OK it is a handy size and for vape that's not being devoured, a good one - but the 12ml bottles are so much cheaper.
Here endethe ye ramble
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