retail shop

[David Nugent]

Hi im looking at opening a vape store near me and looking for a supplier who i can use for stock etc..i have found a few but upon looking about i have noticed that these suppliers/wholesale company sell there stuff online to general public too..am i missing something or do 95% of wholesale work this way, or am i missing something..

 

[Mitz]

I believe a lot of the big boys have B2B (business to business) sections for business wholesale along with their retail customer sections.

 

[oldhippydude]

Hi im looking at opening a vape store near me and looking for a supplier who i can use for stock etc..i have found a few but upon looking about i have noticed that these suppliers/wholesale company sell there stuff online to general public too..am i missing something or do 95% of wholesale work this way, or am i missing something..

As someone who ran shops for years. Not vape shops but successful shops (till I made a mistake) I can safely say that you are missing something.

Mainly you are missing the fact that making a living from buying and selling stuff is not easy.

There is much that you would need to know to make your plan work and only those making the business work know what that is and they are not telling.

 

[ninjazx6]

Hi im looking at opening a vape store near me and looking for a supplier who i can use for stock etc..i have found a few but upon looking about i have noticed that these suppliers/wholesale company sell there stuff online to general public too..am i missing something or do 95% of wholesale work this way, or am i missing something..

I've seen these questions asked so many times, and on so many forums (i.e. not vape), and for whatever reason no one seems to give anything resembling an answer.

I'm not sure exactly why (aside from what oldhippydude said), but it doesn't seem like rocket science, or that giving the answer to someone setting up a local vape shop is going to threaten someone elses business.

I'm a freelancer, ask me how my industry works and I'll tell you everything - margins, where to go, chances of success, exactly how it fucking works down to the smallest detail if you want. For whatever reason, ask about retail and you might as well be asking how to join the mafia

To at least attempt to answer your question: I would guess suppliers won't talk to you until you have a registered business, but getting on the phone might bypass some of that for general info. As oldhippydude said it has to be more than 'I fancy opening a vape shop'. Do you know likely rent / overheads / have you considered brexit / would you sell online too and build the brand out that way / what is the margin on vape gear and where to B&Ms make it from (juice at a guess) / refer back to point one and think about whether rent + margin + tax and all the rest can create anywhere near a livable salary.

 

[oldhippydude]

People in retail do share information.

Once you are established, you make friends in the business and you pass on good sources, to those that are not direct competition.
I had several friends with shops and we all benefited by sharing information but we all worked in different towns.

When I was street trading during the Edinburgh Festival in my first year or two, I asked a guy from London that I was friendly with for some supplier tips.
He consulted the 6 or 8 other London traders if it was cool to pass on trade secrets and they decided I could have a couple of good tips because they liked me and I was far enough from their normal trading grounds. That really set me on my way.

I am now a self employed gardener. There is not the same reticence to share info about that because nobody can out compete me for my job.

 

[Rickster]

A shop will only work with a strong online presence these days, people will go to the pub and pay over the odds because they want to.....

 

[oldhippydude]

A shop will only work with a strong online presence these days, people will go to the pub and pay over the odds because they want to.....

If i wanted to sell vape gear. I would be looking to do it online and I would be looking for a niche,
I always was more of a big fish in a small pond kind of trader than the small fish in a big pond.
The opportunities for small independent shops probably peaked a few years ago.

 

[ninjazx6]

If i wanted to sell vape gear. I would be looking to do it online and I would be looking for a niche,
I always was more of a big fish in a small pond kind of trader than the small fish in a big pond.
The opportunities for small independent shops probably peaked a few years ago.

Yeah totally, and even online has changed massively in just a few years. It's amazing how competitive UK is with Fasttech and the like now. Sure there's lots of reasons, but competition and small margins must be part of it.

Loads of online places have gone under. Ones that survive like you say have a brand/niche. Or deep pockets.

Only caveat I guess is if you want a vape shop that makes you just enough to live on and not too much more, must be possible in some areas still (I only say that based on some of the poor quality B&Ms by me that aren't chains, and still survive, mainly it seems from smokers walking in off the street rather than enthusiasts.)

 

[Chris K]

Feel free to drop me a PM if you like, have been in the retail side of vaping for a few years now.

 

[David Nugent]

Feel free to drop me a PM if you like, have been in the retail side of vaping for a few years now.

Hi Chris I think I’ve DM you