Battery Prices

Puff the Magic Dragon

Puff the Magic Dragon

Grumpy Old Vaper
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Joined
22/12/14
Posts
4,543
Awards
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Age
63
Location
Cape Town
We tend to not notice the steady decline in our vape batteries. A recent thread, "Battery Life" motivated me to get some new batteries. Wow. What a difference. Most of my older batteries will now be retired.

I bought 4 X Samsung 30q's and 4X Samsung 25R's from Flavour World ( @Flavour world Sa ). Delivery in less than 24 hours from JHB to CT, free shipping, excellent packaging and excellent price.

As I'm a Grumpy Old Man I took the trouble to check out the prices currently available in SA. I was shocked to see the range of prices. Granted some are on sale and others are not, but sometimes even "sale" items were way above what I paid. One vendor had even slightly lower prices but the batteries I wanted were sold out.

These are the prices I found for the batteries I bought :

Samsung30Q ....... R 89.00

Samsung 25R........ R 69.00

These are some of the other prices I found. They are mostly from Diamond Supporting Vendors plus a couple of Local Supporting Vendors. I don't see this as a naming and shaming exercise so I won't mention names.

Samsung 30Q.....R 160.00, R140.00, R 135.00, R 160.00 (sale), R 160.00, R 190.00, R 159.00

Samung 25R...... R 150.00, R 160.00, R95.00, R 95.00 (sale), R100.00, R 130.00(sale), R 120.00, R 149.00

My total cost was R 632.

Most expensive options elsewhere would be R 1400.00.

Sometimes it's worth spending a few minutes researching prices.
 
Some vendors are really taking us for a "gat" these days. I understand a slight difference in pricing (give or take R150 either way) but some places differ more than R250 on the same device! Thorough research into best price can save you a lot of money in this game.
 
I've seen batteries selling for R250 a pop at a tobacconist and I'm relatively sure they weren't authentic.
 
I bought sony VTC4 in India for R50 a piece (250 Indian rupees).
I was convinced they are fake, but it passed all the checks including battery capacity and I have been using them for quite some time now. I have had no issues and still have all my teeth so they are definitely not fake. It makes me think the kind of profit margins vendors sell at.
But I don't think it's their fault. The population is less so the number of customers is limited and the target market is small. They still have to make rent and feed their families.
 
I can understand B&M stores having a higher price (but not excessively so) because of the fact that they have much higher operating costs.
What really p*sses me off is online only stores selling at the same higher prices as B&M stores.
That's really ripping us off ... :mad: :mad: :mad:

.
 
Now we didnt think of the guy that can't afford to smoke due to health reasons and cant afford to vape Due to higher prices.
Good thread @Puff the Magic Dragon . We need some awareness to even out the odds.
 
Good thread @Puff the Magic Dragon

I am actually in need of replacing several batteries so thanks for the info and tips.

It certainly does help to shop around
Great thing is it can be done in a few clicks for the online retailers.

I think the price variance on vape products in general (not just batteries) depends on so many factors.

Volume brought in - Exchange rate - Shipping costs - to name a few.

But I agree sometimes the price differential between the lowest and highest is hard to understand.

I guess some vendors want to sell at a higher price while others want to be price leaders and try sell more quantity.
 
Yes I think these vendors with physical shops sometimes prey on the uninformed vapors with these expensive prices. Life should work that if you to expensive you will close down, but obviously there is enough people that dont care or just dont know any better.

The last two months my rugby team plays every saturday, mostly somethere PTA east or north, so every saturday after the games we go eat something quick in the area. So today we played in the Moot and after we saw a Cashbah roadhouse. So years ago Cashbah roadhouses was relatively cheap with huge meals. Havent been to one in ages. So we stop there, not in the most affluent part of town loking at a bit of and old rundown building. But hallas here comes the menu. After two minutes I said no lets leave, we can go eat at a proper sitdown restaurant for cheaper, in a better part of town(and they paying higher rent). But then I wonder how they keep the doors open, but they do.
 
Different businesses follow different models. Some believe that they will charge what they want and customer will come if he wants to.
Some believe in selling more at a lower margin and make more money from the bulk of sales, economists call this "economies of scale".

How about this? we make this thread as a "Bargain thread" where we can post the best vape deals available
 
Faiyaz Cheulkar said:
How about this? we make this thread as a "Bargain thread" where we can post the best vape deals available
Click to expand...

Go for it @Faiyaz Cheulkar

We also have the following thread in the "Who has stock" subforum
https://www.ecigssa.co.za/specials-from-ecigssa-vendors.t57757/

Difference being this thread is in the general forum so vendors themselves can't promote here. But members are welcome to highlight bargains you may see out there

In that other thread, supporting vendors can post their specials - but it's in the Who has stock subforum, so not in the general discussion threads.
 
Last edited:
Faiyaz Cheulkar said:
Different businesses follow different models. Some believe that they will charge what they want and customer will come if he wants to.
Some believe in selling more at a lower margin and make more money from the bulk of sales, economists call this "economies of scale".

How about this? we make this thread as a "Bargain thread" where we can post the best vape deals available
Click to expand...

all for!!!
The scales need some calibrating!
 
Some may not agree here but I generally pay a premium for my batteries because I know with certainty the shop I buy them from is reputable and I have never had a concern or needed to have a concern of fake batteries.

I would rather pay a premium for peace of mind (there is a level of trust here) than look for a cheaper alternative where I need to be suspicious and spend time and effort to make sure my life or those around me may be in danger.

It sounds silly but the premium I pay comes with years or reliability and trust built up.

At the end of the day some suppliers spend money to authenticate batteries I.e. screen wholesalers etc where others buy the cheapest and put the highest markup without actually verifying the source.
It's really easy to get a certificate of authenticity for any battery and flaunt that around but the paper isn't what I'm after.
 
I agree with your thinking, in principle, @Christos .

I bought the batteries I mentioned from a well-known vendor who has never received a negative rating on this forum. They have been on the forum since 2017.

After I received the batteries I measured the voltage on all eight batteries before charging them. The 30Qs all measured the exact same voltage as did the 25Rs (0.1V less than the 30Qs).

This is not a particularly scientific test but I'm pretty sure that this scenario would have been unlikely with fake batteries. I have used two of both sets and they don't get hot and give the expected battery life (i acknowledge that this is no guarantee that they are authentic).

I purchase tons of consumable products for work. One product costs R 20.00 at one supplier and costs R 50.00 at a well-known hardware shop. I have never heard of a report of the particular item being cloned/faked. I could give many further examples of similar price differences.

In my opinion, a high price is not going to guarantee that the product is genuine. You may remember on the forum some time ago a vendor was exposed for selling fake batteries. The vendor's solution was to raise the price of the fakes to the average level of the genuine items. The reputation of the shop is also not a foolproof guarantee of receiving authentic products. A while ago a couple of reputable dealers were found to be selling fake Cotton Bacon. They had no idea that they were fake products and removed the stock from their shelves.

Buying batteries is a risky business, particularly because we use them in a way that they are not certified for. LG HG2s even carry a warning that "...sales for e-cigarette use are strictly prohibited". These are one of the most popular batteries that vapers use.

My solution is to follow the advice of Battery Mooch. I have been a long time subscriber and have watched all of his videos at least once. I always leave a safety margin and keep my builds substantially lower than Mooch's amp rating. He is perhaps overly cautious but I like that.

I always remember when my three-month-old Luxotic squonker began auto-firing while I was a passenger in a car on the N1. If the mod hadn't been in my hand at the time even the authentic LG HG2 in it may not have saved me, but at least it gave me the best chance of preventing injury.
 
Puff the Magic Dragon said:
I agree with your thinking, in principle, @Christos .

I bought the batteries I mentioned from a well-known vendor who has never received a negative rating on this forum. They have been on the forum since 2017.

After I received the batteries I measured the voltage on all eight batteries before charging them. The 30Qs all measured the exact same voltage as did the 25Rs (0.1V less than the 30Qs).

This is not a particularly scientific test but I'm pretty sure that this scenario would have been unlikely with fake batteries. I have used two of both sets and they don't get hot and give the expected battery life (i acknowledge that this is no guarantee that they are authentic).

I purchase tons of consumable products for work. One product costs R 20.00 at one supplier and costs R 50.00 at a well-known hardware shop. I have never heard of a report of the particular item being cloned/faked. I could give many further examples of similar price differences.

In my opinion, a high price is not going to guarantee that the product is genuine. You may remember on the forum some time ago a vendor was exposed for selling fake batteries. The vendor's solution was to raise the price of the fakes to the average level of the genuine items. The reputation of the shop is also not a foolproof guarantee of receiving authentic products. A while ago a couple of reputable dealers were found to be selling fake Cotton Bacon. They had no idea that they were fake products and removed the stock from their shelves.

Buying batteries is a risky business, particularly because we use them in a way that they are not certified for. LG HG2s even carry a warning that "...sales for e-cigarette use are strictly prohibited". These are one of the most popular batteries that vapers use.

My solution is to follow the advice of Battery Mooch. I have been a long time subscriber and have watched all of his videos at least once. I always leave a safety margin and keep my builds substantially lower than Mooch's amp rating. He is perhaps overly cautious but I like that.

I always remember when my three-month-old Luxotic squonker began auto-firing while I was a passenger in a car on the N1. If the mod hadn't been in my hand at the time even the authentic LG HG2 in it may not have saved me, but at least it gave me the best chance of preventing injury.
Click to expand...

Your luxotic was in your hand.
Mine was in my pocket whilst on a ladder... Imagine that!

@Christos most vapers buy from reputable vendors especially vapers on this forum, and I have had the pleasure to return a faulty battery to one such vendor and experience a no questions asked guarantee.
And as @Puff the Magic Dragon said, when you buy consumables and and you know you paid 50bucks yesterday for a product its kind of mind boggling when you go to the closest reputable hardware that you also have a business relationship with to pay 150bucks today to save a little time travelled and you know you only need 7 more to finish the job out of a pack of 50.
So I do agree with your ethics, but I agree more with mine.
No one wants to be ripped off especially if you have to work hard for what you want and need.
So im all for this thread because vaping should be for everyone that wants to quit smoking and not just for those that can afford it
.
 
Faiyaz Cheulkar said:
I bought sony VTC4 in India for R50 a piece (250 Indian rupees).
I was convinced they are fake, but it passed all the checks including battery capacity and I have been using them for quite some time now. I have had no issues and still have all my teeth so they are definitely not fake. It makes me think the kind of profit margins vendors sell at.
But I don't think it's their fault. The population is less so the number of customers is limited and the target market is small. They still have to make rent and feed their families.
Click to expand...


On this point... One reason why the prices are usually much higher, especially in smaller stores. Is because A LOT (At least in CPT) of the vendors buy their batteries locally from wholesalers - Who obviously have their own mark-up. They do this because batteries can't be flown in. That means that they sit on a ship and can take up to three months to arrive. Batteries sell very quickly from vape stores, and it's a very expensive practice to stock massive amounts of batteries in order to have enough stock until the next 3 month shipment comes in. Not only that but it makes it incredibly difficult for accurate stock control.

Easier solution is to use the local retailers and sell the batteries for a little more - at current market value, while making a little less profit. Buy in bulk and sell low? That's just bad business practice. You don't want to devalue your products. Cheap batteries also make customers assume that they may be fakes. So the guys who do import via ship, are still selling just below market value to drastically increase profits, while still retaining a competitive edge and keeping their customers smiling.

That's how I see it anyway.

In India they are quite big into electronics AFAIK. Batteries are possibly cheaper because they are purchased in bulk for mass distribution and for use in refurbishing products like laptops? Making them more easily available and thus cheaper? But that truly is just a guess.
 
Silver said:
Good thread @Puff the Magic Dragon

I am actually in need of replacing several batteries so thanks for the info and tips.

It certainly does help to shop around
Great thing is it can be done in a few clicks for the online retailers.

I think the price variance on vape products in general (not just batteries) depends on so many factors.

Volume brought in - Exchange rate - Shipping costs - to name a few.

But I agree sometimes the price differential between the lowest and highest is hard to understand.

I guess some vendors want to sell at a higher price while others want to be price leaders and try sell more quantity.
Click to expand...


This point is interesting. I was looking for a product and a buddy of mine was working at the store that stocked the product. I came to purchase it and he told me to come back in two weeks. What the store was doing - and personally I don't feel like this is in any way unethical... Was that the first batch of products cost them (made up for the sake of explanation) R100. So they sold the products for R200. The next shipment arrived and only cost them R80, so they held the new stock until they could sell the original stock first at their desired markup. As soon as the R100 stock was sold out, They packed the shelves with the New R80 stock and dropped the price accordingly.
 
Spyro said:
This point is interesting. I was looking for a product and a buddy of mine was working at the store that stocked the product. I came to purchase it and he told me to come back in two weeks. What the store was doing - and personally I don't feel like this is in any way unethical... Was that the first batch of products cost them (made up for the sake of explanation) R100. So they sold the products for R200. The next shipment arrived and only cost them R80, so they held the new stock until they could sell the original stock first at their desired markup. As soon as the R100 stock was sold out, They packed the shelves with the New R80 stock and dropped the price accordingly.
Click to expand...

Hence me not complaining about the markup bro.
the vendor I bought from charged me more the second time round which I accept.They too need to make a profit and in all fairness they should,but as per your example. Is a R100 markup really going to fuel the economy.

And I dont want to turn this thread into a political thread either so by all means your point is taken.
I would rather have this thread excell into the suggested thread because I myself am looking to get affordable gear for people wanting to convert .
 
Resistance said:
Hence me not complaining about the markup bro.
the vendor I bought from charged me more the second time round which I accept.They too need to make a profit and in all fairness they should,but as per your example. Is a R100 markup really going to fuel the economy.

And I dont want to turn this thread into a political thread either so by all means your point is taken.
I would rather have this thread excell into the suggested thread because I myself am looking to get affordable gear for people wanting to convert .
Click to expand...

Oh I'm not trying to justify the prices. Just poi ting out why there are such big differences in price range. I'm all for paying less too
 
Puff the Magic Dragon said:
I agree with your thinking, in principle, @Christos .

I bought the batteries I mentioned from a well-known vendor who has never received a negative rating on this forum. They have been on the forum since 2017.

After I received the batteries I measured the voltage on all eight batteries before charging them. The 30Qs all measured the exact same voltage as did the 25Rs (0.1V less than the 30Qs).

This is not a particularly scientific test but I'm pretty sure that this scenario would have been unlikely with fake batteries. I have used two of both sets and they don't get hot and give the expected battery life (i acknowledge that this is no guarantee that they are authentic).

I purchase tons of consumable products for work. One product costs R 20.00 at one supplier and costs R 50.00 at a well-known hardware shop. I have never heard of a report of the particular item being cloned/faked. I could give many further examples of similar price differences.

In my opinion, a high price is not going to guarantee that the product is genuine. You may remember on the forum some time ago a vendor was exposed for selling fake batteries. The vendor's solution was to raise the price of the fakes to the average level of the genuine items. The reputation of the shop is also not a foolproof guarantee of receiving authentic products. A while ago a couple of reputable dealers were found to be selling fake Cotton Bacon. They had no idea that they were fake products and removed the stock from their shelves.

Buying batteries is a risky business, particularly because we use them in a way that they are not certified for. LG HG2s even carry a warning that "...sales for e-cigarette use are strictly prohibited". These are one of the most popular batteries that vapers use.

My solution is to follow the advice of Battery Mooch. I have been a long time subscriber and have watched all of his videos at least once. I always leave a safety margin and keep my builds substantially lower than Mooch's amp rating. He is perhaps overly cautious but I like that.

I always remember when my three-month-old Luxotic squonker began auto-firing while I was a passenger in a car on the N1. If the mod hadn't been in my hand at the time even the authentic LG HG2 in it may not have saved me, but at least it gave me the best chance of preventing injury.
Click to expand...
I'm not saying there is a direct correlation to authenticity based in a higher price.
I'm saying the price I pay is irrelevant because of a long fruitful and ethical relationship built with my supplier over the years.
 
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