Eastern Cape a dead vaping zone

[Lukeness]

I live in East London and the only vape suppliers are supermarkets (twisp and e-sense) the Twisp stall at our local mall and a very small (and hugely overpriced) range at Wesley's Tobacconists.
Are there some secret vaping suppliers here that I don't know about?
On the plus side, the people seem quite progressive and, so far, nobody has complained about me vaping inside at work, and it's a fairly big operation with enough people to find someone to moan.

 

[Glytch]

I too live in a vape dead area of the world (Rural KZN Midlands). PE looks a little better. Try these two?

• Vape Shack Port Elizabeth
  Retail Store/Online: Retail
  Location: Port Elizabeth
  Shop 12, Kings Court Shopping Centre
  Walmer Heights
  Town: Port Elizabeth
  Province: Eastern Cape
  
  Contact details: www.vapeking.co.za ; gary@vapeking.co.za ; 079 157 2178
  Contact person:Gary De Scande
  Operating Hours: Mon - Friday 09:00 to 17:00 and Saturday 10:00 - 16:00, Sunday and public holiday Closed
  Comments: Hardware from beginner to pro, Liquids to suit every budget.

• http://vapetec.co.za/store-locator/

 

[Lukeness]

Thanks @Glytch
These are useful. Really wish there was something close by where I could actually see and touch some of the things to get a better impression and more locals to discuss it with in person. The few people I've spoken to have been exclusively twispers except for one guy who has a 'dry herb' snoop dog gadget, for altogether different reasons, and one person down from Jo'burg week let me drag on her Smok, which felt strangely more like drinking than inhaling. Lol.

 

[Silver]

Hi @Lukeness

I hear you and feel for your situation

But dont despair too much. I live in JHB and despite there being several walk in shops here I still probably get 70-80% of my vape gear and juice via online purchases and deliveries from the amazing vendors on this forum.

They are just a click away and most deliver nationwide. Prior to vaping I hardly ever bought anything online. Now it feels like second nature

All the products and juices are available to you no matter where you are in the country.

That said, nothing beats a walk in to try before you buy. You will probably have to rely a bit more then on customer feedback and reviews.

 

[RichJB]

This sounds like a business opportunity to me. Bricks and mortar vendors, there you go. EL is waiting for your branch to open.

 

[Spydro]

Hi @Lukeness

I hear you and feel for your situation

But dont despair too much. I live in JHB and despite there being several walk in shops here I still probably get 70-80% of my vape gear and juice via online purchases and deliveries from the amazing vendors on this forum.

They are just a click away and most deliver nationwide. Prior to vaping I hardly ever bought anything online. Now it feels like second nature

All the products and juices are available to you no matter where you are in the country.

That said, nothing beats a walk in to try before you buy. You will probably have to rely a bit more then on customer feedback and reviews.

My buying methods also changed years ago, not just for vape related items but for almost everything.

I've heard that we can have up to 100 vape/hookah B&M's in this city on average. Something to do with the 42 million plus visitors that come here each year, and a very large local vaping community probably. But also heard that they come and go with the phases of the moon (too much competition maybe, or because most are quite greedy and set prices for high profit). Matters not to me, I never visit any of them. I do the research myself, make a decision (right or wrong) and go with it. If I can't buy it online and have it delivered to my door... I don't need it.

 

[Glytch]

I guess a "dead vaping zone" is better than a "vaping dead zone"

 

[Alex_123]

Port Elizabeth has Vape Shack. Contact Gary as mentioned above.

There is also another vape lounge opening this Friday at Boardwalk in PE.

Im half way in between PE and EL and always head off to PE if I need to visit a B&M. Havent heard of anything on EL side unfortunately.

 

[Lukeness]

@Alex_123 I'm actually a Kowie local myself - moved to East London last year (again) to work at the Daily Dispatch.

@Silver and @Spydro I've got no problem with buying online. I've been a Bid or Buy and Takealot addict for as long as they've been around. But, being new to a lot of this, I'd really like to be able to actually see some of the things in front of me, even briefly, to appreciate their unique traits and make an informed buy. Been burned too many times with unrelated items.

@RichJB Preach!

 

[Spydro]

@Alex_123 I'm actually a Kowie local myself - moved to East London last year (again) to work at the Daily Dispatch.

@Silver and @Spydro I've got no problem with buying online. I've been a Bid or Buy and Takealot addict for as long as they've been around. But, being new to a lot of this, I'd really like to be able to actually see some of the things in front of me, even briefly, to appreciate their unique traits and make an informed buy. Been burned too many times with unrelated items.

@RichJB Preach!

Being able to see and even better yet try before you buy is always the most prudent choice. But it sounds like you don't have much of an opportunity at B&M's where you are. Some random thoughts... meeting other local vaper's in your area and seeing their gear is another possibility if you have any kind of organized vape community there. If not, you might try to run down your locals that are on this forum, send them a PM and ask if any can help you by meeting up to see their gear if they have any that you are interested in seeing in person before you buy.

I don't know any local vaper's here despite their being thousands (maybe ten's of thousands) of them. But my online buy way works for me good enough. The down side is that I have a hell of a lot of new and near brand new gear stored away in boxes that I bought and that did not work for me.