Fake vapes are much more common than you might think. There are statistics suggesting that Chinese factories produce upwards of 75 percent of the total value of all counterfeit goods in the world – and vapes are perfect targets for counterfeiters. That’s partially because virtually all vapes come from China anyway and partially because consumers seldom look at vapes with the level of scrutiny they should.
Why should you care about fake vapes?
- They’re probably not produced in sanitary conditions.
- They could contain almost anything. If the brand is fake, the ingredient list could be fake as well.
- They’re probably produced using low-quality components and could carry a higher risk of fire.
The good news is that fake vapes are usually fairly easy to avoid. All that you need to do is buy carefully and examine your devices with a critical eye, and it’s unlikely that you’ll ever encounter a problem. Here are the biggest signs of a fake vape.
The Price Seems Suspiciously Low
If you want to spot a fake vape, a suspiciously low price should always be your first warning sign. That’s because the supply chains for counterfeit vapes are usually completely different from the supply chains that legitimate vape shops use. The factories that make fake vapes often use massive email lists to reach retailers directly, and the prices that they offer are too low to pass up. If you see a disposable vape at a price that seems too good to be true, you should be wary – especially if you find that price at a retailer other than a vape shop. We’ll discuss that next.
You Found It at a Convenience Store and Not a Vape Shop
The vast majority of fake vapes are distributed through places like convenience stores and gas stations rather than legitimate vape shops. That’s because a real vape shop will always get its disposable vapes either from the original brands that produce those devices or from domestic distributors that work with those brands. The supply chains for legitimate vape shops help to guarantee product authenticity, and that’s why you should never buy your devices from any retailer other than a vape shop.
The Seller Wants to Keep the Box
When you’ve purchased disposable vapes in the past, did the seller ever take the device out of the box and offer to throw the box away for you? That’s a huge warning sign, and you should probably avoid buying from that retailer in the future. That’s because keeping the box is a common trick that unscrupulous retailers use to peddle fake devices in authentic boxes. The retailer keeps the box, puts another fake vape in it and sells that device to the next customer. You should always buy your vapes in sealed boxes and open the boxes yourself.
Don’t forget that all leading vape manufacturers put authenticity codes on their boxes. Before opening and using a vape, you should always go to the manufacturer’s website and confirm that the code is valid. Don’t use the QR code to get to the website; type the address manually or find it on Google. The boxes for fake vapes often have fake QR codes. If the authenticity code doesn’t pass the check or has already been used many times, you should return the device to the seller.
The Packaging Doesn’t Look Right
When you buy a disposable vape, the authenticity code isn’t the only thing that you should check – you should also check the quality of the packaging itself. Even the most affordable vape brands put their products in high-quality boxes because a device isn’t going to sell unless it looks good on store shelves.
The box for an authentic vape should always have:
- High-quality card stock that’s bright and has firm corners. If the corners of the box look mushy or crumpled, it’s possible that the device is fake because the box for a disposable vape shouldn’t be damaged just from being displayed on a shelf.
- Text and images that are sharp and colorful with no blurring. The reason why the text and images on the boxes for fake vapes often don’t look right is because the makers of those devices don’t have access to the original digital assets used in the printing of the legitimate boxes. Since they don’t have those assets, they’ll often scan the original boxes and print copies of them.
- Correct grammar and spelling with no typos. If the text on the box looks extremely wrong, it was probably typed by someone who didn’t know the language well. Major vape brands don’t ever make those types of mistakes.
- The correct legally required nicotine warning for the region in which it’s sold. If your nation requires a specific nicotine warning to be displayed on vaping products, it should be there.
The Device Doesn’t Look Right
When you buy a vape, your scrutiny shouldn’t end with the box – you also need to examine the device itself. Modern disposable vapes look more elaborate than ever, and that’s to deter counterfeiters as much as it is to attract customers. Here’s what you should look for when you examine a vape.
- Obvious injecting molding points. You’ll see an injection molding point as a small circular depression with a point in the middle. Top vape manufacturers smooth the injection points on their devices for a polished and uniform appearance.
- Parts that don’t line up properly. Look at the seam in the middle where the two halves of the device are joined together. If the vape has a slider for adjusting the power or airflow, you should examine it as well. If the parts don’t seem to fit together properly, you should be very suspicious of a possible fake.
- Poor-quality screen printing. Top vape manufacturers typically use advanced techniques when applying elements like logos and flavor names to their devices to ensure that they won’t chip or rub away easily. If the designs on the outside of the device are easy to remove, that’s a serious warning sign.
The Device Doesn’t Taste Right or Makes You Feel Strange
Even if everything about a disposable vape looks right, you should still pay close attention to the way the device tastes and makes you feel. Top vape brands manufacture their devices in ultra-clean environments to ensure complete consistently from one product to the next. They also typically have their own proprietary e-liquid formulas that no one else can duplicate. If you have a particular brand and flavor that you always buy – and you get a device that doesn’t seem to taste quite right – you should stop using it immediately.
