Taobao and Tmall Remove E-Cigarettes as Alibaba Cites Regulatory Compliance

On November 7, Alibaba issued a statement this morning saying that on November 6, in accordance with the notice requirements and the Zhejiang Tobacco Monopoly Bureau’s "Letter on Immediately Closing E-Cigarette Stores and Removing E-Cigarette Products," Alibaba Group was required to shut down e-cigarette stores on its platforms effective immediately and promptly remove e-cigarette products from sale.
 
The Zhejiang Tobacco Monopoly Bureau’s "Letter on Immediately Closing E-Cigarette Stores and Removing E-Cigarette Products" is as follows:
Alibaba said that, in order to comply with regulatory requirements from relevant national authorities regarding vaping products, the platform will remove related products effective immediately, prohibit the sale and advertising placement of related products, and at the same time provide merchant consultation support and consumer after-sales service protection.

E-cigarettes can no longer be searched on Taobao and Tmall.
As a result, platforms including JD.com, Pinduoduo, Tmall, Taobao, and Suning have all basically removed vaping products or blocked related searches.