An open exposé letter from a vaping WeChat reseller to all users and merchants

Yesterday, I saw this article on the Steam Vapor WeChat account. They published an introduction stating that on June 9, at a certain e-cigarette forum, a letter was written by an e-cigarette merchant to all players and merchants in the vaping community, exposing certain issues.

I hesitated for a long time before deciding to share this exposé letter. Every time I see seemingly negative content in the industry, I feel quite uncomfortable. Should I choose to avoid it or let more people know? My heart is filled with contradictions and struggles!

However, in order for the entire industry to develop healthily and in a regulated manner, I mustered the courage to share this exposé letter!

"Steam Vapor" concluded by saying that, of course, in the spirit of impartiality and neutrality, they have hidden certain pointed parts of the text! Here is the full exposé letter:

To all players and merchants (Taobao, physical stores, wholesale) in the e-cigarette community:
You must take this matter seriously; spending 2 minutes to read it may help you gain insight into the e-cigarette industry in the future.

I am also an e-cigarette merchant, but I will stop in a few days. Currently, everyone knows how challenging this industry is; I have encountered many merchants and players along the way. Today, I will expose a company to you.

XXX Company, I believe many of you have heard of it, and many are still sourcing from this company. Their products: A, B, C, D, E, F, etc.: many are deceptive products, which you all know in your hearts. As a merchant, I won’t disclose them one by one; you all understand. Today, I will talk about product A. Recently, they have been hyping it up, haha, it’s truly a deceptive product with many after-sales issues, and it’s impossible to reach anyone for after-sales support; they always have various excuses. Can we be more straightforward? Let’s be real; we are still friends (no, I’m quitting, so what friendship is there?).

A few days ago, I heard a good friend complain about product A from XXX Company. I asked why, and he talked to me for an hour on the phone. I finally understood that it was because product A was not sourced directly from their company, so they are targeting him, right? My friend sourced from a trading company in Shenzhen; I won’t mention which company here since it’s nearby and convenient for sourcing. A few days ago, my friend’s Taobao store received a complaint about selling counterfeit goods. He has never sold counterfeit goods, so how did he receive this complaint? Later, I found out it was a complaint from XXX Company. I asked him if he had sourced from them, and he said he had, sending me screenshots (I will also share screenshots with you).

I contacted three salespeople from their company: the first thing they said was, "You didn’t source directly from us!" (I can’t believe it), how could there be a transfer record if I didn’t source from you? After that, they didn’t say much and pushed the responsibility onto brand A. (I can’t believe it), you, a domestic agent, have no right to control prices; what’s the point of being an agent if you can’t handle complaints? Is this a response worthy of a primary school student? Please forgive my coarse language; I was indeed angered by their chat records. I initially thought XXX Company was a decent company, but I have come to realize otherwise in the past few days.
Additionally, the entire e-cigarette industry is currently experiencing a downturn; many wholesalers are actively using complaints as a means to get sellers to contact their company directly, clearly stating that if you want to source directly from our general agent, then I can see the trend for the future. The general agent directly supplies to you, the so-called secondary, tertiary, and quaternary wholesalers, physical stores, Taobao shops, and WeChat resellers; will you still be able to sell? Consumers are all being pulled to the general agent, and retail and wholesale are both affected; have you thought about this?

Today, I exposed this XXX Company, and I believe many more companies will be exposed in the future, even e-liquid manufacturers will be exposed. Why do I say this? Because a company needs cash flow; if salespeople have no orders, how can they pay their salaries and rent? They will use various methods to attract customers, various ways to complain to develop clients, turning consumers directly into their customers. Am I understanding this correctly?

People are watching; I believe there will always be those with a sense of justice who will stand up to tear off their ugly facade. This is the XXX Company you have in mind; indeed, their current methods are akin to those of a thief!