Where Can I Buy IQOS in China?

Where can I buy IQOS in China? My mom asked me to write about the electronic cigarette I usually use, IQOS. She said she recently saw a blogger buy it as a gift for family, and many people in the comments were unclear about what it is. As an experienced user who has used this good product for a long time, I can simply write an introduction to recommend it to everyone. Let me talk about the prices for purchasing IQOS and where to buy IQOS in China. Currently, the Chinese government prohibits the sale of IQOS tobacco sticks, and many people are secretly selling them through WeChat.

  “Why just a simple introduction? You could write a whole article detailing it.”

  “You could write a lot about this??”

  “Of course, there is much worth sharing in this topic.”

  I call myself an experienced user for a reason.   I have been using this electronic cigarette for about two years, making me one of the early users of this product. At that time, there was very little information available online, and only a sharing post on CHH. There were very few merchants selling it on Taobao, but the purchasing price was very cheap back then. I broke three of them over time, basically one every six months.

  In 2015, the order price for one device was about 600 yuan.

  Later, there was a period when this device was out of stock in Japan, and the purchasing price doubled, generally around 1200 yuan.

  I started smoking around my senior year of high school and continued until I quit, so I have about ten years of smoking experience. Initially, I was encouraged by a senior to learn how to smoke, which is probably how most boys start smoking.

  The first few years were fine; even when I saw some quitting content, I would just laugh it off. After all, smoking is said to shorten life, but I thought I didn’t want to live to be a hundred. Life and death are in the hands of fate; even if I don’t smoke, life has various accidents. I think most people who don’t want to quit smoking have a similar mindset.

  Later, I don’t know when I developed chronic pharyngitis, which severely affected my normal life, causing me to constantly cough up phlegm. It was fine with familiar people, but with strangers, I had to hold it back or swallow it down. Although it sounds disgusting, it’s better than having others see me cough up thick phlegm and call me disgusting. Once, someone told me to my face that it was very disgusting, which was very embarrassing.

  I have been intermittently treating it, trying nebulization and medication, but since I didn’t quit smoking, I couldn’t cure it. Even with severe chronic pharyngitis affecting my daily life, I still regrettably had no intention of quitting smoking.

  It wasn’t until I wanted to have a child that I truly wanted to quit smoking. Looking back, it’s not some great paternal love; it’s just a culmination of inconveniences caused by smoking, ultimately leading to my determination to quit smoking when I wanted to have a child.   I have tried many products to quit smoking, including nicotine gum, nicotine patches, and e-cigarettes with added e-liquid, and finally, I found IQOS.

  Before discussing these products, let’s clarify one concept: what are the harms of smoking?

  The harmful substances in smoking mainly include: nicotine, tar, nitrosamines, carbon monoxide, and radioactive substances.

  The harmful substances that affect the human body, especially those that cause cancer, are mostly produced by the combustion of cigarettes.

  You can find some information on Baidu; I also researched a lot when I was doing my homework. The main point is that nicotine is addictive, and the actual intake of nicotine is about 20%; the main carcinogenic and pathogenic sources are various substances produced by combustion.

  Therefore, almost all smoking cessation products aim to remove the "combustion" while retaining "nicotine." The harm of nicotine to the human body has always been controversial. Personally, I think the harm of nicotine is roughly equivalent to caffeine in coffee. I lean towards the conclusion that it can lead to erectile dysfunction. A small amount of nicotine intake is no different from drinking coffee daily; of course, this is just my personal view. Drinking too much coffee is also not good for health.

  I do not deny that nicotine is harmful to the body; please do not misunderstand me. To be clear, I hope my chronic pharyngitis gets better and that secondhand smoke does not harm my family.

  Now, let’s formally introduce the product, IQOS.
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  IQOS is a product developed and launched by Marlboro, which belongs to Philip Morris, the largest tobacco company in the world. The strength of this company is unquestionable; after all, it is a powerful product launched by a big company, completely different from the e-cigarettes made in small workshops in Shenzhen.

  Traditional e-cigarettes use nicotine-containing e-liquid to mimic the sensation of smoking, producing a lot of vapor. The actual mimicking effect is almost zero; these e-cigarettes are mainly not for quitting smoking but more for play. Producing a large amount of vapor looks cool and impressive. Anyone with a bit of knowledge would know that this thing is akin to a fidget spinner.

  IQOS, on the other hand, is different from traditional e-cigarettes. It heats specially designed tobacco sticks, and the sensation of using this e-cigarette is very close to that of a real cigarette, producing less vapor, which is mainly steam, not traditional secondhand smoke.

  Since Marlboro targets the flavor to match its own cigarettes, it is relatively easy to accept for those who usually smoke foreign cigarettes or lighter brands. However, those who usually smoke stronger brands like Zhonghua or Yuxi may find the difference quite significant.

  When I first encountered it, it was already the second generation product, initially sold only in Italy and Japan, with most of the purchasing coming from Japan. The latest version is 2.4 plus, which has made some upgrades addressing the shortcomings of the previous generation. Since I definitely want to buy the latest version, I won’t elaborate on the differences between the two generations; the latest one is much better.

  This year, the number of countries where it is sold has increased to include South Korea. The Korean version has some differences from the Japanese version; the Korean version has Bluetooth, while the Japanese version has self-cleaning. Neither version is better, as both Bluetooth and self-cleaning are somewhat redundant features that are rarely used in daily life. I have the Korean version.   The popularity of IQOS in South Korea is very high; you can almost see someone using IQOS at every smoking point on the street.

  At that time, I bought a wine red color cap for personalization. If you go to buy it locally, that’s fine, but purchasing through agents is not cost-effective. There are also counterfeit versions on Taobao, where you can buy a fake plastic shell, which is just a waste of money.

  During my trip to South Korea, I bought the latest Korean version 2.4 plus. When it was first launched in Korea, it was promoted in collaboration with convenience stores, and it was very cost-effective at around 580 yuan, but it was in high demand and out of stock in all convenience stores. To buy it, you could only go to the exclusive store in Sinsha and buy it at the original price, which is about 700 yuan when converted. For friends who need to buy it themselves, please note that the exclusive store only accepts Korean bank cards for payment, meaning cash only, and no tax refunds are available.

  Additionally, it can be taken directly in your pocket on the plane without needing to check it in, and there are no restrictions on it.

  Currently, the purchasing price online should be around 800 yuan.

  To use it, insert the tobacco stick, press and hold the switch, and wait for the light to turn on and flash. Once the heating rod vibrates, release it until the light stops flashing and turns solid, indicating it is ready for use.

  Cleaning is something that needs to be done regularly, and frequent cleaning will improve the flavor. The original packaging includes a cleaning brush and cleaning cotton swabs; the cleaning brush is basically just for show, while the cleaning cotton swabs are limited in number and will run out quickly. You can buy children's cotton swabs and alcohol to replace the original cleaning cotton swabs. Be careful not to use hard objects to clean the interior; I once used an ear scoop to scrape it, which damaged the heating element inside the heating rod. It took me breaking three of them to realize that improper cleaning was the cause of the damage.

  During use, you may often encounter charging issues; sometimes the charging case cannot charge, and sometimes the charging case cannot charge the heating rod. This is usually due to current and voltage issues, and this fault is easy to resolve. The manual has instructions, but since there is no Chinese manual, many users do not know how to fix it. By pressing and holding the power button + Bluetooth button simultaneously, the Japanese version requires pressing and holding the power button + self-cleaning button simultaneously. The device will restart, effectively restoring factory settings and resolving the issue.

  Regarding tobacco sticks, different regions use different logos; Japan uses Marlboro, Korea uses HEETS, and Europe uses Parliament. I have tried them all; they are essentially the same flavors with different packaging. Agents usually provide various options, and personally, I think it’s fine to choose the cheaper brand. Currently, there are five flavors: original, rich original, mint, rich mint, and blueberry mint; just choose according to your personal preference.

  Regardless of which smoking cessation product you use, consistency is key. You cannot expect to quit smoking if you only try for a few days. I have recommended it to some friends; some have succeeded, while others have failed. Those who genuinely want to quit smoking generally succeed, while those who have a nonchalant attitude tend to fail.

  Additionally, although I use an e-cigarette, I still recommend treating it like a real cigarette and not smoking in public. Although you know it won’t produce secondhand smoke and is relatively harmless, others may not think so. Of course, if you take it upon yourself to educate others about e-cigarettes or don’t care about getting dirty looks, feel free to do so. Attached is a video.

If you need IQOS, you can contact WeChat: vapeos or call: 17682343645