Are there counterfeit RELX e-cigarettes and fake RELX pods?
Are there counterfeit RELX e-cigarettes and fake RELX pods? In 2018, RELX became hugely popular and quickly energized the mini vape market. At the beginning of this year, Luo Yonghao launched the Flow e-cigarette at a Smartisan product event, while Cai Yu
Are there counterfeit RELX e-cigarettes and fake RELX pods? In 2018, RELX e-cigarettes exploded onto the scene, stirring up the small e-cigarette market.
At the beginning of this year, Luo Yonghao launched the Fulu e-cigarette at the Smartisan new product launch; the founder of Tongdao Dashi, Cai Yuedong, launched the YOOZ e-cigarette, selling it through WeChat, reportedly achieving sales of 5 million yuan within just 24 hours.
Some say that in today's business world, pulling out a Zhonghua cigarette has become outdated; vaping is now a symbol of status.
A man in his forties, who has been smoking for many years, used to smoke half a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes daily. For nearly a month, he switched to e-cigarettes, reducing his traditional cigarette consumption to just one or two a day.
He purchased two e-cigarette devices, one costing over 200 yuan and the other 600 yuan. Including pods and e-liquids, his total expenditure is significantly less than smoking hard Zhonghua at 45 yuan per pack.
Don't think that only long-time smokers use e-cigarettes; casual smokers are no exception.
I interviewed a female college student who, due to strict school regulations, switched to e-cigarettes (there's an e-cigarette store near her school). She has been using e-cigarettes for a year now, with a total expenditure of around 1,000 yuan for two devices.
She said, "If I smoke traditional cigarettes after using e-cigarettes for a while, I feel nauseous."
Including her, three people in her class have become fans of e-cigarettes.
According to a survey released by the China Industry Information Network on the motivations for using e-cigarettes, using e-cigarettes to help quit smoking and control cravings has become a primary motivation for many users.
With the popularity of RELX e-cigarettes, are there counterfeit RELX e-cigarettes and fake RELX pods? With this question in mind, I visited an e-cigarette store in Beijing to investigate.
E-cigarette Experience Store:
What do you imagine an e-cigarette experience store looks like? Perhaps it is a somewhat enclosed, dimly lit environment where a group of people gather, exhaling clouds of vapor. This is an e-cigarette store located in a prime area of Beijing, Chaoyang Joy City, which has been open for over three years.
I visited on a Saturday afternoon when Joy City was bustling with people, contrasting sharply with the store's quietness.
I noticed that the products were not priced. When I asked the staff why there were no prices, the staff, perhaps judging from my attire that I didn't fit the e-cigarette trend, arrogantly replied that there were no prices and ignored me.
After observing the dusty tables and equipment, I left this store.
In a busy area, if the store isn't thriving, could it be that e-cigarettes aren't profitable? Not necessarily. I then visited another e-cigarette experience store located near a residential building, which helped me understand the underlying reasons.
Player Store:
The "big smoke" enthusiasts stick to their principles, rejecting overly commercialized e-cigarette experience stores. This store is located on the second floor of a metal building, contrasting sharply with the situation at Joy City.
This store is smaller than the Joy City store, and interestingly, apart from the owner, it was completely empty. The owner explained that on weekends, everyone goes out to have fun, so there are fewer customers, and more people tend to come in the evenings.
Compared to the poor service at the Joy City store, the owner of this store was very friendly. I engaged him in conversation as a potential smoker looking to quit, and I learned a lot.
E-cigarettes can be broadly categorized into two types: one is called "big smoke," characterized by large vapor production, with more complex components and operations, including devices, atomizers, and e-liquids. Those who are skilled often DIY their atomizers.
This type of e-cigarette is more niche, more expensive, and serves as the core of e-cigarette culture.
The other type is "small smoke," which is simpler in components, easier to operate, and portable. It has gained popularity in recent years, strongly impacting the "big smoke" market.
The older man and the female college student mentioned earlier both use "small smoke" devices, which have largely become a substitute for traditional cigarettes for those looking to quit.
The owner of this store primarily sells "big smoke" products while also offering "small smoke" options, featuring nearly 150 flavors of e-liquids. According to the owner, this is one of the most comprehensive stores in Beijing, with most products imported from the UK and the US. They also sell through Taobao, making them a medium-sized supplier.
The popularity of small e-cigarettes has led to a proliferation of counterfeits online and offline, causing physical stores to struggle.
Although this e-cigarette player store owner seems to adhere to many principles, I couldn't help but ask him if they were making a good profit. He didn't directly answer my question but mentioned that "small smoke" has impacted the "big smoke" market significantly.
Since the introduction of "small smoke," it has greatly influenced the "big smoke" market. "Small smoke" is more easily accepted by customers, primarily due to its convenience.
Moreover, most people are now using e-cigarettes with the motivation to quit smoking, with many opting for "small smoke". Previously, there was novelty in "big smoke," which sold well and had better profits, but now it has declined. The increase in online stores has also led to the rise of a counterfeit industry.
"Some commercial chain stores produce counterfeit ODM products. They have their factories and start sampling counterfeits after obtaining various data from a machine.
In addition to counterfeit devices, there are also counterfeit e-liquids.
The store owner pointed to a bottle of nougat-flavored e-liquid and said, "Many small studios sell fake e-liquids. For this nougat-flavored e-liquid, the retail price is 98 yuan, and my cost is 60 yuan. The nearly 40 yuan difference is spread across rent, labor, and other costs, leaving only a small profit.
However, small studios sell it for the same price of 98 yuan, but their cost is only a few yuan, so you can imagine how they do it."
"We really hope that relevant authorities can establish regulations for e-cigarettes, as that would eliminate a lot of counterfeit manufacturers," the store owner said earnestly. I surveyed multiple e-cigarette users, and they all claimed that fake e-liquids are rampant and have become an industry norm.
The quietness of the two offline e-cigarette stores and the owners' revelations starkly contrast with the seemingly booming e-cigarette market.
However, from an industry perspective, China has 350 million smokers, ranking first in the world, yet the e-cigarette market is underdeveloped, accounting for only 6% of the global market, indicating vast potential.
Currently, there are about 500 domestic e-cigarette manufacturers, mostly concentrated in Shenzhen, and the industry is in a state of perfect competition. At present, the only listed company producing e-cigarettes in China is the Boton Group (Huoqi e-cigarettes), although there are listed companies involved in both the upstream and downstream of e-cigarette production.
Conclusion
Although RELX e-cigarettes are selling well online, they are accompanied by many counterfeit and fake products, which seriously harm the healthy development of the entire market. For consumers, purchasing cheap counterfeit pods does not guarantee their health.
Articles on the popular science website Guokr indicate that:
The flavoring agents added to e-liquids have only a small portion that has undergone strict testing. While they may be friendly to the digestive system and skin, they may not be safe when entering the respiratory system.
For example, in the store I visited, many RELX e-cigarette pods were mixed with counterfeits.
Although e-cigarettes are trendy, they are merely the first step for smokers to quit traditional cigarettes. What smokers consume is related to their health, and we hope that counterfeit RELX pods can be eliminated from the market under RELX's crackdown, providing smokers with a safe e-cigarette experience.
Finally, if you need to wholesale or become an agent for RELX pods, we have the contact information for the RELX pod distributor: WeChat: hswx9981 or call: 17682343645.
At the beginning of this year, Luo Yonghao launched the Fulu e-cigarette at the Smartisan new product launch; the founder of Tongdao Dashi, Cai Yuedong, launched the YOOZ e-cigarette, selling it through WeChat, reportedly achieving sales of 5 million yuan within just 24 hours.
Some say that in today's business world, pulling out a Zhonghua cigarette has become outdated; vaping is now a symbol of status.
A man in his forties, who has been smoking for many years, used to smoke half a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes daily. For nearly a month, he switched to e-cigarettes, reducing his traditional cigarette consumption to just one or two a day.He purchased two e-cigarette devices, one costing over 200 yuan and the other 600 yuan. Including pods and e-liquids, his total expenditure is significantly less than smoking hard Zhonghua at 45 yuan per pack.
Don't think that only long-time smokers use e-cigarettes; casual smokers are no exception.
I interviewed a female college student who, due to strict school regulations, switched to e-cigarettes (there's an e-cigarette store near her school). She has been using e-cigarettes for a year now, with a total expenditure of around 1,000 yuan for two devices.
She said, "If I smoke traditional cigarettes after using e-cigarettes for a while, I feel nauseous."
Including her, three people in her class have become fans of e-cigarettes.
According to a survey released by the China Industry Information Network on the motivations for using e-cigarettes, using e-cigarettes to help quit smoking and control cravings has become a primary motivation for many users.
With the popularity of RELX e-cigarettes, are there counterfeit RELX e-cigarettes and fake RELX pods? With this question in mind, I visited an e-cigarette store in Beijing to investigate.
E-cigarette Experience Store:
What do you imagine an e-cigarette experience store looks like? Perhaps it is a somewhat enclosed, dimly lit environment where a group of people gather, exhaling clouds of vapor. This is an e-cigarette store located in a prime area of Beijing, Chaoyang Joy City, which has been open for over three years.
I visited on a Saturday afternoon when Joy City was bustling with people, contrasting sharply with the store's quietness.I noticed that the products were not priced. When I asked the staff why there were no prices, the staff, perhaps judging from my attire that I didn't fit the e-cigarette trend, arrogantly replied that there were no prices and ignored me.
After observing the dusty tables and equipment, I left this store.
In a busy area, if the store isn't thriving, could it be that e-cigarettes aren't profitable? Not necessarily. I then visited another e-cigarette experience store located near a residential building, which helped me understand the underlying reasons.
Player Store:
The "big smoke" enthusiasts stick to their principles, rejecting overly commercialized e-cigarette experience stores. This store is located on the second floor of a metal building, contrasting sharply with the situation at Joy City.
This store is smaller than the Joy City store, and interestingly, apart from the owner, it was completely empty. The owner explained that on weekends, everyone goes out to have fun, so there are fewer customers, and more people tend to come in the evenings.
Compared to the poor service at the Joy City store, the owner of this store was very friendly. I engaged him in conversation as a potential smoker looking to quit, and I learned a lot.
E-cigarettes can be broadly categorized into two types: one is called "big smoke," characterized by large vapor production, with more complex components and operations, including devices, atomizers, and e-liquids. Those who are skilled often DIY their atomizers.
This type of e-cigarette is more niche, more expensive, and serves as the core of e-cigarette culture.
The other type is "small smoke," which is simpler in components, easier to operate, and portable. It has gained popularity in recent years, strongly impacting the "big smoke" market.
The older man and the female college student mentioned earlier both use "small smoke" devices, which have largely become a substitute for traditional cigarettes for those looking to quit.
The owner of this store primarily sells "big smoke" products while also offering "small smoke" options, featuring nearly 150 flavors of e-liquids. According to the owner, this is one of the most comprehensive stores in Beijing, with most products imported from the UK and the US. They also sell through Taobao, making them a medium-sized supplier.
The popularity of small e-cigarettes has led to a proliferation of counterfeits online and offline, causing physical stores to struggle.
Although this e-cigarette player store owner seems to adhere to many principles, I couldn't help but ask him if they were making a good profit. He didn't directly answer my question but mentioned that "small smoke" has impacted the "big smoke" market significantly.
Since the introduction of "small smoke," it has greatly influenced the "big smoke" market. "Small smoke" is more easily accepted by customers, primarily due to its convenience.
Moreover, most people are now using e-cigarettes with the motivation to quit smoking, with many opting for "small smoke". Previously, there was novelty in "big smoke," which sold well and had better profits, but now it has declined. The increase in online stores has also led to the rise of a counterfeit industry.
"Some commercial chain stores produce counterfeit ODM products. They have their factories and start sampling counterfeits after obtaining various data from a machine.
In addition to counterfeit devices, there are also counterfeit e-liquids.
The store owner pointed to a bottle of nougat-flavored e-liquid and said, "Many small studios sell fake e-liquids. For this nougat-flavored e-liquid, the retail price is 98 yuan, and my cost is 60 yuan. The nearly 40 yuan difference is spread across rent, labor, and other costs, leaving only a small profit. However, small studios sell it for the same price of 98 yuan, but their cost is only a few yuan, so you can imagine how they do it."
"We really hope that relevant authorities can establish regulations for e-cigarettes, as that would eliminate a lot of counterfeit manufacturers," the store owner said earnestly. I surveyed multiple e-cigarette users, and they all claimed that fake e-liquids are rampant and have become an industry norm.
The quietness of the two offline e-cigarette stores and the owners' revelations starkly contrast with the seemingly booming e-cigarette market.
However, from an industry perspective, China has 350 million smokers, ranking first in the world, yet the e-cigarette market is underdeveloped, accounting for only 6% of the global market, indicating vast potential.
Currently, there are about 500 domestic e-cigarette manufacturers, mostly concentrated in Shenzhen, and the industry is in a state of perfect competition. At present, the only listed company producing e-cigarettes in China is the Boton Group (Huoqi e-cigarettes), although there are listed companies involved in both the upstream and downstream of e-cigarette production.
Conclusion
Although RELX e-cigarettes are selling well online, they are accompanied by many counterfeit and fake products, which seriously harm the healthy development of the entire market. For consumers, purchasing cheap counterfeit pods does not guarantee their health.
Articles on the popular science website Guokr indicate that:
The flavoring agents added to e-liquids have only a small portion that has undergone strict testing. While they may be friendly to the digestive system and skin, they may not be safe when entering the respiratory system.
For example, in the store I visited, many RELX e-cigarette pods were mixed with counterfeits.
Although e-cigarettes are trendy, they are merely the first step for smokers to quit traditional cigarettes. What smokers consume is related to their health, and we hope that counterfeit RELX pods can be eliminated from the market under RELX's crackdown, providing smokers with a safe e-cigarette experience.
Finally, if you need to wholesale or become an agent for RELX pods, we have the contact information for the RELX pod distributor: WeChat: hswx9981 or call: 17682343645.
