There’s nothing quite as convenient as buying your vapes from a gas station. Your car needs gas, so you’re going to be there either way – and buying gas station vapes allows you to skip an extra trip to your local vape shop. There’s a good chance, in fact, that you bought your cigarettes from a gas station before you switched to vaping, which means that it’s already part of your routine.
It’s definitely possible to get a great vape at a gas station. In fact, some gas stations are partnered with Innokin and carry our products. Before you buy a gas station vape, though, it’s important to understand that there are some significant potential drawbacks – and not just because you might end up with a device that’s not made by us.
Why is it so important to choose carefully if you buy a gas station vape? We’ll explain the reasons in this guide.
The Risk of Fake Vapes Is Higher When You Buy Gas Station Vapes
Most counterfeit vapes are sold in gas stations and convenience stores. You’re more likely to get authentic products if you buy your vapes from a vape shop.
The main reason why your experience might not be as good as you’re hoping when you buy vapes from a gas station is because the risk of buying fake vapes is much higher than it would be if you bought from a specialist vape shop. Fake vapes are more common than you might think, and there are probably millions of them on store shelves around the world today. You’re more likely to get a fake vape from a gas station because gas stations and convenience stores often buy their vapes from all-purpose electronics wholesalers rather than sourcing them from authorized vape distributors.
The reasons why fake vapes are such a major concern could fill an entire article; click here to learn more about the dangers. In short, though, you wouldn’t want to buy a counterfeit vape because the device probably won’t give you a good experience and could even be dangerous to use.
- Fake vapes seldom taste the same as authentic devices.
- A fake vape may not contain the amount of e-liquid specified on the package and might not have the correct nicotine strength.
- Fake vapes are often produced in dirty environments and might be at higher risk of microbial contamination.
- A fake vape could contain unsafe additives.
- Fake vapes may have low-quality battery cells that present an elevated fire risk.
Gas Stations May Have Poorer Brand and Flavor Selections
A gas station doesn’t have the shelf space to display the wide range of devices, brands and flavors that you’d find at a vape shop.
Even if a gas station does happen to carry authentic vapes from reliable makers, you’re still unlikely to find the wide product selection that you’d enjoy if you went to a vape shop. That’s out of necessity because there isn’t much space behind the counter at a gas station – and most of that space is devoted to cigarettes and other tobacco products. If your local gas station happens to carry your favorite vape, you’re in luck. If you don’t know what you’re looking for, though, you’re going to find that your options are quite limited.
- Because of the limited space in which to display products, you’re very unlikely to find refillable vape kits and bottled e-liquids at a gas station. In other words, you’re missing out on many of the best vapes. Gas stations primarily carry products that don’t take up much space, such as disposable vapes and pre-filled pod systems.
- For many vapers, pre-filled pod systems hold little interest because their flavor selections are extremely limited. That’s particularly the case in the United States, which has a law banning all flavors for pre-filled vape pods except tobacco and menthol. New Zealand is another nation that has special restrictions for gas station vapes. In New Zealand, only specialist vape shops can offer vapes in flavors other than tobacco, menthol and mint; this rule applies to all types of vaping devices.
- Unlike pre-filled pod systems, disposable vapes come in many different flavors. The problem, though, is that a gas station won’t have the shelf space to display all of them and will most likely carry only a small selection of flavors instead. If one of those flavors happens to be your favorite, you’ll be happy. If not, you’re going to have a disappointing experience.
A Gas Station Vape May Cost More than a Vape Purchased from a Vape Shop
Gas stations often keep their gas prices as low as possible and earn their profits by charging higher prices for convenience items.
When you were a smoker, did you ever notice that the prices you paid for cigarettes at your local gas station were a bit on the high side? Maybe you could have saved a little money by buying your cigarettes from a smoke shop or a big box store, but you paid a little more and got your cigarettes from the gas station instead. This is a case where convenience comes with a cost. If you need something like a bottle of water or a pack of cigarettes and are going to the gas station anyway, you’ll pay a little more for those items because it allows you to avoid an extra trip.
It's not unusual for gas stations to charge a little more for convenience items like water, soda, candy, packaged foods and cigarettes. In fact, charging more for those items is often an essential part of a gas station’s business strategy because a gas station will typically charge as little as possible for gas – potentially even earning no money at all on gas sales – to maximize customer traffic. Once you’re in the door, you’ll pay more for the other items that you need because you’re already there and don’t want to make an extra trip.
In short, you can expect to pay a little more for gas station vapes than you’d pay if you went to a vape shop. The price may not be significantly higher, but the money will add up over time if you buy a new device every few days.
A Gas Station Can’t Provide Product Support or Answer Your Questions
If you need to talk to a vaping expert about your purchase, you won’t get help at a gas station.
Another major drawback of buying vapes at a gas station is that the attendant won’t be equipped to answer any questions that you might have. Unless the person behind the counter happens to be a vaper, he or she won’t know anything about the products and won’t be able to make suggestions or show you how to use your new vape. When it comes to browsing the products and selecting the one that’s right for you, you’ll be on your own.
In some nations, the inability to get vape product support from a gas station is actually a legal requirement. Above, we mentioned the flavor restrictions for gas station vapes in New Zealand. An additional restriction in New Zealand is that gas station and convenience store attendants aren’t allowed to answer any questions about vaping products. They can show you the products and describe their nicotine strengths, and that’s it.
If you’re new to vaping, it’s likely that you’re going to have a lot of questions about what you should buy and how to use it properly. You can go to an online forum for help, but you can’t get an immediate response that way – and many people find it much more helpful if they’re shown rather than told how to use complicated products. If you need help from a vaping expert or aren’t sure what to buy, you’ll always get the most help if you ask someone at your local vape shop.
Before you buy a vaping product from any retailer, it’s always a good idea to ask about that store’s return policy. If you ask about the return policy for vapes at a gas station, you’re probably going to find out that there isn’t one. Although it’s rare to buy a vaping device that doesn’t work out of the box, it does happen occasionally – and if you bought that vape from a gas station, you’re probably out of luck. A good vape shop, on the other hand, should always allow you to return a product that doesn’t work and should always provide support after your purchase.
Buying Gas Station Vapes Is Convenient but Risky
Buying vapes from a place where you’re going to be anyway is very convenient – and unless you happen to drive an electric vehicle, you always need gas. Many gas stations around the world carry high-quality authentic vapes, and many try to carry as many flavors as possible. Buying gas station vapes, however, has certain risks that you’re less likely to encounter if you go to a vape shop. At a reliable vape shop, you’ll enjoy a larger product selection with a much lower likelihood of encountering counterfeit vapes. You’ll have a vaping expert behind the counter to answer your questions, and you’ll probably pay less as well.
