Are you planning on doing some shopping for your next vaping device, favourite e-liquids or vape accessories?
With thousands of online vendors, you have plenty of choices. However, how sure are you that you’re going to get what you pay for? What if the retailer decides to take your hard-earned money and run?
Getting rugged on your purchase is a terrible experience for anyone. You spend the money and eagerly anticipate the delivery of your new vape.
After a few days, you start to wonder if shipping got delayed. A few days after that, and you’ll be checking tracking numbers and trying to reach the retailer through email or by phone.
Eventually, you realize the retailer scammed you, and it’s an infuriating experience.
Sure, this situation isn’t likely to happen anytime soon. The vast majority of online retailers are legit, and you’ll receive your order without any issues. However, it’s a good move to properly assess any online retailer before you commit to the checkout.
We put together this checklist of what to look for when you’re ordering from a new retailer.
First – Look for Social Proof
If your retailer is legit, they’ll have a solid track record of success with their customers. Since people like to talk about their purchases, you’ll probably find dozens, if not hundreds, of people talking about the retailer online.
Start your due diligence of the retailer by searching Instagram and Twitter for the name of the retailer. Check the retailer’s social accounts and review them. If you notice the retailer has plenty of happy customers (with genuine profiles, not bots), then the chances are they are a legit company, and you can place your order.
However, if you log onto their page and find nothing but complaints – walk away.
Trust Third-Party Testing Only
If you’re ordering e-liquids, make sure you only order high-quality products from trusted manufacturers. Many retailers have in-house brands that they actively promote through their stores.
Before you load up on cheap juice, check that the retailer uses a third-party lab for testing its products. The retailer should offer you access to its lab results certifying the purity of the e-juice.
If the retailer doesn’t have this information on their site – walk away.
Compare Pricing
Pricing is a great indicator of quality or a scammer trying to fleece you out of your cash. If you come across a site offering ridiculously low pricing on vaporizers, devices, or accessories, they might be running a scam.
Sure, we can understand differences of a few dollars between retailers in the spirit of healthy competition.
However, if your retailer offers deep discounts of 20%, 50% or more, take it with a grain of salt. They could be shutting up shop, looking for suckers to send them money before they make off like bandits with your cash.
Explore FAQs
All great online retailers offer you a comprehensive FAQ and information section on their website. Retailers using blogs and FAQs to answer customer questions typically have an interest in providing their client base with relevant information.
If they’re spending money on their site development, they probably intend on sticking around. Beware of threadbare sites devoid of product descriptions, blogs and other useful information.
You might pay a few dollars more when ordering through an authority’s source, but it’s worth the money to know you’re going to receive your order.
Chat with the Team
When you arrive on the retailer’s website, check the customer support they have on offer. The best retailers use live chat support, and a pop-up window will appear when you land on a webpage, asking you if they can be of assistance.
If there’s no chat support, consider emailing the customer service department instead. It might seem like a mission, but emailing the customer support team shows you if there is someone on the end of the line willing to help.
If you never get a reply to your email, or the chat seems like it’s a bot talking to you – walk away.
In Closing – Look Out for Red Flags
Red flags like those mentioned above should pique your attention. Don’t get complacent and assume that the retailer is legit.
If you log onto the retailer’s site, look at the browser bar and check that they have an SSL certificate protecting the site and your transactions. Never, ever buy anything from a website that displays “not secure” in the browser bar.
Follow the tips and strategies in this post to ensure you don’t fall victim to scammers, remember; don’t trust – verify. Trust your instincts, and if a retailer starts ringing the alarm bells in your head, walk away and find another vendor.
Beefy’s Vaporizers Australia offers you everything you need in a trusted online retailer. We invite you to put us to the test; we’ll exceed your wildest expectations.
