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Must haves in a vape shop

The Vapor Plant

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Ok so as some may know I'm Tryin to open up my vape shop. I wanted to kno what are must haves in your opinion to have in my shop as for mods, rda's, pens that being brands and models im Tryin to get my list of things and Im wanting to kno what is out and in popular demand. All help is appreciated VU members TIA!!!
 

scarecrowjenkins

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Unlisted Vendor
A display for customers to actually see the juice you have, with visible nicotine levels makes things a LOT easier on everyone. Possibly a television on the wall that scrolls through juice menus, or new flavors would also be awesome. AUTHENTIC mods are a must. Nothing worse than going to a new shop and discovering they only have clones. If you do decide to sell clones, label them clearly or keep them in a separate display case
 

The Vapor Plant

Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
A display for customers to actually see the juice you have, with visible nicotine levels makes things a LOT easier on everyone. Possibly a television on the wall that scrolls through juice menus, or new flavors would also be awesome. AUTHENTIC mods are a must. Nothing worse than going to a new shop and discovering they only have clones. If you do decide to sell clones, label them clearly or keep them in a separate display case
Yea tv some couches and table with chairs in the lounge area is gonna be there im just Lookin for more of what inventory to buy to sell and yes I don't plan on saling clones and if I for happen to do so i will def let the customer kno I like the seperate display case idea too thanks for the input
 

scarecrowjenkins

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Unlisted Vendor
I meant a television for a juice menu. Stay on top of new products by Pioneer4You, Kanger, and Sigelei, as well as the subtanks that are always coming out. I've found that instagram is a great way to keep up with new RDAs, follow people like @dotmod @councilofvapor as well as builders like @squidoode @blueeyedgoon83 @wiretheory and @twistedmesses. Builders always get the newest RDAs before everyone else, and their opinions often sway the public into looking for them. Good luck!
 

outwest

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Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
I'd say both RBAs and some cheap, but decent clearomizers, cartomizers (and of course the tanks that use cartomizers) because there's still lots of folks that use 'em, especially people that are new to ecigs. Some batteries, kanthal wire, etc. Local place I went to (carries clones, authentics, and eGO stuff) only had one model of battery (an older version of efest 18650) and only one gauge of wire. Most of the other places in town focus on the eGO clearomizers and 510 cartomizers, and don't carry RBAs, and there's one place that last I saw, only had pricey authentics.

I think have both authentics and clones, and have 'em segregated (e.g. this shelf authentics, this shelf clones). Some people only want authentics and some, like me, feel poor and will often opt for the clone (especially when there's a big difference in price between 'em).I would never buy an authentic kayfun, for example. Not when the clones are so cheap.

Have batteries, etc on display too, that way customers know you have them. There's one local shop that I have no idea what they have in accessories, aside from drip tips. They didn't have any wire, batteries, etc on display. Shelf space is valuable real estate, but also gotta let folks know what you have without them having to ask.

As for brands/models - I'd include Sigelei, Kanger, and even though they're older I'd suggest Kayfun lite (and/or clone), Veritas, littleboy, fatman. I dunno what newer ones are popular/hot but I'm sure someone will chime in.

A place to taste flavors is a nice touch. That way customer can figure out what they like (especially the newb that has no idea how yummy fruits, etc can be). One place local uses those ecig condoms on clearos, another place uses tongs to give you a mouthpiece (none of the samples have mouthpiece attached - they use carto tanks) and sanitizes it after you're done.
 

Mattp169

Platinum Contributor
Vape Media
Member For 5 Years
whats wrong with clones. I mean not just any clone, but ones that have proven to be reliable and good quality.

also
vape bands
drip tips of all shapes sizes and colors
lanyards
those little rubber tips to put over a top to let people try a juice
samsung 25r
chargers

eleafs seem to be very very very popular
as well as kanger subtanks
seigel
invader mini
cloupor
tesla


best bet is to go to youtube as well
look at what pbsuardo says is good and other major youtubers

let them do some work for you.


whatever you carry

make sure you understand it backwards and forwards, you have used it your staff has used it.

I hate when the local B&M sells me shit they dont really understand

case in point
went in and got talked into an eleaf 30w with a kanger nano
OK so far so good
no warning though that switching from an iclear 30s to a sub ohm tank would triple my juice consumption

they did take the time to explain the fact I need to lower my nic form 24 to 6 on a sub ohm

go back a week or so later cuz I find the nano to be poorly designed the coil gets stuck inside the tank very easily.

I explain the issue, Mind you same employee who spent an hour with me picking out my eleaf 30 and nano
and a guy I explained all my vaping experience to
I say to him maybe I need the mini instead it looks built better then the nano

he talks me into a maganus sub tank. him and another employee go on and on and on about how much better the dual vertical coils in it are soooooooooooooooooooo much better.

So I buy it.

Well after a few days I really felt like the maganus wasnt cutting it for me so I do a little research.

Apparently these Dual coils need more then 30 watts of power to shine
most people are vaping the .5 coils at 50-70 w versus 20-30 watts on a kanger .5 coil

My neighbor has a 150w box mod
I try the maganus on it and DAMN its nice at 60 watts.

SO now i need a new mod.

BULLSHIT I say
I go back to the store buy a mini. And I even say to the guy you know these maganus need like 50-70w to shine

Hes like "yeah they do"

Im not a confrontational sort and the store was full of customers, but I hate that. Guy tells me it will work fine on a 30w eleaf and then when I say it needs 50+ watts he acknowledges he knew that.

He's either full of shit or is just trying to sell me whatever he can.

so be upfront as possible with your customers. dont bullshit them.. Dont let employees bullshit them.
I needed an extra eleaf 30w guess who I didnt buy it from, nor did I buy my extra coils or replacement glass there either. Guess who now DIY's his own juice instead of buying from that B &M.

I really wish I would have gotten a box mod with replaceable batteries and a charger instead of the first eleaf 30
which is what I was going to get in the first place when I went in the store and got the eleaf.

Don't get me wrong I like the eleaf, but I am going to have to replace it in 6 months or so when it stops holding a charge, I paid $50 for it now clones which will probably hold up the same are going for 20.

That store left a bad taste in my mouth after I really liked going there. They also are horrible at updating their website which makes knowing if they have what I want in stock before I head out of the house harder.

SO regardless of what you sell
know your product
make sure you explain it completely to your customers
leave no room for misunderstandings
dont just sell them the newest thing to sell them something
believe in everything you sell
 

Mattp169

Platinum Contributor
Vape Media
Member For 5 Years
oh and just to make my experince worse

One thing I told the employee form the start is
"look I dont mind buying online,l but I would prefer to just walk in here and buy what I need at a reasonable price and not have to wait 3-8 days for shipping"

I broke the glass on my nano in 2 days. Yes it comes with a spare. But they don'y stock replacement glass. They told me kanger doesn't sell them yet/ I told them I saw them online. They tell me those are clones not authentic Kangers. I said I saw them on KANGERS WEBSITE. They said OH well our distributor doesn't stock them yet.

So iI tell them upfront I will buy online but I want to be able to buy all my supplies there as well, sp sell me what you stock. And they sell me the nano knowing they arent stocking the replacement glass.


So more advice, LISTEN TO YOUR CUSTOMERS
 

Mike H.

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
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Member For 2 Years
Must haves are.

1.) Quality batteries..Really no reason to pay a higher premium for re wrapped brands..Sony VTC3 and 4's (true 30 amp)..Samsung 25R's and LG HE2's (true 20 amp) are really all you need for 18650 batteries...If you MUST sell efest batteries only sell the rewraps of 20 amp or higher continuos...Not the misleading 45amp stamped on the wrapper thats really 7 to 10 amps....The efest purple 2500 35a is an LG HE2 battery and is fine sold as a 20 amp continuous cell..But most of those efests are garbage and unsafe for vapors with false advertising.

Know what your batteries are and what to recommend based on the mod and needs of the customer..PLEASE DO NOT SELL TRUSTFIRE BATTERIES or those cheap batteries.

2.) Quality battery chargers..Either Nitecore or Xtar brands...The efest LUC chargers are good..they are made by Xtar.

Quality starter tanks like the Aspire Nautilus and Nautilus mini..Assortment of Kanger products with all the subtanks a must..Innokin iclear 30 and 30s and 30B..Replacement coils as well in all the ohm ranges...Replacement parts....An assortment of subohm tanks is a must., Kanger, Lemos, Arctic Tanks,Herakles, Delta 2, Atlantis..etc.......RTA tanks like the Orchid and Kayfun and Taifun and Elkronigan etc...

Authentic Kanger Evod blister packs are a great product to get new people started..This kit saved me from the cigs easily and its not pricey to get you some future customers when they want to upgrade in the future...Avoid those cheap no name ego set ups..they flat out suck ass.

Some quality Mods..Innokin MVP 20w..Innokin MVP 30w...Sigelei 30w mini..Sig 50w..Sig 100w..Sig 150w...Eleaf mini and the 20 w and 30w and 50w.

Some high end mods maybe like IPV models with temp control ...models for those into that scene.

Some decent 18650 tube mods..Even if clones, buy the quality clones..Dont sell the lower end stuff you can buy from fasttech...Alot seem to like SMPL copper and Nemesis and Fuhatten tube mods as brand names even if clones.

For RDA's...just sell the popular clones and even some authentic...Mutation X..DOGE..Derringer ,etc..

Kanthal coil wire in at minimum a 32g down to 24g or even 22g...Also Ni200 wire for the temp control mods.. Japanese cotton for wicking...Maybe Ohm meters and coiling kits etc...

Some mechanical box mods..Dovpo GX200 is a safe entry into that world.

Juices of course ranging from entry level affordable to somewhat pricey.

If you sell junk and especially over price junk, people will remember where they bought it and not return.

Best of luck to you.
 
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Hey! it's just Ray...

Silver Contributor
Member For 5 Years
Leave a couple of those round magnifing glass thingies on the counter for us old fuckers would be the shit for reading them bottles.

I always thought a band spot in the corner of a vape shop for bands or open jams even on selected evenings would bring in a heck of a good crowd.

Take some good pictures for your facebook of the music part as well and your in!
 
Last edited:

The Vapor Plant

Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
I meant a television for a juice menu. Stay on top of new products by Pioneer4You, Kanger, and Sigelei, as well as the subtanks that are always coming out. I've found that instagram is a great way to keep up with new RDAs, follow people like @dotmod @councilofvapor as well as builders like @squidoode @blueeyedgoon83 @wiretheory and @twistedmesses. Builders always get the newest RDAs before everyone else, and their opinions often sway the public into looking for them. Good luck!
The menu on a screen sounds like a good upgrade instead of readin a binder Ima see if I could turn one of my extra big computer monitors into one good ideas mann thanks
 

The Vapor Plant

Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
whats wrong with clones. I mean not just any clone, but ones that have proven to be reliable and good quality.

also
vape bands
drip tips of all shapes sizes and colors
lanyards
those little rubber tips to put over a top to let people try a juice
samsung 25r
chargers

eleafs seem to be very very very popular
as well as kanger subtanks
seigel
invader mini
cloupor
tesla


best bet is to go to youtube as well
look at what pbsuardo says is good and other major youtubers

let them do some work for you.


whatever you carry

make sure you understand it backwards and forwards, you have used it your staff has used it.

I hate when the local B&M sells me shit they dont really understand

case in point
went in and got talked into an eleaf 30w with a kanger nano
OK so far so good
no warning though that switching from an iclear 30s to a sub ohm tank would triple my juice consumption

they did take the time to explain the fact I need to lower my nic form 24 to 6 on a sub ohm

go back a week or so later cuz I find the nano to be poorly designed the coil gets stuck inside the tank very easily.

I explain the issue, Mind you same employee who spent an hour with me picking out my eleaf 30 and nano
and a guy I explained all my vaping experience to
I say to him maybe I need the mini instead it looks built better then the nano

he talks me into a maganus sub tank. him and another employee go on and on and on about how much better the dual vertical coils in it are soooooooooooooooooooo much better.

So I buy it.

Well after a few days I really felt like the maganus wasnt cutting it for me so I do a little research.

Apparently these Dual coils need more then 30 watts of power to shine
most people are vaping the .5 coils at 50-70 w versus 20-30 watts on a kanger .5 coil

My neighbor has a 150w box mod
I try the maganus on it and DAMN its nice at 60 watts.

SO now i need a new mod.

BULLSHIT I say
I go back to the store buy a mini. And I even say to the guy you know these maganus need like 50-70w to shine

Hes like "yeah they do"

Im not a confrontational sort and the store was full of customers, but I hate that. Guy tells me it will work fine on a 30w eleaf and then when I say it needs 50+ watts he acknowledges he knew that.

He's either full of shit or is just trying to sell me whatever he can.

so be upfront as possible with your customers. dont bullshit them.. Dont let employees bullshit them.
I needed an extra eleaf 30w guess who I didnt buy it from, nor did I buy my extra coils or replacement glass there either. Guess who now DIY's his own juice instead of buying from that B &M.

I really wish I would have gotten a box mod with replaceable batteries and a charger instead of the first eleaf 30
which is what I was going to get in the first place when I went in the store and got the eleaf.

Don't get me wrong I like the eleaf, but I am going to have to replace it in 6 months or so when it stops holding a charge, I paid $50 for it now clones which will probably hold up the same are going for 20.

That store left a bad taste in my mouth after I really liked going there. They also are horrible at updating their website which makes knowing if they have what I want in stock before I head out of the house harder.

SO regardless of what you sell
know your product
make sure you explain it completely to your customers
leave no room for misunderstandings
dont just sell them the newest thing to sell them something
believe in everything you sell
Very good info and I hate to hear how Ur service was I would hate to leave a customer un satisfied the part of him sayin yea I know is some bs and im sure he knew who u were and what he has sold U being u were a frequent customer. Not cool! Thanks again for the input and there is just so much stuff I def need an experienced mod genius by my side soon the shop will be evaluated today for my permits to hopefully pass and its up to that to get the ball rollin thanks
 

The Vapor Plant

Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
Must haves are.

1.) Quality batteries..Really no reason to pay a higher premium for re wrapped brands..Sony VTC3 and 4's (true 30 amp)..Samsung 25R's and LG HE2's (true 20 amp) are really all you need for 18650 batteries...If you MUST sell efest batteries only sell the rewraps of 20 amp or higher continuos...Not the misleading 45amp stamped on the wrapper thats really 7 to 10 amps....The efest purple 2500 35a is an LG HE2 battery and is fine sold as a 20 amp continuous cell..But most of those efests are garbage and unsafe for vapors with false advertising.

Know what your batteries are and what to recommend based on the mod and needs of the customer..PLEASE DO NOT SELL TRUSTFIRE BATTERIES or those cheap batteries.

2.) Quality battery chargers..Either Nitecore or Xtar brands...The efest LUC chargers are good..they are made by Xtar.

Quality starter tanks like the Aspire Nautilus and Nautilus mini..Assortment of Kanger products with all the subtanks a must..Innokin iclear 30 and 30s and 30B..Replacement coils as well in all the ohm ranges...Replacement parts....An assortment of subohm tanks is a must., Kanger, Lemos, Arctic Tanks,Herakles, Delta 2, Atlantis..etc.......RTA tanks like the Orchid and Kayfun and Taifun and Elkronigan etc...

Authentic Kanger Evod blister packs are a great product to get new people started..This kit saved me from the cigs easily and its not pricey to get you some future customers when they want to upgrade in the future...Avoid those cheap no name ego set ups..they flat out suck ass.

Some quality Mods..Innokin MVP 20w..Innokin MVP 30w...Sigelei 30w mini..Sig 50w..Sig 100w..Sig 150w...Eleaf mini and the 20 w and 30w and 50w.

Some high end mods maybe like IPV models with temp control ...models for those into that scene.

Some decent 18650 tube mods..Even if clones, buy the quality clones..Dont sell the lower end stuff you can buy from fasttech...Alot seem to like SMPL copper and Nemesis and Fuhatten tube mods as brand names even if clones.

For RDA's...just sell the popular clones and even some authentic...Mutation X..DOGE..Derringer ,etc..

Kanthal coil wire in at minimum a 32g down to 24g or even 22g...Also Ni200 wire for the temp control mods.. Japanese cotton for wicking...Maybe Ohm meters and coiling kits etc...

Some mechanical box mods..Dovpo GX200 is a safe entry into that world.

Juices of course ranging from entry level affordable to somewhat pricey.

If you sell junk and especially over price junk, people will remember where they bought it and not return.

Best of luck to you.
Good info I really appreciate Ur help gonna be doin research and studyin these mods
 

The Vapor Plant

Member For 4 Years
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Member For 1 Year
If so does anyone kno of a good wholesale talkin the cheapest u have seen even if its in bulk where I can get my inventory with. And that is trustful to buy from?
 

defvayne

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Member For 3 Years
Member For 2 Years
The care to share knowledge to those that just started vaping. Been to several vape shops and they are careless about sharing info about diy and how to's. Never been back to those. A friendly staff. Eye candy is a nice touch brings in more male clients. Coffee machine and water machine or water with fruits to cleanse palette when trying new juices.

Sent from my nexus 6 using Tapatalk
 

The Vapor Plant

Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
Member For 2 Years
Member For 1 Year
The care to share knowledge to those that just started vaping. Been to several vape shops and they are careless about sharing info about diy and how to's. Never been back to those. A friendly staff. Eye candy is a nice touch brings in more male clients. Coffee machine and water machine or water with fruits to cleanse palette when trying new juices.

Sent from my nexus 6 using Tapatalk
Lots of ideas I haven't ran into with shops down here these are great keep them comin thanks
 

outwest

VU Donator
Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Member For 3 Years
One vape shop in my area also sells coffee but forgot about those of us that drink tea. If you do the selling coffee and tea thing, make it good tea, such as Twinings, Builders, PGTips, etc. not that lipton crap (and don't get fooled by the PGTips from NJ, it's crap too. PGTips from NJ is completely different from the PGTips imported from UK).
 

Mattp169

Platinum Contributor
Vape Media
Member For 5 Years
The care to share knowledge to those that just started vaping. Been to several vape shops and they are careless about sharing info about diy and how to's. Never been back to those. A friendly staff. Eye candy is a nice touch brings in more male clients. Coffee machine and water machine or water with fruits to cleanse palette when trying new juices.

Sent from my nexus 6 using Tapatalk
Just make sure
when you have 1 customer in the store that needs lots of attention to teach them
you have other employees in store able to help out the other customers.

One store in town has made me stand through their 45 minute explanation of e-cigs to new customers when all I wanted was a damn coil. Even with the owners running around the store doing odds and ends.
And they didn't do it just once but at least 3 times. I never go there any more
 

dubya314

Platinum Contributor
Member For 5 Years
Imo, what you need 1st and for most is decent prices. I understand guys gotta make a living, but 300, 400, or even 500% mark up is just asinine. One local shop lost my business for life because they wanted to sell me kanthal at $1.00 per foot
 

Whiskey

Diamond Contributor
Member For 4 Years
This is a great feed back thread for what customers want from a B & M shop, with VERY good ideas for those starting a shop, I am going to go ahead and sticky this so others can find it for easy reference :)
 

nabibrian

VU Donator
Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Maybe consider catering to the DIY community and carry DIY supplies.
Such as PG/VG/, syringes, bottles, concentrates (TFA sales bulk at a decent price) etc
I would love if I could find a B&M that I could walk into to pick up some supplies like bottles and what not. That would be epic! In the meantime online purchasing is what I be doing.
 

High Society Supply

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I think Mike H hit the hammer on the nail with his post, my only tip to contribute would be, Make sure you carry vape products for the beginners, intermediate and advanced mod builders.
 
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scarecrowjenkins

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Unlisted Vendor
The menu on a screen sounds like a good upgrade instead of readin a binder Ima see if I could turn one of my extra big computer monitors into one good ideas mann thanks
No prob! If you could get the juice companies to send you a PDF of their menu you could run a slideshow on it. or at least if you could get their logos you could combine them into a nice menu in photoshop. The binders are annoying, and it seems like every juice company has their selection printed on a different size paper making even the best effort at organizing appear sloppy haha
 

outwest

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If you do a screen menu, I'd suggest a paper one available as well. There's a snack bar at a casino I go to that has a tv screen menu and before I can read halfway down, it changes screens and they don't have a printed menu to read, which means it takes friggin forever to read what with waiting for the screen to rotate back around to continue reading. Pisses me off every time I go there.
 

Barbara E.

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Bronze Contributor
Member For 4 Years
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Who are your customers?

You need to remember that forums such as this tend to be filled with people who are really 'into' vaping. That's what makes them such a wonderful learning experience. But you also have to remember that a significant percentage of your customers (many/most?) view vaping simply as a healthier substitute for cigarettes. They have zero interest in drippers or building coils, they're not interested in spending lots of money, and they will be intimidated walking into a store where everyone is using elaborate setups and blowing huge clouds.

But these people are still valuable customers. Percentage-wise, the things they want on a regular basis (coils, juice, etc.) are your biggest profit area.

It also depends where in the country you are located. I live in a relatively poor area of the country (Upstate SC). A hundred dollars here is vastly different from a hundred dollars in New York.

Juices are important because they're what people buy most frequently. If they fall in love with one of your flavors, they will keep coming back, especially if they can only get it at your shop. If you are using a distributor, don't believe everything they tell you. And don't depend solely on any given distributor because then you'll have exactly the same stuff all their other customers have. You have to set yourself apart in some way, give people a reason to come to you.
 

CTFX

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A must have at least for my b&m was having very knowledgeable staff who are professional builders who can teach their clients how to build correctly. Safety first before you bring your mods home to DIY! When a new vaper walks in wanting to know the ins and outs of vaping be courteous to them and help them. Starter kits are a great introduction for them. So I'd say have mods from starter kits all the way up to advanced setups. Also have DIY building classes for individuals who want to learn how to build successfully. I think that would be a great addition to a store and for the publics safety.

Juice categories would be great in stores. Lots of stores just have random juices lined up in no particular category. So you end up looking through 30 different juices just to find the one you like. If you have groupings at least it would be easier to go through and pick your favorites.

Big signs in front stating no one under 18/19 allowed applicable in your locale of course. No adults to buy for their children either. That is another reason why state and federal give us bad names. If your state doesn't allow vaping inside your store, perhaps have an area outside your shop where you can try juices and have vape sessions. Offer some beverages and stuff. Do some local donation kind of things for awareness. Things like that :)
 

Ravi Brounstein

Herbal Dude
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Ok so as some may know I'm Tryin to open up my vape shop. I wanted to kno what are must haves in your opinion to have in my shop as for mods, rda's, pens that being brands and models im Tryin to get my list of things and Im wanting to kno what is out and in popular demand. All help is appreciated VU members TIA!!!


I should mention a sweet app called:

screenlyapp.com

with very little cost or expertise you can setup and manage digital signage.

This is perfect for retail.

In fact with a little web development you could have live inventory up there, rotating with special, and vale videos so it looks like a real retail channel just for your shop.
 

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