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US vs China prices/speed... Is "pre-ordering" obsolete?

hellcatrydr

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
I'm rethinking the whole pre-ordering idea from scratch because I've noticed the gap getting much narrower and US sellers are actually getting their shipments BEFORE the Asian vendor's "pre"-order even leaves China.

Time was not that long ago, when ordering a mod from China, you could expect it to cost about 60-70% of what an American vendor would charge.
AND if it was a new device, you could pre-order it from China and get it before most everybody else out there... A pre-order was an assurance that you would get yours first and get it cheap.

But that just isn't quite true anymore.

I am frequently seeing remarkably fast US availability for new mods over the last year or so...
In fact I'm noticing American vendors sometimes have "it" in stock and it's still on pre-order from China!!! :eek:
What I'm seeing a lot of lately is that the US vendors have new products in hand, ready to sell BEFORE CHINA! Last year I pre-ordered a mod from GB and found it in a shop a few days later! Mine hadn't even been sent out yet! :cuss2:

And something else... prices. That gap has narrowed quite a bit too.

Time was, the difference in China v US price (& getting it earlier) was huge. But I just wanna share my experience that surprised me a bit...

I wanted the new ijoy PS2170 kit and I found it at My Vapor Store for $55.
Then I go over to my usual Chinese vendor and the price is $52... and it's still on pre-order status!
MVS has all colors, China has 2... and one of em costs an extra buck. :huh:

The same thing happened with my evic Primo 2. The price difference is no longer worth the headache.

This is just a couple examples of 4 or 5 instances of this happening... I'm seeing it a lot. US vendors are faster with the new stuff than ever before now. That coupled with the very small price differences I'm seeing now have made it so I haven't ordered from china in over a year.

American vendors have come up!
So peeples, do your price/availability research before buying or especially "pre-ordering" from China. You might just find it here.

I've personally seen Vapor DNA have stuff before China... MFS too. But right now my go-to seems to be MVS for prices & availability/shipping.

Props to MVS
and all US sellers who are closing those price gaps.
 

JuicyLucy

My name is Lucy and I am a squonkaholic
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
VU Challenge Team
Member For 5 Years
And something else... prices. That gap has narrowed quite a bit too.


So peeples, do your price/availability research before buying or especially "pre-ordering" from China. You might just find it here.

Definitely agree with doing the old homework there - I too have noticed a real uptick in there being little to no price incentive to buy from China on newer stuff - not always, but a lot of times lately I've seen Chinese sights selling at MSRP on pre-order and US sellers having it early like you said, at the same or even lower price
 

Canadian Vaper

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
Reddit Exile
I have so many vapes that if one breaks I have 10 backups.. That said I don't pre-order anymore, I wait for sales then order, I definitely don't need something as soon as it comes out and don't want it either, I want to see real feedback/reviews from actual people and not mainstream reviewers before I get something in case there is any problems with the device and then if I decide I want it when a sale comes around I'll snatch it up.
 

Just Frank

Platinum Contributor
Member For 5 Years
I'm rethinking the whole pre-ordering idea from scratch because I've noticed the gap getting much narrower and US sellers are actually getting their shipments BEFORE the Asian vendor's "pre"-order even leaves China.

Time was not that long ago, when ordering a mod from China, you could expect it to cost about 60-70% of what an American vendor would charge.
AND if it was a new device, you could pre-order it from China and get it before most everybody else out there... A pre-order was an assurance that you would get yours first and get it cheap.

But that just isn't quite true anymore.

I am frequently seeing remarkably fast US availability for new mods over the last year or so...
In fact I'm noticing American vendors sometimes have "it" in stock and it's still on pre-order from China!!! :eek:
What I'm seeing a lot of lately is that the US vendors have new products in hand, ready to sell BEFORE CHINA! Last year I pre-ordered a mod from GB and found it in a shop a few days later! Mine hadn't even been sent out yet! :cuss2:

And something else... prices. That gap has narrowed quite a bit too.

Time was, the difference in China v US price (& getting it earlier) was huge. But I just wanna share my experience that surprised me a bit...

I wanted the new ijoy PS2170 kit and I found it at My Vapor Store for $55.
Then I go over to my usual Chinese vendor and the price is $52... and it's still on pre-order status!
MVS has all colors, China has 2... and one of em costs an extra buck. :huh:

The same thing happened with my evic Primo 2. The price difference is no longer worth the headache.

This is just a couple examples of 4 or 5 instances of this happening... I'm seeing it a lot. US vendors are faster with the new stuff than ever before now. That coupled with the very small price differences I'm seeing now have made it so I haven't ordered from china in over a year.

American vendors have come up!
So peeples, do your price/availability research before buying or especially "pre-ordering" from China. You might just find it here.

I've personally seen Vapor DNA have stuff before China... MFS too. But right now my go-to seems to be MVS for prices & availability/shipping.

Props to MVS
and all US sellers who are closing those price gaps.
I remember last spring a BUNCH of people pre-ordered the Predator mod/kit. I don't hear about people doing that anymore.
 

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