The End of Online Vape Sales
Deep in the 5,593-page, $1.4 trillion US federal omnibus spending bill is a provision that will likely put an end to online sales of vape juice and all vaping hardware. While we’ve spent years fighting the war on vapor from multiple fronts, fending off attack after attack, this may finally be the measure that prevents us from shipping e-liquid to our retail customers ever again. And sadly, there’s very little we can do about it, and very little you can do about it – other than find a local vape shop and convince them to carry Mister-E-Liquid. Though we are currently seeking viable alternatives, and we will absolutely keep you informed as the situation develops, Mister-E-Liquid.com can no longer accept orders. This is a very big deal, so let’s back up and begin at the beginning.
What happened?
Buried on page 5,136 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 – better known as the federal budget – is a measure that defines any vaping products as “cigarettes” under the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking (PACT) Act, part of the federal Jenkins Act. This has multiple effects, the most immediate of which is that within 120 days, it will specifically prevent the United States Postal Service (USPS) from carrying any vaping products, just as they’re prohibited from carrying cigarettes. This includes not just vape juice, but also vaping hardware like coils and mods.
The obvious alternative, of course, would be to deliver our vape juice by UPS or FedEx or another private carrier, but they’ve blocked this route, too. FedEx has already committed to no longer transporting vapor products. Even if other carriers don’t follow suit – and they have 90 days to do so – the PACT Act puts such impossible burdens on shipping using private carriers that it becomes impossible to deliver vape products economically.
The carrier has to be able to check ID on delivery, and any error is subject to massive liability, including fines and possible jail time for the delivery person, making this type of delivery extremely expensive. The customer has to be home for delivery, and it has to be the same person who placed the order, not just someone over 21 who can legally receive it. The retailer – that’s us – has to file massive volumes of reports with every state, local, and tribal government, including the identity of every customer to whom we’ve sold, with again massive liabilities.
They’re making it impossible to be an online vape company, without expressly outlawing the industry. We can legally keep making our product, we just can’t get it to you. By slipping it into a bill that was too big to fail – this year’s spending bill includes desperately-needed pandemic aid – they’ve back-doored their way into killing the online sales of vaping.
“They’re making it impossible to be an online vape company, without expressly outlawing the industry.”
What can I do about it?
Unfortunately, there’s really nothing any of us can do right now from a legal standpoint. This isn’t proposed legislation that can be defeated by contacting your representatives, as we’ve successfully done in the past! This is the law now. It passed the House, and the Senate, and while the President considered a veto, at the last minute he signed the bill into law, on December 27, 2020. While we’ll be pursuing every legal recourse, we’re unfortunately not optimistic this time. It hurts to have to say that, but we want to be honest with you.
We also want you to be able to keep vaping Mister-E-Liquid! We’re going to do everything possible to make sure you can. So here’s how:
Buy local
If you live in or near Michigan or Illinois, you can continue to shop directly with us! Check the Locations section of our homepage to find the closest Mister-E’s or BloNoSmoke store, as well as any other of the many fine stores nationwide that sell Mister-E-Liquid products!
And if your local vape shop doesn't carry MEL?
Get into your local vape shop and tell them you want to buy Mister-E-Liquid from them! Have them contact us and we’ll try and get our products into their store. If you’d rather we reach out to your local shop, we’re happy to do that, too! Contact us yourself – all our contact information is in the header of this page – and tell us who your local vape shop is, and we’d be happy to reach out and show them how to get your favorite Mister-E-Liquid on their shelves!
Is this the end?
Not by a long shot! We have fought side-by-side in many battles over the last 10 years, and while this is a major blow to our ability to get your favorite flavors in your hands, we’re going to keep making them. It might take a little more work than before, but you’re going to be buying all your vape juice locally now, so why not buy Mister-E-Liquid locally? We’d be happy to be in your local shop – always assuming we’re not already!
Mister-E-Liquid isn’t going anywhere. We’re going to keep making the same great liquid we’ve been making for a decade. We’re sorry the federal government has decided to do this to you, but it’s not going to stop us from fighting for your rights! We’re all in this together.