Just got done reading about some vape drama between “528 Custom Vapes” and “Eightvape”. Long story condensed is that that Eightvape appartently bought 2200 Goon 1.5’s wholesale @ $25.00 each and were/are reselling them for $29.99 each. This didn’t sit well with 528, who issued public statements to the effect that Eightvape was lying about the authenticity of said product. Eightvape then produced documentation proving the sale and authenticity… Just an interesting read for anyone that may be so inclined to review: https://www.reddit.com/r/electronic_cigarette/comments/6t6tzq/fuck_528_customs_never_buying_their_crap_again/
Wow. Quite interesting. Thank you for sharing.
good read and info, thks bud
Sure wish I had 30 bones, I’d jump all over that.
I remember when 3fvape said they had authentic goons and blueeyedgoon83 told every one that they were clones.
guess they weren’t.
I also remember that fiasco of pulsing a defective goon on a mech mod.
I gotta say I don’t like the sound of that. I didn’t know they treated customers like that. That is serious bull crap. I would like to know more but in the mean time I think I will join those that don’t want to do business with them.
Yeah, sounds shady all in all…they should have specified a floor price in a contract if they expected one to be maintained. It looks like the 1.5 has over-saturated the market with their product. It is a bunch of nerve to claim that the product is a clone after the fact. Truth be told $65 is a lot for a Chinese made RDA to begin with. I think a lot of the aura of the Goon has worn off at this point. At the end of the day this is going to be good for Eightvape, which is good karma considering 528 sought to negatively affect them. BTW, they offer $5 off on your 1st order too
The vaping industry is chock full of nonsense drama. It’s kinda funny really. This happens a lot in any Chinese exporter industry mind, clones, designed in some dudes basement and made in china, stupidly variable pricing.
But, it’s also kinda a perfect example of “do we really need patents for a good industry?” I think the answer is clearly no.
That said, I bought a goon 1.5 clone from 3fvape a couple weeks ago . . .if the damn thing ever gets here. And it’s not because I’m morally against Goon or their 60 USD RRP, it’s because I didn’t have 60 bucks, but I did have 8, simple as that.
Funnily enough, that’s how the “free market” is actually supposed to work. And so is Eightvape taking a much smaller profit margin than expected in effort to sell more. But, naturally, IP holders tend to throw hissy-fits in real free markets. Vaping is actually a good example of a pretty free market right now, and great to compare to the markets controlled by various mono/oligopoly stakes and the regulatory bodies they’ve effectively seized thru funding.
ya I totally agree, but it is still a great rda to put a big build in. Personally I like the twisted messes 24.
Lately there have been some decent RDA’s hitting the market. I gotta say, I am unwilling to pay over 40 bucks for a piece of gear ( I am a notorious cheepskate). I always wait until I find a deal. Maybe I should check out eightvape
Damn they are out of rose gold
Not a good look for 528.
On the other hand eightvape looks great. They are totally transparent. But I already knew they were awesome since I’ve been ordering from them for a long time. So maybe I’m biased.
ya i love eightvape a great company , for 528 to oull some shady shit like that is horrible , im loving the fact that eightvape called them on their bullshit and still is selling them for 30 lmao
If I recall, asMODus pulled the same BS about a year ago, claiming that because certain sites were selling Sigelei mods under the MSRP that asMODus wouldn’t honor the warranty. It seems like every couple of months some big head in the vaping industry goes completely wonky…VaporChef, anyone?
When the 3fvape thing first happened 528 responded that they were not authentic and they had never heard of 3fvape. This immediately threw up a red flag for me. How can you possible be in the industry and not know of the big hitters in China?
It all sounded a bit fishy.
Anyway, after signing up for EightVape rewards program and applying the points I now have an authentic Goon 1.5 on the way for $29.98 shipped. Yay me!
Just read the thread on reddit about the goon and i must say that 528customs and the people there are total dickheads and should get a crash course in business ethics.
Strong arming companies because they sell a product under a recommended price and fabricate lies about it is a new total low in the industry and not the first time either.
And besides, it isn’t like it really matters since 528customs already got their money through the wholesale deal and basically has no saying anymore. In my mind it is up to the company that sell the goons at what price they sell it since the lower the price the lower the profit.
Cockwombles. Not sure i wanna get another goon ever again. Don’t really wanna support such a shady company by giving them my money.
I got a Goon 1 clone about a month or so ago “Kindbright Goon” for $10 and am completely satisfied with the purchase. I don’t do dual coils more than a couple times a week anymore and generally can’t be bothered with dripping, unless I am flavor or recipe testing…abyhew, it is just fine and now I don’t feel too bad about it being a clone. LOL (I really never did anyway)
yup - I’m there with ya bud…waited and waited to buy a Tesla Invader 3 until I could get one for under $30…& I did last month.
ya gotta admit, it IS pretty sexy
cool bro. did you just do that?
Allow me to play devils advocate. Selling way below MSRP undercuts EVERY other business trying to sell said product. IMO it’s disrespectful to all the other businesses as well as the manufacturer. Obviously they weren’t bound to keep the market competitive but it’s not very classy to undercut everyone. I know,I know business is dog eat dog. This seems an awful lot like a company that ordered way too many units and could not sell them. Their estimations were way off and that’s really nobody’s fault but their own. A flash sale followed by dumping the rest of the stock off on other vendors seems like it would have been the best for everyone while still keeping the market competitive.
Since I mentioned being classy above, it’s only fair to say 528 was less than classy with how they handled the situation. It isn’t really surprising considering how they dealt with 3f vape though. They really seem to think selling their product below MSRP hurts them and their other vendors and I don’t blame them for that. I think hiring a level-headed P.R.guy is something they really need to do. Obviously they have quite a few issues with customers as well as vendors. They don’t seem to have the customer support skills to deal with issues that pop up . Whining and lashing out doesn’t belong in business! To claim theses companies are selling clones to “balance” the market was disgusting, unless there were some clones being sold. I suspect they are all authentic though. Moving forward they should be completely transparent with potential vendors and come to an agreement on minimum/maximum price. If those contracts were in place this particular mess wouldn’t exist.
The problem with 528 starts and ends with 528, No RDA is worth what they ask, The Goon is a good RDA don’t get me wrong but by today’s standards it’s a real basic design…hence…the market gets flooded with clones.
I would never buy 528 because they rip people off from the outset, It doesn’t surprise me in the slightest that they’re a dodgy company to deal with when their mark up is so vast, And they clearly want to keep that inflated price high to sustain their arrogant …and undeserved…status. If I was eightvape I’d dump the lot at cost and cut all ties, There are plenty of (IMO) better RDA’s out there…or certainly just as good…for a third of the price from more reputable manufacturers.
Screw 528, They deserve everything they get.