Hey all! Hope this is okay to post here in The Pub, I’m a newer member here & wasn’t sure if I should put the topic here or in Health & Advocacy… Loving the ELR community so far
I have seen a lot of talk regarding this upcoming USPS Vape Mail ban, incoming late March/ April 2021, and what exactly it may entail, who & how it will affect individual consumers, businesses, DIY, etc. Figured it would be worth dedicating a thread to this awful, stressful situation. All we really know thus far for individuals & consumers is that:
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we have less than 120 days until potentially being unable to get our vape gear & supplies shipped to us from stateside companies (China has it’s workarounds lol)
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the bill is written to include NO NIC vape juice! basically anything that could even be considered for use in or for vaping, even CBD vaping, is going to be included (stock coils, mods, pods, tanks, no nic & nic ejuice; this COULD mean that nicotine base for DIY use may be included)
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More $$, more time or both just to receive gear & products from B&M stores or overseas
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FedEx has already stated that they will also be banning vape mail starting in March 2021.
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we will still be able to order from overseas, as long as they have ways for us to pay them
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as the PMTA scare taught us, it would seem that VG, PG, flavor concentrates, wire for coil building, cotton, rayon, batteries/ chargers & similar, related rebuildable & DIY gear will be spared from the shipping regulations, as all aforementioned items have more uses than vaping
The USPS/ FedEx/ UPS mail ban is also going to severely effect vape business to business shipments (not business to consumer sales). Vaping360.com has laid out a basic interpretation of what March 2021 may hold… Businesses would be required to do a TON of extra reporting, filing, documentation etc in order to comply with the PACT Act. These additional requirements may cause some to close shop.
I’ve started this thread to give us all a place to vent our frustrations, link articles & information, discuss any info we can find & even come together to find any solutions (or loopholes) to this. If any updates, links or new information regarding the 2021 Vape Mail ban is uncovered, please update us all here. How does this make you guys feel? Are you worried about small businesses & vape shops? What does the future of DIY look like? Does our govt even care that they’re forcing our $$ overseas?
Would now be a bad time to wish you & yours a Happy New Year? I hope this wasn’t too long & that the emojis weren’t too annoying (they help break up big text walls imo)
EDIT 1/11: What can we do?? As per @muth, here are some great starting suggestions:
Please answer to the Calls for Action that CASAA sends out. Just sign up with them, it’s free. You can all be emailing and or calling your state reps. Everything gets spelled out for you, it’s not hard. I find it hard to make a phone call but they even provide a script for you and the reps never pick up the phone, lol. You leave a voicemail. Edited original comment slightly for this post. Also, start stocking up on things you use, buy some RDAs/RTAs/RDTAs (even if you don’t build), prob some nic base too.
EDIT 1/16: The USPS ban that was bundled in with the recent spending/ stimulus package was officially signed into law on 12/27/20 meaning the ban will be imparted on (or before) April 27 or 28, 2021
EDIT 1/24: A few days ago (around Jan 20, 2021) I received an email back from Heartland Vapes reassuring me that as of now they’re aware of the upcoming ban & will just remain using UPS. I asked them to keep their newsletter subscribers informed of any changes if possible, they said they would. I can imagine that many companies will just switch to UPS, if they don’t use UPS already (many do).
EDIT 1/27: Well, F!!! Reddit post with claims that UPS WILL join in on the BS starting April 5, 2021
EDIT 1/28: Reddit post outlining the USPS ban timeframe, indicates a due date of late April, unless USPS decides to implement ban sooner. I also removed the new regulations being put on business to business sales in hopes of cleaning up the post to make it easier to read for consumers (most of us)