Starting a Vape Store: A Few Things You Should Know for Success in 2025

Posted on 9/25/2025, 10:22:51 PM

Starting a vape business is definitely a good bet in 2025. With more people vaping than ever before, both for help with quitting smoking and for pleasure, there will be no shortage of customers. 

Setting up any business – even one that’s likely to be very lucrative – is never easy, however, so in this short article, you’ll learn about some of the most important elements for running a store like this. 

Understand Your Legal Requirements

Running a vape store comes with a great deal of responsibility, and that’s reflected in the law. 

The requirements are different depending on where you live; each location has a unique way of viewing things, and the law continues to evolve.

Every product you stock will have to comply with both local and government-level laws, which pertain to elements like flavor, nicotine levels, labelling, age restriction, and more. Do plenty of research so that you’re crystal clear on the rules, and make sure you stay up-to-date to account for any changes. 

Choose Your Partners Carefully

With consumable products like e-cigarettes, it’s very important to form relationships with reliable suppliers early on. You should only be working with suppliers and brands that can produce the appropriate certificates that denote product safety, and don’t rely on just one, as you don’t want to be left in the lurch if something happens to break apart that relationship. 

It’s also worth mentioning that third-party lab testing should be mandatory, because while the certificate is great, the testing verifies a manufacturer’s compliance. 

Utilize Specialized Payment Processing

Payment processing is a key category to think about when setting up your business. It comprises the secure platform you’ll use as a bridge between your customer’s bank account and yours.

Given the nature of the products you’re selling, many of the top payment processors view you as a high-risk business. This is due to the strict regulatory frameworks discussed above. 

For this reason, you’ll want to work with a provider who is familiar with this industry to provide your e-cigarette payment processing. 

Consider Offering Educational Services

One of the most important elements of running a business is knowing your customer base inside out. When it comes to vapes, many of your customers will be first-time buyers, and it’s key to recognize how overwhelming things can be for them. 

Whether it be devices, nicotine strengths, or flavors, there are so many choices to make, but you, as a provider, can help them with that. It would be helpful to offer education on the different types of e-cigarettes as part of the buying process, for example, and you could also set up a starter kit that’s especially tailored for beginners (you can draw inspiration from online resources for your own educational packages)

Wrapping Up

The above points only cover a few of the most critical elements for successfully running a vape store, but they’re a great place to begin. Have patience, work through each component systematically, and it’ll all come together in the end.