Unsurprisingly, the fake vape black market has exploded, with fake disposable vape products leading the way.

Fake vape products (particularly in the HQD, IGET and Gunnpod brands) are flooding the vaping industry and can be hard to distinguish from genuine products.

Counterfeit vape product vendors selling market imitations can be easily avoided by simply not purchasing the affected brands, but if you don't want to have to avoid your favourite vaping brands, it's important to know not only how to spot a fake vape product, but also why they're so dangerous.

Why Are Fake Vape Products Bad?

Counterfeit vape products pose a number of serious health risks as they skirt around the strict guidelines that have been built to ensure safe vaping.

Fake cartridges and E-liquids may contain harmful chemicals such as heavy metals or even pesticides that can do serious damage to lung tissue.

Health concerns aside, concerns have been rising - along with consumer complaints - over the quality of disposable vape devices.

Imitation vape products are not regulated, which means that there are serious issues with the construction of them:

• They often use of low-quality metals
• Lead soldering is often used around heating elements which when heated can release toxic fumes
• They're prone to overheating issues
• They tend to use cheap batteries, which may result in poor battery life
• There's no guarantee that the nicotine level is accurate - or even if there is any nicotine included at all
• They often have faulty wiring which may result in a vape that breaks or simply doesn't work.

Sadly, many vapers don't know how to choose a disposable vape and fall victim to fake products but don't realise until they have already purchased it and taken their first puff.

Unfortunately, the majority of vapers that are duped into buying fake products are new users just starting out on their vaping journey, which can be very disheartening.

So how do you avoid buying fake disposable vape products?

How to Avoid Fake Vape Products

Brands such as IGET, HQD Cuvie and Gunnpod have recently seen large numbers of counterfeit products hit the shelves in various global markets.  

The vaping industry is vulnerable to underhanded marketing and branding, and these particular brands' disposable vapes do not state nicotine on their packaging.

These are perfect entry points for shady vape producers as they can easily replicate the product and packaging without the need to source genuine ingredients or nicotine salt.

Here are a few ways you can avoid buying fake disposable vape products:

1. Purchase From Verified Reputable Retailers

Make sure you buy your disposable vape products from online sellers that comply with all government regulations and industry standards.

Dig deeper and check out your online vape shop's reputation - do they have a history of positive customer feedback?

Nobody is perfect - but make sure that any consumer complaints are based on simple human error mistakes - not product complaints.  

Ideally, the values of your vape provider should align with your own.

At PodVapes, we pride ourselves on our honesty and care for our customers and we strive to be the most trusted name in vaping.

      2. Learn How to Spot Fake Packaging and Labelling

You can easily spot fake disposable vape products by looking at their packaging and labelling:

• Nicotine concentration
  Genuine nicotine products including disposable nicotine vapes will always state the nicotine concentration clearly on the packaging. If the nicotine concentration is missing, DO NOT BUY! 
• 'Best before' date
  A ‘Best Before’ date or batch code will be displayed prominently on the packaging. 
• ingredients
  Real nicotine disposable vapes will always state the exact ingredients on the packaging. 
• nicotine warnings
  Nicotine concentration levels as well as nicotine warnings will always be displayed on real vape products.

If any packaging or labelling seems dubious, raises questions, or is unclear - DO NOT BUY. You are putting your health at risk!  

     3. Pay Attention to Price

Many vendors/sellers of counterfeit vapes are looking to make a profit by selling cheap, unreliable products.

If you find a vendor selling a well-known, popular brand at a much cheaper price than the standard, they are likely to be imitation products.

In saying that, reputable companies often do sales or deals on vaping products so be sure to look at the packaging, labelling, and do your research on the vape provider before making any purchase.

     4. Do Your Research

It's important to do your research on a vendor both internally (by reading reviews on individual products listed on the vendor's site) and externally (by doing a quick Google search and reading reviews on the site/vendor).

Take your time before making any purchase to ensure that they are a reputable online vape store that not only adheres to industry standards but also cares for their customer's well-being.

Join the PodVapes community today and explore our wide range of genuine disposable vapes.

Protect Yourself Against Fake Disposable Vapes

No one wants to be scammed!

Protect yourself and your health by checking the product's packaging, labelling, pricing, and ingredients before making any vape product purchase.

Stick with trusted and reputable retailers that have a history of positive customer feedback and you'll know that you're in safe hands.

It can be difficult to know where to start when looking to buy genuine vaping products, but if you shop with PodVapes, you can shop safely and, in turn, vape safely.

Why not check out our top 3 disposable vapes article if you're not sure where to start?

Our friendly team is here 24/7 to answer any questions that you might have along your vaping journey.