Purple-Days availability

Oh, about the auction for charity. It has been suggested. Even if we gave the entire amount to charity it might be viewed as publicity. Not our style. We support, we give. but in a more private way. Others can too.

HoneyAir, I have no idea how to implement a system like that, maybe it's a good idea. That's why I leave it to experts, I'm not even sure what a server is. Seriously.

Sticks, I just can't bring myself to the 'increase price to temper demand' mind set. Just not my way. Crazy, huh?

Chubba, no worries, everybody has a right to ask about their order. But you can imagine what longer lead times would generate.

Yup. Judging from what else is available in the vaporizer market, it seems that 100-200 dollars is the sweet spot for this vape. Depending upon availability, increasing the price within that sweet spot can actually INCREASE demand, rather than temper it, as witnessed when it went up from 150 to 180. The danger is, however, that increasing the price beyond that sweet spot "could" cause the demand to come to a screeching halt.

There will always be a few that will be willing to pay "beyond" market prices on ebay so they can "be the first on their block", but that does not mean that a product will survive in the general marketplace at that inflated ebay price.

What Tom is doing is "just his way", but strictly from a long range marketing point of view (knowing full well that marketing is NOT what he is consciously doing here), what he is doing is exactly what he SHOULD be doing. Create a great product, create word of mouth desire for that product in a vapor enthusiast web site, price it in the "sweet spot", stay visible on that web site and respond to users and potential users in an effort to provide good customer service, keep the supply limited to keep demand high (knowing full well that a few showing up on ebay actually helps in increasing the desire for ownership).

But please understand. Tom DOES NOT think this way. He is not a marketeer. He is a builder of things. I'm not a builder of things. I am a marketeer, so I think this way. So ironically, Toms insistence of NOT doing what SEEMS to be good marketing sense, is really exactly what he SHOULD be doing, strictly from a long-term marketing prospective.

Now don't flame me guys. I am only coming from a marketing POV here. The vaporizer market is still in it's infancy and is rather small. When it grows, the above parameters may change, but unit that happens, personally, I think what Tom is doing here is exactly what he should be doing:
Create a quality product
Position it so that it fills a particular niche, and this case the niche is efficiency.
Provide excellent "after sale" support
Price product in the sweet spot
Limit supply to increase demand while maintaining the correct price point (knowing full well that Tom is not doing this with a marketing intent, ,but more from his personal life-style desires as well as his own personal ethics and beliefs)

Believe me guys, I totally understand your frustration in sitting in front of your computer hitting the refresh button, and some of you may even get so disgusted as to get anther vape, but until another vape shows up that can compete with the PD in terms of aesthetics, efficiency, simplicity, reliability, and user customer support, there will be more that continues to hit that refresh button than those that don't, so from an ex-marketing exec, my advice to Tom would be, "Don't change a thing". The limited availability just helps to create that aura of desirability (and knowing Tom, I can literally see his expression of disgust by my last statement here), but again, this is my POV, not Toms.

Been thinking about the E-Bay and scalpers thing.

Warning to all:
If you buy a Purple-Days anywhere but VapeNow or Purple-Days, it will be considered a second=hand - used vape. You will be given no customer support and you will have no warranty rights. Period. This scalper thing makes me mad as hell.

There... the warranty page, the Site Map page and the FAQ all have bold /highlighted warnings to potential buyers.

I don't like using the words... but, FUCK YOU scalpers !

I was wondering how you would tell if it was a second hand vape? and not the orginal purchaser of the pd? are there serial numbers inside or something? well tom pam keep up the great work love my pd and to those who havent recieved there PD

Patience is a virtue because it makes us better people. The definition of the word is to tolerate delay. This implies self control and forebearance as opposed to wanting what we want when we want it. How many times have we jumped the gun and found out it it would have been better to tolerate delay or had self control? What did we miss out on? Did we hurt someone because of lack of patience? Did our lives just change completely just because we couldn't control ourselves? Patience is not only a virtue but a necessity for a happy exisitience.

High n Dry said:

Patience is not only a virtue but a necessity for a happy exisitience.

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So is a PD !!

Easy as pie, HIgh n Dry. There are only two people in this whole world who sell this vape. We both have a list of purchasers and dates. All VapeNow customers are e-mailed a receipt. If it's not an original purchaser, it is a used vape. Not much question about it.

This seems to be the only way to put a stop to the scalper non-sense. Hope any who bought PDs hoping to scalp get the message.

Purple-Days said:

Easy as pie, HIgh n Dry. There are only two people in this whole world who sell this vape. We both have a list of purchasers and dates. If it's not an original purchaser, it is a used vape. Not much question about it.

This seems to be the only way to put a stop to the scalper non-sense. Hope any who bought PDs hoping to scalp get the message.

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Tom, hope there's a disclaimer (not in a typical legalese font) on your site as well as VapeNow's site regarding this, something to the effect of, "If unit is purchased from a private party or a non-authorized dealer, all warranties are null and void". I think it would further serve your purpose in trying discourage ebay purchases.

Do you think it would be an E-bay Terms of Service violation to click the "Ask seller a question" link and tell someone they're an asshole?

Not trying to be a downer.....but you will not stop scalpers by stating you won't service your product if it is purchased on ebay. As long as the demand outweighs the supply........or you change the system, this will continue. Not offering service on them is your choice.....but these are not used items, they are brand new items that are being sold at a mark-up due to supply and demand. I stated two or three weeks ago this would happen, and now it has.......and its only bound to get worse as long as this situation continues.

It is Tom's choice to not provide customer service on the item, but in the end.....if a high percentage of his vapes end up on ebay and he voids their warranty just because he WANTS to.......then he will create bad will with customers whose only crime was to purchase his great vape. You are punishing the consumer......not the person you are mad at, which is the scalper!

The only way to stop this is a waiting list where you can control the names......and see who is ordering and how many. This puts total control back in your hands as the builder and seller. Tell vapenow to start a waiting list......with the idea that they will take orders and credit card numbers. Buyers are told the lead time is lengthy and they might not receive their item for a month or two.....maybe more. Buyers are also told that at any time their order may be canceled due to availability issues. Buyers are told that their credit card will not be charged until their unit is ready to ship......then when their turn comes....you charge their card and ship the unit. If their card comes up no good......move to the next name on the list. If they decide to cancel they are taken off the list etc. It really isn't that complicated, and will prevent MANY PD's from showing up on Ebay. Folks will still continue to buy them and sell them on ebay, but with a list of people's names and credit card numbers, vapenow will be able to see who is trying to order multiple units. Right now people who make a business off of ebay will continue to buy this hot item and sell it for double what its worth. I can't understand why Tom wants to punish people that are merely consumers of his great product. Instead find a way to put a stop to as much as the scalping as possible with a system.

Threatening to void your own warranty compromises the idea that your product is near indestructible, and the pride that you have in your warranty......and since it is, do you think doing this when you've shown videos of it being run over by a car is really going to stop this. It would also punish the consumer, and not the person you're really mad at, which are the scalpers. If you are truly offended by the scalpers, then don't force a ticketmaster Hannah Montana scene on the US public.....work with folks familiar with how to run a business and deal with these things to fix it. This has been an evolution over the last two months.....continue to let it evolve and morph into a fair and equitable system that limits the PD's for sale on the secondary market.

If you do nothing about this......it will continue and only get much worse.

Yeah, I didn't even think people were doing this until I ran a quick search!!! (1) (2)

nobilo said:

Tell vapenow to start a waiting list......with the idea that they will take orders and credit card numbers. Buyers are told the lead time is lengthy and they might not receive their item for a month or two.....maybe more. Buyers are also told that at any time their order may be canceled due to availability issues. Buyers are told that their credit card will not be charged until their unit is ready to ship......then when their turn comes....you charge their card and ship the unit. If their card comes up no good......move to the next name on the list. If they decide to cancel they are taken off the list etc. It really isn't that complicated

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I would NEVER buy ANYTHING on-line this way. Give them my credit card number and have to wait possibly a month or longer and TRUST that they won't charge my card early. NO fucking way.

And, as simple of a procedure as this sounds to you, it DOES add another level of complexity to the ordering and shipping processes.

Discouraging sales by voiding warranties if purchased from a non-authorized dealer is a COMMON practice, even in brick and mortar stores. Will it totally fix the ebay situation. NO. Nothing will, but it will help.

Chubba said:

One other thought: has it dawned on anybody that this product is made in the good old USA, but can only be easily purchased by foreigners. Yet another disparity in the ordering process....our foreign friends are able to easily order from Tom, while the North American customers are left to become "refresh monkeys" as somebody put it. It seems there are several folks that are sitting in front of their computers all day trying to obtain this thing (2000 refreshes a day??? crazy MF's) Will a time come when the demand for this product is so high that half of the supply is being sent outside our borders.......while the US contingent scrambles week after week hitting refresh for the rest of the bounty, while having to compete against folks that are adept at running an ebay business out of their home?

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What type of bollocks is this?

I'm from Australia, I recieved my PD earlier this week.

Have you ever stopped to think that we don't have ONE (yes, ONE)) vaporizer dealer in the whole of Australia? You CAN NOT buy a vaporizer in Australia! You got dozens of vaporizer companies and dealers in the US, that offer great prices, offer free shipping, arrives under a week, standard 110-120V US plugs.

We pay big $$ for our vaporizers (my Silver Surfer costed me nearly $500), we pay $$ for our international shipping, we wait multiple weeks (sometimes over months) while they're shipped around the world. We drive around, buying wall adapters, step down transformers and all types of gadgets... then when it's all said and down, if anything ever breaks we're half way across the world.

We're all equal here, the patriotic argument is insulting at best.

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You tell 'em Chubba. You folks downunder get the shit end of the stick when it comes to vape availability and price. I think its karma that you finally get a break in the vape market.

HoneyAir said:

In this email list, when the PDs are ready, Vapenow posts in that list and it goes out to everyone, being a 'starting gun' for people to put in their orders before it runs out.

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Good idea, but the internet isn't equal for everyone. Emails get hung up in this and that server, waiting to get screened by various virus and spam filters. By the time some people heard the starting gun, the race would be over.

For those insisting on trying to pressure Tom and/or Vapenow into using a selling method that makes it easy on buyers and hard on the sellers, I say quit wasting your time. They're both running a business and have to weigh their decisions on more factors than just suiting the customers' wishes and their perception of what's fair. And IMO what happens on eBay and whether those units are covered by warranty or not is pretty meaningless as far as the sales and reputation of the vape is concerned. You can't please everyone. This forum and the PD both met up and started getting popular a little over a year ago. Like the PD situation, the growth of the forum has presented problems. Some think the place is over moderated, and others have the opposite opinion. So some will never be happy. I think everyone should be happy that Tom doesn't like eBay and isn't the typical capitalist, otherwise he'd be selling there all the time and everyone would have to pay the jacked up price due to high demand. Also I might add that Vapenow, like many on-line vape sellers, sells some of his products on eBay. He could easily use auctions to make more PD profit. Higher pricing, whether it's at the source (Tom and Pam), or just eBay, isn't going to help availability in the near future at least. I think anyone that wants a PD should look on the bright side and be glad the price is reasonable, even if they're hard to get.

How to De-Nut a scalper? Kill demand forhis product. Void his tickets... Done.

I don't care how 'new' it is. If you bought it at one of these places you are SOL. No exception. There. see how much demand they have now. Hope they choke.

BTW that is not my hand in that E-bay picture so the box has been opened and the unbit handled at the very least if not more. USED !

I gotta get back outside, too nice...

Chubba........I wasn't trying to say that folks outside the US don't deserve the vape, or that the USA folks should get preference or anything. Just pointing out the disparity between the ordering process for those in the US vs. the rest of the world. The folks in the US have to deal with a system that is increasingly frustrating with limited supply......while those not in the US get to deal directly with Tom, with a definite order being placed with ease. Wasn't trying to offend non-americans.......glad you got one.......but surely you can appreciate the ease with which you were able to order and receive your unit compared to the two months some have been waiting to order......with no hope in sight.

As for the ebay controversy......my opinion is it will continue regardless of Tom's threats if the supply/demand stays this way. Again....you aren't punishing the scalpers who are taking advantage of the system....you would be punishing consumers who are just hungry for your product after two months of getting the run around. If that is how you wish to handle it.......so be it......you are the one driving the bus as you say. However, don't be surprised if a good percentage of your vapes continue to end up on ebay, and if things go wrong with them you will see folks on this message board and others complaining about how your product broke and you won't help them. Not sure that will help you in the long run either.

As for those that say they wouldn't buy anything on a wait list the way I described......that would be your option. However, if it is a reputable business then you would have nothing to worry about. For instance, I ordered tickets for the US OPEN last summer......knowing I had to give them a credit card number and that if I was lucky enough to get tickets several months later, my card would be charged when the tickets were sent. There are TONS of businesses that do this to deal with supply/demand issues. Again, Tom is driving the bus and dictating that he isn't going to change......but you will only see more of your beauties on Ebay making scalpers money if something isn't done. That's assuming the supply and demand don't change....you can't stop the free market, you can only do your best to control it.

As for the statement that it out of the box, so it's used........simply your spin on it. The postal service or the cops wouldn't view it this way since it has no toxins or resins on it because it hasn't been used.....hence it is a new item. They are being sold as new, and if they haven't been used they are new. Voiding your warranty isn't going to solve your problem Tom.....it will only create further problems down the road with customer satisfaction. What happens if half of the PD's you produce end up in the secondary market......half your units have no warranty....laughable. Anyway.......again, not trying to offend....just trying to add some realism to the situation. I'm also not sure its going to deter any customers to not purchase them off ebay since there is a hundred page thread next door stating the product basically never breaks and can be run over by a truck and still vaporize.

Capitalism at work

I figured I'd throw my change in the pot.

It would be great if there were someone (people) interested in becoming an apprentice (apprentices) to the dynamic duo of Purple Days and were actually able to convince the dynamic duo to accept them as interns.

I also feel that it would be great if the prices of the PD's were increased until supply met demand. I know that this was on Tom's (your) no-no list, but I feel that he (you) may be forgetting that the vape maker (you) can always offer discounts or even give units away to friends, etc.

As long as there is a profit to be made, the EBay train will keep making stops (IMO). I also do no think that people are going to care much about an invalid warranty with the reputation the PD has built for durability.

I respect the owner's (your) choices, however, wonder if they (you) would have any regrets if another company (say... ...Storz & Bickel...hehehe) were to create a vaporizer that eliminates the supply/demand issues the Purple Days is currently experiencing (like the Extreme seems to be doing to Volcano sales).

Progress said:

I respect the owner's (your) choices, however, wonder if they (you) would have any regrets if another company (say... ...Storz & Bickel...hehehe) were to create a vaporizer that eliminates the supply/demand issues the Purple Days is currently experiencing (like the Extreme seems to be doing to Volcano sales).

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I think the question is, who's going to be willing to compete with the quality and build time that goes into the PD, at a competitive price? It's not a business plan that's designed for high profit.

You can buy an Aromazap for $145 made from Myrtlewood (hardwood instead of their other inferior soft woods). He's building them in the shape of a PD now, so with the same basic design added to the PD shape, you'd think some would be buying a zap instead of waiting week after week for a buying opportunity at vapenow, and paying $35 more. I'm not saying Aromazap hasn't seen an increase in sales since going to a PD lookalike (especially with PD demand sky high), but I think most people here recognize there's higher quality/safety and technology underneath the wooden exterior of the PD, vs. the zap.

Damn, I'm glad I didn't put my PD online. Bad vibes for life!

Had some financial issues after buying it and had to use it to pay down debt in some way. Couldn't bring myself to put it on ebay for fear of fucking with the good vibes that went into creating it. However, gotta put food on the table for more than just myself so it was in the back of my mind. I originally got it for my Mom, who ended up not wanting it, which was lame. My brother in law ended up saving the day by buying it from me the other day ($180, no profit for me) and he frigg'n loves it! He's is clumsy as shit so this is the perfect device for him. I ended up not liking it as much, once I finally tried it, so the PD found it's happy home. Don't know why I even posted this...guilt?....I don't know. I just hope that my situation doesn't piss off the creators.

Take care all.

Not at all Monkey Vision. Everybody has needs, and different likes. Selling something is no crime.

Rick at Aromazap is a good guy. Same scenario. him, his wife, and maybe the son helping. Older, laid back, retired, sorta, haha. And with the hardwood body (Myrtlewood that I turned him on to) he has a much improved product. It's not a Purple-Days though it looks similar.

Purple-Days said:

Not at all Monkey Vision. Everybody has needs, and different likes. Selling something is no crime.

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But not on ebay??... how come??

Are you asking me why I think scalpers are scum, Spyder?

And saying that my stance is premature, well I figure it's better dealy with now than latre. Don't want anybody saying they didn't know these were used units with no warranty being sold by scum-buckets on E-Bay.

Gotta get back to work.

Thanks man, that actually made me feel better about it. I make shit too so I can sympathize with how this must make you feel.

spyder said:

Purple-Days said:

Not at all Monkey Vision. Everybody has needs, and different likes. Selling something is no crime.

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But not on ebay??... how come??

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My opinion of course...

Maybe because I didn't use the PD to make a profit by preying on the excitement of those who have been drooling over them. I actually got some good hits of it last night and I'll probably end up getting one for myself this year. People selling at a higher price on ebay probably never intended to use it for anything but making money.

The PD has kind of become the Wii for stoners, I'm not surprised to see them on ebay.

Purple-Days said:

Are you asking me why I think scalpers are scum, Spyder?

And saying that my stance is premature, well I figure it's better dealy with now than latre. Don't want anybody saying they didn't know these were used units with no warranty being sold by scum-buckets on E-Bay.

Gotta get back to work.

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Heres a better question... Why do you assume that the folks on ebay are scalpers?

We have 4 PD that were sold almost immediately... 1 that Monkey had to sell

there is another on ebay that states..used it once but have too many vapes and need to get rid of it

the other 2 we don't have a hines on yet... so we can only guess

so of the ones we do know the story on are.... 100% not scalpers



Another question.... Would Monkey's Brother in laws vape be covered under your new warranty policy??

Depends on who comes to me looking for service. Him or his brother. HIs Brother has a used vape. He did not buy it from an authorized dealer and has no warranty rights. However Monkey Vision would probably be glad to contact us on his brother's behalf. Monkey Vision has the full warranty rights, and probably a receipt too.

Purple-Days said:

Depends on who comes to me looking for service. Him or his brother. HIs Brother has a used vape. He did not buy it from an authorized dealer and has no warranty rights. However Monkey Vision would probably be glad to contact us on his brother's behalf. Monkey Vision has the full warranty rights, and probably a receipt too.

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Good to know. I assumed that the warranty would be voided but that's cool that I can help him out should any issues arise. I'm pretty sure that even he, the most accident prone individual I've ever known, will not be able to hurt the PD.