Why You Might Struggle to Buy a New Vape This Month

Friday 16th February signals the start of the Year of the Dog, but Chinese New Year celebrations could bring mass disruption to vaping supply chains.

Chinese New Year is based on a lunar calendar and it’s very important in Chinese culture – on a par with Thanksgiving and Christmas in the United States.

Government offices close across China and most factories shut down for up to two weeks.

Because most mods, tanks and other vape devices are assembled in China it is almost impossible to get anything shipped immediately before and after Chinese New Year.

SMOK, a leading manufacturer based in Shenzhen, posted this message on its website:

“As you know, the most valuable holiday in China - Chinese Lunar New Year, is just around the corner.

“SMOK team will take 12 days off for the Chinese New Year from February 12 - February 23”

This is typical of Chinese manufacturers and it can cause difficulty of US suppliers. Vaping.com Co-Founder Neil Mclaren explains:

“In a country with more than 1.3 billion people, Chinese New Year causes huge disruption.

“Cheap Chinese websites are very unreliable in February and March and vape shops that don’t plan for the upheaval can run out of popular products.

“At Vaping.com, we plan well in advance for the disruption and we don’t expect any product shortages.”

What happens over Chinese New Year?

Chinese New Year is an occasion for Chinese families to get together and celebrate.

One of the most important traditions is a large family dinner. And the need to get home in time for this meal triggers one of the world’s biggest mass migrations.

China’s working population is heavily concentrated in major cities like Beijing and Shenzhen, but most workers return home to rural villages over Chinese New Year.

For the Year of the Dog celebrations, 385 million Chinese people are expected to travel across the country.

Compare this with the United States, where 51 million Thanksgiving travellers caused mass disruption on roads and in airports, and you get a sense of the chaos that Chinese New Year causes.

To make matters worse for vapers, many Chinese workers don’t return to their jobs after the New Year break.

Some workers hear about better jobs while they are at home and can leave factories understaffed – extending the disruption at some companies.

Chinese New Year is also celebrated around the world. Cities like with large Chinese populations like New York, San Francisco and Seattle all hold celebrations to welcome wealth, health and good relationships in the New Year.

What does the Year of the Dog mean?

The Chinese Zodiac moves in a 12-year cycle with each lunar year characterised by a different animal.

People born in 1946, 1958, 1982, 1994, 2006 and 2018 are born in the Year of the Dog.

According to legend, the animal that represents your year of birth has a big impact on your personality. Like dogs, people born in 2018 are thought to be loyal, independent, sincere and communicative.

The Year of the Dog is particularly star-studded. Famous people born in the Year of the Dog include Donald Trump, Justin Bieber, Elvis Presley, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Michael Jackson, Prince and Madonna.

But these celebrities shouldn’t be celebrating too hard this weekend. In China, they believe that your birth year can actually bring bad luck when it comes around again.

If you are born in the Year of the Dog you should try to avoid the colour red and steer clear of the numbers one, three and nine, because these things can bring bad luck.