Swedish shops are no longer allowed to sell several products from Uwell, VooPoo, GeekVape or JoyeTech. This is clear after the Public Health Agency of Sweden reviewed the supply in Swedish vejpshoppar. The Chinese manufacturers have not paid the fees required by Swedish law. The products must now be re-registered - a process that takes six months.
"Unfortunately, we will not be able to offer products from Uwell, VooPoo, GeekVape or JoyeTec until late this year or early 2022". It says Niklas Linder, who runs Swedish Mixology, is one of several companies that are now being forced to severely restrict their supply since the Public Health Agency of Sweden began controlling the supply of e-cigarettes on the Swedish market.
Not paid on time
Under Swedish law, based on the EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD), companies wishing to sell their products in Sweden must register them 6 months in advance with the Public Health Agency. The permit for each individual product, whether it is a mod, tank or coil is linked to a fee of 3000 SEK. Once paid, the waiting period of 6 months begins before the product becomes available to stores. In the case of the companies mentioned above, the product registration itself has been done correctly. But they have not paid the fee on time.
"The products have not been "rejected" in any way and are still sold as normal in most EU countries. But for Sweden in particular, the notification fee has not been paid, which has led to companies having to re-register the products in order to receive a new invoice." Niklas Linder.
Popular brands
As the stuffed products are among the most sold in Sweden, this is not only a problem for companies. Customers will also have difficulty finding consumables, such as coils and accessories for their tanks and kits. Niklas Linder, as well as many other companies, are now frantically searching for replacements. But it is not easy. Many other products that are currently registered with the authorities are at risk of being removed at short notice.
"The problem has been that we as retailers cannot see whether a product is paid for or not. We only see that it is registered and naturally assume that everything is ok. When the Public Health Agency of Sweden reviewed its own list, they discovered that several companies had registered many products, but had not paid for them. Then they suddenly disappeared from the list," says Niklas Linder.
Have to wait six months
After several retailers brought the situation to the attention of the Chinese companies in question, the products have been re-registered and the fees have started to roll in. But this is not helping at the moment.
"The Public Health Agency of Sweden considers that even if the product has previously been registered, it is 6 months from the last registration that applies before the product can be sold again" says Niklas Linder.
One system for tobacco products - not e-cigs
Niklas Linder, who is also chairman of the Electronic Cigarette Industry Association (BELC) regrets that the situation has arisen at all. According to him, it is a clear sign that the system, with its registrations and fees, is not adapted to the market and its actors.
"The system is built on the same model as for cigarettes and tobacco. Where large companies are responsible for manufacturing and distribution, registration and control of sales volumes" says Niklas Linder
Under the above model, the distribution companies are supposed to ensure that all adaptation takes place smoothly: from registration to statistical monitoring, manuals and labeling according to local regulations.
However, this is not how it works in reality.
Roadside shoppers confuse lawmakers
In Sweden, which is a rather small market, there is no single major distributor of vejp products. Small independent vejp shops are often responsible for imports, local adaptations and direct sales. For example, products are often relabeled in the shops to meet the requirements for consumer information in Swedish. This results in a wider range of products, but is borderline illegal when neither the vejpshoppers, nor for that matter the public health authorities, know which products can be sold or how they must be adapted to meet the requirements of the authorities. And it has also confused regulators, according to Niklas Linder.
"Politicians are probably amazed that the vejp industry does not work like the tobacco industry. Many don't even realize that the two industries work in different ways or that the vejp industry doesn't really have any major links to the tobacco industry" says Niklas Linder.
Prefer large companies
Nor is there any direct hope of changing the system, nor is that the goal, believes Niklas Linder.
"Politicians in the EU, and Sweden, are not in favor of the way our industry works, nor are the big tobacco companies. They want to see the whole industry centralized, much like tobacco, where a handful of players account for virtually all production and sales worldwide," says Niklas Linder.
New updated product list published
Currently, around 40 micro to medium-sized companies operate in the Swedish e-cigarette market. The industry organization for electronic cigarettes currently organizes a third of the larger Swedish companies.
The Swedish Public Health Agency has recently updated the Swedish list of approved vejp products. In the future, only products that are paid for will be on the list and not those that are only registered. Niklas Linder urges all Swedish companies to review their ranges carefully to avoid problems in the future.
