Illegal vape sellers are offering a Deliveroo-style courier service to bypass the law, an investigation has found. Last year, the government banned the sale of disposable e-cigarettes to crack down on youth vaping. Since then, Trading Standards agents have seized thousands of single-use devices from corner shops. However, black market sellers are now evading checks by offering customers same-day, door-to-door hand delivery, a service that also appeals to children under 18 who cannot legally buy vapes.
Sellers use encrypted apps to arrange deliveries
Sellers promote the service on social media and use encrypted messaging apps like Telegram and Signal to arrange payment and delivery. Investigators found sellers on Instagram offering “discreet,” “fast drop offs,” including some offering vapes laced with cannabis. One seller wrote: “Active 24-7, fast drop off – Telegram link on my bio.” When contacted via Telegram, they said: “When you are ready to order send me your live location and I’ll be there.” Another said: “Your fav vapes delivered to your door – smoke changes everything.”
While some sellers deliver themselves, others partner with local delivery drivers. Experts fear sellers will target youngsters during the summer holiday. Shane Margereson, who runs legal vape empire Ecigone, warned parents: “You must be alert to vape sellers who operate like private delivery accounts rather than proper retailers. A compliant seller should not be hiding behind a social profile, skipping age checks or using vague payment methods. The danger with these accounts is that there is often no meaningful age verification, no traceable order process and no confidence that the product is legal or correctly labelled. If a seller is advertising to teens on social apps, that should be treated as a major red flag.”
Black market worth £6 billion annually
The UK vape black market is worth an estimated £6 billion annually, according to the Tobacco Manufacturers’ Association (TMA). The government’s ban on disposable vapes was introduced to protect children’s health and curb environmental damage from millions of improperly discarded plastic devices and lithium-ion batteries. However, over 12 months on, more than six million vapes and vape pods are still being discarded every week in the UK.
Around five to nine per cent of 11 to 15-year-olds vape, according to NHS surveys and Action on Smoking and Health data. Between 5.4 and 5.6 million adults also vape, making up about 10 per cent of over-18s. For the first time, vapers now outnumber traditional cigarette smokers, who make up roughly 9.1 per cent of the population.
