If you're reading this, it's either because you want to reduce costs for your DIY...or you spend too much time on this subreddit and have a habit of reading every post someone has.
What this long post is going to essentially show the steps what I did to make this hobby damn near free, and how I recommend you do it as well. It may seem like common sense, but i'm still posting it in the hopes it helps one person. The following steps are all under the assumption that you have already bought the materials for DIY and have a basic understanding of what exactly you are doing.
- Have one or two friends who vape (Seth, if you are reading this, it was you whom I chose)
This one is kind of the essential to the entire part of the process. What made this successful for me was a basic chain of people who vape all of which i've met starting with two of my friends that vape.
- Tell you friend that you make ejuice.
Don't push it on him, or sound arrogant about the fact. Chances you are excited about it, are wanna share it with others. If he shows any interest in it, let him try a juice or two you've made, or ask him what his flavor profile is and make a bottle of something and just give it to him.
- Invite the friend over to demonstrate the process, and how easy it really is.
A lot of people don't do this because they have the idea that it is way more complicated to get into than it actually is. Show them it's easy, and that you can make a 15ml in 5 minutes or less. It relieves some apprehensions in the process.
- Let them make ~45ml of juice
Sit down with them. Explain what PG and VG do in a recipe. Explain to them that you rarely go over 20% flavor, and why. BE WARNED: Even though you explained not to go over ~20%, they will still do it or want to do it the first couple times they make juice. The best way to let them vape a recipe with under 10% that still has great flavor.
- Keep it simple, stupid
We all know that this hobby can be intricate, and have many small quirks and things you need to know, but this is their first time. They have no prior knowledge of any of this, you make it sound too complicated, they wont hold interest.
- Tell them the juice is "On the house"
Holy shit! "Free juice? Are you sure man?". You just gave your friend $30 worth of juice, for free. Chances are they are pretty happy. Tell them you are more than happy to do it, and that it only cost you about $3-4 of materials, it's nothing!
- Invite them to come back another time to make some more.
After a couple days or week or so, they will most likely hit you up to come make some more juice. When they do, tell them you will be more than happy to have them over. Just this time, ask em if they can bring a couple bucks to just cover materials. In my experience, they will be more than fine with that agreement.
- Start taking requests!
By now, they should starting having their baby DIY gears churning. They might think about new things to make in their off time. So they might ask if you can find a coffee flavor, or a a kiwi, maybe even a honey flavor. Tell them you can take a look and it should be a problem, because it most likely wouldn't.
- Ask for double materials costs when they make juice
This is where it all comes together. They are probably loving the process, and are excited for new flavors. Paying ~$2.50 per 15ml is still saving them $10 per bottle, and it helps them get new things to make juice with as well.
- The friend of my friend is my customer
Ask you friends to invite their vaping friends to come over and make juice. It is here you just rinse and repeat. Every time someone new comes over, sit down with them, show them the process, explain what everything is, and let their first juices be free. Second time, ask they just pay costs + a little extra.
Conclusion
This is the process I accidentally ended up taking. Its been about 5 months or so since I taught my first friend how to make juice. I started using little 240ML bottles of PG/VG and about 25 flavors. Now, I have about 8 or so people coming over about once every other week, have a couple 1L bottles of PG/VG as well as over 100 flavors, and typically have about $120 or so thrown into the "DIY" jar every month that I use to throw right back in. Every dollar they have thrown into the jar has gone right back into hobby, making for more flavors to be available for everyone to use. Now I get to see/use/modify/theorize recipes from almost a dozen other mixers that helps expand my skills and creativity. I have even made some new friends because of it.
Just keep it organized, keep it fresh, and keep it fun. If you teach them, they will come.
Side note: Be weary! The further out from your personal circle of friends you teach, the more risk you take of someone claiming injury or stealing your shit. Be careful, and don't try to make this a source of alternate income. Just a small form of passive vape income.
If you need tips and tricks to tell your friends you're making bathtub juice, you have bigger problems in life lol.
I think you missed the part where the OP lets people come over to make their own juice and, if I'm reading this right, pay what they want. I've had great success letting people pay what they want (for anything, not just juice). They usually give me 1.5 - 2 times what I would have asked for and they seem happier to decide for themselves what something is worth.
That's exactly it. I set up the area, cleaned an organised. They now have told to walk on and do it themselves, I don't need to lift a finger. Essentially an actual passive source of income. And in to of that, it's the mind of 8 different lots of mixology, if you will.
For awhile now I have been planning to invite over a few vape buddies to mix up some stuff for themselves. If i were doing to on the regular, I would have them keep notes as well. This way I can see what trends they went through. People DIY sooooooo differently and I love new ideas.
It's even easier than that.
- Let your friends and family try juice that is better than anything they are buying today.
- ???
- Profit.
Note: This only works if you are making reasonably good juice. I have patches when I can't be bothered to mix up anything fancy, and I'll just throw 1.75% Menthol, 1.5% Koolada, and 1% Ethyl Maltol into a bottle and call it a day. No one is going to pay money for that juice, but it gets the job done.
> I'll just throw 1.75% Menthol, 1.5% Koolada, and 1% Ethyl Maltol
Rev, April Fools is only one day.
That's the thing, I'm really busy between work and school I don't really have time to make juice for all my friends, but now it's such a streamlined prices they just come over, do their thing, throw money in the jar, and leave. No supervision required. And there is enough of a profit to where it keeps this whole process growing and it's completely hands off for me.
I get that. I generally make my juice in large batches these days unless I'm experimenting, and it doesn't take much more effort to make 300 ml than 30ml. I'll make enough for me and the few people I have buying from me today, and that's enough to pay for when I want to do my Mr. Wizard thing.
Exactly. Just let your friends buy your juice and spread word of mouth. Now I'm selling about 20 bottles or more a week to friends and family at £3 per bottle (10ml). That's £60 a week. Costs me £7 to make those 20 bottles. Now I'm looking to sell to market stalls whose juices are pretty expensive (£4-6) and not that great tasting at all at £2 a bottle.
That sounds pretty cool lol. I make a decent amount to support my DIY by just selling to co-workers. All it really takes is a few who buy juice regularly to maintain the upkeep of flavors. I try to offer them perks and new recipe samples to keep them comin through me