How Do Vape Companies Prevent Underage Sales
Vape companies use several methods to prevent underage sales. This differs depending on if the sale is made in store, or online.
This is required for restricted products by UK law, but most payment providers also require online retailers to implement measures to verify the ages of their customers in order to use their payment services.
How do vape shops prevent underage sales in-store?
Vape shops operate Challenge 25 policies in the same way all shops and supermarkets do across the UK.
Shop keepers have the right to refuse a sale if they suspect a customer is under 18 and cannot provide ID to prove their age.
How do online vape stores check the ages of their customers?
Firstly, they ask customers to verify they are over 18, to ensure they have any breach of the website terms of service on record, allowing further action against customers who enter false information.
Secondly, they use third party age verification systems to cross reference billing details at the check out stage (using secure encryption) against publicly available records (such as the electoral register).
Alternatively, some services allow customers to use their banking apps on their smartphones to verify their identity and ensure they are over 18.
What happens if an age check fails?
If the age check is successful, the sale is allowed. If it fails, the sale is prevented or refunded if applicable.
Customers can then provide their ID separately to confirm that they are over 18 so the sale can then be completed.
Do age checks stop all underage vape sales?
Of course, age verification systems has no effect on rogue retailers and non-compliant sellers on the black market who simply won’t bother using these services. Nor does it prevent adults from buying nicotine products on behalf of minors.
As age verification software is expensive, it also means compliant retailers who follow the law bear all of the financial costs of age verification, whilst those responsible for the bulk of underage sales face no costs to verify the ages of their customers.
