From 1 October 2026 there is a new tax on e-liquid, and it will change what you pay at the till. It is called Vaping Products Duty. As a shop that has sold e-liquid in Blackpool since 2013, we want to lay it out plainly so nothing catches you out.
The duty adds £2.20 to every 10ml of liquid. It is a flat rate, so it makes no difference whether your bottle is 20mg nic salt, freebase, or zero nicotine. If it goes in a vape, it is taxed the same. Add the 20% VAT that sits on top and the real increase comes to about £2.64 per 10ml.
It only touches the liquid. Your kit, tanks, coils, pods and batteries are not taxed, so the hardware side of your basket stays exactly as it is today.
In pounds and pence, a single 10ml bottle picks up £2.20 in duty, so a bottle that costs you a few pounds now will sit closer to five or six. A 100ml shortfill carries £22 of duty before VAT, and every nic shot you add brings another £2.20 of its own. The bigger the bottle, the bigger the jump, which means shortfills, always the value choice, take the hardest knock.
There is a little breathing room. Stock we bought in before 1 October can still be sold at the old price for a window into spring 2027, so you will see pre-duty bottles on our shelves for a while yet. After that, every legal bottle carries a duty stamp on the packaging, much like the ones on spirits and tobacco.
Here is the part worth holding onto. Even with the duty added, vaping stays far cheaper than smoking. The government lifted tobacco duty at the same time on purpose, to keep that gap wide. A pack-a-day habit still runs to thousands a year more than vaping does.
If you want to soften the blow, a few honest tips from behind the counter. Nic salts in a small refillable pod kit use far less liquid than a big sub-ohm setup, so your bottle lasts longer. Moving up a nicotine strength and vaping less can get you the same hit for less liquid. And if you have a flavour you go through constantly, buying a bit ahead before October makes sense, just remember e-liquid keeps best for a year or two, so there is no need to clear the shelves.
Pop in if you are not sure what suits you. We are happy to help you find a setup that keeps you comfortable and keeps the cost down.
