Answer first
Turn an OEM vape enquiry into a documented request for quote (RFQ) by replacing broad product requests with a controlled brief. Define the UK market, configuration, brand presentation, responsible businesses, evidence required and commercial assumptions. This lets trade buyers compare like-for-like responses while keeping compliance questions visible from the outset.
Key Takeaways
- Use a version-controlled RFQ, rather than an informal request for a design and price.
- Identify the intended market first: Great Britain and Northern Ireland have different notification routes.
- Record who will manufacture, import, re-brand, notify, place the product on the market and manage downstream obligations.
- Separate a requested specification from a confirmed compliance position. Notification or publication is not product approval.
Start with the market, brief and accountable businesses
A useful RFQ defines the configuration, market, brand, presentation and evidence required before purchase. Give it an RFQ number, issue date, revision number, target market and buyer contact. Attach a change log so later artwork, liquid or hardware changes cannot be confused with the version quoted.
State whether supply is intended for Great Britain, Northern Ireland or both. The MHRA says Great Britain products use its domestic notification system, while Northern Ireland products use EU-CEG. It defines a producer as a business that manufactures, imports or re-brands a product as its own. Review the MHRA notification position for private-label products before deciding the route.
List the manufacturer, importer, brand owner, notifier, responsible person where applicable, distributor and seller. Ask the respondent to mark roles it will not undertake, rather than assuming the factory, brand owner and importer are the same business.
Create a controlled product and artwork specification
Describe the product precisely enough to identify it and mark open choices clearly. Use one product line for each distinct device, refill container, pod or cartridge presentation. Assign a buyer reference and revision to every drawing, formulation summary and artwork file.
For nicotine-containing electronic cigarettes and refill containers, Regulation 31 requires relevant notification information including contact details, ingredient and emissions information, toxicological data, nicotine dose and uptake information, component description, production-process declaration and a safety-and-quality responsibility declaration. A substantially modified product also requires notification. In the usual case, notification is due at least six months before first supply. Do not leave the configuration vague or treat a material change as a minor commercial amendment.
Include the format and physical configuration, nicotine status and proposed strength where relevant, liquid format and volume, component and refill arrangement, colourway, pack contents, traceability fields and requested quality documents. Treat flavour names and visual concepts as artwork inputs for review, not approved claims. Use UK vape packaging and labelling guidance to build the checklist.
| RFQ area | Document or question to include | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Product identity | Buyer reference, model, drawings and revision | Prevents a quote being applied to an unspecified variant. |
| Brand and artwork | Brand owner, artwork version, pack copy and sign-off owner | Makes presentation review traceable. |
| Notification route | GB/NI market, notifier, product identifier and status | Tests whether the route fits the actual product. |
| Reusability and waste | Recharge/refill/coil design, replacement-item plan, WEEE role | Brings design and end-of-life questions into the brief. |
| Supply-chain evidence | Importer, duty-stamp position and records requested | Supports later due diligence and traceability. |
Ask for evidence, without treating it as approval
Ask whether the exact product has been notified for the intended market; who made the notification; the relevant brand, variant and identifier; and what changes are proposed. MHRA guidance says importers and re-branders should check whether a supplier has made a UK notification for that specific product, and that a duplicate is not needed where it has. Read the official producer guidance.
Do not describe a notification, submission or published-list entry as “approved”. The notifier and market placer remain responsible for conformity with applicable requirements. Request written confirmation of scope and status, then have the responsible business check it against the final product, branding and market.
Artwork needs a separate approval gate. MHRA’s GB presentation guidance says unit packs, outside packaging and the product must not include prohibited promotional or misleading features, including health or comparative-safety claims. Retain dated artwork, the sign-off decision and the reason for each change. This is general trade information, not legal, regulatory or tax advice; obtain advice for the particular transaction and jurisdictions.
Include reusability, duty and waste in the supply-chain record
Reusability cannot be a loose marketing label. Since 1 June 2025, businesses cannot sell, supply, offer or stock single-use vapes for sale or supply in the UK. Defra says a reusable vape needs a rechargeable battery, a refillable container and, if it has a coil, a removable and replaceable coil. Refills and replacement coil or pod arrangements should be separately available. Ask for design evidence and the planned availability of replacement items. The UK reusable-vape definition is a helpful starting point.
Record the electrical-equipment role. Own-brand manufacture, rebranding or commercial import can make a business a WEEE producer. Specify the UK entity responsible for applicable duties.
For stock containing vaping liquid, request the Vaping Products Duty and duty-stamp status, production or import date, and records that will accompany goods. HMRC advises wholesalers and retailers to check stamps where required and keep supplier details, invoices, delivery notes, product details, dates and checks made. It says unstamped stock produced or imported before 1 October 2026 may be sold until 31 March 2027 if records support this; from 1 April 2027, unstamped vaping products outside duty suspension must not be held or sold. Vaping products duty guidance for wholesalers can structure the request.
FAQ
Does an OEM quote confirm that a product is compliant?
No. A quote records a proposed commercial and technical response. Compliance depends on the final product, market, documentation and the responsible party’s obligations.
Can a buyer use an existing notification after changing branding?
Do not assume so. Ask whether the exact product and intended presentation are covered, who made the notification and whether a change affects required information.
What should be retained after the RFQ is issued?
Retain the RFQ, supplier response, quotation version, specification pack, artwork revisions, responsibility matrix, notification evidence, invoices and delivery records.
Official sources
- MHRA: e-cigarettes regulations for consumer products
- Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016, Regulation 31
- MHRA: advice for producers of e-cigarette and vape products
- MHRA: names, presentation and packaging guidance for Great Britain
- Defra: single-use vapes ban information for businesses
- HMRC: handling wholesale or retail vaping products in the UK
- Environment Agency: EEE producer responsibilities
For a factual B2B starting point, compile the specification pack, responsibility matrix, intended UK market and required evidence, then submit them with your documented OEM/ODM RFQ so the enquiry can be assessed against the defined brief.