A Question For Every Hookah Smoker In The Forum

[tkato]

Maybe you saw me around forum talking about this issue but the reality is America has very high prices for Hookah.
Seeing that you pay so much for Hookahs i starting thinking about importing Hookahs via demand.
The Idea is re-selling Israeli, Hand-crafted High-Quality, or Machine-made High-Quality Hookahs for low prices.
In Israel an AGER Hookah (Mya knockoff that is made in china and is very high quality) costs about 100NIS which is 20$, this hookah is even better than Mya's or KM's since it's an original Arabic made Hookahs.
I'm thinking about making an e-bay store re-selling hookahs, shisha, coals and accesories.
The prices will be something like that
Hookahs:
AGER: 50$ for everything with 2 shisha packs and 2 coal 6 packs.
Egyptian: Depends on price, from 30$-50$ High quality Hookahs comes with everything and 2 shisha packs and 2 coal 6 packs.
Syrian:like the Egyptian.
Special Hookahs: meaning very rare and specialy designed hookahs, between 50$ to 70$.

Shisha:
50g: 2$ for a pack
250g:15-20$ for a pack
500g(packet): 30$-35$

Accesories aren't sorted but will be about 1$ to 5$.

Comments?, i need to know what your thinking of the price i offer and such so i can evolve and give you the best deals so i can have some profit and cut what you pay normally by half.
If the request for those offers will be low i will cut my idea, since i need to drive myself to arabic suburbs which is a bit scary .

Hope to hear from you guys soon ,
Tkato. Edited May 22, 2007 by tkato

[Lakemonster]

Go for it.

The trouble may be that shipping to the US may not make it as great a deal as you might wish to offer.

What brand of shisha are you selling?

[tkato]

Al-Waha and El-Nakhla, ill try go get more brands but this is what i can get right now, about the shipping it should not cost alot but if so the shipping will be 50/50 since this deals are for me and for you and i wish not to lose nor profit very much, my only true pure goal is to spread the hookahs in america and help you guys in every way i can plus i want to save and fly to america myself this summer

[Allia22]

Interesting idea. However you can't legally sell shisha on e-bay, sellers have gotten a lot of flack from the forums for ignoring that rule. I personally don't care, if it's a deal I'm in

[oggie505#2]

In Israel an AGER Hookah (Mya knockoff that is made in china and is very high quality) costs about 100NIS which is 20$, this hookah is even better than Mya's or KM's since it's an original Arabic made Hookahs

I just find it funny being a chinese made hookah that is also and arabic made hookah??

250g:15-20$ for a pack

now how many 250grams boxes in a pack or is it just one, because a 250 gram box of nakhla in egypt is like .50 USD and is about 7.00USD in the states, so 15-20 USD better be a whole bunch of 250gram boxes in it Edited May 22, 2007 by oggie505#2

[mgcsinc]

Also, from what I can tell, the US actually has exceptionally low prices for shisha. I highly doubt you're gonna get prices after (or maybe even before) shipping for shisha to be lower than similar-quality shisha would cost in the US. Edited May 22, 2007 by mgcsinc

[blueberry]

There actually isn't a huge profit margin for the products sold in the U.S. I was talking to my friend the other day that owns an import shop and he really doesn't make that much money off of what he does. You can mark up the hookahs all you want, but the truth of the matter is how many hookahs do you sell a day. Not that many. He went as far to say that he doesn't even like to sell hookahs any more because the craze has already come and gone. Everyone already has a hookah. He focuses on the tobacco. Even then you can't mark it up that much or no one will buy it.

As far as the shipping costs that some people mention. This is a reason why a hookah that goes for 50-60 dollars in the U.S might sell for 10 or 11 dollars overseas. Shipping is expensive. My friend purchased a large order of tobacco the other day and shipping was over 300 dollars.

Personally, I would love to see high quality, authentic hookahs at a reasonable price. But that just isn't a reality.

[Hannibal]

tkato, could you find out the what shipping costs + the hookahs will be? If it comes out to be quite less than the total amount we might pay to our US websites then im sure people would buy. I mean i'm willing to pay what they offer here in the states, but if i can get a high quality hookah from you for less I believe you'd get my money, not them .

[tkato]

blueberry, i don't run an import shop or anything so i do not care for such things, i will try and find information about the shipping costs but i do not think it will be that much, if it will be that much the buyer and me will have to do 50/50.
This is not a shop or anything... my goal is to ensure authenctic hq hookah for people outside of israel and if possible for less money..
But, could be ill travel to america and re-sell my hookahs there insted since then there will be no shipping costs and the prices will be as low as possible.
and for the 250g question... it's a BIG pack of shisha not many shisha packs, the 500g one is a packet which holds 10 packs of 50g.

[aldonb1]

yeah no one would really buy 250g AW or EN for 15 bucks

[scottienl]

I dont much about the US system, but i also had this idea ! I found a wholesaler with amazing stuff in Egypt for sooo cheap. I thought about making a business and shipping doesn not add much cost to be honest, however, governments put large duties on shisha tabacco for some reason, they said due to the liquid inside it. Iv noticed if you buy shisha smuggled in, its already much wetter. Just be sure to check the excise duties and licences needed to import and sell tabacco. Thats where the cost will come in ! Here in europe its all controlled.

[mgcsinc]

For what it's worth, I can already get 250 g of both of those brands for less than $10, and if I buy AW from Steve, I can get it for much less even than that. Combine that with the problems you'd have with customs, I think you should avoid shisha and stick to hookahs.

[3rooker]

Al-Waha and El-Nakhla, ill try go get more brands but this is what i can get right now, about the shipping it should not cost alot but if so the shipping will be 50/50 since this deals are for me and for you and i wish not to lose nor profit very much, my only true pure goal is to spread the hookahs in america and help you guys in every way i can plus i want to save and fly to america myself this summer

Right on brother! USA! USA! lol Thanks for trying to help us brotherman! What you might want to do is just ship it with like global shipping from wherever you are to people's homes. Like a private party transaction. You buy it, and someone will pay you for the cost (and should tip you as well) and pay for shipping, and you send it. That way, you don't have to deal with the U.S. Customs people as much. Just put that it's a decorative lamp on the Customs forms. Try to get some cheap Layalina or something if you can.

In Israel an AGER Hookah (Mya knockoff that is made in china and is very high quality) costs about 100NIS which is 20$, this hookah is even better than Mya's or KM's since it's an original Arabic made Hookahs

I just find it funny being a chinese made hookah that is also and arabic made hookah??

250g:15-20$ for a pack

now how many 250grams boxes in a pack or is it just one, because a 250 gram box of nakhla in egypt is like .50 USD and is about 7.00USD in the states, so 15-20 USD better be a whole bunch of 250gram boxes in it

I agree with the shisha thing. And how do you have an origional Arabic hookah that has a Made In China sticker on it? Also, I've never seen too many knockoffs that are higher quality than their originators.

For what it's worth, I can already get 250 g of both of those brands for less than $10, and if I buy AW from Steve, I can get it for much less even than that. Combine that with the problems you'd have with customs, I think you should avoid shisha and stick to hookahs.

+1

[kornkitten42]

ager: costs about 100NIS which is 20$, this hookah is even better than Mya's or KM's since it's an original Arabic made Hookahs.
I'm thinking about making an e-bay store re-selling hookahs, shisha, coals and accesories.
The prices will be something like that
Hookahs:
AGER: 50$ for everything with 2 shisha packs and 2 coal 6 packs.


ok....... so for 20 bux we get the hookah

for 30 extra dollars we get 12 rolls of coals and 100g of shisha?

+ shipping? Nah man.

Hookah pricese are cool, the shisha prices are kinda weak. Especially for AW and Nahkla...

[Lakemonster]

Sounds to me like I'd keep to the hookah side of things.... your shisha prices cant compete.

[ezie]

Tkato do you ship to south east asia? I like to do business with by buying your hookah. And can you post the picture of the hookah that you want to sell. Thanks for the proposal.

[oggie505#2]

you may want to watch out visiting the states and bringing an bunch of hookahs with you. I have never done it, but i think that being a non US Citizen and a bunch of hookahs, it will throw up some flags at customs

[tkato]

ager: costs about 100NIS which is 20$, this hookah is even better than Mya's or KM's since it's an original Arabic made Hookahs.
I'm thinking about making an e-bay store re-selling hookahs, shisha, coals and accesories.
The prices will be something like that
Hookahs:
AGER: 50$ for everything with 2 shisha packs and 2 coal 6 packs.


ok....... so for 20 bux we get the hookah

for 30 extra dollars we get 12 rolls of coals and 100g of shisha?

+ shipping? Nah man.

Hookah pricese are cool, the shisha prices are kinda weak. Especially for AW and Nahkla...

the ratio of the prices are 55% profit for me and 45% discount for you, i think it's a good split considring i have to go far far from my hometown to get these special hookah to give you the best quality.
and if your shisha prices are lower i will not ship shisha.

ezie, i will check our the asia shipping rate aswell, but currently the idea is to sell to who ever asks, providing low costs.

[tkato]

about the machine made arabic thing, actully it's a mis-type, the ager brand is chinese thus making it non-arabic hookah but non the less it's some of the best hookahs i ever had since it's specialy crafter and well built.
the egyptian and syrian hookahs are what you really want if you want a rich authentic exprience.
Right now i think i can get for 110NIS a full sized hookah and 1 packet of shisha and a packet of coal so maybe ill change it since you actully get alot more shisha and coal than previously stated. (about 5 times more)

[cemab4y]

I am convinced that you could make a decent business importing REAL arabian hookahs, and undercutting some of the prices for the instruments that are available now. You might consider incorporating in Israel, and selling by internet, and shipping direct to the consumer by FedEx or DHL. That way the price offered for the item is the true price, and the consumer has to absorb the shipping costs. There is a firm in Lebanon, that does exactly that. They sell hookahs, as well as lebanese silks, dried fruits, clothing, etc. You could start with hookahs, tobacco, etc, and then diversify.

I am convinced that the best days for Hookah (in America) are still ahead. With some of the draconian smoking laws that are coming down in many areas, people are going to have to go to smoking parlors, hookah lounges, cigar clubs, etc. to enjoy smoking. The Hookah is perfect for social smoking, and when the word starts to spread, I am convinced that the pastime will be picked up by more people.

If you can undercut some of the internet sellers on tobacco, accesories, etc. you could make a fortune!

I wish you luck, in any case.

[ghostofdavid]

You will win if you make traditional pipes with high quality materials... and no damn lead solder.

[littlenic]

Maybe you saw me around forum talking about this issue but the reality is America has very high prices for Hookah.
Seeing that you pay so much for Hookahs i starting thinking about importing Hookahs via demand.
The Idea is re-selling Israeli, Hand-crafted High-Quality, or Machine-made High-Quality Hookahs for low prices.
In Israel an AGER Hookah (Mya knockoff that is made in china and is very high quality) costs about 100NIS which is 20$, this hookah is even better than Mya's or KM's since it's an original Arabic made Hookahs.
I'm thinking about making an e-bay store re-selling hookahs, shisha, coals and accesories.
The prices will be something like that
Hookahs:
AGER: 50$ for everything with 2 shisha packs and 2 coal 6 packs.
Egyptian: Depends on price, from 30$-50$ High quality Hookahs comes with everything and 2 shisha packs and 2 coal 6 packs.
Syrian:like the Egyptian.
Special Hookahs: meaning very rare and specialy designed hookahs, between 50$ to 70$.

Shisha:
50g: 2$ for a pack
250g:15-20$ for a pack
500g(packet): 30$-35$

Accesories aren't sorted but will be about 1$ to 5$.

Comments?, i need to know what your thinking of the price i offer and such so i can evolve and give you the best deals so i can have some profit and cut what you pay normally by half.
If the request for those offers will be low i will cut my idea, since i need to drive myself to arabic suburbs which is a bit scary :P .

Hope to hear from you guys soon :) ,
Tkato.

Hey, sounds like a great idea to me! Although I'm in the UK and prices here are MUCH higher than in the US - even the cheapest and nastiest of hookah pipes will set you back £25 - £30 ($50-$60 USD) and getting them good quality is even trickier. Or I've found anyways (someone who knows otherwise please let me know!) As for the shisha, I don't know how importing would work, you may find you get a big ass tobacco tax slapped on top so it won't remain competitive. Also our ebay bans selling tobacco products too...

BUT - if you find a way to do it let me know, I'd definitely be interested! Best of luck to you!

Nic
=

[EDIT] shisha here goes for at least £4 for 50 grammes or $8 USD so if you find a way to do it, maybe ship them marked as gifts? then you could be onto something... Edited May 25, 2007 by littlenic

[AinSophAur]

How long have you been smoking? I'm worried that what you think is High-quality is actually only decent. Have you checked the metals they used and how good the soldering is? Have you tested all these "high quality" hookahs your self for a while? I say this because a friend of mine who lives in Jordan says that while their hookahs are better, the prices are about the same.

[tkato]

How long have you been smoking? I'm worried that what you think is High-quality is actually only decent. Have you checked the metals they used and how good the soldering is? Have you tested all these "high quality" hookahs your self for a while? I say this because a friend of mine who lives in Jordan says that while their hookahs are better, the prices are about the same.

I've been smoking hookah from the age of 13, it's common here, i know what the diffrence from good to decent belive me.
first thing the Ager ones are perfectly formed, the syrian and egyptian could have little problems if your not exprienced in hookahs but i can tell perfectly well what hookahs are good, plus i will never sell something that is broken or made from low quality metal.
The reason i will never these is that i had problems before with this kinds of hookahs, it's a terrible feeling to buy a hookah and discover she dosen't work or sucks, i will not smoke in these hookahs before i sell them but i will double check every hole the chimbney the pipe everything, plus i will try and get only hookahs that screws and break to many parts so if something does go wrond ill be able to sell the costumer replace parts or if the shipment broke them ill give replacment parts for free.
Me and my brother are considiring using FedEx or DHL for shipment, i still need to check the shipment charges, if you can check them in your area please do.

[Officer Rod Farva]

Too high on the tobacco, and depending on the quality, the prices on the hookahs may be fair to high as well. American companies like to make their money off the hookahs because you only buy one, if you can't compete on the tobacco, where the return sales are made, its not feasible or profitable.