swisky Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 (edited) Hey, I've been here awhile but never made an account or posted. I also tried searching many different things and still haven't found a perfect answer.I want to open a Hookah lounge in Canada. 2 Problems.1. Smoking Bans, they are everywhere, but somehow people still open hookah lounges. This would be something I could figure out though, since I know a few lawyers and city workers. (But any advice would help)2. Supplying the actaul sheesha on a regular basis. I find it hard to believe that the hookah lounges in Canada could run a regular business but buy sheesh on the internet illegally to sell in their shop. So im guessing they get it here from a non-online supplier. (Where would I find this info?)Also, does anyone know why sheesha is so expensive here? All the tobacco shops sell the 50g boxes for like 20-40 dollars. Which seems like a giant rip off.I know these are commonly answered questions, its just alot different here than in the US, UK or Australia which seems to be the bulk of the info. Edited July 14, 2009 by swisky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilikemyusername Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 there are 2 nakhla distributors in canada, you chould check them out, visit nakhla's website and you'll be on your way, similarly i wouldn't be surprised if AF and SB and all those other companies list thier distributors. the reason shisha is so expensive in canada is the tobacco taxes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swisky Posted July 16, 2009 Author Share Posted July 16, 2009 Awesome, so i've got that locked down...anyone with advice about the laws regarding smoking indoors here? All the bills only say cigarettes/cigars, but there is defintly some cigar bars and hookah bars in Canada, so i wonder how they got around this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunsboy Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 20-40 for a 50g is a rip off. You can legally get them for way cheaper even after paying customs. Contact customs and check how much would it cost for ordering shisha, remember that shisha is not 100% tobacco, a big chunk of the weight is actually molasses, customs have to consider that.You will then need to account for that in the price of the shisha or other products you will be selling there (drinks, deserts, food... etc).Please, make sure you check everyone's ID because those undercover jerks will try a sting with someone underage. They busted some people selling cigs to minors doing that.Good luck dude, I was thinking about doing this in Halifax NS but was not up to the fight and had no time to be a media attraction for having the first real hookah bar in Atlantic Canada. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chinamon Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 QUOTE (gunsboy @ Jul 17 2009, 04:26 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>20-40 for a 50g is a rip off. You can legally get them for way cheaper even after paying customs. Contact customs and check how much would it cost for ordering shisha, remember that shisha is not 100% tobacco, a big chunk of the weight is actually molasses, customs have to consider that.no they dont have to consider the weight of the molasses because shisha tobacco falls under the category of processed tobacco. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunsboy Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 QUOTE (chinamon @ Jul 17 2009, 05:54 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>QUOTE (gunsboy @ Jul 17 2009, 04:26 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>20-40 for a 50g is a rip off. You can legally get them for way cheaper even after paying customs. Contact customs and check how much would it cost for ordering shisha, remember that shisha is not 100% tobacco, a big chunk of the weight is actually molasses, customs have to consider that.no they dont have to consider the weight of the molasses because shisha tobacco falls under the category of processed tobacco.If that's true, then this law sucks even more. I actually was thinking about contacting AlFakher and asking them to setup a shop in here to make Canadian AF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chinamon Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 QUOTE (gunsboy @ Jul 17 2009, 02:49 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>QUOTE (chinamon @ Jul 17 2009, 05:54 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>QUOTE (gunsboy @ Jul 17 2009, 04:26 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>20-40 for a 50g is a rip off. You can legally get them for way cheaper even after paying customs. Contact customs and check how much would it cost for ordering shisha, remember that shisha is not 100% tobacco, a big chunk of the weight is actually molasses, customs have to consider that.no they dont have to consider the weight of the molasses because shisha tobacco falls under the category of processed tobacco.If that's true, then this law sucks even more. I actually was thinking about contacting AlFakher and asking them to setup a shop in here to make Canadian AF.that would be pointless. it would still cost the end-user the same because of duties. people would realize that it would be cheaper to order from the USA and "af canada" would lose tons of business. also, our hookah scene in canada is pretty much shit. it is nothing like the USA. so "af canada" would not generate enough money to pay the operating costs. it is a lose-lose situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeypas Posted July 18, 2009 Share Posted July 18, 2009 According to Customs Canada, shisha tobacco is considered "pipe tobacco" (according to the agent, because it goes into a pipe, regardless that it is a waterpipe). And no, they do not take into consideration the weight of the tobacco and molasses (250g of shisha is considered 250g of tobacco).When shipments from the US are intercepted by customs, you may get away with paying relatively small amount of taxes, and some people claim they have challenged any duties/taxes, but the actual amount of tax is REALLY REALLY HIGH, and there is no special consideration for shisha. I once purchased 6 x 250g from H-S, the bill was something like $100 with shipping, and duties/customs was $700. I sent back to customs for a review, and they said everything was correctly assessed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmokinMoose Posted July 18, 2009 Share Posted July 18, 2009 (edited) I know a couple lounge owners the only way to get around the smoking ban is to say that you only serve herbal molasses. They will never come to inspect you, they always keep soex boxes on display to say that is what they serve. It is risky, but people have been doing this since the ban. Always keep your tobacco stock in your car and only serve to regulars or non-suspicious looking individuals. Also with regards to hookah tobacco, most lounges buy it online or know people regularly coming back from the mid-east. No one imports AF into Canada. If you want to find local tobacco suppliers you can find them online the gov't has a listing of all authorized tobacco importers because it is very difficult to get this license. Hope that helps.What city are you in? Edited July 18, 2009 by SmokinMoose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arifm Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 where in canada? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilikemyusername Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 QUOTE (gunsboy @ Jul 17 2009, 08:49 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>QUOTE (chinamon @ Jul 17 2009, 05:54 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>QUOTE (gunsboy @ Jul 17 2009, 04:26 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>20-40 for a 50g is a rip off. You can legally get them for way cheaper even after paying customs. Contact customs and check how much would it cost for ordering shisha, remember that shisha is not 100% tobacco, a big chunk of the weight is actually molasses, customs have to consider that.no they dont have to consider the weight of the molasses because shisha tobacco falls under the category of processed tobacco.If that's true, then this law sucks even more. I actually was thinking about contacting AlFakher and asking them to setup a shop in here to make Canadian AF.even better, you could start your own shisha company based out of canada, grow your own tobacco, dry it, molasses, flavorings, glycerine, cant be that hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chinamon Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 QUOTE (ilikemyusername @ Jul 20 2009, 01:50 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>QUOTE (gunsboy @ Jul 17 2009, 08:49 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>QUOTE (chinamon @ Jul 17 2009, 05:54 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>QUOTE (gunsboy @ Jul 17 2009, 04:26 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>20-40 for a 50g is a rip off. You can legally get them for way cheaper even after paying customs. Contact customs and check how much would it cost for ordering shisha, remember that shisha is not 100% tobacco, a big chunk of the weight is actually molasses, customs have to consider that.no they dont have to consider the weight of the molasses because shisha tobacco falls under the category of processed tobacco.If that's true, then this law sucks even more. I actually was thinking about contacting AlFakher and asking them to setup a shop in here to make Canadian AF.even better, you could start your own shisha company based out of canada, grow your own tobacco, dry it, molasses, flavorings, glycerine, cant be that hard.the weather conditions in canada wont allow us to naturally air dry tobacco. a kiln would be needed. also, growing tobacco requires a LOT of space. once again, our climate does not suit the proper growing conditions for tobacco so everything would have to be done indoors. all the major cigarette companies in canada just import their tobacco cuz it is pointless to grow your own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilikemyusername Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 I work with a canadian woman who grew up on a tobacco farm... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chinamon Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 QUOTE (ilikemyusername @ Jul 20 2009, 05:07 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I work with a canadian woman who grew up on a tobacco farm...would be quite a short growing season. ive even done research on growing my own tobacco since our government private citizens to cultivate up to 10kg of dried tobacco per year but it is a lot of work with germinating, hardening then transplanting them outside (they arent very good houseplants because they require a lot of space). also the drying process is quite a bitch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunsboy Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 QUOTE (mikeypas @ Jul 18 2009, 09:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>According to Customs Canada, shisha tobacco is considered "pipe tobacco" (according to the agent, because it goes into a pipe, regardless that it is a waterpipe). And no, they do not take into consideration the weight of the tobacco and molasses (250g of shisha is considered 250g of tobacco).When shipments from the US are intercepted by customs, you may get away with paying relatively small amount of taxes, and some people claim they have challenged any duties/taxes, but the actual amount of tax is REALLY REALLY HIGH, and there is no special consideration for shisha. I once purchased 6 x 250g from H-S, the bill was something like $100 with shipping, and duties/customs was $700. I sent back to customs for a review, and they said everything was correctly assessed.Holy Buck...... $$700 .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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