Russia recently implemented an “Honest Label” policy for e-cigarette imports, requiring retail information to be uploaded. The policy aims to regulate the e-cigarette market, requiring wholesale importers to upload retail information of the relevant products to the Honest Label system. E-cigarette products that do not have the label will not be able to smoothly pass through Russian customs.
Since the implementation of the “Honest Label” system, the Russian e-cigarette market has seen significant changes. According to Wang Juncheng, general manager of Russia Sooching, a local customs clearance company, there is currently a high demand in the Russian market for compliant products. Due to policy reasons, there are very few options for accessing the market through unofficial channels. Furthermore, transportation time for some unofficially imported goods has increased to 2 to 3 months, up from the previous 30 days.
In the past two months, there has been a significant increase in the transportation volume of Russian compliant logistics companies. Most terminal stores, chain supermarkets, and distributors in the Russian e-cigarette market only accept compliant products. The shelf rate of compliant products is gradually increasing, with a minimum proportion of 50%.
Wang Juncheng also revealed that Russia is set to increase e-liquid taxes in early 2024, resulting in a doubling of the cost of e-cigarette products.
The implementation of the “Honest Label” policy has impacted the Russian e-cigarette market significantly, leading to changes in demand, transportation, and taxation.
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