KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 29 — Vape stores are still doing roaring trade here, according to some owners who said business has improved despite recent raids on some outlets, especially after the sudden hike in cigarette prices earlier in the month.

Vape store chain “Chain Vapors” co-founder Syahrul Hafiz Ahmad Azahari Lai said there was an initial dip in sales last month due to public fear of the clampdown but added that the trend will likely reverse by month-end.

“The increase in sales is mostly from people who were both vaping and smoking who have decided to drop smoking completely after the price hike,” Syahrul  Hafiz told Malay Mail Online when contacted.

“But the rise in new users is still significant, with an increase of about 25 to 30 per cent this month,” he added.

He noted, however, that the “real boom” was earlier this year in February and in July, during previous price hikes.

Mohd Khairul Anwar Mohd Noor, owner of Mafio Vapo Damansara Perdana, said in-store sales has increased this month by an estimated 15 to 20 per cent, although the outlet competes for business with eight other vape stores in the same vicinity.

But business could still be better, he said, if the government goes ahead with plans to regulate the trade instead of conducting raids.

“It is unfair to raid vape stores. My shop discourages smoking, and I am proof that vaping helps people reduce their smoking habit.

“Don’t tell me it is taking them more than four years to come up with proper guidelines,” he said.

Another vape store owner at the Damansara Perdana area, who only wanted to be known as Tim, said that business prospects for vaping has always been one of growth.

He said he has not seen an outright increase in sales since the prices of cigarettes went up earlier this month but observed that more lower-income new users have come to visit his store looking for an alternative.

“[The cigarette price hike] definitely has an impact on the lower middle to the lower income customers because they need an alternative,” he said.

Tim told Malay Mail Online that he maintains a strict store policy of only selling vaping liquids imported from countries where there is a system in place to certify the makers’ credibility, so as not to harm his customers.

He added that his store also tries to help smokers to quit, and does not encourage non-smokers to pick up vaping.

“We are one of the main shops that aim to help people quit smoking and we have brochures inside the shop on why people should quit smoking. The in-store education is something we are proud of.”

“We are for regulation. It has been our stance since the beginning. We have our own in-store policies, but saying we are going to do it, doesn’t give us as much credibility to customers than if we had the government regulating it and we can provide our proof of compliance,” he added.

Malaysian E-Vaporisers and Tobacco Alternative Association (Mevta) chairman Allan Foo said it is normal to expect vape business to increase when cigarette prices go up.

He added, however, that with the industry still being kept under close watch by the authorities, sales could go down.

“For the past seven years, it’s been like that. Every time there is an increase in tax, there would definitely be another jump on electronic alternatives. Before this crackdown, the previous increases it usually jumped up by 30 per cent,” he told Malay Mail Online when contacted.

Putrajaya has been sending mixed messages over vaping in recent weeks, with the Health Ministry conducting raids on such outlets even as Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob encouraged their expansion.

Two weeks ago, however, the Health Ministry, undeterred by criticism over its raids, insisted that “vaping” outlets cannot stock or sell vaping liquids that have nicotine in them as long as they are not approved to do so by the Pharmacy Board.

There was also a claim made by former deputy inspector-general of police Tan Sri Mohd Najib Abdul Aziz that vaping could lead to drug abuse.

Cigarettes in the country saw an increase in prices on November 4, following a hike in excise duties of over 40 per cent by the federal government, with some premium brands seeing a big jump from RM13.80 to RM17.