| Legal supplier identity | Registered legal entity, business registration number, registered address, export authority, and contact details that match official records. | Confirms that the counterparty is identifiable and reduces the risk of purchasing from an unlicensed or anonymous source. | Check the relevant national company registry, customs records, export documents, and the consistency of names across contracts, invoices, and bank details. | Required | WTO trade information |
| Authorization and trademark rights | Current authorization letter, distribution agreement, trademark-use permission, product photographs, and authorization validity period. | A product listing, logo, packaging design, or certificate alone does not prove that a supplier is authorized to sell or distribute a protected brand. | Verify the authorization directly through an independently obtained official contact channel and compare the document with the trademark owner’s public records. | Verify independently | WIPO Madrid System |
| Product identity and specification | Exact model name, batch number, country of manufacture, nicotine concentration, nicotine volume, e-liquid ingredients, battery capacity, and claimed puff count. | “60K” or similar puff-count wording is a commercial claim and is not a universal technical standard. Actual performance depends on liquid volume, power, airflow, and test conditions. | Compare the physical product, packaging, technical sheet, laboratory report, and import declaration. Require written clarification for any inconsistent specification. | Verify before order | WHO Tobacco and E-cigarette information |
| Nicotine and chemical safety | Accredited laboratory test report covering nicotine concentration, prohibited substances, heavy metals, carbonyl compounds, and ingredient disclosure where required. | Nicotine products may be subject to chemical-safety, consumer-product, tobacco-product, or medicines rules depending on the destination market. | Confirm laboratory accreditation, report number, sample identity, test date, test method, and whether the report covers the exact batch being supplied. | Required where applicable | ISO/IEC 17025 laboratory competence |
| WHO FCTC Article 5.3 | Documented conflict-of-interest controls, transparent meeting records, and a clear separation between public-health policy and commercial lobbying. | WHO FCTC Article 5.3 requires Parties to protect tobacco-control policies from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry, in accordance with national law. | Keep procurement and regulatory decisions evidence-based, document communications with industry representatives, and follow the importing country’s transparency rules. | Policy safeguard | WHO FCTC overview |
| WHO FCTC Articles 9 and 10 | Manufacturing controls, ingredient information, emissions data, health-risk disclosures, and product-quality documentation required by the destination authority. | These articles address regulation of tobacco products and disclosure of product contents and emissions. National implementation determines the exact obligations. | Request the destination market’s official product dossier checklist and confirm that each document relates to the exact model and formulation. | Depends on market | WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control |
| WHO FCTC Article 13 | Marketing plan, online listing content, influencer arrangements, promotional discounts, sponsorship activity, and age-gating controls. | Article 13 concerns tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship. Many Parties apply restrictions to electronic nicotine products through national law or related policy. | Obtain written legal advice for the destination market and remove claims that imply safety, therapeutic benefit, smoking cessation, or youth appeal unless expressly permitted. | High-risk area | WHO FCTC implementation framework |
| WHO FCTC Article 15 | Supply-chain records, serial numbers, batch tracking, invoices, shipping documents, and procedures for detecting illicit trade or counterfeit goods. | Article 15 addresses illicit trade in tobacco products. Traceability and due diligence help reduce counterfeit, diversion, and unauthorized distribution risks. | Use batch-level records, verify shipping routes, inspect packaging security features, and retain commercial documents for the legally required period. | Required control | WHO FCTC Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade |
| China export compliance | Export invoice, packing list, customs declaration, product classification, manufacturer information, and evidence that the goods may legally be exported. | Chinese tobacco and e-cigarette products may be subject to national tobacco-administration, product-quality, customs, and export-control requirements. | Ask a qualified customs broker or legal adviser to confirm the correct HS classification and current export requirements for the exact product. | Confirm per shipment | Chinese Government official portal |
| Destination-market authorization | Import permit, product notification or registration, local representative details, tax registration, and evidence of compliance with packaging and labeling rules. | Some markets prohibit specific nicotine products; others require pre-market notification, authorization, health warnings, excise compliance, or sales restrictions. | Check the official health, tobacco-control, customs, and consumer-protection authorities before signing a purchase contract. | Required before import | WHO tobacco-control resources |
| Age restriction and youth protection | Age-verification procedure, retailer training, delivery controls, online access restrictions, and records of refused sales. | Age limits and youth-protection requirements vary by jurisdiction. Attractive packaging, youth-oriented imagery, and unrestricted online sales may create compliance risk. | Test the sales journey, review website controls, check delivery procedures, and retain documented compliance training. | Required where applicable | WHO tobacco-control information |
| Packaging and labeling | Nicotine warning, ingredient statement, batch code, manufacturer details, disposal instructions, language requirements, and child-safety information. | Labeling rules are jurisdiction-specific and may include mandatory health warnings, nicotine declarations, packaging restrictions, and environmental information. | Compare artwork with the destination authority’s current labeling template and approve only market-specific packaging. | Required before sale | WHO tobacco-control resources |
| Battery and electrical safety | Battery chemistry, protection circuit, charger specifications, transport classification, electrical-safety test report, and disposal instructions. | Rechargeable vape products can create fire, transport, and waste-management risks. Electrical and battery requirements may apply separately from tobacco rules. | Request relevant test reports, inspect charging instructions, confirm lithium-battery shipping documentation, and verify local waste obligations. | Verify technically | UNECE dangerous-goods transport guidance |
| Environmental and waste obligations | Battery recycling plan, electrical-waste compliance, packaging material information, extended producer responsibility registration, and collection arrangements. | Environmental obligations may apply to batteries, electrical equipment, packaging, and nicotine-containing waste independently of tobacco-control legislation. | Identify the responsible importer or producer and confirm registration with the destination market’s environmental authority. | Depends on market | Basel Convention |
| Commercial due diligence | Pro forma invoice, payment terms, sample approval, inspection rights, refund provisions, intellectual-property indemnity, and product-liability insurance. | Clear contractual controls help allocate responsibility for counterfeit goods, non-conforming products, customs seizure, regulatory changes, and defective products. | Use a written contract governed by an agreed law, conduct independent pre-shipment inspection, and avoid payment solely through unverifiable channels. | Recommended | UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods |
| Final go/no-go rule | Complete authorization evidence, product documents, destination-market approval, labeling review, customs review, and batch-level inspection. | Do not rely on a supplier’s claims, marketplace ranking, certificate image, or product name as proof of legality or authenticity. | Proceed only when every mandatory checkpoint is documented and independently verified for the intended destination. | Pass all mandatory checks | WHO FCTC official information |