How do you buy high-end mods? I’ve always wondered about that when I wanted to get my first stabwood mod. I now have a good collection of stab wood mods, and I am ready to share with you what I know.
Most stab wood mods and high-end mods are sold through Facebook. The modders do not have an online store, and are really not interested in setting up one.
Why?
Because each mod is unique, to sell 10 mods you’ll have to take 10 sets of pictures and put them up in your online store. Most modders don’t bother, but there are exceptions of course.
So how are they sold? Let me explain the entire process of finding, buying and getting support for a high-end mod or stabwood mod.
Table of Contents
Closed / Secret Facebook Groups
The majority of stabwood mods are sold through Facebook groups. For the more popular groups, they are set to “Secret” or “Closed”. “Closed” means that ad admin approval is required to join. You cannot see any of the group’s posts until you are approved.
Most of these groups approve you almost immediately, but for some groups a “Vouch” is needed. This means that an existing member must vouch for you in the group and the admin will add you or approve your pending request,
When the status is set to “Secret” you cannot find the group by searching Facebook. You cannot even access the group with a direct link.
Some groups change their status from “Closed” to “Secret” when they are doing sales, as they do not want new members joining during this time. I cannot tell you the exact reason why, or even if this makes a lot of sense. But they must have a good reason for doing that.
Direct Contact & Regular Lists
This is straightforward. A Google Document is listed, you fill it up and pay the mod’s price in full or make a partial payment. When the list is closed and the modder then gets to work making the mods or shipping them out.
When your mod is ready, you settle the balance and wait eagerly for your mod. The modder then releases a new list, which stays open for days or a week.
For smaller groups, you can get in touch with the modder right away and order a mod. You do not have to wait for any list, but the number of these groups are small and usually their mods are less popular.
Product Drops & Countdowns
After you get into a group, you have to wait for a product “drop”. Before the drop the admin will usually give you the exact date and time for the drop, but not everyone tells you in advance.
This is important because each group’s admin or modder may be in a different timezone from you. So you got to set a reminder, and get the timezone right.
Google Document & List Randomizers
When the product is dropped, a new form is created in Google Docs and entries are allowed for a short time. That list if then randomized using random.org and a winner is selected, who has to pay for the mod within a short time.
Sometime a list stays open for 24 hours, and these are the easiest to participate. For a lot of groups, and sorry to say this but if they are based in the US, it’s usually at the most convenient time for US vapers and the list stays open for anywhere between 5 minutes to 15 minutes.
I hate these groups the most. I have to stay awake until 3am my time, and can easily miss filling up the form in that 5 minute window.
X1 Quick Strikes
This is the worst way to get a new stabwood or high-end mod or atty. A new mod is listed on the page or group, and the first person to comment X1 or something similar wins the right to purchase the mod.
The problem with this is obviously you have to be very fast. In a recent group using this same method, I was online by 10:30 pm checking the group. At 11:50 I kept refreshing the page, and the post was out at exactly 11:00 pm.
However, by the time I could move my cursor to the comment box, more than 100 people have already entered their X1s.
It’s not impossible, and I have got some things from X1 quickstrikes. However, the larger the group the more difficult it becomes unless you have a really fast internet connection with minimal latency.
In my opinion, this is the worst way to sell any product, ever.
Raffles & Charity Raffles
In a raffle, you pay a small sum of money n order to earn a randomizer spot. Fewer people participate because you burn whatever you paid unless you win, but that also means your chances are much higher to get a mod this way.
Usually the number of open spots are fixed based on the RRP of the mod. For charity raffles however, there are usually unlimited spots. However, the proceeds of the sale usually got completely to a charitable cause.
I like this method, since I have to compete with fewer people, and I like it more when the raffle is for charity. A raffle can also be done by a third-party selling off his personal collection, or for another modder’s work.
High-End Mods via Online Store
The real value of a stab wood mod is in its rarity and exclusivity. If they did create an online store, you will be able to get one easily. Therefore, its hard for existing owners to sell their mod at the regular RRP or higher.
Low supply and high demand equals higher price, value and exclusivity. This is VERY important to a modder, almost like a bragging right.
The after market value of the mod is what they look at. Some Gepetto stab wood mods for example can easily fetch $5,000 in the after-market on various Facebook mod groups.
The good news is that most stab wood modders offer good support through their Facebook groups. Again, it’s a “secret” group on FaceBook for mod owners, which means even more exclusivity.
They answer your messages, stand by their products and offer repairs as well, which is something you’ll have hard time doing with Chinese companies.