headshop quesions

[justiceforall]

so im considering opening my own head shop in a neighboring town. i like to think i know a thing or two about business and it has been an idea in the back of my head for a while now. and i would really like to do it while im young instead of waiting til i completely fuck up my cedit over time as i am bound to if i keep working for crap money. i was just wondering if anyone had any advice or pointers for a young stoner aspiring to start a legit business?

 

[Sharp_Pain]

I think that is every stoners dream, along with a garden in the back of the place. I would imagine you would have to sell alot of pipes to cover your monthly rent alone.

 

[justiceforall]

the location im thinking of would make it the only headshop fpr about 45 50 miles th rent would be fairly cheap and i would probably be making from 30 to 80% a piece

 

[Stoner4Life]

you won't ever have to worry about credit bro it's cash and carry in the 'paraphernalia' biz, nobodies going to issue credit on those goods. When the cops shut you down they take ALL your merchandise, like I said, nobody issues credit with risks like that hanging over shop keepers heads. That's one reason most headshop prices are fairly high, the owner has his ass hung out in all store expenses including cash outlay for all merchandise. A head shop is forever 'on the fence' of legality in any town in the US, always looking to be targeted as well.

You'd be better off to run a web based head shop out of your apartment, low overhead, no store hours, etc....... stock some of your most popular and high return ($ return that is) items for fast shipping & you'll get a good rep fast....... larger items like any 'HydroFarms' HID light systems you sell can be drop shipped by your supplier.

 

[gmb]

I don't know about the head shops in your area, but I know that alot of the money that head shops make is in accessories. Like those "things" that tweakers/crackheads use, cigarettes, papers, blunts, downstems, etc. You also have to remember to always keep any weed stuff away from your business. This is how it was back home in Texas. Everything was "tobacco". In Las Vegas, I was able to have a conversation with the owner's son about herb...but it's a really touchy subject in that kind of business.

Online headshop is a good idea, but your competition is HUGE. One good thing about any online store is a wonderful invention called "drop shipping". Basically, you're just selling stuff for the manufacturer. You get the order and send it to them, they send out the stuff. I say go for it..you only live once. Just remember..it is a business, and should be run as such.

 

[Guest]

you know what i always thought was wierd is how they are all strict about saying everything is for tobacco and calling things water pipes instead of bongs, etc. but then they have all kinds of weed magazines, weed posters, weed t-shirts, everything weed related you can think of. but the pipes no they aren't for weed they're for tobacco

 

[The_Leader]

UnerSame, that is the genious of the usa gov. the dumber it is, the more money the gov has forked out to get it done.

to make sence: would confuse the rubes. so sayeth lord bush.

you know just how close COFFEE veered away from the annuls of history as marijunas kin in being illegal? it is just leo spending money.

 

[Rosy Cheeks]

It would help if you stated what country you are in, since legislation, harassment and persecution of businesses that market smoking/cultivation related items vary from country to country.

If you're in Americastan, I could think of better business ideas for a decent living. My guess is that you'd have LEO, the IRS and various other governmental institutions - with the sole objective to discourage you from doing what you do - so far up your ass you could never take a peaceful crap again. As gmb said, online business competition is stiff, but it's practically the only viable alternative, unless you plan to sell tourist trinkets at San Fransisco's Hippie Hill.

My old grow guru opened up an online growshop. He's one of the more successful ones (in this country), still it's far from easy money, concidering the 12 hour work days he puts in 6 days a week. He's legit now, and so thoroughly supervised by Big Brother that he can't grow, he doesn't even dare to keep a few grams at his place. Cops visit the warehouse regularly, and when they can't get to him or his business they focus on the employees. One of the guys working there (a grower) was set up by the cops, and luckily he told his boss about it because he didn't see it coming. Add bureaucratic red tape to that, concider the pros (your burning enthousiasm) against the cons (everything they can throw at you), and ask yourself if you're not better off as a clandestine grower.

 

[FallenBuddha]

if you really want to open a head shop there are a number of issues you must address. first you need to realize that a headshop is an illegal enterprise under federal law. i copy and pasted this, the united states federal law defining paraphanalia, from the cornell university law school legal information institues web site:



TITLE 21 > CHAPTER 13 > SUBCHAPTER I > Part D > § 863Prev | Next § 863. Drug paraphernalia
(a) In general
It is unlawful for any person—
(1) to sell or offer for sale drug paraphernalia;
(2) to use the mails or any other facility of interstate commerce to transport drug paraphernalia; or
(3) to import or export drug paraphernalia.
(b) Penalties
Anyone convicted of an offense under subsection (a) of this section shall be imprisoned for not more than three years and fined under title 18.
(c) Seizure and forfeiture
Any drug paraphernalia involved in any violation of subsection (a) of this section shall be subject to seizure and forfeiture upon the conviction of a person for such violation. Any such paraphernalia shall be delivered to the Administrator of General Services, General Services Administration, who may order such paraphernalia destroyed or may authorize its use for law enforcement or educational purposes by Federal, State, or local authorities.
(d) “Drug paraphernalia” defined
The term “drug paraphernalia” means any equipment, product, or material of any kind which is primarily intended or designed for use in manufacturing, compounding, converting, concealing, producing, processing, preparing, injecting, ingesting, inhaling, or otherwise introducing into the human body a controlled substance, possession of which is unlawful under this subchapter. It includes items primarily intended or designed for use in ingesting, inhaling, or otherwise introducing marijuana,[1] cocaine, hashish, hashish oil, PCP, methamphetamine, or amphetamines into the human body, such as—
(1) metal, wooden, acrylic, glass, stone, plastic, or ceramic pipes with or without screens, permanent screens, hashish heads, or punctured metal bowls;
(2) water pipes;
(3) carburetion tubes and devices;
(4) smoking and carburetion masks;
(5) roach clips: meaning objects used to hold burning material, such as a marihuana cigarette, that has become too small or too short to be held in the hand;
(6) miniature spoons with level capacities of one-tenth cubic centimeter or less;
(7) chamber pipes;
(8) carburetor pipes;
(9) electric pipes;
(10) air-driven pipes;
(11) chillums;
(12) bongs;
(13) ice pipes or chillers;
(14) wired cigarette papers; or
(15) cocaine freebase kits.
(e) Matters considered in determination of what constitutes drug paraphernalia
In determining whether an item constitutes drug paraphernalia, in addition to all other logically relevant factors, the following may be considered:
(1) instructions, oral or written, provided with the item concerning its use;
(2) descriptive materials accompanying the item which explain or depict its use;
(3) national and local advertising concerning its use;
(4) the manner in which the item is displayed for sale;
(5) whether the owner, or anyone in control of the item, is a legitimate supplier of like or related items to the community, such as a licensed distributor or dealer of tobacco products;
(6) direct or circumstantial evidence of the ratio of sales of the item(s) to the total sales of the business enterprise;
(7) the existence and scope of legitimate uses of the item in the community; and
(8) expert testimony concerning its use.
(f) Exemptions
This section shall not apply to—
(1) any person authorized by local, State, or Federal law to manufacture, possess, or distribute such items; or
(2) any item that, in the normal lawful course of business, is imported, exported, transported, or sold through the mail or by any other means, and traditionally intended for use with tobacco products, including any pipe, paper, or accessory.

now, the government doesnt just send marauding dea/customs enforcement teams out hunting for headshops. they pretty much leave it up to the local authorities, which can be city, county or state. so you must find out how the local government feels about an exotic pipe shop. you should also see about getting a tobacco license and selling tobacco and legal herbs for smoking.

next you will need to consider location. will you be in town, or on the outskirts, in town you definitley draw more scrutiny, you also have to check and see if you are close to places that might create problems, such as churches and schools. if there hasnt been a head shop in the area for a while you need to ask why? is the local government that strict?

a very wise policy is to not allow anyone under 18 in, and make sure you card people to cover your ass, nothing will get you closed quicker than selling tobacco accessories to a minor. also do not make implication that what you are selling is for any other use than legal herbs and tobacco. do not sell high times, cannabis culture, weed world, or any other of the many cannabis magazines, or anything with pot leaf logos etc. these are things that could be used as given suggestion of use. dont carry weed on you, or in your vehicle when you are doing anything pertaining to the shop.

just a couple things to consider before you open up shop.

peace -fb

 

[Rosy Cheeks]

Land of the free, eh

 

[b_is_me]

Make sure the Landlord knows you are going to open up a shop of this nature also. There was a pipe store in my town and the landlord evicted him when he found out what he was doing/selling. I came by when he was shutting down, 50% off on pipes, bought a couple hehe. GOod luck

 

[D Rock]

you know what i always thought was wierd is how they are all strict about saying everything is for tobacco and calling things water pipes instead of bongs, etc. but then they have all kinds of weed magazines, weed posters, weed t-shirts, everything weed related you can think of. but the pipes no they aren't for weed they're for tobacco

Your right. That always makes me laugh.

I thought it was funny how they have have signs that say If you make a illegal refrence to anything you wll be asked to leave the store. So I go back with this grinder that I bought. It was a clear plastic blue grinder with the metal teeth. Well it fell apart the first time I used so I took it back and the lady was like are you taking your stems and seeds out before you grind it. And I thought to myself well if she brought it up it must be ok. so I said Lady what Im smoking doesnt have seeds and Im not stupid enough to put stems inside my grinder. She hooked me up with one of those aluminum grinders and now I got metal shavings appearing in my weed. Go figure. I havce found one I liked though.

 

[Guest]

(f) Exemptions
This section shall not apply to—
(1) any person authorized by local, State, or Federal law to manufacture, possess, or distribute such items; or
(2) any item that, in the normal lawful course of business, is imported, exported, transported, or sold through the mail or by any other means, and traditionally intended for use with tobacco products, including any pipe, paper, or accessory.

i think this is the loophole that allows them to sell the pipes for tobacco purposes even though everything else in their store is covered in pot leaf logos and slogans and whatnot. cuz selling those items with the intent that they will be used for tobacco is a normal lawful course of business - it happens all over the place all the time. if you live in an area where there are no headshops then you may be risking it cuz then it isn't a normal course of business. but where i live there are dozens of smoke shops so in a place like this you should be fine

 

[Trancerman]

make sure you move to california...make sure you don't let customers call it a 'weed pipe'...label all pipes in the store as a water pipe.....keep low prices, be cool with your customers, know them, get good glass connects so you can give great deals(as this comes with good customer base)...you wont make money for at least 6 months to a year but if you give you will receive....most important...dont hire idiots to do your job....nothing worse than going to my shop only to see the owner not there and instead some hooker with her c-section tummy hangin out over the counter

 

[chubbynugs]

I worked in a shop for years and my friend owned it. I also have lots of other friends who own shops. They make decent money but what you gotta understand is that you have to open your shop in a smoking community. Whether it be a weed smoking or crack/meth smoking neighborhood it has to be opened there. Not all stoners have enough money to support your shop consistently over time. You have to also have the crackheads buy oil burners(tweek pipes). They cost like 25 cents each wholesale and they sell for over three bucks. Dont expect to make anything on some days.

 

[Linenoise]

you won't ever have to worry about credit bro it's cash and carry in the 'paraphernalia' biz, nobodies going to issue credit on those goods. When the cops shut you down they take ALL your merchandise, like I said, nobody issues credit with risks like that hanging over shop keepers heads. That's one reason most headshop prices are fairly high, the owner has his ass hung out in all store expenses including cash outlay for all merchandise. A head shop is forever 'on the fence' of legality in any town in the US, always looking to be targeted as well.

You'd be better off to run a web based head shop out of your apartment, low overhead, no store hours, etc....... stock some of your most popular and high return ($ return that is) items for fast shipping & you'll get a good rep fast....... larger items like any 'HydroFarms' HID light systems you sell can be drop shipped by your supplier.

Good advice and now I understand why the headshop I have been going to for the last twenty years still has some of the same piece-o-shit pipes for years on end.