A lot of customers have told us they didn’t realise this law change were coming, so we wanted to break down what’s happening and what it will mean for anyone who vapes.

Vaping Is About to Get More Expensive

From 1 October 2026, the UK government is bringing in the Vaping Products Duty, officially called VPD. Most people will probably know it as the vape tax.

Whatever you call it, the simple version is this: every 10ml of e-liquid is going to cost noticeably more.

The duty is £2.20 per 10ml, and once VAT is added, that becomes £2.64 extra on every 10ml bottle. If you get through around 10ml a day, that works out at nearly £80 more each month. For shortfill users, the increase is even bigger.

So, how much more will vaping cost?

Here’s how it breaks down by product type. The duty is charged before the product reaches the shelf — when it’s made, imported, or released from an HMRC-approved warehouse or store — so the extra cost is likely to show up in the final price you pay.

These increases are added on top of the normal product price.

For example, a shortfill that currently costs £10 with two nicotine shots would rise to £42.68.

What are duty stamps, and why should you care?

The tax isn’t the only change. The government is also introducing a compulsory Vaping Duty Stamps scheme. From October 2026, every newly made or imported vaping product will need a physical duty stamp on the outside of the packaging. It’s a small rectangular label that seals the product, so the packaging can’t be opened without breaking the stamp.

Products already in the supply chain before October 2026 can still be sold without a stamp during the grace period. But from 1 April 2027, selling any vaping product without a duty stamp will become a criminal offence.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/preparing-for-vaping-products-duty-and-the-vaping-duty-stamps-scheme/prepare-for-vaping-products-duty-and-the-vaping-duty-stamps-scheme

What this means for us

Sadly, this new tax is not something we can absorb. Like many small businesses, we are already facing tough trading conditions, with sales down on last year. The hard reality is that, by April 2027, we will no longer be able to continue trading.

We worked hard to achieve TPD compliance and invested in a fully automated bottling machine, but it now feels as though all that effort has been for nothing.

As more people moved from smoking to vaping, the government lost tobacco tax revenue. This new duty now puts even more pressure on small businesses like ours.

So, as things stand, DripDrop will close on 31^st March 2027.

Until October, we’ll be bottling as many existing and new flavours as we can.

We’re doing everything possible to keep your favourites available until as close to 31 March 2027 as we can.

With only three months left to manufacture, please stock up while you can.

Some flavours or strengths will disappear as we focus on the most popular options and make our bulk ingredients last as long as possible.

We’ll then have until 31 March 2027 to sell the remaining stock. After that, our warehouse, stores, and website will close.

It is incredibly sad to reach this point, but we are grateful for 11 wonderful years and for the fantastic people we have met along the way, many of whom now feel like family.

Until then, please keep supporting us. Stock up while you can, and if you love what we do, please tell your friends and family.

We’ll also be releasing plenty of new shortfill flavours to keep you stocked up and excited to try something new.