This post is for everyone who lives in a rural area who have to drive miles upon miles to find a good smoke shop. Or, for those of you who just like the discretion of ordering smoking accessories online. There are some really good online smoke shops, and today I’ll round up the best five that I’ve personally ordered from.
What To Look for in an Online Smoke Shop?
Years ago, people used to be so afraid of ordering from any website out there. It was to the point that people would ask friends, post on forums, or even make prodding calls to the company before they transmitted their credit card data online. Fortunately, with merchant processors being anything but liberal with allowing charge backs on non-delivery of items, e-commerce stores are held highly accountable for their actions. Social media, as well as review sources like Google and Yelp, also help keep businesses honest because if there is an overwhelming amount of bad publicity about a company or website, well, it can certainly swing buyer momentum another direction.
As far as the basics that I look for in any online store, smoke shop, or other, I make sure the site is encrypted. This way I know my data is safe. (Don’t worry, my list of recommended smoke shops are all encrypted.) Second, I do a quick search on the aforementioned social sharing sites. If there are poor experiences by customers in an overwhelming manner, I stay away. (Again, these sites below all check the box.)
Lastly, I reach out via email, online chat if they have it, or even telephone, to ask questions. If they seem knowledgable and friendly, that’s enough in my book. Being attentive is key, and knowing your products is also essential. Again, my top picks are all checked out, so you don’t have to go through the same hurdles I did to quality these as dependable smoke shops.
Grass City
Based in Las Vegas, a place I have spent a lot of time checking out dispensaries, (Planet 13 is the best one) this online head shop has it all. It’s especially good for those of you who want to buy bongs. Many head shops online sell bongs, but the sheer variety that Grass City offers is second to none. Of course, they also sell pipes, vaporizers, herb grinders, and even rolling papers for those old schoolers out there (like me) who love rolling up their flour. They also have a crazy amount of smoking accessories for sale, like ash trays, lighters, and pretty much everything you can imagine that you would come across in your local head shop.
Speaking of that, there are Grass City retail locations in Canada. Other than that, multiple warehouses in the USA and Europe allow Grass City to ship products globally with ease. Their reach is massive, and their reputation is sterling.
As a bonus, they also have a very active forum, one that I visit every month to catch up with people on the industry and hear what people are into these days. There are over 650,000 members and over 20 million posts!
Smoke Cartel
Started very humbly in 2013 in Savannah, Georgia, where they remain headquartered today, Smoke Cartel offers a wide variety of smoking accessories. They preach the importance of a good user experience on their website combined with high quality customer support, and that’s exactly what you’ll find at their online head shop. In fact, I enjoyed their start-up story so much that I decided to paste it here for all to see.
While they offer everything you could imagine at very competitive prices, you might want to check out their “deals” column quite often. You’ll find highly discounted items marked down to ultra low prices where you can get some amazing savings. I’ve found myself dipping into their deals section many times, because the savings are just THAT good.
It’s always a pleasure getting goods from Smoke Cartel. While they may be more boutique than larger head shops, their customer service is #1.
To get to know them even more, watch this very clever corporate promotional video. I like the personality of this company!
Brothers With Glass
If you are into the designer bongs, it may be wise to bang this link and check out the amazing selection offered over at Brothers With Glass. Their HVY Glass bongs are made in the USA and very competitively priced compared to other internet head shops. They’ve been around since 2010, and offer a wide variety of glass bongs, bubblers, hand pipes and dab rigs. They make no bones about the fact that you should always look to buy American-made glass bongs due to many Chinese glass bongs being of subpar quality. I couldn’t agree more, and these are very sturdy, long-lasting bongs that are of high performance.
Here’s a list of American Artists you’ll find in their HUGE glass bong inventory:
C2 Custom Creations, Chameleon Glass, Chasteen Glassworks, Empire Glassworks, Glowfly Glass, Goo Goo Designs, Higher Standards, HVY Glass, JM Flow, Leisure Glass, Mad Hatters Glass, Leisure Glass, Mathematix Glass, Mountain Jam Glass, Purr Glass, Realazation Glass, Roll-uh-Bowl, Special K, Tim Berg Glass, Zob Glass.
They also have the following import brands:
Bent Glassworks, Cheech and Chong, No Label Glass, Marley Natural Glass, Pulsar Glass, Snoop Dogg Pounds, Trailer Park Boys Glass.
