• Vape market size reports range from free government trade data to five-figure analyst subscriptions. A distributor's choice should hinge on whether they need broad category trends or granular channel-level forecasts. Most mid-size distributors can plan effectively with curated free data plus one affordable subscription tier.
• Free sources (gov trade data, industry newsletters) are enough for macro trends and sanity checks, but won't give you channel-level splits.
• Mid-tier paid reports (hundreds to low thousands) add regional breakdowns and category forecasts, but verify the methodology and publication date.
• Premium analyst subscriptions (five figures) are for large distributors who need proprietary survey data and custom analysis—most don't need this.
• Before buying, check the report's definition of 'vape market'—it may exclude nicotine pouches or hardware-only, which changes the numbers.
• Your own sales data is the highest-resolution market size signal you have; use reports to benchmark, not to replace your own numbers.