Prevention of Sales to Minors

At NLDAMP, we comply with Dutch legislation regarding electronic cigarettes. Current law prohibits selling e-cigarettes and accessories to persons under 18. On this page, we explain how we implement this and why.

Distance selling of e-cigarettes is allowed for persons over 18. However, there are currently no other legal obligations for ID checks at the door or at checkout. Unfortunately, we see many minors ordering e-cigarettes online. We actively work to prevent this. The law requires an age verification system on the seller’s website. Here we explain how we check the age of our customers.

Age Check 1: Entering the Website

When visiting our website, a pop-up asks if the visitor is 18 years or older. If the visitor indicates they are under 18, access to the webshop is denied.

Age Check 2: Checkout, Date of Birth

At checkout, we ask for the date of birth. Our system automatically calculates if the customer is 18 or older. If a minor’s date of birth is entered, completing the order is impossible.

Age Check 3: Label on the Package

All our packages state that products are intended only for persons 18 or older. We mark them with (18+) to alert parents or others that a minor might have attempted to order these goods.

Criticism of our approach and recommendations for improved legislation

We do everything possible to prevent minors from ordering on our webshop. However, we would like to see some improvements in legislation for our sector.

We recommend a mandatory ID check upon delivery. Currently, this is not required as it is for alcohol online. Implementing this type of control is expensive and currently not feasible without risking our market position.

We also see the possibility of a ID check at the time of ordering. Solutions like iDIN allow age verification via the customer’s bank. This prevents minors from completing payment.

Conclusion and our view on the online sales ban for e-cigarettes

The government has announced it is working on banning online sales of electronic smoking products. We believe this could have serious consequences for the following reasons:

1. Lower availability compared to tobacco

The number of locations selling tobacco is much higher than those selling e-cigarettes. Therefore, many people, especially in remote areas, will find it harder to access and use less harmful alternatives like ours.

2. Less quality control

The internet does not stop at borders, and foreign or illegal sellers will likely respond to demand if a ban is implemented. This reduces product oversight, potentially causing health issues long-term.

We believe good alternatives exist to an online ban, allowing the market to provide e-cigarettes to adult smokers while discouraging minors from purchasing through regulated channels.

Our company has been featured multiple times in the media regarding legislation. For questions or interview requests, contact our customer service.