What is TPD? Tobacco Products Directive

The TPD sets the rules for manufacturing, marketing and selling tobacco and vape products.

We've summarised the points on this page to make sure you're buying from a compliant retailer. Some other tobacconists would benefit from reading and using this guidance 👀

Covers Tobacco and Vapes

That also includes cigarettes, roll-your-own tobacco, pipe tobacco, cigars, cigarillos, and smokeless tobacco.

Strict Packaging Controls

Including the display of health warnings and other security markings to ensure the tax is paid.

Regulating Vape Contents

Including a maximum nicotine content for vapes, and maximum size for refillable vapes.

The Plain Packaging Rules

The rules around packaging and strict, that means we can't show you packets of cigarettes on our website unless they follow the same warnings that are printed on the packet.

The rules for the new packaging means that 65% of the total packaging must be covered with health warnings, including:

⚠️ A text warning, displayed at the top of every packet, front and back
⚠️ picture graphic to put you off (we think it's effective!)
Brand logos and colours are no longer shown on any packaging.

❌ That means we're unable to sell cigarettes in sleeves in their original packaging as it contains promotional branding that we're not allowed to display to customers.

✅ When you order a sleeve, you'll receive individual packs.
Descriptions that make cigarettes and tobaccos sound more appealing, or indicate flavours are now banned. Examples of the types of words and descriptions that are banned:

🚫 Organic
🚫 Light
🚫 Any reference to flavours

It goes without saying that anything that suggests smoking is healthy is strictly prohibited. You may remember the old cigarette posters that boasted health benefits - how things change!

UK Duty Paid Cigarettes and Tobaccos

Genuine cigarettes and tobacco in the UK contain the UK Duty Paid markings and ensure you're receiving a legitimate product.

  • The UK DUTY PAID Logo

    Cigarettes that are manufactured for the UK market contain the UK DUTY PAID logo. That means all relevant duties and VAT are paid.

  • Imported Cigarettes are Illegal

    Cigarettes that are imported don't contain the UK DUTY PAID mark, meaning that it's illegal to sell them in the UK.

Combating Illicit Tobacco: Track & Trace

The Government has introduced a track and track system for all cigarettes and hand rolling tobaccos as they are manufactured, stored and sold across the UK. The technology included in packaging now includes:

🔒 Security markings and holograms
🔎 Hidden identifiers on packets
⑉ Unique codes to understand the manufacturer and retailer.

Counterfeit and illicit tobacco hurts tobacconists like us, and other independent shops. Organised crime gangs undermine businesses like ours with counterfeit, inferior, and sometimes dangerous tobaccos.

The rules for Vapes

TPD ensures that the Vapes in the UK market don't contain dangerous ingredients or harmful levels of nicotine.

  • Health Warnings

    Health warnings must be shown on at least 30% of the outer packaging, at the top.

  • Banned Ingredients

    The UK has banned certain harmful ingredients and colourings colourings including caffeine and taurine.

  • Limit on Nicotine

    The maximum nicotine concentration allowed in e-liquids is 20 mg/mL.

Our Other Responsibilities

Tobacco is a highly regulated industry with lots of restrictions, so we take extra steps to ensure we're being responsible when we're selling to customers that buy on our website.

It's against the law to incentivise or encourge the purchase of tobacco. That means it's against the law to discount or put tobaccos on sale.

➡️ Offering discount codes is a no-no. We're often asked for a discount, or if there is a new customer discount.

➡️ Sale pricing is not allowed. Unlike that well known sofa company that always shows their pricing on sale, we're not allowed to run sales to promote the sale, or create urgency to buy. That includes a "sale" price, or "offer", or "was" price.

➡️ No BOGOFs or 2-4-1's or 3-4-2's. They're also banned, too.

We pride ourselves on everyday fair pricing across all our products. We help our customers save money where possible, through our Unlimited Delivery campaign.

You must be 18+ to buy tobacco, and the law is the same whether you buy in a shop or order online. Yes, we do check - we're proud to have one of the most rigorous checking processes of any tobacconist.

👍🏼 When you order with us for the first time, we'll automatically put your order on hold and we'll request to see some identification to verify your age. You only need to do this once.

👍🏼 We'll send you a secure link to upload your document. Our team manually reviews every document manually, and are trained to spot counterfeit and fraudulent documents. We take fraud seriously, and we will report it to the police.

👍🏼 We accept all common types of ID including driving licence, passport, birth certificate, bus pass, PASS ID card EU identification documentation.

👍🏼 Once your account is reviewed and approved we'll release your order. We usually approve accounts within the hour.

👍🏼 Our specalist team are available via telephone if you're unable to supply documents, or don't have access to technology to complete the process. Please call for details.

The Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) allows EU countries to ban tobacco being sent to their country. Some countries have already banned the import of tobacco, including Germany and Netherlands.

To send tobacco outside the UK it would require an export licence, which requires additional paperwork with the Government to register EU/international sales.

Additionally, the two main card issuers (Visa and Mastercard) count tobacco, especially the export of tobacco as very high risk. Our payment providers don't allow this to reduce the risk to them.

As a result we don't allow the sale of tobacco outside of the UK, and our website has technical measures in place to prevent purchases if you're outside of the UK.

Thanks for reading

We hope other retailers have found this guide helpful on how they can become compliant.