You run a vape distribution business with a book of shop accounts, and the reorder is the whole game. A shop that runs dry on its best-selling disposable on a Friday does not wait for your rep's Tuesday visit. It calls whoever answers first, and next week that distributor gets the order too. Texting the buyer at the right moment, with the right list in the message, is the cheapest way to make sure the order comes to you.
This playbook covers the list, the messages in a normal week, who answers the replies, and what to send when a state directory change makes part of a shop's shelf unsellable.
Why wholesale texting runs on a different clock
Consumer promo is a broadcast. Wholesale is a conversation with a buyer who already knows you, and that changes how you send:
- The list is small and every line is worth a lot. A distributor might have 80 to 300 accounts, each a standing order. A lost account costs far more than a lost consumer.
- The reply is the order. A shop owner texting "same as last week plus 2 boxes of the mint" has placed an order. Treat replies as revenue.
- Timing follows the shop's order day. Most accounts settle into a weekly or biweekly rhythm. The text that lands the afternoon before their order day gets answered. The one that lands after they called someone else does not.
- Vape shops keep late hours. Many open at 10 or 11, so a 9am text sits unread. Late morning is when the owner is counting the shelf.
Build the account list before the first send
Do this once, properly. For every account, capture:
- The buyer's mobile number and name, not the store landline. If two people order, record both and who can approve.
- Their order day and cycle. Weekly Thursday, biweekly Monday, or "whenever we run out." Fix that last kind first.
- Their state. Directory laws now decide which SKUs you can ship to that address (more below).
- Their last order. The most useful thing a reorder text can carry is what they bought last time.
- A record of consent to text. Add a line to your account setup or credit application: "Mobile number for order reminders and stock updates by text." Keep the signed form.
In Android Texter, accounts live as named contacts with tags, so a tag per state and per order day ("thu-order", "pa", "ia") pulls Wednesday's list in a few clicks. Optional landline detection through the Landline Remover integration catches the shops that gave you a desk phone.
The weekly reorder cycle, message by message
Here is a normal week for an account that orders on Thursday. Shift the days to match each account.
Message 1: the reorder nudge
Trigger: the day before order day, around 11am local time.
Hi Marcus, it's Dana at Northline Distribution. Building tomorrow's truck. Last week you took 3 boxes of the 5000-puff disposable, 2 boxes mint pods, 1 case 30ml salts. Same again, or changes? Reply STOP to opt out.
It names the person, says who is texting, and hands them last week's order so the answer can be one word.
Message 2: the no-reply follow-up
Trigger: no reply to Message 1 within three to four hours.
Marcus, cutoff for tomorrow's delivery is 5pm today. Want me to repeat last week's order? Reply YES and I'll lock it in.
One follow-up only. If there is still nothing by cutoff, the rep calls. A third text reads as pressure; a call reads as service. Log the account as "no reply" so a pattern shows up over a month.
Message 3: the order confirmation
Trigger: the order is entered in your system.
Got it: 3 boxes disposables, 3 boxes mint pods, 1 case 30ml salts. Arrives Thursday between 1 and 3pm. Anything to add before 5?
It settles what was ordered before the truck leaves, which saves a credit memo later.
Message 4: the substitution text
Trigger: a line on the order is short.
Heads up Marcus, the mint pods are short this week. I can send the spearmint at the same price, or hold it for next Thursday. Which do you want?
Send it before the truck leaves, never after. A shop that finds a missing line at delivery feels shorted. A shop that chose the swap feels looked after.
The lapse text
Trigger: a weekly account has skipped two cycles.
Hi Marcus, haven't seen an order from you in a couple of weeks. Everything OK? If it was pricing or stock, tell me and I'll see what I can do.
It comes from the account's own rep and asks a question, because the answer tells you whether you lost them on price, service, or a stock-out.
Directory changes are the text shops actually need
The most valuable message a distributor can send this autumn is a stock alert: which products on a shop's shelf have become a problem in a state where a vape product directory now governs what can be sold.
- Pennsylvania. The Attorney General announced that enforcement of Act 57 could begin October 19, 2026, prohibiting sales of nicotine e-cigarettes not listed in the state's ENDS directory. On October 14 the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania granted summary judgment to the state in a challenge brought by retailers, as Vaping Post reported.
- Iowa. The Department of Revenue postponed publication of its vapor products directory, which had been due October 15, with no new date. Enforcement begins 21 business days after publication, and Iowa Code 453A.52B then sets a civil penalty of $300 per day for each unlisted product a retailer, distributor or wholesaler offers for sale.
Your accounts do not read state registers; you do, because you have to know what you can ship. Tag accounts by state and send the affected group something like:
Hi Marcus, Pennsylvania's vape directory is now being enforced. From your last 4 orders, these items are not on the AG's list: [SKU], [SKU]. We've stopped shipping them to PA. Want listed swaps on Thursday's order?
And where the date keeps moving:
Iowa accounts: the state has delayed its vape directory again, no new date yet. We'll text you the day it's published, with which of your usual items are on it.
Check every SKU against the official directory before you name it. Keep it factual: what changed, which of their products it touches, what you can ship instead. You are a supplier passing on stock information, and the shop should confirm its own obligations with the state.
Who owns the replies
Reorder texting fails when replies sit unread. Decide ownership before the first send.
One rep, one book, one phone. Each rep texts their own accounts from their own handset, so the buyer always hears from the same person. With multi-device pairing, each rep's Android phone pairs to the same Android Texter account as its own device with its own number. Sends can be pinned to a specific device, and every conversation lands in one shared dashboard inbox.
The office manager triages at open. Whoever builds the trucks checks the inbox first, catches overnight orders, and flags replies the rep has not touched by mid-morning.
Quick replies for the answers you type twenty times a day:
/same: "Perfect, repeating last week's order. Confirmation coming shortly."/cutoff: "Order cutoff for next-day delivery is 5pm."/eta: "Your truck is out today, arriving between 1 and 3pm."
Forward what the warehouse needs. An SMS forwarding rule can mirror inbound texts to a Telegram channel, so the warehouse lead sees "add 2 boxes" without waiting for the rep to relay it.
Scheduling the week so it does not depend on memory
Write Wednesday's nudges on Monday and queue them with scheduled send; you can view, edit or cancel them before they fire. If your order system can call an API, it can do this itself: the REST API accepts a scheduled_at timestamp and a device_id, so the nudge goes out from the rep's own phone at the right hour. Skip the identical blast to every account: the nudge works because it carries the shop's own last order.
What to measure
Track four numbers per rep, per week:
- Nudge reply rate: replies to Message 1 divided by nudges sent.
- Orders placed by text: orders where the reply was the order.
- No-reply accounts: the same names every week are the accounts at risk.
- Lapsed accounts: two missed cycles, and what the lapse text turned up.
Consent and opt-out still apply to a business buyer
A shop owner's mobile is still a wireless number, and the FCC's TCPA rules do not switch off because the recipient is a business customer. Get consent on the account form, keep it, and honor opt-outs. We covered the vape-specific rules in Vape Shop SMS Marketing: What the PACT Act Really Bans and opt-out handling in TCPA SMS Opt-Out Rules.
One change is coming. An FCC rule effective November 25, 2026 lets text senders designate a reply using standardized words as the exclusive way to revoke consent, if the method is disclosed in the message. Disclosing one word such as STOP is enough, but you must still honor any of the standardized words. That is why each template above ends with an opt-out line, or should once you adapt it.
Android Texter does not suppress opted-out numbers for you. An auto-reply rule can confirm a STOP, but removing that number and keeping it off future sends is your job. Tag it and exclude the tag every time.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should a vape distributor text shop accounts?
Once per order cycle for the reorder nudge, one follow-up if there is no reply, then a confirmation once the order is in. Add a substitution text only when something is short, and a stock alert when a state directory change touches their products. That keeps most accounts at three or four messages a week, nearly all of them tied to an order the shop is placing.
What should a wholesale reorder text say?
Name the buyer, say who you are, and include their last order so they can answer in one word. Give the cutoff for the next delivery and ask a direct question, such as "same again, or changes?" End with how to opt out. Leave prices out of the first message unless they changed, since a price line invites negotiation before the order exists.
Can several sales reps text accounts from one Android Texter account?
Yes. Each rep's Android phone pairs to the same account as a separate device with its own number. Sends can be pinned to a specific device, so a buyer always hears from their own rep, and every conversation appears in one shared inbox that the office manager can watch during the morning triage.
Do I need consent to text a shop owner about orders?
Treat the answer as yes. A shop owner's mobile is a wireless number, and TCPA consent rules apply to it. Add a line to your account setup or credit application asking for a mobile number for order texts, keep the signed form, and honor any opt-out. This is not legal advice, so confirm your setup with your own counsel.
Run your reorder week from your reps' own phones
Vape is a category the big SMS aggregators filter or refuse, which leaves most distributors texting accounts one at a time from a personal phone with no shared inbox and no schedule. Android Texter sends from your reps' own Android handsets as ordinary person-to-person texts, with the shared inbox, quick replies, scheduled sends and multi-device pairing a reorder week needs. Pair a phone and queue next Wednesday's nudges.