An Ifop survey of 3,000 smokers and vapers provides a detailed overview of tobacco and vaping product purchasing practices outside traditional channels. The results reveal the extent and diversity of French consumers’ procurement strategies.
A majority resort to cross-border purchases
More than half of smokers (53%) say they have purchased cigarettes from abroad in the last 12 months. This practice covers purchases in ordinary outlets (35%), duty-free (27%) or through a friend returning from abroad (25%). The phenomenon reaches 63% in border departments, with a peak of 69% near Spain and Andorra. Wealthier categories (66%) make more cross-border purchases than poorer ones (47%), probably due to greater geographical mobility. Young men and residents of the Paris region (63%) are particularly represented. For vaping products, 20% of consumers obtain their supplies abroad, with no significant difference between border and non-border departments.
Resale: a domestic capillarity of parallel trade
Beyond personal use, one in five foreign buyers (21%) admit to having resold in France, a behavior particularly prevalent among the under-25s (36%) and in the Paris metropolitan area. This “local” resale maintains the domestic circulation of products acquired outside France and feeds an informal market.
Illegal local circuits well established
Alongside cross-border purchases, almost a quarter of smokers (23%) have obtained their supplies via illegal channels (grocery stores: 13%, street vendors: 8%, Internet/social networks). Young men, Parisians (35%) and modest/poor categories are over-represented: while affluent households choose to buy abroad, the most constrained groups are more likely to use local illegal channels.
The puff market persists despite the ban
On the vape front, one in five vapers (20%) buys outside their home country, more so among young men and Parisians, with no specific increase in the number of cross-border commuters. 14% of vapers use illegal channels (street, social networks), with a peak among young people, the poor (21%) and in Paris (25%). Puffs, which have been banned since February 2025, remain a hot spot: 16% of vapers have used them in the last 5 months, and supply also mobilizes the Internet/social networks (20%), grocery stores (19%) or the street (9%), a sign of a resilient “under the table” supply.
Price as a determining factor in purchasing behavior
Faced with a possible price increase, 53% of smokers and 45% of vapers say they might turn more to non-traditional channels. Foreign countries remain the preferred option (cited by 46%, and 62% among exclusive smokers), ahead of the Internet (23%, but 53% among exclusive vapoteurs). Price is the criterion considered “decisive” for 60% of those who buy outside traditional channels, ahead of ease of supply (35%) and the availability of products not available in France (21%). For 33% of consumers who use alternative channels, this practice has become “regular” (15%) or “fairly frequent” (18%). This proportion rises to 50% among men under 35.
A health paradox: risk perception does not stop the practice
A majority of respondents consider illicit products to be more dangerous than those in the legal circuit (58% for contraband cigarettes, 57% for out-of-court vaping). Yet this perception of risk is not enough to inhibit behavior when budget constraints, accessibility and perceived variety dominate.
“Our results show the dual face of the parallel market. On the one hand, there is massive price arbitrage abroad which, while not illegal in its authorized volumes, undermines tax revenues and displaces part of consumption outside the legal network. On the other hand, illegal local channels (grocery stores, street corners, social networks), which appeal above all to young, urban and financially constrained consumers.”
