Why Is Hookah Tobacco Never Discounted?

Last updated on 05/07/2025 | Reading time approx. 01:52min

Quick Summary of the Content

• Hookah tobacco in Germany is subject to a legally fixed price – similar to books.
• The price is set by the manufacturer and cannot be altered, as it forms the basis for tobacco taxation.
• Any subsequent price changes (discounts or surcharges) are prohibited by law and considered a criminal offense.
• Free gifts, promotional campaigns, raffles, or giveaways with tobacco products are also prohibited.

Why Is Tobacco Never on Sale?

You may have already noticed this, but you won't find hookah tobacco at a discounted price anywhere in Germany - neither online nor in local stores - and there's a reason for this. First of all, it's not because we as retailers are particularly stingy when it comes to tobacco. In principle, discounts are always a good way for us to either boost sales or get rid of products that aren't as popular with our customers as we expected. So we'd be happy too if we could sell less popular hookah tobacco varieties at lower prices.

But why is hookah tobacco the same price everywhere?

The "problem" with discounting tobacco products is the law. For tobacco, there's price fixing similar to what exists for books.

The price of a pack of tobacco is therefore set by the manufacturer during production and consists of manufacturing costs, a margin for retail, and the current tobacco tax. The initially set price cannot be changed because the tobacco tax is calculated as a percentage of the selling price. If the price were increased afterward, too little tax would be collected, and conversely, a discounted price would mean too much tax is collected per pack.

So if you find any price in the German tobacco trade that's different from the one on the tax banderole - whether lower or even higher - the seller is committing a crime. Changing the price violates German law. Moreover, the Tobacco Act covers other things as well.

What else is prohibited with tobacco?

In addition to changes in the selling price (for example through discounts), other forms of benefits are also prohibited in this country.

For example, no items may be included free with tobacco, and it's also forbidden to include tobacco free with other products or to give away tobacco for free. Furthermore, tobacco may not be the subject of gambling or advertising. The Tobacco Act is much more comprehensive though. If you want to learn more about what the legislature has established regarding tobacco, check out the "Laws on the Internet" page.

We hope we've answered your question to your satisfaction. If you're interested in more topics from the world of hookahs, feel free to browse our Hookah Knowledge section, where we've collected a lot of information.